Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder

The severe mood fluctuations of bipolar or manic-depressive disorders have been around since the 16-century and affect little more than 2% of the population in both sexes, all races, and all parts of the world (Harmon 3). Researchers think that the cause is genetic, but it is still unknown. The one fact of which we are painfully aware of is that bipolar disorder severely undermines its victims ability to obtain and maintain social and occupational success. Because the symptoms of bipolar disorder are so debilitation, it is crucial that we search for possible treatments and cures.

The characteristics of bipolar disorder are significant shifts in mood that go from manic episodes to deep depressive episodes in a up and down trip that seemingly never ends. There are actually three types of bipolar disorder. In bipolar III disorder there is a family history of mania or hypomania in addition to the client experiencing depressive episodes. This category is not highly used but is worth noting. Bipolar II disorder is marked by hypomanic episodes that have not required hospitalization. Bipolar I disorder is the full-blown illness and is defined by the presence of manic episodes which require treatment, and usually hospitalization (Wilner 44).

Bipolar disorder can strike at any age but most commonly strikes at age 18 in bipolar I; for bipolar II disorder, the age is 22 (Durand and Barlow 189). It has also been found that children can be seen with bipolar disorder early on. This is not very prevalent, and is only one in every 200 cases. This is thought to occur because many children with manic depression might have been misdiagnosed or just thought of as hyperactive and disruptive. The early symptoms of childhood bipolar disorder, distractibility, irritability, and hyperactivity are also the signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)(Harvard Mental Health Letter, March 1997). It is mainly for this reason that many cases might be misdiagnosed as ADHD and the prevalence of bipolar disorder in children could be much higher.

A person suffering from bipolar disorder alternates from manic states to those of depression. These emotional states can alternate cyclically or one mood may dominate over the other. It is also possible for the two to be mixed or combined with each other.

When the sufferer is in a manic phase o...

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...ple live with bipolar disorder everyday and have no idea they have it because they are in denial or have been wrongly diagnosed by a physician. I have only touched on some of the way that bipolar disorder can be treated. There are many other ways, some better, and some worse. With the information we know have bipolar and the knowledge that we will learn in the future, hopefully someday the disease we know as bipolar disorder will cease to exist.

Works Cited

Burns, David. Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy. New York: Avon Books, 1980

Durand and Barlow. Abnormal Psychology. New York: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company,

1997.

Encyclopedia Britannica 1994 Vol. 23 Pg. 847.

Finkelman, Anita Ward. Psychology Today. Gaithersburg, Md.: Aspen Publishers, 1997.

Harmon, Daniel E. The Tortured Mind: The Many Faces of Manic Depression. Philadelphia:

Chelsea House Publishers, 1998

Nathan, Peter E. Treating Mental Disorders: A Guide to What Works. New York: Oxford

University Press, 1999.

?What is the role of ECT in the treatment of mania?? Harvard Mental Health Letter. June 1997.

Willner, Paul. Depression: A Psychobiological Synthesis. New York: Wiley, 1985.