Client Care Paper : Mental Illness

Bipolar disorder is a manic-depressive lifelong illness in the brain that causes shifts in mood, energy, activity, and the ability to carry out normal tasks, but efficient treatment helps people to manage these complications and normalize their daily lives. This illness is a very serious mental disease affecting about 2.6 percent of adults in the United States that has the power to cause risky behavior and even suicidal tendencies if not treated (www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml). It is more common in older teens and young adults, but it affects children as young as six years old. It affects men and women, all races, ethnic groups, and socioeconomic classes equally but women experience more periods of depression than

Millions of men, women, and children are diagnosed with bipolar disorder each year in America. Women of all ethnicities are found to have a greater chance of experiencing symptoms of depression then men. And it is more likely to develop in Caucasian-Americans, but more likely reach severity in African-Americans. After diagnosis, generally a combination of mood stabilizing medication and psychotherapy are prescribed to counter the chronic symptoms. Many people with bipolar disorder do not receive the proper diagnosis or treatment after diagnosis. Without treatment the disorder is likely to worsen, causing severely depressive episodes or death. More than half of African-Americans

There are many concerns when it comes to the mental health of individuals throughout the world. Mental health problems can manifest in a variety of different ways and range in severity from attention deficits to hallucinations. One of the most severe forms of disorders that can affect an individual is bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder that presents a wide variety of different symptoms that affect the ability of an individual to live a complete and satisfied life. By examining the overall prevalence of the ailment, its symptoms, and the forms of treatments available, a more complete understanding of bipolar disease can emerge.

Bipolar disorder, otherwise known as manic-depressive disorder, is a severe psychological condition of rapid alterations of a contrasting momentary conscious state of mind. Conditions of this particular illness range in severity from an extreme high (Bipolar 1 or Mania) or to a dangerously low (Bipolar 2 or Depression). In addition, it is also common for an individual diagnosed with the illness to experience psychiatric indications of misconceptions. Onset traits of bipolar become present within young adulthood, generally within the age of 20, after an individual has endured recurring alterations for an abnormally extended time. BP is categorized into four types and the disorder has been linked to enhanced

Natural and man-made disasters, crises, and other trauma-causing events have become a focus of the clinical mental health counseling profession because of the need to help people who experience such events and who may develop psychological disorders that arises from them. PTSD is a crippling outcome of many of these disasters and accounts for a large percentage of the major effects to not only those experiencing the disaster first hand, but also to the first-responders and members of the affected communities (Satcher, 2007).

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.

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that is characterized by episodes of mania, hypomania, or major depression [1]. It affects approximately 5.7 million adult Americans, or about 2.6% of the U.S. population over 18 yearly. The median age of onset for bipolar disorder is 25 years old though individuals can be diagnosed in early childhood or as late as fifty. The incidence of Bipolar disorder is equal between men and women though women undergo cycles of balanced mood, mania, hypomania, and depression three times as frequently as men [2]. This disorder is suspected to have a genetic component as more than 66% of individuals diagnosed have at least one close relative with the illness or with unipolar major depression [3]. There are two subtypes of Bipolar disorder. Patients diagnosed with Bipolar I experience manic episodes and nearly always experience major depressive and hypomanic episodes. Individuals with Bipolar II disorder have at least one hypomanic episode and one major depressive episode in the absence of manic episodes [1].

Bipolar Disorders are considered complex because of the episodes that are experienced. They include dysfunctional mood, potentially including major depressive episodes, mild to moderate depressive episodes, manic episodes, hypomanic episodes, and mixed episodes, which are often separated by periods of relatively normal mood. (BDII). There are two types of Bipolar Disorders that I will cover in this paper. They include Bipolar I disorder (BP-I) and Bipolar II disorder (BD-II).According to the Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study, as cited by Kleinman, Lowin, Flood, Gandhi, Edgell, and Revicki (2003), the lifetime prevalence by race and ethnicity for BD - I and BD - II, are as follows: Caucasian 0.8% and 0.4%, African American 1.0% and 0.6%, and Hispanic 0.7% and 0.5%.. Lifetime prevalence rate for Bipolar I is 0.6%and bipolar II it is 0.3% over a 12-month period (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). People who have Bipolar I disorder typically experience alternating episodes of depression and mania where there is a separation of some level of ‘normalcy’ in the sequence (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). For example, they might be depressed for 4 days feel normal for a couple of days than go into a manic episode. On the other hand, those with Bipolar II disorder they only experience depressive episodes and will not have an episode of mania.

Bipolar Disorder, also known as manic/depressive disorder once was a disorder that carried a severe societal stigmatism. It now has carries less stigmatism but is a disorder which has become difficult to diagnosis and extremely prevalent in today’s society. Due to the manic characteristic of the disorder it differentiates itself from the typical form of depression. Even though both depression and bipolar disorder can be due to an imbalance in brain chemistry and biology, genetics, or effected by traumatic stressors that happen in daily life, bipolar disorder has definitive treatment which applies solely to this specific disorder. Bipolar Disorder, as noted in the 2010 Global Burden of Disease Study, is ranked Internationally as the 18th

Bipolar disorder is a very complex mood disorder, which although highly treatable can be very difficult to live with. The disorder has more than one form or classification and many symptoms ranging in severity. I will be discussing the history of the disorder and how it got its name. I will also provide you with the criteria a patient must meet to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Furthermore, I will be discussing the causes for the different types of bipolar disorder, the common forms of treatment for the different types of bipolar disorder and common therapeutic techniques that can be used by patients to manage their symptoms.

One of the greatly investigated neurological disorders is Bipolar Disorder. Regrettably, due to social stigma, funding issues, and a lack of education, many who are dealing with this disorder do not receive adequate treatment. Bipolar disorder, is also known as manic-depressive illness, it is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, and the ability to carry out normal daily tasks. Symptoms of the disorder are severe and diverse from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through to more strange behavior. Bipolar disorder symptoms can cause severe damaged to relationships, cause bad job performance and bad school performance. In some of the more severe case may even lead to suicide for those who are dealing with

Bipolar disorder is a very serious disabling illness, with its extreme mood swings from depression to mania. Bipolar used to be called manic depressive disorder. Bipolar disorder is very serious and can cause risky behavior, even suicidal tendencies. Some patients are frequently underdiagnosed, with some individuals living 8 to 10 years before obtaining proper treatment (Varcarolis, 2009). It can be treated with therapy and medication, but if not treated it can lead to, damaged relationships, social life and careers. Treatment for bipolar disorder most often includes a combination of a stabilizing drugs and psychotherapy. Although drug treatment is primary, ongoing psychotherapy is important to help patients’ better cope with the condition. This illness requires lifetime monitoring.

Bipolar disorder (BD), or manic depression, is one of the oldest mental illnesses, first being documented in 1st Century Greece by Aretaeus of Cappadocia. He first noted the link between mania and depression that is so characteristic of the disease. As the years progressed the disease changed names from “mania” and “melancholia” during Ancient Greece and Rome, to “manico-melancolicus” in the 17th century, “lafolie circulaire” in 1851, and now, finally, “bipolar” as defined by the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 1980. Bipolar disorder affects 2.3 million Americans, or 1.2% of the population (Gambaccini, 2012). It is equally represented in men and women and among all races,