Verified Document

What Do We Know About Bipolar Disorder  Essay

¶ … Bipolar Disorder English Literature

Bipolar disorder, as much as thirty years ago, was a big American secret. Bipolar disorder was not as common knowledge as it is today. During the latter 20th century and 21st century a lot of light has been shed on the subject of bipolar disorder: the diagnoses, the treatments, the signs, and the ways to live with the disorder, both for the sufferer as well as the people close to the sufferer in his or her life. The paper will briefly outline key terms and conditions of bipolar disorder. The paper will additionally offer insight into the lives of people living with bipolar disorder providing commentary on the adjustments in life one must make to move forward, as well as commentary on some of the more popular treatments to assist with the symptoms of the disorder.

The causes of bipolar disorder are unknown to medical professionals to this very day. A sign that people should be on the lookout for the disorder is if another person in their family has the disorder. The relative need not be in the immediate family in order for the traits to be shared. Bipolar disorders, like many medical conditions, first show signs of onset during puberty. Doctors believe that bipolar shows the first signs during ages 15 -- 25. Because the signs start showing during puberty, it might take a little longer for parents...

(NAMI, 2008) In fact, many of the signs of bipolar disorder may be what people think normal teenagers go through, but the major difference between adolescents with normal psychosocial and emotional development and a person who is developing bipolar disorder, is that all of the traits of a normal teen show up in a bipolar teen in the extreme. Some signs of the disorder include: reckless behavior, lack of impulse control, hyperactivity, poor judgment, irregular sleeping patterns, excess involvement in activities (amount of activities and degree of involvement), false and elevated sense of self. (NIMH, 2009)
Bipolar disorder is primarily characterized by the extreme mood swings of the sufferer. A bipolar person will have episodes of mania, deep depression, and euphoria, not all at once, not necessarily in that order, but there will be a pattern. (NAMI, 2008) Bipolar people experience very high emotional highs -- so high that it is eerie, strange, or unwarranted based on the situation. They also experience very low lows and this is when bipolar people need extra support. The highs can be dangerous too -- when a person feels arrogant and invincible while that person also has poor impulse control, reckless behavior, and makes bad…

Sources used in this document:
References:

National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2008) Understanding Bipolar Disorder and Recovery. NAMI: Arlington, VA.

National Institute of Mental Health. (2009) Bipolar Disorder. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Bethesda, MD.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Bipolar Disorder
Words: 3835 Length: 8 Document Type: Research Paper

Bipolar Disorder Symptoms Bipolar disorder has been studied for more than a decade after remaining undiagnosed in children and adolescents for many years. Much literature such as that by Pavuluri, Birmaher, and Naylor (2005b), and Kowatch and Debello (2006) is available on diagnostic issues pertaining to paediatric bipolar disorder. In addition, many cases studies have also been published on the topic such as those by DuVaI (2005) and Hamrin and Bailey

Bipolar Disorder Is Described As a Condition
Words: 1537 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Bipolar disorder is described as a condition in which individuals oscillate between periods of good or irritable mood and depression. The condition is basically characterized with very quick mood swings between mania and depression. Since the disorder equally affects men and women alike, it always starts between 15-25 years (Rogge & Zieve, 2012). While the actual cause for disorder remains unknown or unclear, it tends to develop in relatives of

Bipolar Disorder
Words: 5145 Length: 17 Document Type: Term Paper

Bipolar Disorder generally sets in during adolescence or early adulthood though it may also occur late in one's life or during childhood. It results in terrible mood swings ranging from mania and euphoria to depression and suicidal tendencies. The earlier a person is diagnosed with bipolar disorder the better. Medication is available for bipolar disorder, which helps control the mood swings and even treats the condition. Diagnosis of bipolar disorders

Bipolar Disorder: Abnormalities in Brain Structures and
Words: 1837 Length: 7 Document Type: Research Paper

Bipolar Disorder: Abnormalities in Brain Structures and Functions A person experiencing bipolar disorder will feel alternately euphoric and severely depressed of they can have a mixture of those emotional states. This condition is known to e a disease, much like any other chronic medical condition, which can be mediated by a medication regimen, but not cured. It is also known that there are elements of the disease which relate to certain structures

Bipolar Disorder in Children: The
Words: 1351 Length: 4 Document Type: Research Paper

In stark contrast, in the adult population of individuals with bipolar disorder, females outnumber males slightly (Egan 2008, p.11).These discrepancies indicate a profile of a more 'difficult child' rather than the specific disease-related pattern of manic depression. The malleable nature of childhood reality presents another difficulty in diagnosis. While a dissociation from reality is one of the manifestations of bipolarity in adults, "it's normal for children to pretend that

Bipolar Disorder Genetics, Brain Structure & Behavior
Words: 1313 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Bipolar Disorder Genetics, Brain Structure & Behavior Bipolar disorder is biological problem which affects the brain that causes unusual shifts in mood (Kowalski & Westen, 2009). It is also known as manic-depressive illness. Bipolar disorder is different than regular mood swings and daily ups and downs of the average person's life. Bipolar disease typically develops in late adolescent and early adulthood and is treatable; currently there is no cure for this disorder

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now