Running head: BIPOLAR DISORDER
Journal 2: Bipolar Disorder
Author's Name
Institutional Affiliation
BIPOLAR DISORDER
Instructions:
Optionone
Write about the situation that you felt you handled well. What did you do? Provide justification
and reasoning for your actions. This commentary should include a reference to relevant course
content or research.
Bipolar disorder
BIPOLAR DISORDER
Write about the situation that you felt you handled well. What did you do? Provide
justification and reasoning for your actions. This commentary should include a reference to
relevant course content or research
During the week, I encountered a patient with bipolar disorder. The patient was a 17-year-old
African American and was already in the major depressive episode of the disorder. The patient
was abnormally upbeat, energetic, and exhibited a much-exaggerated sense of confidence.
Noteworthy, these are some of the major symptoms of hypomania episodes. From the initial
engagement, I discovered that the patient was having depressed moods, has lost a significant
amount of body weight, and was losing interest in almost all activities, including his education
and relationships. Also, I established that the patient had two of his siblings with almost similar
symptoms.
One of the things that I believed I performed well was diagnosis and testing. According to Mayo
Clinic (2020), psychiatric assessment entails filling a psychological self-assessment or
questionnaire. In addition, the patient's family members may be requested to provide more
information about his or her symptoms. This is precisely I did. Begin by asking the patent to fill
out the psychiatric assessment questionnaire in order to gain a better insight into his symptoms
and potential root causes. I then proceeded to inquire more information from the patient's
mother, who has accompanied him to the facility. The mother revealed that two of the patient's
BIPOLAR DISORDER
siblings were already being treated from bipolar disorder n other hospitals. Still, their symptom
was not as severe as in this particular patient's case. According to Mayo Clinic (2020), having a
first degree relative, such as parents or siblings with bipolar disorder, is one of the major risk
factors for the disorder. This gave me confidence because my diagnosis was backed with
scientific information. Moreover, I conducted a physical exam as well as lab tests to establish
any medical problems that may potentially be causing the patient's symptoms.
The other thing that I believe I performed well is treatment. Firstly, I prescribed Risperidone for
the patient. According to WebMD (2019), Risperidone is a type of medication belonging to a
class of drugs known as atypical antipsychotics. Essentially, this drug works by helping to
restore the balance of certain natural substances contained in the human brain. The rationale for
prescribing Risperidone in this particular case is that the drug helps to think clearly in order to
effectively perform other activities well. However, Risperidone has several side effects,
including headache, tremors, anxiety, and restlessness.
Psychotherapy is the other treatment approach that I used in treating this patient. I preferred
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) type of psychotherapy because it focusses on identifying the
patient's unhealthy and negative beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors. More importantly, CBT helps
to replace the negative thoughts and beliefs with healthy and positive ones (Blader & Kafantaris,
2007). In so doing, the patient is able to resume his or her normal activities. I found CBT very
essential for this patient, especially given that his bipolar symptoms were adversely affecting his
education and life in general. For this reason, it was imperative to find ways to return him back
to healthy and positive thinking. According to Cox et al. (2014), a combination of medications
and psychotherapy also the most effective strategy to treat bipolar disorder.
BIPOLAR DISORDER
BIPOLAR DISORDER
References
WebMD (2019). Risperidone. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-6283-
2034/risperidone-oral/risperidone-oral/details
Mayo Clinic (2020). Bipolar disorder. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-
conditions/bipolar-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355955
Cox, J. H., Seri, S., & Cavanna, A. E. (2014). Clinical guidelines on long-term pharmacotherapy
for bipolar disorder in children and adolescents. Journal of clinical medicine, 3(1), 135-143.
Blader, J. C., & Kafantaris, V. (2007). Pharmacological treatment of bipolar disorder among
children and adolescents. Expert review of neurotherapeutics, 7(3), 259-270.
