Bipolar disorder

Definition; Bipolar disorder is most commonly defined as a disorder in which a person has double personality (meaning that the entity has two completely different personalities). The difference in between these two personalities is that one is manic and the other is depressive. These personalities are completely antithesis to each other. We humans can hit these points like for example humans might get depressed or manic. But at one point we will always go back to normal (which means that humans have a balance in between manic and depression). However, people with Bipolar Disorder have a misbalance in between the three personalities (manic, depression and neutral). Some times people with this disorder might be normal and then get depressed and suddenly jump from depression to manic and then go back to depression. Bipolar disorder can be easily determined if someone has gone through these traits in front of you.

However experiments have determined that some people might be able to hide their manic episodes from others. When mania in the person is mild it is called hypomania and when depression is mild it is called mild to moderate depression.

Symptoms;

• Symptoms of mania are; Feeling unusually “high” and optimistic
• Unrealistic, beliefs about one’s abilities or powers
• Sleeping very little, but feeling extremely energetic
• Talking so fast that others can’t keep up
• Racing thoughts; jumping quickly from one idea to the next
• Highly distractible
• Impaired judgment and impulsiveness
• Acting recklessly without thinking about the consequences
• Delusions and hallucinations (most  cases)

Other Signs of Bipolar Disorder are;

• Bipolar 1 Disorder– The classic manic-depressive form of the illness characterized by at least one manic episode or mixed episode. Usually Bipolar I Disorder also involves at least one episode of depression.
• Bipolar 2 Disorder – In Bipolar II disorder, the person doesn’t experience extreme manic episodes. Instead, the disorder involves episodes of hypomania and severe depression.
• Cyclothymia (Cylothmic disorder) – Cyclothymia is a milder form of bipolar disorder. It consists of cyclical (many different) mood swings. However, the symptoms are less severe than hyper mania or “high” depression.

Case Study; I found this interesting case study on this 45 year old lawyer named Stephen who also has two children of his own. Stephen was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. On this case Stephen said that he had great deal of stress and anxiety. Stephan also stated that he was frustrated with his inability to explain everything he experienced. Also, he was unable to relax and enjoy fun activities like watching a movie or taking a vacation. Stephen also was unable to stop thinking about issues that had to do with his job. Matthew went through weekly counseling sessions to tackle the unhealthy thought and behavior patterns he had developed as a result of his disorder. At the end of his treatment, Stephen gained positive results like a dramatic change in his psychological states. Now, Stephen can control himself and has gentleness and calmness. Now, Stephen has no uncontrollable thought patterns like he use to have years before. Now his mind is finally stable.

Excerpts;

Both these excerpts are extremely odd. They do not look like any of the normal writing a normal mind would write. These are actual excerpts from people with real bipolar disorder. This shows how people with this disorder have an unstable mind that can jump through cyclical (many different) ideas/topics.

                            Who is bipolar disorder most likely to affect?

Well, men are more prone to get bipolar at an earlier age (specifically before puberty starts). But still, both genders can get bipolar disorder at an even range. The types of mood episodes men and women with bipolar disorder experience are slightly different. In general, women experience more episodes of depression and are more likely to develop bipolar II disorder, which is a milder form of the disorder. Men, on the other hand, are more prone to manic episodes and tend to have more severe forms of bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder commonly develops in teens rather than in adults. However one race has a very, very low chance of getting bipolar disorder and that race is Asian. Look at the graph below;

               People medically attended for bipolar disorder (1,000 people per age group)

 Here you can see that kids from 0-12 and the elderly over 65 years have the lowest risk of developing bipolar disorder. But in the other hand, teenagers have the highest risk of developing bipolar disorder. I decided not to put “Asians” on this chart because I am doing this by age group, not by race. But, if “Asians” were on this chart, out of 1,000 Asians; only seven would have bipolar disorder!

Etiology of Bipolar Disorder- Bipolar disorder tends to run in a family. That means that if a man has bipolar disorder and then has a child, the child has a high risk of developing bipolar disorder however it isn’t a 100% guaranteed, there is also a chance that the child will live their life normally. A child with a bipolar parent has a 15%-25% chance of developing bipolar disorder too which is high if you ask me. If you were born with a non-identical twin (meaning both of you were born at the same time but, none of you look alike) that has bipolar disorder, you have a 25% chance of developing the disease as well. But the greatest chance is if you are born with an identical twin (both of you have same genetic material) that has bipolar disorder the chances are Eight times higher then being born with a non-identical twin. That means it’s almost impossible to avoid being bipolar if you are born with an identical twin that has bipolar disorder!

Prognosis of Bipolar Disorder- Bipolar disorder can be severe and last a long time period, or it can be mild with small episodes that aren’t as bad. Patients with this disease will experience symptoms in very dissimilar ways. A typical patient with bipolar disorder has 7 to 10 manic or depressive episodes over a lifetime. However, some people experience more episodes and some less.

Medicinal treatments for bipolar disorder- Most treatment plans for bipolar disorder involve a type of medication that suits you. The medications are used to bring mania and depression at a controllable level. But, the medication isn’t any old drug that anyone that’s bipolar can take; many bipolar people have a different type of drug or dose. It is tough to find the right drug that suits you. It is important to work with a specialist and evaluate yourself several times a year because the optimum dose can and may change over time do to your mental health.

Therapeutic treatments for bipolar disorder- Along with medications, therapy are common in most treatment plans. Therapy helps you to manage your symptoms and it helps to sustain a normal lifestyle. They also say it helps with the struggle in life’s difficulties.

Electroconvulsive Therapy­ (ECT) - ECT is a treatment for hospitalized patients that are suicidal, dangerous or dangerously psychotic. These conditions are found in 75% of the patients that take ECT. In electroconvulsive therapy, an electric current is sent through the scalp to the brain. ECT is the fastest way to relieve symptoms from people that are suffering from mania or severe depression.

My opinion on mental illnesses- Mental illnesses are something bad that can come into anyone’s life, affecting their everyday life in a negative way. When someone has a mental illness they do not act like themselves due to the type of illness that they have but, everyone always has a chance to return to a regular life. I think that a mental illness is just in obstacle in life that anyone can overcome if they try hard enough.

Other opinions- I think that it is important to learn about conditions that affect the mind because, if a friend, a loved or you have any of the symptoms of a mental illness, you can start understanding what type of mental illness they/you have and can start speaking to a professional. Also knowing a lot about mental illnesses can open up many successful job opportunities.

Things we can do to alleviate mental stress- It is proven in experiments that people who take a time of the day to sit outside and look at nature have less stress, behave better and also spend more time sharing with their families. So always remember once in a while to enjoy the sunset or take a walk in a park for it may benefit a lot more than you expected.