Psychological Disorders and Therapy Bipolar Disorder

¶ … features of bipolar disorder, including its symptoms. Like its cousin, depression, bipolar disorder is a disease of depression that can become manic at times, and at other times, the symptoms can virtually disappear. There are various types of the disease, and it often appears in childhood, but is not diagnosed. Bipolar disease can be treated effectively in several different ways.

Bipolar disorder is not as common as depression, but it does affect a percentage of the population. The editors of a medical Web site write, "About 5.7 million American adults or about 2.6% of the population age 18 and older in any given year, have bipolar disorder" (Editors, 2008). The disease has very visible symptoms including increased manic or uncontrollable activities like spending sprees, having huge amounts of energy, sleep loss, and miscalculating one's abilities. These manic times contend with periods of powerful depression, including severe hopelessness, sleeping too much, lack of interest in favorite things, difficulty lack of concentration, and inability in coping with everyday issues. It is common for the sufferer to deny they have anything wrong, as well. Often, these two different periods follow each other, and as they continue, it can take longer for the patient to regain their "normal" everyday behavior (Editors, 2008). These periods can last anywhere from a day to a week, a month, or even longer, it just depends on how severe the illness is in the patient. There are three different types of the disease. Bipolar 1 is distinguished with returning episodes of this manic-depressive cycle, bipolar II is distinguished fewer episodes that are less severe, and the rapid-cycling form is when there are four or more episodes in a year (Editors, 2008). The disease can occur in children, adolescents, and adults, and it often starts in adolescence but goes unrecognized. While there is no cure for the disorder, effective treatment is available for just about everyone who suffers from the disease.

There are some biospychosocial elements of some bipolar patients that could help account for who develops the disease. Studies have uncovered a link between substance abuse and bipolar sufferers, and there is also a link between some psychosomatic stress illnesses, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and social phobia with bipolar patients. Studies have also shown that the disease can run in families, so genetics could play a role in the development of the disorder.

A very well-known psychotherapy for treating depression and bipolar disorder is the cognitive therapy method, which tries to alter the way patients view their lives and issues and attempts to help them adjust their behavior. This method of course assumes the patient wants to adjust their behavior and is able to recognize the behaviors in need of change. In many cases, psychotherapy is not as successful as other methods in bipolar disorder treatment. Many patients must rely on prescription drugs like lithium to sustain their "normal" moods and control mood swings. Some cognitive therapies (specifically Beck's), believe depression and manic-depression (the outdated term for bipolar disorder) can be caused by pessimistic thoughts and feelings people develop about themselves, and they may see and interpret things differently than people who are not so susceptible to depression. In this case, treatment must center on helping patients create more positive feelings and thoughts, and the ability to recognize these feelings and alter them before they occur, which may be too much for some patients to manage on their own.

It is often difficult to diagnose bipolar disorder, because the patients rationalize their behavior. Dr. Frank, a mental health professor who invented an alternative form of bipolar treatment, notes, "Complicating both the immediate and longitudinal diagnosis of mania and hypomania is the tendency for patients to normalize relatively outrageous behaviors both for the clinician and in their own eyes. Often a clear picture can be obtained only by meeting with significant others or other outside observers of the patient's behavior" (Frank, 2005, p. 51). Often, family members are involved in the treatment of the disease as well, because they can view the situation from further away, and keep a journal of mood swings and other symptoms that can be helpful for treatment.

The efficacy of cognitive therapy has been proven by an intense study conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) on two groups of bipolar patients. The first group received cognitive and other therapies three times a week for six weeks. The second group received intensive cognitive and other therapies, along with medication for nine months. The NIMH Web site notes, "Researchers found that the second group had fewer relapses, lower hospitalization rates, and were better able to stick with their treatment plans. They were also more likely to get well faster and stay well longer" (Editors, 2008), indicating the benefits of psychological counseling and cognitive therapy treatments for most patients.