BIPOLAR DISORDER

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder

What it is?

Manic-depression disorder, also known as bipolar disorder, is a severe mental disorder involving manic episodes that are usually accompanied by episodes of depression. It is a chronic mental disease that affects over two million adults in the United States, which is about one percent of the population over the age of eighteen.

Symptoms of the disorder often appear in adolescence or early adulthood, although it can sometimes start in early childhood or as late as the 40s or 50s, and could persist for the sufferer's entire life. One cycle of bipolar disorder can last for weeks or months, and causes great disturbances in the lives of those who are affected. (Earley,2006)

Bipolar disorder is characterized by an alternating pattern of emotional highs, known as mania, and lows, or depression. The severity of these signs vary from person to person, ranging from mild to severe symptoms. Symptoms of mania include feelings of euphoria, inflated self-esteem, rapid speech, racing thoughts, being easily agitated, recklessness, extreme irritability, and an inability to concentrate. (Behrman, 2002)

In severe cases, sufferers my have hallucinations or delusions. These symptoms are often confused with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in adolescent sufferers, and are often treated as such. (Raeburn,2004) The psychoanalytic theory states that mania is a denial of and a reaction to a 'masked' depression. During phases of depression, symptoms include persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, guilt or hopelessness, disturbances in sleep and appetite, and loss of interest in daily activities. Phases of depression can be serious, and may result in suicidal tendencies.

Symptoms

Bipolar disorder is a condition in which people experience abnormally elevated (manic or hypomanic) and abnormally depressed states for a period of time in a way that interferes with functioning. Bipolar disorder has been estimated to afflict more than 5 million Americans—about 1 out of every 45 adults. (Kessler, 2055) It is equally prevalent in men and women, and is found across all cultures and ethnic groups. Not everyone's symptoms are the same, and there is no blood test to confirm the disorder. (Raeburn,2004)

Scientists believe that bipolar disorder may be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. Bipolar disorder can appear to be unipolar depression. Diagnosing bipolar disorder is difficult, even for mental health professionals.(Frederick, 1990) What distinguishes bipolar disorder from unipolar depression is that the affected person jumps between states of mania and depression. (Raeburn,2004)Often bipolar is inconsistent among patients because some people feel depressed more often than not and experience little mania whereas others may predominantly experience manic symptoms.

How's its diagnosed?

Diagnosis is based on the self-reported experiences of an individual as well as abnormalities in behavior reported by family members, friends or co-workers, followed by secondary signs observed by a psychiatrist, nurse, social worker, clinical psychologist or other clinician in a clinical assessment. There are lists of criteria for someone to be so diagnosed. These depend on both the presence and duration of certain signs and symptoms.

Assessment is usually done on an outpatient basis; admission to an inpatient facility is considered if there ...