The Etiology Of The Disorder

These mood episodes include the manic episodes and the depressive episodes. The mood changes of mania include a long period of an overly happy mood and irritability; the behavioral changes are talking quickly, having racing thoughts, being distracted, increasing of activities, being restless, getting little or no sleep, being impulsive, and engaging in high-risk, pleasurable activities or behaviors (NIMH, 2015). The mood changes of the depressive episodes are loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyed and a long period of sadness; the behavioral changes are feeling very tired, having trouble with decision making and problem solving, being irritable, changing normal habits, and negative thinking (NIMH, 2015). Sometimes symptoms from both episodes can be present in a person’s current mood episode. This is called a mixed state. In the mixed state, a person can feel agitated, have a change in eating habits, and have suicidal thoughts; they also feel very hopeless and very energized at the same time (NIMH, 2015). About ten percent of people have at least four mood episodes every year which is called rapid cycling bipolar disorder (Schacter el at.,

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive disorder (MDD), affects people of all races, colors, and economic backgrounds. Approximately two million Americans aged 18 and older are affected by this disorder.

Bipolar Disorder is much more common than most people think. With an average of about 2.6% of the US population diagnosed, Bipolar Disorder has become the sixth leading cause of disability in the country. Despite its popularity, the different types of bipolar disorder are the hardest psychological disorders to identify and treat because of the many close similarities between them and with other disorders. Bipolar Disorder is one of the top misdiagnosed disorders. Surprisingly, there is a common misdiagnosis between women; Bipolar Disorder will sometimes be misdiagnosed as regular depression. While in men, Bipolar Disorder is more misdiagnosed as schizophrenia. The average age of onset is about 25 but can be as young as early childhood or as old as late adulthood. There is a higher possibility of a child developing Bipolar Disorder if there is a history of the disorder in the family. This increasing number has caused many research facilities to conduct a multitude of studies on whether or not this disorder can be genetic. There have been no conclusive results with these studies. An average of about one in five people with Bipolar Disorder commits suicide. This disorder though treatable is not curable; it is a lifelong disease. The more we learn about the different types of Bipolar Disorder such as Major Depressive Episode, Hypomanic Episode, and Manic Episode the more we will be able to diagnose, treat and even one day cure!

Bipolar disorder also known as manic depression has always been a mystery since the 16th century. History has shown that it can appear in almost everyone. Bipolar disorder causes mood swings in energy, thinking, and other behavior. Having a bipolar disorder can be very disabling (Kapczinski). A study was evaluated and about 1.3% of the U.S population of people suffers from bipolar disorder. Stressors and environmental influences can trigger and cause a person to go through numerous episodes. Bipolar disorder is characterized according to the severity of the stages. According to Kapczinski, there are four different stages that a person with bipolar disorder can experience. The prognosis of a disorder is different in each particular patient

Bipolar Disorder is an increasingly common mood disorder that effects millions of people worldwide. In order to understand the plight of any psychiatric patient suffering from this ailment or to be prepared to treat this disease, it is pertinent to first fully understand what this mental disorder truly is. The first misconception surrounding bipolar disorder is that it is just one disease, contrarily it can be divided into two different sub categories. The National Institute for Mental Health defines Bipolar I Disorder as “manic or mixed episodes that last at least seven days, or by manic symptoms that are so severe that the person needs immediate hospital care. Usually, depressive episodes occur as well, typically lasting at least 2 weeks”. Likewise, they define Bipolar II disorder as “a pattern of depressive episodes and hypomanic episodes, but no full-blown manic or mixed episodes”.

“Bipolar disorder (also known as manic depressive illness) is a complex genetic disorder in which the core feature is pathological disturbance in mood (affect) ranging from extreme elation, or mania, to severe depression usually accompanied by disturbances in thinking and behavior.”// The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fourth edition (DSM-IV) classifies two types of bipolar disorder: Bipolar 1 Disorder and Bipolar 2 Disorder. Bipolar 1 Disorder has primary symptoms of cycling episodes of mania and depression. The essential feature of Bipolar 1 Disorder as “a clinical course that is characterized by the occurrence of one or more Manic Episodes or Mixed Episodes.”//

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 has been gaining more and more attention over the last few years. With shootings on the rise, or at least the publicity of them, people are often pointing their fingers at mental diseases including bipolar disorder. An ongoing issue regarding mental illnesses, however, is the population has failed to fully understand what they truly are, the symptoms, and how to treat them.

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

Mood shifts can results in severe episodes of mania (feeling excessive happiness), or depression (feeling excessive sadness and hopelessness). A person with Bipolar Disorder have difficulty in completing tasks, due to their bizarre changes in vitality, and activity levels (Nordqvist, 2015). The diagnosis could be difficult when other mental health illness are present, because of the similarity of symptoms; mental health specialists require diagnostic tests to define a diagnosis, and develop an effective treatment. An overview about Bipolar Disorder stated that approximately three percent of the American present this mental illness yearly, and more than eighty percent demonstrated severe episodes. Bipolar Disorder revealed distinctive sign and symptoms on each person, and do not discriminate on age, gender, race, or social status (Bipolar Disorder, 2015a).

The two major types of Bipolar Disorder (BPD) set out in this paper are Bipolar 1 and 2. Bipolar 1 is diagnosed as guide lined by the DSM5. As the occurrence of a least one maniac episode preceding or post an episode of hypomania and/or Major depression. The DSM 5 highlights that Bipolar 2 is diagnosed by one major depressive episode in occurrence with one hypomanic episode with an absence of Mania. (Association:, 2013) Mania as defined by DSM5: “A distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and abnormally and persistently increased goal-directed activity or energy, lasting at least 1 week and present most of the day, nearly every day.” Hypomania being: “A distinct period of abnormally and

Psychiatric mood disorders of such as Bipolar are often complex to diagnosis. Bipolar I is differentiated from Bipolar II by a history of at least one manic episode in a person’s life, with Bipolar II being diagnosed and characterized by a history of major depression with at least one episode of hypomania (Sadock, Sadock, and Ruiz, 2015). Bipolar is often misdiagnosed as major depression, especially in the presence of a dual diagnosis of substance use disorders. Individuals with Bipolar often have a history of self-medicating their mood symptoms of mania and

Bipolar disorder affects 2.5% of the adult population in the United States. It is characterized by extreme mood changes from manic episodes of high energy to extreme depression. The disorder is hard to diagnose even for some experts, however, there have been quite a number of celebrities who have been linked to this disorder which made people more aware of their increasing prevalence.

People with bipolar disorder face a suicide rate that is around three times as high as the general population (Oral, 2014) due to factors that their disorder present. These contributing factors include, but are not limited to: “early age at disease onset, the high number of depressive episodes, comorbid alcohol abuse, a history of antidepressant-induced mania, and traits of hostility and impulsivity” (Sobel, 2012). People may feel a loss of control in their life or illness because of these factors or vice versa. Around 10-20% of people with bipolar disorder commit suicide (Dinan, 2002), which makes the illness

Mental illness affects 1 in 5 adults in the United States. This amounts to about 43.8 million or 18.5% of adults in the United States ("Any Mental Illness Among U.S Adults," n.d). This shows how prevalent mental illness really is in our society. More specifically, Bipolar Disorder is found in about 2.6% of the adult population ("Bipolar Disorder Among Adults," n.d). Bipolar disorder ranges in severity but the majority of the cases are considered severe. Bipolar Disorder is broken down into three categories as follows: Bipolar I, Bipolar II, and Cyclothymic Disorder. For the duration of the paper, Bipolar I Disorder will be referenced. Bipolar disorder is characterized by manic episodes that may alternate with depression or agitation. The etiology of Bipolar Disorder is biological and environmental. It is a strongly heritable disease at approximately 80-90% heritability. Bipolar Disorder is related to neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin and their dysregulation in the body. Excessive amounts may lead to mania while too few may lead to depression. Environmental stressors or trauma also contribute to the development of bipolar disorder (Halter, 2014). The patient that will be discussed in this paper is a forty-one year old African American woman who was involuntary committed to Montgomery County Emergency Services (MCES) as a result of severe mania and psychotic symptoms.