Bi-Polar Disorder, Essay Example

Bi-polar disorder is disorder of the brain that usually causes shifts in the mood, activity levels, energy and ability to carry out daily activities and they usually occur in unusual manner.  This disorder may cause so severe behaviors that one is unable to function at the work or in the family or even in relationship with others. Some people with this disorder become suicidal. Other names for bi-polar disorder are manic depressive psychosis, manic depression or manic depressive disorder. Bipolar disorder signs or symptoms may result to damaged relationships, poor school or job performance and even suicidal sometimes (Goodwin & Jamison, 2007).

This bi-polar disorder mainly develops in people at their late teens or at the adult early years. Some people develop the first signs at the childhood while others develop later but at least half of the cases begin before 25 years. This disorder is not recognized easily at the start. This is because its symptoms seem like different or separate problem. Bipolar disorder is an illness that is long term like diabetes which needs to be managed well through the person’s life (Goodwin & Jamison, 2007).

Unusual emotional states that are intense occur in distinct periods known as mood episodes. This is one of the symptoms experienced by those with this disorder. An overexcited or over joyful state is called manic episode, while an extremely hopeless or sad state is called depressive episode. Mood episodes sometimes have both depression and mania. This is usually referred as mixed state. A person may have bipolar disorder episode if he has several depressive or manic symptoms for most part of the day or for at least one or two weeks (Goodwin & Jamison, 2007).

They are several scales of moods that include mild low mood, moderate depression and severe depression. Moderate depression cause less extreme symptoms, mild low mood (dysthymia) which may be long term with the normal or balanced mood between them. Bipolar disorder patients may experience hypomania. During the hypomanic episodes, a person may have some increased energy levels and also activity levels but not very severe like typical mania. Person with hypomanic episode may feel good and even be highly productive as well as functioning well or normally. This person’s family and friends may recognize the mood changes or swings while the person himself feeling nothing (National Institute of Mental health, 2009).

During the mixed state, the symptoms include trouble sleeping, agitation, changes in the appetite and even suicidal thinking. People in this mode may feel hopeless or sad while at the same time feeling extremely energized. A person with severe mania or depression episodes has psychotic symptoms too like delusions or hallucinations. Symptoms of psychotic tend to reflect the person’s severe mood. A person with bipolar disorder has psychotic symptoms that are diagnosed wrongly as having schizophrenia which is a mental illness linked with hallucinations and delusions (National Institute of Mental health, 2009).

The behavioral problems with bipolar disorder are the abuse of the alcohol or other substances, have problems in relationships and poor performance in the school or at work.

The bipolar disorder lasts over the lifetime. The mania and depression episodes come back over time. Between the episodes, a lot of people with bipolar disorder are symptoms free although some of the people have lingering symptoms (National Institute of Mental health, 2009).

Doctors who diagnose mental disorders use the guide line called Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). They are four basic types of this disorder. They include Bipolar I Disorder, Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (BP-NOS), Bipolar II Disorder, and Cyclothymic Disorder, or Cyclothymia. A person may also be diagnosed with the rapid-cycling bipolar disorder whereby this is a person who has gone four or more episodes of major depression, hypomania, mania or mixed symptoms (Simon, 2002).

If the Bipolar disorder is not treated, it may tend to worsen. Delayed correct diagnosis and treatment may lead to a person experiencing a social, personal and work related problems. Proper treatment and diagnosis help people with bipolar disorder live productive and healthy life. Treatment helps reduce severity and frequency of the episodes (Lovelace, 2008)

There is no proper treatment of this disorder but proper treatment may help those with this disorder be able to control their mood swings and the related symptoms.

Genetics is said to be one main cause of the disease as it is passed from the parents to the children. Brain structure and its functioning have also been linked with this bipolar disorder.

References

Goodwin, F. K. & Jamison, K.R. (2007). Manic-Depressive Illness: Bipolar Disorders and Recurrent Depression, 2nd Edition. New York: Oxford University Press.

Lovelace, D. (2008). Scattershot: My Bipolar Family. New York: Dutton Adult press.

National Institute of Mental health. (2009, October). Bipolar disorder. Retrieved Dec 13, 2006, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/bipolar-disorder/complete-index.shtml#pub1

Simon, L. (2002). Detour: My Bipolar Road Trip in 4-D. New York: Simon and Schuster press.