Bipolar disorder

Bipolar Disorder: Going from this :D to this D': By: AV Block: C

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Bipolar disorder is a condition in which people go back and forth between periods of a very good or irritable mood and depression.

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Causes:

There is no single thing that causes this disorder. Though there are a few things that can cause it; they are:

Risk factors that interact to produce the symptoms of this disorder.

History of it among immediate family members.

Genes combined together to make it.

Stress can also be a contributor.

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Diagnosis:

It is not easy to detect bipolar disorder in some people as much as others, due to the fact that some people with this disorder can seem very optimistic and in touch with they're life

Some of the steps they go through to diagnose the individual is:

Ask about their families medical history.

Ask about their mood swings and how long they've been happening for.

Look for illnesses that may be causing similar symptoms that this disorder causes.

Do lab tests for thyroid problems and/or drug levels.

Watch the behaviour and moods of the individual, as well as talk to family and friends about the individuals behaviour.

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Symptoms:

There are two different types of reactions you may have with this disorder: Manic and Depression. 

Manic; this reaction can consists of symptoms like:

experiencing high elation(energy)

extreme confusion, distractibility and racing thoughts.

Unreasonable optimism or poor judgement.

Lack of sleep.

Short attention span, easily distracted.

Rapid shifts of anger or sadness.

Irritability.

Talking lots.

Overly high self-esteem(false beliefs about themselves and/or their abilities.

Poor temper control.

Binge eating, drinking and drug use.

Promiscuity.

Spending sprees.

In contrast, the symptoms for the Depression reaction are:

Being overcome with feelings of failure, sinfulness, worthlessness and despair.

Daily low moods and sadness.

Inability to concentrate, remember, and make decisions.

Eating problems: Loss of appetite & weight loss or Overeating & weight gain.

Lack of energy.

Loss of pleasure in activities.

Low self-esteem.

Suicidal & death thoughts.

Too little or too much sleep.

Retracting from close relationships.

Mood swings can be extremely quick between mania and depression.

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Types of People Affected:

There is a range of people that are affected by bipolar disorder; the highest affected are young men and women ages 15-24 years old. The amount affected decrease with age.

The number of older men and women, ages 25-44 or 45-64, that report symptoms were 1 in 50.

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Effects On Quality of Sufferer's life:

People who experience one manic episode will most likely experience many more. They're recovery rates depends on the characteristics of the sufferer's disease. If he/she just has manic episodes they have more of a chance of fast, full recovering; but if he/she has manic and depression episodes they will have a longer recovery and more chronic courses of illness. If they do not treat their disease it can result in damages in relationships, poor jobs, school performance and suicide. 

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Co-occurring disorders

Depression is often a big part of biopolar disorder.

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Treatments:

Though this is one disorder that you can never fully recover from there are treatments that can help make more bearable. Some of the goals of treatments are to:

Prevent going from one phase to another.

Try to stop the need for hospital stays.

Assist the patient to function to the best of there abilities between episodes.

Lessen how frequent and severe the episodes are.

Avoid self-harming and suicide.

Therapy treatments: There are a couple different types of therapies you can go through to help biopolar disorder. They are Electroconvulsive therapy and Transcruanial magnetic stimulation. There is also a possibility of hospital visits in the middle of manic or depressive episodes.

*Important Note*:

During mania and depression suicide is a very big risk; if anyone diagnosed with bipolar disorder is thinking or talking about suicide they need emergency attention right away.

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Medical treatment: There's many different types of medicine that you can take to help with this disorder, such as: Carbamazepine, Lamotrigine, Lithium, Valproate, and other antiseizure drugs. As well as Antipsychotic drugs, anit-anxiety drugs and antidepressants.

*Important Notes*: 

Anyone taking medication for this disorder must not stop taking it, even if they feel better because it can cause serious problems.

Patients need a good family member or caregiver to support them and help them take medication properly.

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Impact on the lives of others

Some of the impacts on other people lives is: Loss of productivity in work place, high health care costs, major impact on the mental health of families.

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Common Misperceptions

Some of the most common misperceptions about Bipolar disorder is:

Bipolar disorder is not a real illness.

Once you are diagnosed with bipolar disorder, your life as you've known it is over, and you won’t be able to achieve your goals.

People with bipolar disorder cannot keep a job or serve in a position of authority.

Bipolar disorder defines who you are.

If someone has bipolar disorder, all their moods are a product of the condition.

Everybody who has bipolar disorder has wide mood swings, going from very depressed to super manic and out of control.

Once you’re feeling better, you can stop taking your bipolar disorder medications.

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Conclusion:

Bipolar Disorder is very serious disease that is treatable but not curable. It is important to help anyone with bipolar disorder function between episodes and make episodes less frequent. The victim might not realize themselves if they are having an episode.

This is a curse that you can turn into creativity.

“Creativity is closely associated with bipolar disorder. This condition is unique . Many famous historical figures and artists have had this. Yet they have led a full life and contributed so much to the society and world at large. See, you have a gift. People with bipolar disorder are very very sensitive. Much more than ordinary people. They are able to experience emotions in a very deep and intense way. It gives them a very different perspective of the world. It is not that they lose touch with reality. But the feelings of extreme intensity are manifested in creative things. They pour their emotions into either writing or whatever field they have chosen."

-Preeti Shenoy, Life is What You Make It.

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Resources:

Government of Canada. (2006). The human face of mental illness in Canada. Ottawa: Minister of Public Works and Human Services Canada. Retrieved from the Public Health Agency of Canada at http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/human-humain06/pdf/human_face_e.pdf

Glencoe/Mc Graw-Hill. (1995). Understanding Psychology.

PubMed Health. (2012). Bipolar disorder. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001924/

Everyday Heath. (2012). Common Misconceptions About Bipolar Disorder. http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-report/bipolar-depression/bipolar-disorder-misconceptions.aspx