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 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, 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.

Several of the mania symptoms include increased energy, restlessness, euphoric mood, extreme irritability, poor concentration, sleeplessness, abuse of drugs, and heightened sense of self-importance. Depressive symptoms include sad mood, hopelessness and pessimism, feeling of helplessness, loss of interest in activities, fatigue, sleeplessness or sleeping too much, change in appetite, thoughts of death or suicide. These two episodes go back and forth between normal moods. Mood episodes with symptoms of both manic and depressive symptoms are called episodes with mixed features. While experiencing a mixed episode, a person’s state of mind contradicts itself while he may feel sad and hopeless but extremely energized at the same time

Engaged in risky or dangerous activities which are out of character – for example drug taking, excessive spending, gambling or alcohol abuse.

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

The two mood swings they often experience are depression and mania, which can often last to a few weeks or even months. Bipolar disorder has two different types; the first type is called Bipolar 1, they experience two mood swings that are depression and mania, the second type is called Bipolar 2 is much more mild than the first type but it ultimately involves hypomania with episodes of depression such as the first, just more mild. Some symptoms of mania include impulsive behavior, jumpiness, poor judgment, and agitation. Some symptoms of depression include hopelessness, poor appetite, extreme sadness, withdrawal from friends, and a loss of interests in social activities. Bipolar Disorder is most common in China, India, and then the United States. It drastically affects about 12 to 15 million people in India and China, and 2.2 million people in the United States according to pendulum.org. Although China and India have the two highest rates of bipolar disorder, we will be mostly be focusing on and discussing how bipolar disorder affects the people in the United States. According to bipolar-lives.com, “Bipolar disorder affects approximately 5.7 million adult Americans, or about 2.6% of the U.S. population age 18 and older every year.” That drastically affects many young adults every single year, ranging from 18-25 year old adults but, it is also a disorder that can develop in young children as

Bipolar disorder is widely heard of across the states, even countries. The country with the highest rate of bipolar disorders is, of course, the lovely United States of America. We also have the highest amount of mental patients, but the lowest rate of treatment compared with other countries throughout the world. There are approximately 5.7 million adults currently struggling with this disorder. It is believed that two to seven percent of the population has it, and about ten million people will develop it. However, about half of that ten million will never be diagnosed or treated properly. Bipolar disorder is the 6th leading cause disability worldwide today, which not only affects the patient, but also those in their lives.

Bipolar Disorder is a mental illness, which involves hypomanic episodes, which are changes in someone’s usual mood. Originally, Bipolar Disorder was called manic depression because it does share similar symptoms with people diagnosed with depression. Bipolar Disorder is a severe condition because it can cause mania, which then causes hallucinations and paranoid rage. (Bipolar Disorder) Bipolar Disorder is classified into two categories, bipolar type 1 and bipolar type 2. Bipolar type 2 is more serious because there is more major depression episodes. (Bipolar Disorder) A study done by Revista Brasileria de Psiquitra, shows a higher prevalence of Bipolar Disorder type 1 but overall both are pretty low in the general population. (Clemente)

Undeniably BD does not discriminate and can encompass any ethnicity, regardless of age and gender. Due to the significant figure of diagnosing bipolar disorder is observational, ethnic differences and language barriers come into play. Asian American community noted that some subgroups—particularly Asian Americans—often have trouble coming to terms with BD because of being recognized as a minority with a psychiatric disease. Many Asian Americans feel burden to be successful and productive, and might view BD as a hindrance of their success. Consequently, many people who feel such family and social pressures, they must overlook warning indications of BD. Further, such family even reject the notion that they or their loved ones

According to every study I have found based on this particular illness, it is mainly those who accompany their diagnosis with substance abuse of many different forms who are in fact the dangerous bipolar individuals. Unfortunately, among all mood disorders and mental illnesses, those diagnosed with Bipolar disorder are by far the most likely to have this comorbidity of substance abuse as a prevalent issue, especially during the manic phase of their mood swings and more than 35% of Bipolar patients abuse drugs in their manic phase (NIDA). Dr. Ranga Krishnan believes that the numbers are even higher to the point where out of everyone diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, more than half of that population has the comorbidity with substance abuse which is a scary thought because according to a combination of sources, that means that 14% of our population has around a fifty-fifty chance of being a manic drug abuser (1). Generally the illness presents itself in the individual whether or not they have prior substance abuse issues and for the majority it becomes evident between the ages of 18-29. However, there is still one percent of the United States population who are diagnosed beyond the age of 60. The number of people in danger of being out casted by this diagnosis is roughly double the impact immigrants make that we worry