Case Study In this paper, I will present a case study in which I will describe the struggles of living with an adolescent diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I will discuss the case, the family relationships, the causes and diagnosis, and the treatment options currently available to those with bipolar disorder in general. The purpose of my paper is to make the reader aware of what goes on in the life of an adolescent with bipolar disorder type II. VR is a vibrant, beautiful, fun loving 17 year old. She is witty, creative and has a deep passion for dance. Over the last couple of years however, there are many times when she becomes so sad that it is difficult for her to function. She will go to sleep immediately after school and still have a hard time getting up in the morning. My parents have received numerous phone calls from her teachers advising us that she will fall asleep in class and this is after having slept 12 hours the prior night. During these times of sadness, VR refuses to talk with her friends. In fact, she refuses to talk to anyone or do any of the activities she so thoroughly enjoys. VR also has times when she is extremely full of energy and nothing stops her. Although this doesn’t happen as often, this excess energy is much more extreme than normal adolescent behavior. When she experiences these bouts of excess energy, VR talks non-stop. She talks so fast that people have a hard time comprehending what she is saying. It is during these episodes that she will go nights without any sleep and still function normally. In addition to days of complete sadness or excessive energy she also has to deal with erratic menstrual cycles. During these times, she gets extremely bad headaches, throws up, and bleeds qui... ... middle of paper ... ...ents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 1, 439-449. Lewinsohn, P.M., Seeley, J.R., & Klein, D.N. (2003). Bipolar disorders during adolescence. Acta Psychiatry Scan, 108(418), 47-50. Miklowitz, D.J. (2007). The role of the family in the course and treatment of bipolar disorder. Psychological Science, 16(4), 192-194. Morris, C.D., Miklowitz, D.J., & Waxmonsky, J.A. (2007). Family-focused treatment for bipolar disorder in adults and youth. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 63(5), 433-445. Sullivan, A.E., & Miklowitz, D.J. (2010). Family functioning among adolescents with bipolar disorder. Journal of Family Psychology, 24(1), 60-67. Wilkinson, G.B., Taylor, P., & Holt, J.R. (2002). Bipolar disorder in adolescence: Diagnosis and treatment. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 24(4), 348-357.
I have chosen to do a paper on Bipolar Disorder. Bipolar is a disorder in when a person’s mood inappropriately alternates between feelings of mania and depression. A bipolar mania is a mental illness classified by psychiatry as a mood disorder. Also individuals with bipolar disorder experience episodes of an elevated or agitated mood known as mania or hypomania, depending on the severity alternating with episodes of depression.
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that is often misdiagnosed, left untreated and misunderstood by the patient, family and friends. Its treatment varies among the different types of the disorder. The forms of Bipolar are characterized by symptoms of the patient and the symptoms are treated according to the patient’s needs. However, many symptoms are often misdiagnosed and untreated. This mistreatment or lack of treatment can lead to devastating results. However, proper treatment and support allows the patient to lead a fuller, more productive life.
Bipolar disorder is a lifelong mood disorder characterized by periods of mania, depression, or a mixed manic-depressive state. The condition can seriously affect a person’s reasoning, understanding, awareness, and behavior. Acco...
Bipolar disorder affects approximately one percent of the population in the United States. Bipolar disorder involves feelings of mania and depression. Which is where individuals with manic episodes experience a period of depression. The depression episodes are characterized by a persistent sadness, almost inability to move, hopelessness, and disturbances in appetite, sleep, in concentration, and driving. The manic episodes are characterized by elevated or irritable mood, increased energy, decreased need for sleep, poor judgment and insight, and often reckless or irresponsible behavior (Hollandsworth, Jr. 1990 ). As the National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association (MDMDA) have demonstrated, bipolar disorder can create substantial developmental delays, marital and family disruptions, occupational setbacks, and financial disasters. In addition, bipolar states and psychotic states are misdiagnosed as schizophrenia, but a closer look at speech patterns can help distinguish between the two (Lish, 1994).
Crowe, M. (2011). Feeling out of control: A qualitative analysis of the impact of bipolar
“When one is diagnosed with manic depression, one’s status as a rational person is thrown into question. What it means to be rational or irrational depends on what notions of personhood are in play, notions that must be understood in their cultural context” (Martin, 2007). In American culture we have a blurred line between what is rational and what is irrational. The biggest blurred line is between what is rational for a man and what is rational for a woman. Mania and depression that is within the context of bipolar disorder cross that line because today in American culture mania is considered a male characteristic, while depression is considered a highly female characteristic. But when you are afflicted by bipolar disorder you don’t get to choose one or the other; you are stuck with both ends of the spectrum. Although there is a reported equal rate of bipolar disorder in men and women, there are a myriad of significant sex and gender differences related to not only that culturally blurred line and it’s influence on everyday life but also the cause of the disorder and of the episodes, symptoms, diagnosis, and comorbidity that bipolar disorder entails.
Just for a moment, imagine being a child who is unable to have a stable youth because of recurrent episodes of major depression with manic symptoms, intermingled with phases of normal behavior and hypomanic periods. Bipolar disorder – also called manic-depressive disorder – is a disorder that entails severe mood swings; fluctuating from the most horrible depressions to the most euphoric and energetic phases (Birmaher, 2013). The DSM-IV TR portrays Bipolar I Disorder as an illness during which a patient is affected by mood changes that last from weeks to months. This means, that the patient goes through periods of depression, followed by a normal state for a short period of time before the onset of a manic episode. As stated by the DSM-IV TR, Bipolar I disorder is characterized by the occurrence of at least one manic episode, one mixed episode and one period of major depression. There are also various subtypes to Bipolar I disorder, such as Bipolar II disorder – which is characterized by the occurrence of at least one depressive and one manic episode that occur in a form noticable to others but causing less impairment, and cyclothymic disorder – which involves fluctuating mood disturbance including less severe periods of depression and mania that last for short periods over an interval of at least two years (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). According to many studies, the amount of children and adolescents who are diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder increased rapidly over the last few years. According to the DSM-IV TR, the prevalence of the disorder amongst children and adolescents is around 1%. However, a team of academics described there is a forty-fold increase of the amount children or adolescents that were being diagnosed...
Bipolar disorder not only affects the person living with it but the the people closest to them. It can be stressful on the family. It may also be difficult being the parent of a child with bipolar. As a family member or close friend learning to cope with the mood and behavior can be very helpful. Make sure to not take care of the loved one but take care of self too is important to manage bipolar disorder.
Modimore, Francis Mark. Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients and Families. John Hopkins U. P., 1999
Bipolar Disorder can be classified by the occurrence of manic episodes followed by hypomanic or major depressive episodes. A manic episode is a distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, extensive, 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. During the specific period of mood disturbance and increased energy or activity, many symptoms are present. Some examples of these symptoms can include: -Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity, decreased need for sleep, and are more talkative than usual (“Bipolar and Related Disorders, “n.d.). There is a 10- 15% risk of completed suicide associated with Bipolar Disorder (“Bipolar Depression”, 2)
Bipolar Disorder is a common psychiatric mood disorder that is defined by recurrent episodes of abnormally elevated mood and depression, changes in energy and, the ability to carry out day to day tasks. (Joel, Jakosson and colleges) “Bipolar Disorder (BD) is a chronic disease with high risk of relapse. This disease also results in a high rate of suicidal mortality.” (Sabrina, Paterniti and Jean-Claude Bisserbe) Many studies show that this disorder is genetic therefore it runs in families, passing down from generation to generation. The closer you’re related to a person with bipolar the more likely you are to have BD.
In today’s society there are many different psychological disorders that people face on a daily basis. Often times the individuals know they even have the disorder until someone else recognizes it. One particular disorder is the Bipolar disorder. It has many different classifications and definitions, symptoms, and treatments. It is very inportant to notice this disorder in its beginning stages so it can be controlled.
The documentary “The Medicated Child” gave me a lot of insight into the lives of children diagnosed with bipolar disorder. When we hear and learn about bipolar disorder, we do not normally think of children. However, there are many children diagnosed with bipolar disorder ranging from all ages. As we saw in the documentary, bipolar disorder can be very hard on both the child and the family, so finding a cure that is effective and safe is important. The video also highlighted how little research there has been on the effectiveness of antidepressants on children.
Bipolar disorder is also known as manic-depression disorder, may cause unusual changes in mood and behavior such as grandiosity, decreased energy, distractibility, diminished interest, insomnia, pressured speech, suicidal thoughts, and decrease in the ability to carry out day to day tasks (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; 5th Ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013). According to Jann (2014) the symptoms of bipolar disorders are severe alternating between normal ups and downs leading in damaged relationships, poor job and school performance, and even suicide among the most severe. There are four types of bipolar disorder which include bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, bipolar disorder not otherwise specified, and cyclothymic disorder Jann (2014).
Adolescence is a time of emotional turmoil, mood lability, gloomy introspection, great drama and heightened sensitivity. It is a time of rebellion and behavioral experimentation. The physician's challenge is to identify depressive symptomatology which may be superimposed on the backdrop of a more transient, but expected, developmental storm.