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Symptoms And Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder

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"Bipolar disorder can also be referred to as manic-depressive illness." (NIMH 1) It is a brain disorder which causes a drastic change in an individual 's behavior, mood, activity levels, and their ability to complete everyday tasks. Before we talk about the aspects of the disorder, we need to understand two important definitions. "One being a 'manic episode ' which is a period of abnormal and persistent elevated, irritable mood that lasts at least a week. This episode must cause noticeable difficulty at work, school, social activities, or relationships. The other definition being 'hypomanic episode ' which is a period of abnormal and persistent elevated, irritable mood that lasts at least four days. During this episode, changes are …show more content…

"Some risks factors for bipolar disorders could be genetics, bipolar disorder seems to run in families from a specific type of gene." (NIMH 3-5) A fact I found intriguing is that; "in twins, one can have bipolar disorder and the other may not even if they do have identical genes." (NIMH 6) Another risk factor could be the brain structure and function of an individual. "Research has shown that in people with bipolar disorders, their prefrontal cortex is sometimes smaller and less functional than in people who do not have bipolar disorders." (NIMH 9) People are usually diagnosed with bipolar disorder in their late teenage years or early adulthood years which could mean "unusual changes in the brain could have occured between the brain regions." (NIMH 10) "Symptoms of bipolar disorders can vary, some include changes in mood or behavior, mood episodes, becoming overly happy or extremely depressed, alcohol or substance abuse which can also trigger and prolong different symptoms." (Mayo Clinic Staff 2) "There is no cure for bipolar disorders so it usually lasts a lifetime, symptoms can come and go along time, or they can linger around." (NIMH 16) With the diagnosis of bipolar disorders come many tests. These tests can include interviews with the patient, lab tests, and physical exams but the patient has to have drastic change in their behavior in order to be diagnosed. "Other factors can contribute to bipolar disorders such

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