Bipolar Affective Disorder
June 4, 2010
Bipolar Affective Disorder
The number of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder continues to rise every year. Bipolar affective disorder affects 2.6 percent of adults, starting at the age of eighteen. Bipolar affective disorder often develops in late teens or in the early adult years. It is likely that all nurses will be involved in taking care of patients with bipolar affective disorder. I would like to research more about effective treatments, to provide an opportunity for the patients I care for, achieve the most positive outcome. Bipolar affective disorder is a long-term illness that must be monitored closely. There is evidence showing bipolar disorder has a strong hereditary component. (Nursing, 2006, p. 4). Suicide is higher in the early stages of bipolar disorder, usually when making a transition from one phase to another. Substance abuse may prolong the bipolar disorder symptoms.
Bipolar affective disorder is characterized by unusual shifts in mood between the elation (manic) and extreme depression (depressive) phase. The manic phase is characterized by a euphoric or irritable mood that lasts at least one week. The manic phase often interferes with work and personal relationships. Mania is often the first episode in males. People in this phase require hospitalization to return to normal functioning. Symptoms of mania include: restlessness, increased energy, unrealistic belief in ones abilities, decreased need for sleep or foods, impulsive behavior, extremely irritable and distracted easily. The three stages of mania are hypomania, acute mania, and delirious mania. In the hypomania stage, the patients feel good with the excess of energy and increased activity levels. The ...
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...ar affective disorder. Bipolar affective disorder is a life long illness. Families that are affected by this illness should seek support and receive education about the illness. Education helps to recognize signs of relapse, and also gives patient opportunity to lead a life reaching their highest potential.
References
Steinkuller, A., & Rheineck, J., (2009). A review of evidence-based therapeutic interventions for
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Murphy, K., (2006). Managing the ups and downs of bipolar disorder. Nursing 2006, 36(10),
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Distributors International.
Bipolar Disorder (Formerly known as Manic Depression) is a mental illness linked to alterations in moods such as mood swings, mania, and depression. There is more than one type, Bipolar I and Bipolar II, and the subcategories are divided by the severity of the symptoms seen, such as cyclothymic disorder, seasonal mood changes, rapid cycling disorder and psychosis. Age of onset usually occurs between 15-30 years old with an average onset of 25 years old but it can affect all ages. (Harvard Medical School; Massachusetts General Hospital , 2013) Bipolar disorder affects more than two million people in the United States every year. (Gardner, 2011)
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...
Manic-depression does not come on over night, it is an illness that evolves with you as you grow up and you get used to having it. “My illness and my struggles against medication have been years in the making…for as long as I can remember I have been frighteningly beholden to moods”(p.31) Kay Jamison talks about how she was used to having ups and downs in her life and how she acknowledged them as being part of her personality and not an illness. Even as her moods became more intolerable she didn’t consider taking medication. “I became exceedingly agitated, restless and irritable, and the only way I could dilute the agitation was to run or to pace back and forth like a polar bear at the zoo. I had no idea what was going on, it never occurred to me that I was ill, my brain just didn’t put it in those terms.”(p.48) Kay wasn’t exactly uninformed, she had been studying psychology in a personal and professional way for at least ten years. She just hadn’t accepted that she had an illness and...
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.
Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function.
Bipolar II disorder is a treatable mental illness that is often confused with Bipolar I disorder. The two are similar but still have many differences such as with Bipolar II it consists of two main symptoms, depression and hypnomania. The major difference between bipolar I and bipolar II is that with bipolar II the patient never reaches a full state of mania, rater they experience hypnomania which is a less elevated form of mania; where with the depression aspect of the disorder it can last much longer in bipolar II than in bipolar I. There are around 6 million people currently in the United States who suffer from some form of bipolar disorder yet most people don’t really have an accurate perception of what this condition is or how life is for those living with it.
Bipolar disorder is a serious psychiatric disorder that can have serious consequences is not treated. Bipolar disorder is a different in a few ways in children and adults. Bipolar can be managed with different treatment options. There are many places to seek help. Remember to get educated about bipolar disorder in order to help manage their bipolar disorder.
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, which is also called manic-depression, is a term used to define forms of irregular and intense mood swings that can make someone be depressed one day and a complete maniac the next. Unlike other medical conditions, bipolar disorder does not only affect one’s life, but it can also have an impact on other individuals. The extreme mood swings can have a major consequence on someone’s social life and cause one to fail in his or her career or education. Even though bipolar is not the immense discussion in medical disorders; it is still a dangerous condition that affects a multitude of individuals in the world. Many suffer severe symptoms and dangers but they can still live a satisfying life with treatments and therapy.
The causes of bipolar disease vary between individuals. Available research indicates that genetic courses account for up to 90% of the reported cases (Fagiolini et al., 2013). It indicates there is a strong connection to hereditary components. Studies interested in genetics reveal the cause of this medical condition manifests in the candidate and chromosomal regions. The connection has currency because the regions are the main areas where the disease occurs. The disease tends to manifest in families, and research shows some people are likely to develop the disease more than others. For instance, children with a sibling or parent who suffers from bipolar disorder are likely to contract the disease more than those who from a family without a history of the disease. However, this does not mean that children from a family with the disease must develop it.
Although genetic factors are considered the most important for the development of bipolar disorder, “episodes that develop after the first one appear to be more heavily influenced by environmental stress, sleep disruption, alcohol and substance abuse, inconsistent drug treatments, and other genetic, biological, or environmental factors” (Milkowitz, 2010, p. 74). Patient M had already suffered two similar episodes of strange behavior and her family history includes mood disorders and states of depression.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Bipolar disorder is the condition in which one’s mood switches from periods of extreme highs known as manias to periods of extreme lows known as depression. The name bipolar comes from the root words bi (meaning two) and polar (meaning opposite) (Peacock, 2000). Though often bipolar disorder is developed in a person’s late teens to early adulthood; bipolar disorder’s early symptoms can sometimes be found in young children or may develop later on in life (National Institutes of, 2008). Bipolar disorder has been found to affect both men and women equally. Currently the exact cause of bipolar disorder is not yet known, however it has been found to occur most often in the relatives of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder (National Center for, 2010).
Bipolar Disorder is the tendency of manic episodes to alternate with major depressive episodes, like a roller coaster. Barlow, D., Durand, M., Stewart, S., & Lalumière, M., 2014, p. 222. Their moods and relationships are unstable and they usually have a very poor self image, recurrent feelings of emptiness and fear of abandonment. Barlow, D., Durand, M., Stewart, S., & Lalumière, M., 2014, p. 444.
Psychologically, mania is described as a mood disorder characterized by euphoric states ,extreme physical activity ,excessive talkativeness, distractedness, and sometimes grandiosity. During manic periods a person becomes "high" extremely active , excessively talkative, and easily distracted. During these periods the affected person's self esteem is also often greatly inflated. These people often become aggressive and hostile to others as their self confidence becomes more and more inflated and exaggerated. In extreme cases (like Hamlet's) the manic person may become consistently wild or violent until he or she reaches the point of exhaustion. Manic depressives often function on little or no sleep during their episodes.
Bipolar disorder is a lifelong condition that can affect how you feel and how you act. It is a mood disorder caused by chemical imbalances in the brain that can result in extreme mood swings, from manic highs to depressive lows. Also known as manic-depressive disorders, bipolar disorder is categorized and determined as “a psychological state in which a person experiences a mood disorder causing radical alterations in their moods”. Elevated levels of either manic or depression are very common with a person affected by a bipolar disorder.