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Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a term that is used to describe a mental illness, which has many dDysthymica effects on the mind and the body of its victims. The condition is also known as the manic-depressive disorder. Research that has been conducted shows that the condition is mostly found in young adults and since recently in children as well. Studies have also shown that in the United States alone the condition affects close to 4 million people and is slowly being considered as one of the most common disabilities amongst Americans. Women in their mid-forties are also at a high chance of developing the mental disorder. After developing the mental disease, a typical patient may experience up to ten episodes of other mental disorders in the course of their condition. For women who suffer rapid-cycling, they may experience more manic episodes and depressive episodes that happen after each other without leaving space for remission (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, UK, 2006). Comment by Dr. Barnes-Young: How do you know all of these things? Recall from week one course announcements and discussion feedback that a citation is needed every single time you refer to the work of another. Comment by Dr. Barnes-Young: This is not a scholarly source.

The conditionBipolar disorder is characterized by two specific mood swings, namely mania, and depression. These mood swings that almost constantly affect bipolar people can further be divided into three subcategories, namely bipolar I disorder (BD-I), bipolar II disorder (BD-II), and cCylothymia. This The purpose of this paper seeks is to discuss the bipolar disorder in general, as well as summarizeing a short history of the condition, the subcategories of the condition, the symptoms, causes, and treatments of the disease (Miklowitz & Alloy, 2009). Comment by Dr. Barnes-Young: ? What is your source on this? Comment by Dr. Barnes-Young: The disorder is divided into three categories not the mood swings. Comment by Dr. Barnes-Young: What about your case study?

The existence of the bipolar disorder was discovered during the ancient Greek era. The Greeks took it that this type of manic depression disorder was a condition of the blood, choler, phlegm, and black bile. The condition was thought to be associated with human body fluids because these fluids are responsible for homeostatic imbalances within the human body. According to the Greek academics, ensuring that the body was in a homeostatic equilibrium would cause humans to develop a need to purge themselves or release into the blood stream specific amounts and quantities of these fluids. Plato, the scholar, was strongly founded on the belief that the disorder was caused by inspirations such as God, love, and writings. Other scholars slightly agreed with Plato but imagined that the disorder was as a result of environmental factors including the concept of God and Satan, stress, poverty, and education. Spiritual factors were also for a long time believed to influence a person’s vulnerability to bipolar disorder. After many years of research, researchers narrowed down the causes to either issue of emotion, and intellect. The intellect which includes rational thinking, behavior, and logic was considered more of a cause of the disorder rather than an instability of emotions (Murai & Fujimoto, 2003). Comment by Dr. Barnes-Young: This sentence is unclear. Comment by Dr. Barnes-Young: You appear to be tacking citations on to the end of paragraphs. Please review your week one course announcements on not doing this.

According to Charles Darwin, intellect was equally more of a cause of the disaster rather than emotional instability because of the inability to predict and comprehend the emotions of a person. After years of research, the manic-depressive disorder has been associated with chemical imbalances in the human brain. These years of research have helped scientists to uncover more information about bipolar disorder including its symptoms, causes, and the severity of treatment (Miklowitz & Alloy, 2009).

Manic depressiveBipolar disorder is a condition that greatly affects the human mind. For a long time, the condition was also referred to as manic depression and manic-depressive psychosis, until 2001 when it was officially reclinically named bipolar disorder. The condition forces the mind to experience changes in thoughts causing mood swings. The two mood swings that the bipolar people experience. People suffering from this condition tend to either alternate between a depressive episode and a manic episode or in some cases experience these two episodes simultaneously. During the manic episodes, the patient remains irritable, energetic, lacks the need for sleep, and makes poor judgments and inferences. It could also participate in irresponsible and reckless behavior. The depressive episodes leave the patient with sentiments of sadness and despair, which eventually mature into helplessness and hopelessness. It also includes anhedonia, lack of appetite, psychomotor retardation, laziness, worthlessness, indecisiveness, and suicidal thoughts. The condition is also characterized by the increase in the severity of these mood swings over a span of several years or a few days for specific cases. The symptoms and causes of this condition can be easily picked out as they are easily recognizable. The diagnosis of a manic episode can be made whether or not a depression has been diagnosed (Vieta & Colom, 2004).

The condition is categorized into three main groups, organized from the lowest to the highest case severity of the disorder. In the first category, bipolar I disorder (BD-I), the main symptom is a rise in the amount of manic mood swings that an individual experiences taking a toll on the daily activities of that individual including school, work, or family. Common effects of increased episodes of manic mood swings include aggressive behavior, extreme optimism, insomnia, abuse of alcohol and drugs, religion, agitation, and irritation. In the second category, bipolar II disorder (BD-II), the victims are faced with a difficult task of enduring depressive mood swing episodes. They encounter emotions of happiness, suicidal thoughts, guilt, sadness, anger, and irritability. In the final category of cCyclothymia, the form of bipolar disorder with the lowest severity, the individuals experience the highs and lows of depression. These depressive episodes take place over a period of years, days, or hours depending on the seasonal changes and hallucinations or psychosis episodes. In the event that a bipolar instance presents hallucination and psychosis episodes, the condition may be misdiagnosed for schizophrenia. Speech pattern tests should be conducted to distinguish if the patient only suffers from manic-depressive disorder or schizophrenia and other related mental conditions (Murai & Fujimoto, 2003). Comment by Dr. Barnes-Young: What condition?

The severity of the bipolar disorder can be managed to make the condition less severe for those who suffer from it. One of the ways that this condition can be treated includes the use of medication. The medication taken has chemicals used to correct the chemical imbalances in the brain, balancing mood swings and reducing the chances of depressive and anxious episodes. Finding a suitable type of medication for every individual with bipolar is a challenging affair because certain medications tend to negatively affect the mental health of that individual (Vieta & Colom, 2004).

Negative effects of the medication used to treat bipolar disorder include worsening the symptoms a bipolar person may already be suffering from. However, there is certain medication like lithium carbonate which positively affects up to 60% of all patients with the mental disorder. This medication is also effective in reducing the symptoms of the condition and in preventing manic episodes. Lithium medication has for a long time been associated with decreasing the functioning of their thyroid glands after long-term use. Hypothyroidism is feared to have the potential of causing rapid-cycling. For pregnant women, the use of lithium medicine during gestation has been associated with causing birth defects in children specifically the Ebstein’s anomaly. Most of the antidepressants, patients of this mental condition are given, are mixed with mood stabilizers to prevent the occurrence of depressive and manic episodes. People should, however, remain warned that anti-depressants could worsen the severity of mood changes and manic episodes National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, UK, 2006). Comment by Dr. Barnes-Young: For instance?

Another way bipolar people can be treated is by the use of psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is a type of therapy where the patient is encouraged and helped to recognize their mental disorder as well as its causes and symptoms. It also encourages the patient to take control of their own lives and steer it towards the direction that they want to. Other advantages of psychotherapy include the ability to reduce the severity of the symptoms. This is because the patient is usually aware of the condition responding even better to the treatment methods employed. The method also aids to make the patient more responsive to the medication and allow them an opportunity to be responsible for the management of their moods and emotions. Psychotherapy is further divided into cognitive behavioral therapy for the patients and social and interpersonal types of rhythm therapy. This groups of psychotherapy are specifically aimed at reducing the symptoms of the mental condition as well as helping the patients to deal with conflict, personal loss, drug abuse, and role changes (Miklowitz & Alloy, 2009).

The final way a manic-depressive disorder patient is through hospitalization although this is an option for crucial cases of the disorder. In the event that the patient becomes suicidal or slowly starts to show signs of psychosis, the patient should be hospitalized immediately. Hospitalization gives the patient an opportunity to be closely monitored by the many specialists that are constantly watching over patients at the hospital. It also allows specialists to analyze the responsiveness of the patients and how well they respond to the medication administered to them (Lewinsohn, Klein, & Seeley, 2000). Comment by Dr. Barnes-Young: ?

Since the condition causes individuals to have strange fluctuations in their moods, the performance of bipolar patients in normal daily activities is negatively impacted. The with can become very chronic although its patients can always seek treatment to regain their mental stability. Treatment can help the patients to regain their healthy and happy lifestyle if they collaborate with health care providers to help themselves get out of the situation. However, freshly diagnosed patients are usually afraid to accept their condition because of the stigmatization that is associated with this disease. Stigma is defined as the action of judging someone based on their personal attributes or traits they cannot change about themselves. Stigmatization can negatively affect the recovery process because it can hinder a patient from gaining treatment which could instead negatively affect the condition of the patient. Collaborative partnerships in society are therefore important for the elimination of all types of stigma towards persons with bipolar (Keck Jr, McElroy, Strakowski, Bourne, & West 2007).

Stigma can be divided into two types, namely self and public stigma. Self-stigma is a situation characterized by the victim of a personal attribute or unchangeable trait believing all the negative and judgmental views that have been said and passed against the victim resulting in despair and low self-esteem. Public stigma, on the other hand, includes the perspective of the public about a personal attribute or an unchangeable trait being negative or judgmental causing despair or low self-esteem to the group of people the public negatively judges. Both self and public stigma are negative and would undoubtedly make it difficult for victims of bipolar to cope with their condition unless professionals, family, and friends show their support for the recovering individuals Hlastala, Frank, Kowalski, Sherrill, Tu, Anderson, & Kupfer, 2000). Comment by Dr. Barnes-Young: ?

Conclusion?

References?

Charlotte, this is a good start, though your paper appears to be incomplete. Review my comments by turning on Track Changes and moving through them line-by-line. Comments made apply throughout; in other words, I have not edited every instance of an error or correction. There are several required elements according to the assignment that you have not yet addressed, like the inclusion of a case study and a reference page.

Carefully proofread your final paper. I look forward to reading your final draft! If you would like to make further changes to the final paper you have already submitted, you may do so. I will accept the most recent submission of your final paper with no penalty for lateness.

Paper Rubric

Directions: This paper does not have a required page count. The use of correct spelling, grammar, and sentence structure is imperative. Students will be graded on thoroughness of content area, correct spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and correct use of APA.

· Exceptional—Performance is outstanding; significantly above the usual expectations.

· Proficient—Skills and standards are at the level of expectation.

· Basic—Skills and standards are acceptable but improvements are needed to meet expectations well.

· Novice—Performance is weak; the skills or standards are not sufficiently demonstrated at this time.

Total: 72