Final Paper - Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric disorder also known as
manic depression. It is described as a category of mood disorders. Mood
disorders are defined by the presence of one or more episodes known as mania
and hypomania. Bipolar disorder affects about five million Americans, about
3 out of every 100 adults. This disorder had been found equally in men and
women.
The signs and symptoms of major depressive episode
are feelings of sadness, anxiety, guilt, anger, isolation, or hopelessness and
disturbances in sleep and appetite, fatigue and loss of interest in everyday
activities, problems concentrating, lonliness, self-loathing, apathy, loss of
interest in sexual activity, shyness, social anxiety, irritability, lack of motivation,
and suicidal thoughts. In more severe cases, the person may become
psychotic, which is a condition known as severe bipolar depression.
Manic episodes are characterized by a period of a
elevated, expansive, or irritable mood state. People commonly experience
an increase in energy and a decreased need in sleep. Attention span is low and
a person in a manic state may be easily distracted, judgment may become
impaired. Their behavior becomes aggressive, intolerant or intrusive, they may
feel out of control or unstoppable and their sex drive my increase.
Hypomania is a mild to moderate level of mania. It can be
characterized by optimism, and decreased need for sleep. Some people
have increased creativity while others may have poor judgement and irritability.
These people tend to have more energy and become more active than usual.
Hypomania can be difficult to diagnose, because it may appear that the
individual is happy, although it carries the same risks as mania.
Diagnosis can be self reported experiences as well as
abnormal behavior witnessed by family and freinds. In this case, treatment will
be followed by
manic depression. It is described as a category of mood disorders. Mood
disorders are defined by the presence of one or more episodes known as mania
and hypomania. Bipolar disorder affects about five million Americans, about
3 out of every 100 adults. This disorder had been found equally in men and
women.
The signs and symptoms of major depressive episode
are feelings of sadness, anxiety, guilt, anger, isolation, or hopelessness and
disturbances in sleep and appetite, fatigue and loss of interest in everyday
activities, problems concentrating, lonliness, self-loathing, apathy, loss of
interest in sexual activity, shyness, social anxiety, irritability, lack of motivation,
and suicidal thoughts. In more severe cases, the person may become
psychotic, which is a condition known as severe bipolar depression.
Manic episodes are characterized by a period of a
elevated, expansive, or irritable mood state. People commonly experience
an increase in energy and a decreased need in sleep. Attention span is low and
a person in a manic state may be easily distracted, judgment may become
impaired. Their behavior becomes aggressive, intolerant or intrusive, they may
feel out of control or unstoppable and their sex drive my increase.
Hypomania is a mild to moderate level of mania. It can be
characterized by optimism, and decreased need for sleep. Some people
have increased creativity while others may have poor judgement and irritability.
These people tend to have more energy and become more active than usual.
Hypomania can be difficult to diagnose, because it may appear that the
individual is happy, although it carries the same risks as mania.
Diagnosis can be self reported experiences as well as
abnormal behavior witnessed by family and freinds. In this case, treatment will
be followed by