Bipolar Disorder Manic Episode

705 Words2 Pages

Bipolar Disorder Manic Episode
Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out activities of daily living (NIMH, 2009). People with bipolar disorder usually experience “mood episodes” (NIMH, 2009). An overly joyful or overexcited state is called a manic episode (NIMH, 2009). A manic episode is a distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and abnormally and persistently increased goal-directed activity or energy, lasting at least 1 week, and present most of the day, nearly every day (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Some symptoms that are present during a manic episode are increased self-esteem or grandiosity, decreased need for sleep, more talkative than usual, flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing, distractibility, increase in goal-directed activity and excessive involvement in activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
Medical treatments for people with bipolar disorder manic episode include medication and psychotherapy to prevent relapse and to reduce the severity of symptoms (NIMH, 2009). Mood stabilizing medications are usually the first choice to treat someone who has bipolar disorder (NIMH, 2009). Anticonvulsants are also used to help control moods, and are sometimes prescribed (NIMH, 2009). Lithium is often very effective in controlling symptoms of mania and preventing the recurrence of manic and depressive episodes (NIMH, 2009). Other treatments that are used for people with bipolar disorders are electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and sleep medications (NIMH, 2009). Research shows that bipolar disorder man...

... middle of paper ...

... help George throughout the treatment and his family will be educated on it as well. Real-life and stimulated environments will help George with his goal of returning to the community.

References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders
(5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
Bipolar disorder. (2013). Retrieved from http://averaorg.adam.com/content.aspx?productId=10&pid=10&gid=000066http://averaorg.adam.com/content.aspx?productId=10&pid=10&gid=000066 Leahy, R. L. (2007). Bipolar disorder: Causes, contexts, and treatments. Journal of Clinical
Psychology, 63(5), 417-424. Doi: 10.10002/jclp.20360
National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH]. (2009). Introduction: Bipolar disorder. (2008).
Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml

More about Bipolar Disorder Manic Episode

Open Document