Bipolar Disorder (ADHD)

Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness in which common emotions become intensely and often unpredictably magnified. Individuals with bipolar disorder can quickly swing from extremes of happiness, energy and clarity to sadness, fatigue and confusion. Bipolar disorder more commonly develops in older teenagers and young adults; it can appear in children as 6. The exact cause of bipolar disorder is unknown; there are two types of this disease:

In a question and answer on the “Myths and Realities about Bipolar Disorder” Dr. Youngstrom a professor of psychology/psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and acting director of the Center of Excellence for Research and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder says, “bipolar disorder is about a third as common as depression and less than half as common as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in youths, but about twice as common as autistic spectrum disorders (Youngstrom, 2012).” In the United States about three percent or about five point seven

Bipolar disorder also known as manic depressive illness is a brain disorder that causes shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out everyday task (National Institute of Mental Health, 2016). Every year, 2.9% of the U.S population is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, with nearly 83% of causes being classified as severe (NAMI). According to Miller, Ghadiali, Larusso, Wahlen, Ani-Barron, Mittal, Greene (2015), bipolar disorder is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Most people that experience this disorder experience highs and lows of the illness. In this paper, various components of bipolar disorder will be discussed. The components include: population dynamics, physical illnesses that accompany the disorder, risk factors and social determinants, treatment, prevention, health promotion, and cultural differences found globally.

Bipolar disorder is primarily a biological disorder that occurs in a specific area of the brain and is due to the dysfunction of certain neurotransmitters, or chemical messengers, in the brain. These chemicals may involve neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, serotonin and probably many others. As a biological disorder, it may lie dormant and be activated on its own or it may be triggered by external factors such as psychological stress and social circumstances. And even though the exact cause of bipolar disorder is unknown there are a few factors that seems to be involved in causing and triggering bipolar episodes.

The severe mood fluctuations of bipolar or manic-depressive disorders have been around since the 16-century and affect little more than 2% of the population in both sexes, all races, and all parts of the world (Harmon 3). Researchers think that the cause is genetic, but it is still unknown. The one fact of which we are painfully aware of is that bipolar disorder severely undermines its' victims ability to obtain and maintain social and occupational success. Because the symptoms of bipolar disorder are so debilitation, it is crucial that we search for possible treatments and cures.

I became curious about Bipolar Disorder after learning about how this disorder manifests and how much of a range from highs to lows a person can experience with this disorder. In fact, more than 5 million people in the United States have bipolar disorder and about one third of the cases of bipolar disorder begin in adolescence, which means it can begin in childhood, too. The disorder is really difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are relatively common, so suffering individuals will often ignore the symptoms. Bipolar disorder is caused by lack of stability, and can be diagnosed if someone has rapid alternation between manic and depression symptoms. The movie “Mean Girls” (2004) shows how teenage girls change and feel in their social development during their adolescence at school. The characters have many psychological problems, and one of the characters, Gretchen Wieners, has bipolar disorder. Some parts of the movie show that she has taken both sides of an elevated and depressed mood, which fits the description of bipolar disorder, also referred to as ‘manic depression.’ So the movie “Mean Girls” portrays bipolar disorder well in that its symptoms of mania and depression were well matched to the behaviors of character Gretchen Wieners.

Bipolar disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), is “a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels,” and

Nearly everyone has felt depressed at some point in their life. We all experience episodes of happiness and depression. It is normal for a person’s disposition to fluctuate somewhat when a stressful or complicated situation occurs. However, some people experience feelings of apprehension or despair or experience mood swings that are so rigorous and overpowering that they impede with an individual’s relationships, job performance, and overall daily functioning. In cases of severe physical impairment, people may be experiencing bipolar disorder.

Bipolar is a complex physiological and psychological disorder that can impact and control a person 's thinking and activity in their daily life. The name Bipolar or manic depressive illness refers to the fact that the person who suffers from the disease goes from one extreme of mania to one of depression. As I was growing up, I had an anger problem. When I was about 11 or 12, my mom and I got into a huge fight. She was talking to me very calmly and telling me over and over that she loved me. While I was screaming and yelling back at her “ I hate you”. It wasn 't until last year that I realized my outbursts, or manic episodes that I was having was not normal. As I was always paranoid, even about the smallest things. When I

Because Bipolar Disorder is a mood disorder, the causes are unknown. (Bipolar Disorder) Even though they don’t know the root of the illness, doctors have found reasons that could have contribution. One of these would be genetics and its most common with people who have relatives that have already been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Also, after research doctors have discovered that patients with bipolar disorder seem to have physical deviations with their brains. Another factor could be a chemical imbalance with neurotransmitters. They also have discovered that stress, alcohol, and drugs could also initiate the first manic episode. (Mayo Clinic)

The apparent increase in the number of children in today’s society that are diagnosed with mental illness, especially that of bipolar disorder, does not seem to come as much of a surprise to anyone. Yet, why is this? Is the recent over-diagnosis due in part to fault within the definition of what pediatric bipolar disorder actually is? Many believe this to be the case; while others support the notion that bipolar disorder is not over diagnosed and the recent prevalence of the disorder is the result of increased awareness on the part of health professionals along with an increase in the number of children who are more readily succumbing to such a disorder. To admit to an over diagnosis should not be seen as a denial of the disease itself, but rather, the different clinical presentations of the disorder should be seen as an inconsistency among practitioners. This discrepancy results in the acknowledgment of more cases than actually exists; an admission of this over-diagnosis would be seen merely as a flaw within the ability of practitioners to reach a consensus. Such a flaw manifests itself in the over diagnosis of the disorder, which is something that, for the sake of the client as well as the field as a whole, should not be overlooked.

Bipolar Disorder, or BD, is defined by Whitbourne and Halgin (2013) as a disorder wherein individuals experience “intense and very disruptive” euphoric moods, and sometimes episodes of major depression (p. 179). Individuals with Bipolar are often highly creative and intelligent, but lack self esteem and often exhibit behavioral problems and problems in their personal relationships (Benti, Manicavasagar, Proudfoot, and Parker, 2013). In addition, those with Bipolar can often experience high levels of irritability, anxiety, and sleep disturbances, even when not in the throws of a depressive or manic episode (Benti et al., 2013). In order to be diagnosed with BD, at least three of the following manic criteria must be present for at least a week: “inflated self-esteem or grandiosity, decreased need for sleep, more talkative than normal, racing thoughts, distractibility, increase in goal-oriented activity or psychomotor agitation, or excessive involvement in high-risk behaviors or endeavors” (Whitbourne & Halgin, 2013, p. 179).

Before I truly understood Bipolar disorder, it was still a fairly common word in my vocabulary. Anytime I thought someone was being moody or fluctuating between emotions, I joked by claiming that person to be bipolar. Several incidents of this involved one of my roommates who seemed to be happy one day, and quite the polar opposite the next. However, it was not until my clinical experience on the psychiatric unit that I realized what true bipolar disorder was, and that she did not fit the criteria. Even though I always thought my roommate was bipolar, I quickly found after being exposed to a diagnosed bipolar patient that my roommate was instead just moody. I decided to write this paper on bipolar disorder, not because I have struggle with it or know a friend or family member with this disease, but because I had several misconceptions about what it entailed.