A Look at Bipolar Disorder Essay - 1379 Words

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is more than just ordinary mood swings. People suffer from periods of mania to periods of depression. Bipolar disorder is a significant medical condition that is a great health interest in America (Hopkins Medicine). The number of people being diagnosed with bipolar disorder increases every year; therefore, the importance of education and understanding of this disorder also increases because it can affect so many people’s lives. According to Johns Hopkins medicine, manic depression affects more than 5.7 million American adults--or about 2.6 percent of Americans age 18 and older in a given year. Both sexes are affected equally. Bipolar disorder does not discriminate against race,†¦show more content†¦On the other end of the spectrum, symptoms of depression consist of mood changes with periods of emptiness or worry, and loss of interest in enjoyable activities. Behavioral changes for people suffering from depression include feeling tired, being irritable, unable to focus or make decisions, changes in sleeping or eating, and thinking of death or suicide. People with severe periods of mania or depression may also experience hallucinations or delusions (National Institute of Mental Health). Patty Duke is an actress with bipolar disorder. Describing a hallucination she said, â€Å"The voice [on the car radio] told me someone was taking over the White House, and that I could be of assistance in this matte r. I had to get to Washington! I was on a mission† (27). Bipolar people often have increased self-esteem; feel overly important, such as thinking they are a queen or messiah. They can even suffer from paranoia. (Torrey and Knable). There are different kinds of bipolar disorder that all include periods of depression and mania. The different types are bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymic disorder, mixed bipolar, and rapid-cycling bipolar disorder. Bipolar I is when a person has at least one manic period in his or her lifetime. People with bipolar II have high and low moods overtime but they do not reach extreme mania. With rapid cycling, people have four or more periods of mania or depression in a year. Mixed bipolar is when people have mania andShow MoreRelatedTaking a Look at Bipolar Disorder1059 Words   |  4 PagesI chose bipolar disorder because making the distinction between normal mood fluctuations and mood fluctuations caused by bipolar disorder is significant to understanding human behavior. It is interesting to analyze how the brain and moods are affected by bipolar disorder and what treatments are available to get it back to a stable stage. A brief overview of the disease: Bipolar disorder (bipolar affective disorder or manic-depressive disorder) is a long-term disorder where a person’s mood fluctuatesRead MoreTaking a Look at Bipolar Disorder1363 Words   |  6 Pagesmany mental disorders that effect how a person and the person body interpret information and respond to the world. Bipolar disorder is a commonly known disorder that effects a fair amount of people today. It is a disorder that varies in degree and most people can learn how to live with and have a good life. This paper will discuss in more detail what Bipolar is and how it effects a person body physically, neurologically, emotionally, and spiritually. Bipolar is a mental disorder that anyoneRead MoreBipolar Disorder : A Mental Disorder1321 Words   |  6 PagesBipolar disorder is a very serious mental illness, that can have detrimental effects on a whole family. 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Records have shown that this problem can appear in almost anyone. It is clear that in our social world many people live with bipolar disorder. Regardless of the number of people suffering from the disease, we are still waiting for an explanation regarding the causes and cure. One fact of which we are aware, is that bipolar disorder severely undermines its’ victims ability to obtain and maintain social and occupational successRead MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Bipolar Disorder1125 Words   |  5 Pageswith several mental disorders. The major diagnosis would be bipolar disorder. She also suffers from borderline personality disorder, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety. The American Psychiatric Association s Diagnostic and Statistical Ma nual of Mental Disorder defines bipolar disorder as a recurrent mood disorder that includes periods of mania or mixed episodes of mania and depression (Murphy, 2012, p. 44-50). It was previously known as manic depressive disorder. It is most commonRead MoreBipolar Disorder : Mental Health Diagnosis797 Words   |  4 PagesBipolar disorder is a mental health diagnosis when a person can experience extremely different moods. It also can affect the brain during the progression of the illness. A person with this diagnosis usually experiences mood changes of extremely high moods/ manic or extremely low moods which look like depression. There are two different types of Bipolar disorders. The first is Bipolar I which is when a person’s mood can go to severe mania or severe depression. The second type is Bipolar II which