Vignette Case Studies

Bipolar disorder, which is commonly referred to as manic-depressive illness, is a disorder within the brain that causes abnormal changes in mood, energy levels, and activity levels. People of any ethnicity can have bipolar disorder, although bipolar disorder is more prevalent in the U.S. than any other country (see figure 1). Bipolar disorder, as

About one in every one hundred people will experience Bipolar I disorder over their lifetime, affecting both men and woman equally. The rate of Bipolar II disorder has been estimated at between one and five per hundred Australians, with rates higher in women (Mind health connect, 2016). Bipolar disorder often develops around mid-to-late adolescence however this disorder can be difficult to detect therefore an accurate diagnosis can take 10-20 years. Early onset of bipolar disorder in children is rare (Proudfoot, Parker, Benoit, Manicavasagar, Smith, & Gayed, 2009).

The DSM-5(2013) section on Bipolar and related disorders includes diagnoses for Bipolar I disorder, Bipolar II disorder, cyclothymic disorder, substance/medication induced bipolar and related disorder, bipolar and related disorder due to another medical condition, other specified bipolar and related disorder and unspecified bipolar and related disorder there is no classification for pediatric or early onset bipolar disorder. Though there is the following statement “the recognition that many individuals, particularly children and, to a lesser extent, adolescents, experience bipolar-like phenomenon that do not meet the criteria for bipolar I, bipolar II, or cyclothymic disorder is reflected in the availability of the other specified bipolar and related category. Indeed, specific criteria for a disorder involving short-duration hypomania are provided in Section III in the hope of encouraging further study of this disorder.” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) . For DSM-5(2013) diagnosis purposes pediatric bipolar disorder would seem to fall under 296.89 Other Specified Bipolar and Related Disorders presentation 3 which is Hypomanic episode without prior major depressive episode. This presentation describes clients who have had one or more manic episodes but has not met the full criteria for a major depressive or manic episode. Fristad & MacPherson (2014) discuss that Bipolar disorder once was thought to be a disorder of adulthood but recently research has suggested

Bipolar Disorder is a stigmatic disease that affects adults and 1% of adolescents between the ages of 14 and 18 each year (Jones, 2015). This disease has been the feature of

Pavuluri, M. (2008). What works for bipolar kids: Help and hope for parents (Kindle ed.). New York, New York: Guilford Press.

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.

The lifetime prevalence rate for Bipolar I Disorder is 0.6% and the 12-month prevalence rate is 0.4% of the overall population (Merikangas et al, 2011). The United States had the highest reported lifetime prevalence of bipolar spectrum disorders with 4.4% and a 12-month prevalence of 2.8%. In addition, lifetime prevalence rates for bipolar I disorder were found to be slightly higher in males than in females. While much of the reported prevalence rates for bipolar disorder are based on adults 18 years and older, Merikangas et al. (2010) reported prevalence rates in the United States for adolescents including 3.3% for males and 2.6% for females. It was also reported that prevalence rates continue to steadily increase throughout

Since the 1990s, the amount of children who are diagnosed with a form of bipolar disorder have rocketed sky high. Children, like adults can possibly have neurological issues in the brain that does not allow them to function properly. These children are seen as hyperactive, aggressive people who are not able to control themselves mentally and emotionally. They can be described as a “ticking time bomb”, and people having to walk on eggshells around them, not knowing if it is going to be the euphoric or the depressed child, they are going to be dealing with. In this literature review, the following topics will be mentioned: the description of what bipolar disorder is; the types of bipolar disorders; the child’s state of mind in the disorder; the causes of bipolar disorder; The DSM-V criteria for diagnosing Bipolar disorder; and the treatment of the disorder.

For many years, the diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder in children has been controversial, partly due to the difficulty of identifying symptoms that are age appropriate versus clinically significant in children (Birmaher, 2013). Furthermore, Pediatric Bipolar Disorder can often present similarly to or occur comorbidly with other disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and anxiety disorders (Hart, Brock, & Jeltova, 2014). Flaherty (2013) depicts Pediatric Bipolar Disorder as often having similar symptomatic presentation to pediatric schizophrenia. However, in recent years, Pediatric Bipolar Disorder has been gaining

Bipolar Disease is very common in America, especially among children and young adults. The disease over the years has grown rapidly within children and young adults. Studies have stated that a child that has at least 1 parent that has developed this disease, is most at risk to have it as well. It is stated that a child, who has one parent with this disease has a 10%-25% chance of developing the disease. Also, if the child has two parents that have developed the disease, it is a higher chance for the child to develop the Bipolar Disease as well. In most situations the disease tends to run in the immediate family. There are many causes and factors that cause children to have an Bipolar Disease. One of the two main factors that causes a child

The issues surrounding the importance of early diagnosis and the application of a variety of therapies for bipolar disorder are examined through the lens of a mix of quantitative, qualitative and mixed peer reviewed journals acquired from data sources such as MEDLINE, and Psycinfo by using Boolean language in Lamar University’s library data base. Current studies into the dynamics of manic depression or bipolar disorder, offer insight into future treatments; diagnosis of pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD); and detection of BD at a genetic level. Concerns that arise from this literature comprise issues relating to:

Bipolar disorder, or manic-depressive disorder, is a disorder characterized by extreme mood changes. A person suffering from this disorder can go from being energetic and outgoing to feeling worthless and irritated anywhere between a few days to a couple of months, or even years. Diagnosis, treatment, and the dramatic changes cause a threat to the victim. People with bipolar disorder may try to kill themselves or engage in reckless behaviors depending on which stage they are in (Hassel et al 2009.). The stages a person with bipolar disorder goes through are called episodes.

This was reported in 2005 and has not been updated by the NIH since. Mental disabilities has exponentially risen since 2005 due to more information and research giving better insight, but yet have we discovered the correct approach to diagnosing and treatment. Because of this increase in bipolar disorder I chose to report on an article related to the understanding and treatment of bipolar disorder. The article, What is it like to be diagnosed with bipolar illness, borderline personality disorder or another diagnosis with mood instability, gives recognition to the fact that there are many people who have this bipolar disorder and they have expectations of being acknowledged and listened to. The article hypothesis is seeing if it is worthwhile looking into a different approach towards diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorders. It wonders if it would make a difference for these patients and their

In life people go through experiences that cause their moods to change for the better or for the worse. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the operational definition of bipolar disorder, identify the additional specifiers, comorbidity, prevalence and discuss the cost of treating the disorder. Also, a detailed explanation will be provided about the population most impacted by the selected disorder and evidence-based approaches to assessing the disorder will be presented. In addition, evidence-based treatment approaches to address the disorder will be displayed. Last, a summary will be shared by relating an intervention from the evidence-based treatment approach to each of the themes of School of Social Work Advocacy, Empowerment and transformation.