Vivien Leigh: The Cause Of Bipolar Disorders

“Bipolar disorder, also commonly known as manic depression, is defined as a serious mental illness in which common emotions become intensely and often unpredictably magnified. Individuals with bipolar disorder can quickly alternate from extremes of happiness, energy and clarity to sadness, fatigue and confusion. All people with bipolar disorder have manic episodes abnormally elevated or irritable moods that last at least a week and impair functioning. But not all become depressed ” (American Psychological Association, 2015). Bipolar disorder can vary in each individual. The symptoms fluctuate in pattern, severity and rate of recurrence. Some people are more susceptible to either mania or depression, while others change proportionately between the two types of episodes. Some have frequent mood disruptions, while others live through a few throughout their lifetime.

Not taking medicine at all or taking the wrong medication will increase mood swings, lower the performance in school, work, and other activities, effect one’s social life. Medicines usually include mood stabilizer such as risperidone, anticonvulsant like lamictal. Some patients who is diagnosed with bipolar II may need antidepressant. The patient has to give the medicine time to work it may take four to six weeks. Along with medication, the patient needs psychotherapy. Therapy is constant help and support for the patients, which may help influence and help cope as well.

People with bipolar I disorder have full manic and major depressive episodes. Most of them experience an alternation of the episodes; for example, weeks of mania may be followed by a period of wellness, followed, in turn, by an episode of depression. Some, however, have mixed episodes, in which they display both manic and depressive symptoms within the same episode—for example, having racing thoughts amidst feelings of extreme sadness. In bipolar II disorder, hypomanic—that is, mildy manic—episodes alternate with major depressive episodes over the course of time. When a person experiences numerous periods of hypomanic symptoms and mild depressive symptoms, but not full-blown episodes, DSM-5 assigns a diagnosis of cyclothymic disorder. The symptoms of this milder form of bipolar disorder continue for two or more years, interrupted occasionally by normal moods that may last for only days or weeks.

There is more to the treatment of bipolar disorder than medication, but the medication Lithium has been the primary treatment since the 1960’s. In four studies

Bipolar disorder most commonly develops in a person’s early adult or late teen years. According to the article, What Is Bipolar Disorder, at least half of all bipolar cases start before a person reaches the young age of twenty-five. There are four main types of bipolar: Bipolar 1 Disorder, Bipolar 2 Disorder, Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, and then there is Cyclothymic Disorder. Bipolar 1 Disorder is easily defined by manic or mixed episodes occurring at a minimum of seven days and then depressive episodes which can last about two weeks. Sometimes the episodes can be so severe that the person may need to be hospitalized. Bipolar 2 Disorder is described as a pattern of hypomanic and depressive behavior episodes without the full blown manic episodes. Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, also known as BP-NOS, is used as a diagnosis when a person displays symptoms of the illness but does not fit the criteria for a diagnosis of Bipolar 1 or Bipolar 2. Now the Cyclothymia Disorder is a very mild form of Bipolar. There are hypomania and mild depressive episodes for a minimum of two

Aristotle famously asked why is it that all men who have become outstanding in philosophy, poetry and arts are melancholic. This question remains unanswered today. Bipolar disorder is one of the most distinctive conditions in psychiatry. Many famous musicians, writers, and leaders of society have had bipolar disorder. Many of these people — and some of their physicians — have been concerned that the pharmacologic treatment of their mood swings might

Bipolar disorder has four basic types. The types are based on the changes in mood, energy and activity levels. The four types include: Bipolar I Disorder, Bipolar II Disorder, Cyclothymic Disorder, and Unspecified Bipolar. An individual with Bipolar experiences moods that range from high and low. The high is known as manic episodes which is explained as energized behaviors. People having a manic episode may experience symptoms that include: increase in activity levels, have trouble sleeping, active, and partake in risky things or behaviors (National Institute of Mental Health, 2016). The low is known

The second episode is depressive or depression stage. This episode includes a long period of feeling worried or empty, such as lost of interest in activities once enjoyed. During a manic episode the patient will show signs of talking very fast, being overly distracted, sleeping for 2 hours and feeling really rested, or the patient might even find him or herself quitting a job for no reason, some of the patients experimenting this episode can also charge up huge amounts in their credit cards. During a depressive episode the patient might feel like sleeping for hours or not sleeping at all, also everything people do affects them. Patients with bipolar disorder often go through depression more then they go through a manic episode. These episodes of bipolar disorder can last up for days, weeks, or even months. Patients experiencing these mood swings are not the same as experiencing everyday mood swings; the mood swings of bipolar patients are very severe that they interfere sometimes with the ability to function with their everyday life.

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

In order for an individual to be distinguished as having bipolar disorder, they have to meet the requirements in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The DSM says that they must fit into one of the types of bipolar disorder previously mentioned, which means that even though a person may not fit into Bipolar I, Bipolar II, or Cyclothymia, they can still fit into the NOS or Not Otherwise Specified category ("Bipolar Disorder" Mayoclinic). There are several ways to medically determine if one has bipolar disorder like, physical exams with measuring height and weight along with recording one's vital signs, lab tests, a psychological evaluation, and mood charting ("Bipolar Disorder" Mayoclinic). Lab tests can include

If it is diagnosed that you are experiencing a less severe form of Bipolar II disorder, I would recommend undergoing therapy without medication. There are several different types of cognitive therapies out there that if you are willing to give them a try and put effort into them you will find improvement. Starting from the least invasive to the most time consuming. You could start off with exercise. According to a research article, exercise may reduce anxiety associated with the disorder, may increase mood when in the depressive episodes, and may boost your physical health as well (Ng, Dodd, and Berk, 2007). While the clinical evidence is limited, there is another study, also another pilot study looking into the effects of exercise, that supports exercise as good starting treatment for bipolar disorder and has the

Victoria Maxwell, a comedian, actress, and writer, uses comedy to educate others by sharing from her personal experience of living with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder, commonly referred to as manic depression, is a mental illness characterized by a fluctuation in behavior or mood, between periods of mania (high) and depression (lows). There are five different types of the disorder: bipolar I didorder, bipolar II disorder, bipolar disorder not otherwise specified, cyclothymic or cyclothymic, and rapid-cycling disorder, each with symptoms that vary according to the length and severity of mania and depression (“NIMH RSS”). Currently, the mental disorder affects almost 6 million Americans (Chillag). Maxwell suffers from bipolar 1, the severest

Bipolar Disorder or manic-depressive disorder is a disorder characterized by highs, manias, and lows, depressions, and can therefore be easily distinguished from unipolar depression, a major depressive disorder in DSM-5, by the presence of manic or hypomanic episodes (Miklowitz & Gitlin, 2014). Bipolar disorder is generally an episodic, lifelong illness with a variable course (American Psychiatric Association, 2010). There are two classifications of bipolar disorder; bipolar I disorder and bipolar II disorder. If the episodes are primarily manic but there has been at least one depressive episode, the diagnosis is bipolar I disorder (Early, 2009). If the episodes are primarily depressed but there has been at least one episode of hypomania, increased mood that is more euphoric than normal but not quite manic, the diagnosis is bipolar II disorder (Early, 2009).

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.