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Bipolar Disorder And Its Effects On The Brain

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Bipolar disorder represents a group of diseases that affect the brain and cause dramatic mood swings from one extreme to the other. Feelings can move from depression to mania, from the lowest of lows, to the highest of highs. This disorder is not curable, but through a comprehensive treatment plan it can be controlled. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), 5.7 million adults in America are impacted by this disorder. That equates to 2.6% of the population over the age of 18 every year. 250 million people worldwide are estimated to have bipolar disorder and more than two-thirds have one or more family members that have a mental illness. That is why the National Institute of Mental Health has indicated that bipolar disorder may have an inheritable component to the disease. The risk is low only between 0.5 and 1.6%, but the disorder is one of the most devastating, with a suicide rate of 10 to 20% among patients (Huffman/Dowdell). According to the NIMH bipolar is a manic-depressive illness which causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. It is a brain disorder and can be severe. The symptom that a person with the bipolar disorder suffers with is different than the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through in life. The disorder can ruin relationships, result in poor job performance and even can get as severe as suicide. With treatment the disorder can be controlled through a comprehensive

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