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)
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 be broken down into four basic types. Bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, bipolar disorder not otherwise specified (BP-NOS), and cyclothymic disorder or cyclothymia. Bipolar I disorder, which is defined by manic or mixed episodes that may last up to seven days, or by manic symptoms that are so severe that the person needs immediate hospital care. Usually, depressive episodes occur as well typically lasting at least two weeks. ("NIMH • Bipolar Disorder", n.d., p. 4) Bipolar II disorder is a pattern of depressive episodes and hypomanic episodes, but no full-blown manic or mixed episodes. ("NIMH • Bipolar Disorder", n.d., p. 4) Bipolar disorder not otherwise specified (BP-NOS) is diagnosed when symptoms of the illness exist but do not meet diagnostic criteria for either bipolar I or bipolar II. However, the symptoms are clearly out of the person’s normal range of behavior. ("NIMH • Bipolar Disorder", n.d., p. 4) The last type of bipolar disorder is cyclothymic disorder or cyclothymia which is a mild form of bipolar disorder. People with cyclothymia have episodes of hypomania as well as mild depression...
Bipolar Disorder is a complex psychological disorder, a mental illness also known as manic depression. In Margarita Tartakovsky’s article “Bipolar Disorder Fact Sheet” she states “Approximately 2.6 percent of American adults have bipolar disorder.” People who are affected by this condition experience brutal mood swings that could impair their daily activities and have a negative effect on their lives and relationships. It can cause the individuals to make very poor decisions and even lead to drug and alcohol abuse. They experience high and low mood changes which can be very exhausting not only to the person with the condition, but there family and loved ones as well. When one is experiencing a “high” in mood, they can feel like they are invincible. They become very self-confident and feel like they can do anything, which can lead to overspending, reckless thinking, and bad decision making. When experiencing a “low,” the individual becomes very depressed, sad, and even feels hopeless. According to Tartakovsky, “suicide attempts are very common in bipolar disorder, especially during depressive episodes.” There are several types of bipolar disorders, but the two main types are Bipolar I and Bipolar II. Bipolar I is the definitive type of the bipolar disorder, and the person will constantly go through both the manic and depressive stages of the condition. The length of these episodes will differ from time to time. In Bipolar II, the manic stages are not as severe as Bipolar I; nevertheless, the depressive stages are quite similar (bipolar). But what causes this life altering mental illness? Several factors contribute to the cause of bipolar disorder such as genetics, biology, and environment.
The symptoms of bipolar disease are what make up the whole disorder. The two main symptoms are the maniac phase and the depression phase. Both can be very critical and have major effects on one’s life. The maniac phase causes one to have extremely high energy. Lots of people have high energy but the author Bloch says, “There is a profound contrast between high energy and having bipolar disorder. And there are easy ways of telling the difference” (Bloch 4).
The bipolar disorder has often been classified and defined by many different terms. Its been also known a manic depressive illness, characterized by extreme and disabling highs, considered to be mania, and low points, known as depression. It effects a considerable amount of Americans, which usually begins in adolescence or young adulthood and continues through life. Its been proved that many individuals who have this disorder experience multiple manic episodes, and even end their lives in suicide.
Patients with bipolar disorder swing between major depressive, mixed, hypomanic, and manic episodes. (1-9) A major depressive episode is when the patient has either a depressed mood or a loss of interest/pleasure in normal activities for a minimum of two weeks. Specifically, the patient should have (mostly): depressed mood for most of the day, nearly every day; diminished interest or pleasure in activities; weight loss or gain (a difference of 5% either way in the period of a month); insomnia or hypersomnia; psychomotor agitation or retardation; fatigue or loss of energy; diminished ability to think or concentrate; feelings of worthlessness; recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal ideation or attempt. It is important to note that, except for the last symptom, all of these symptoms must be ...
There are two types of BD: Bipolar I and Bipolar II. “Bipolar I disorder is defined as being present if the person experiences one or more lifetime episodes of mania and usually episodes of depression. The severity and duration of episodes are often severe and may result in hospitalization.” (Black dog institute) “Bipolar II disorder is defined as being present if the person experiences episodes of both hypomania and depression but no manic episodes. The severity of the highs does not lead to hospitalization.” (Black dog institute)
Bipolar disorder can be conceptualized as parallel dysfunction in emotion-processing and emotion-regulation circuits, together with an “overactive” reward-processing circuitry, resulting in characteristic behavioral abnormalities associated with bipolar disorder: emotional lability, emotional dysregulation, and heightened reward sensitivity (Bressert, 2006). According to DSM-IV and ICD-10, divides bipolar disorder into at least two subtypes. Bipolar type I disorder, the most classical form, is characterized by a succession of manic or mixed states with depressive episodes. The course of bipolar type II disorder is similar but more unstable in course, where depression alternates with hypomania (Burke, 2012, 159-166).
Bipolar is the first most common mood disorder. “Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. Bipolar II Disorder has more of a depression affect to it and may cause hypomanic episodes. The person has a rushed feeling less, sleep more work. For example the person is more productive or social able than they usually are kind of making then seem more outgoing risking .Bipolar disorder is not easy to spot when it starts. “The symptoms may seem like separate problems, not recognized as parts of a larger problem” these quotes were by NIMH Mood disorder cannot be spotted easily like somebody how had a stroke, they have an odd movement or slag in their speech . The disorder is more like trying to tell a girl/ young woman is having anger issues in ...
The beginning of Bipolar disorder usually occurs between the ages of 20 and 30. A typical bipolar patient may experience eight to ten episodes in their lifetime. However, those who have larger cases may experience more episodes of mania and depression closer and more frequent, without a period of remission (DSM III-R). The three stages of mania begin with hypomania, in which patients report that they are energetic, extroverted and assertive (Hirschfeld, 1995). Hypomania then progresses into mania and the transition is marked by loss of judgment (Hirschfeld, 1995). Lastly, the third stage of
First of all a bipolar disorder is also commonly known as a mood disorder. It is when a person alternates or changes between hopelessness and lethargy depression and the overexcited state of mania. Mania, on the other hand, is a hyperactive, wildly optimistic state in which a teenager is excited and feels that they have a lot of energy and are much more active than usual . Depression makes you feel very sad and "down," and you are much less active than usual. However, a bipolar disorder causes a person to make serious shifts in their mood and change into different states of emotion. A person can be sad for a while and then go into being happy and then they become depressed in just a short time.
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 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 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.