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A Look at Bipolar Disorder Essay

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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, “The voice [on the car radio] told me someone was taking over the White House, and that I could be of assistance in this matter. 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 and

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