Understanding Bipolar Disorder: Causes, Symptoms, and Effects

An interesting topic to discuss is the bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is defined as, “A disorder involving periods of incapacitating depression alternating with periods of extreme euphoria and excitement” (Hockenbury & Hockenbury 578). Bipolar disorder has the same symptoms as depression and then cycles through a period of mania. Additionally, you can still be diagnosed with Bipolar disorder if you only experience manic episodes (Hockenbury & Hockenbury 578). The manic episode can last for several days and are typically shorter than the depression state. During the mania episode the individual will be highly energetic and sleep much less. They will also have an inflated self-esteem (Hockenbury & Hockenbury 578). What this means is that the person will be delusional about his, or her, abilities and will make plans for power, fame, and wealth. This is part of the reason why hospitalization is required. They may accumulate many bills, and even disappear for weeks. It is a rather common disorder. DBSA cites that it is the 6th leading cause of disability in the world. The direct cause of it is unknown, and it cannot be cured, only treated. There does happen to be a risk of inheriting it. If both or one parent has it, it would increase your risk of also possessing it. There are three different studies that will be reviewed in this paper. The first will go mainly review the biological effects. The second will review the developmental effects and the third will review the social effects.

Inheritance seems to play a large role in having the bipolar disorder. A study that highlights this biological effect is called, “Common genetic influences for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder”. The study was done by Paul Lichtenstein. The study ...

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...n study, I would gather a large quantity of both those who have the bipolar disorder, and a large quantity of healthy individuals with no known disorders. I would have both groups be between the ages of 10-18. They would be monitored with a fitbit and they would be asked a series of questions once a month for 2 years. They would also weigh themselves daily as well as having a body fat percentage calculation once a month. This study would be to discover if and how drastic any health effects are for those who have bipolar disorder as a kid. The questions would be asked from a psychologist. I would interpret the data by looking at any sort of weight gain, and looking at heart rate trends, and step trends from the fit bit. If there were large weight gains, lack of steps, or higher heart rates, this could indicate early health problems for kids with the bipolar disorder.