People With Bipolar Disorder Psychology Essay

In today’s world, it’s pretty safe to say that you probably know somebody who has a mental health disorder. We all have our good days and bad days, and our ups and downs, but did you know that that’s just one of the many signs known for Bipolar Disorder. Bipolar Disorder is also known as manic depression, and is a mood disorder known for dramatic mood swings. The mood swings can range from elevated activity levels, high energy, and being overly happy to irritable, and depressed then back again, often with periods of normal mood in between. “Bipolar disorder often develops in a person’s late teens or early adult years. At least half of all cases start before age 25. Some people have their first symptoms during childhood, while others may develop symptoms late in life” (David V. Sheslow, 2007). This disorder is not easy to spot when it starts. The symptoms may seem like normal everyday problems, not usually recognized as parts of a larger problem. Some people suffer for years before they are properly diagnosed and treated. Like diabetes or heart disease, bipolar disorder is a long term illness that must be carefully managed throughout a person’s life. Doctors do believe that bipolar disorder often runs in families, and there is a genetic key to this mood disorder. There is also growing fact that the environment and lifestyle issues have an effect on the disorder’s severity. Stressful life events or alcohol or drug abuse can make bipolar disorder more difficult to treat. “Experts believe bipolar disorder is partly caused by an underlying problem with the balance of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters” (Phillip W. Long, 2005). To your surprise the world inside Bipolar Disorder is a lot bigger then you may think, you will learn the three main moods associated with Bipolar, what triggers Bipolar disorder, how there are other medical problems that exist with Bipolar, how life with Bipolar Disorder is so different in comparison to life without, and lastly, you just may realize that people with Bipolar Disorder are far different then you think.

People with bipolar disorder experience unusually intense emotional states that occur in repetitive periods called mood episodes. An overly happy or overexcited state is called a manic episode, and an extremely sad or hopeless state is called a depressive episode. Sometimes, a mood episode includes symptoms of both mania and depression. This is called a mixed state. People with bipolar disorder also may be explosive and irritable during a mood episode. The highs of mania on one extreme, to the lows of depression on the other are more than just a feeling good or bad mood. The cycles of bipolar disorder last for days, weeks, or months. And unlike ordinary mood swings, the mood changes of bipolar disorder are so intense that they interfere with your ability to function normally. During a manic episode, a person might impulsively quit a job, charge up huge amounts on credit cards, or feel rested after sleeping two hours. During a depressive mood a person might feel as if they are worthless and lay in bed and sleep all day, or cancel plans and avoid phone calls, the depressive mood of bipolar disorder could even drive a person to attempt or commit suicide. “During a mixed state, symptoms often include agitation, trouble sleeping, major changes in appetite, and suicidal thinking” (Health T. N., 2010). People in a mixed state may feel very sad or hopeless while feeling extremely energized. Sometimes, a person with severe episodes of mania or depression could have psychotic symptoms too, such as hallucinations or delusions. “The psychotic symptoms tend to reflect the person’s extreme mood. For example, psychotic symptoms for a person having a manic episode may include believing he or she is famous, has a lot of money, or has special powers. In the same way, a person having a depressive episode may believe he or she is ruined and penniless, or has committed a crime” (NAMI, 2010). As a result, people with bipolar disorder who have psychotic symptoms are sometimes wrongly diagnosed as having schizophrenia, another severe mental illness that is linked with hallucinations and delusions.

Triggers can set off new episodes of mania or depression or make existing symptoms worse. However, many bipolar disorder episodes occur without an obvious trigger. Stressful life events can trigger bipolar disorder in someone with genetic related bipolar. These events tend to involve drastic or sudden changes either good or bad, such as getting married, going away to college, losing a loved one, getting fired, or moving away. A biochemical imbalance makes those with bipolar disorder more susceptible to physical and emotional stress. If there is some kind of trauma, lack of sleep, substance use, or some other over stimulation, the normal brain function for restoring your calm state of mind doesn’t always work right. Additionally, medical conditions such as strokes, hyperthyroidism, encephalitis, seizure disorders, and tumors can bring about the mania associated with bipolar disorder. Substance abuse doesn’t cause bipolar disorder, but it can bring on an episode. Drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, and amphetamines can trigger mania, while alcohol and tranquilizers can trigger depression. Certain medications, most notably antidepressant drugs, can trigger mania. Other drugs that can cause mania include over-the-counter cold medicine, appetite suppressants, caffeine, corticosteroids, and thyroid medication. Episodes of mania and depression often follow a seasonal pattern. Manic episodes are more common during the summer and depressive episodes more common during the fall, winter, and spring. Loss of sleep even as little as skipping a few hours of rest can trigger an episode of mania. People begin to lose understanding of what they should be doing next. They tend to wander around in a daze. Things begin to stay undone. Even the people he or she is around all the time begin to make them nervous. They can fight it for a while, but when it hits hard, everything becomes a burden to do. It’s a battle that is always lost because they cannot help it

“Most people with bipolar depression are not helped by antidepressants. In fact, there is a risk that antidepressants can make bipolar disorder worse triggering mania or hypomania, causing rapid cycling between mood states, or interfering with other mood stabilizing drugs” (Research, 2010). Even though there are many similarities, certain symptoms are more common in bipolar depression than in regular depression. For example, bipolar depression is more likely to involve irritability, guilt, unpredictable mood swings, and feelings of restlessness. People with bipolar depression also tend to move and speak slowly, sleep a lot, and gain weight. In addition, they are more likely to develop psychotic depression; a condition in which they’ve lost contact with reality and they tend to experience major difficulties in work and in their social life. Bipolar disorder tends to worsen if it is not treated. Over time, a person may suffer more frequent and more severe episodes than when the illness first appeared. Also, delays in getting the correct diagnosis and treatment will make a person more likely to experience personal, social, and work-related problems. Bipolar disorder can look very different in different people. The symptoms vary widely in their pattern, severity, and frequency. Some people are more prone to either mania or depression, while others alternate equally between the two types of episodes. Some have frequent mood disruptions, while others experience only a few over a lifetime. Because bipolar disorder is a lifelong and recurrent illness, people with the disorder need long term treatment to maintain control of bipolar symptoms.

People with bipolar disorder may also have behavioral problems. They may abuse alcohol or substances, have relationship problems, or perform poorly in school or at work. At first, it’s not easy to recognize these problems as signs of a major mental illness. Substance abuse is very common in people with bipolar disorder. Some people with bipolar disorder may try to treat their symptoms with alcohol or drugs. However, substance abuse may trigger or prolong bipolar symptoms, and the behavioral control problems associated with mania can result in a person drinking too much. “Anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and social phobia, also often occur in people with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder also goes along with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which has some symptoms that overlap with bipolar disorder, such as restlessness and being easily distracted” (Health N. I., 2010).

I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder for about 2 years now. I also have ADHD, OCD, a severe concussion, and post dramatic stress disorder, all of which brought out my bipolar. From personal experience living with bipolar is far from easy. Although I am on regular medication it doesn’t make the disorder disappear. What many people don’t realize is that what they would see as an everyday task is far from easy through the eyes of someone who has bipolar. Life is often described as a roller coaster ride. We all will experience some intense highs and some incredible lows, but we expect this, but we all know that life is far from easy and predictable. Many people though, the roller-coaster describes a much more terrifying experience; an everyday inner battle called bipolar disorder. One that can bring emotional, physical, and psychological pains far worse than anything most people could ever imagine. Bipolar Disorder can be a very scary thing for people to go through. You can go from being extremely happy to extremely upset within seconds, which is due to the serotonin levels in your brain. Bipolar disorder causes people to have mood swings which most of the time have nothing to do with anything going on in their lives. This disease is exactly that, a disease. People who get it cannot help it, just as people with cancer cannot help what they have received. Although there’s no cure for bipolar disorder, treatment can help stabilize a person’s moods and help the person manage and control symptoms. Like other people with long-lasting medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or epilepsy, people with bipolar disorder need to work closely with their doctors and other medical professionals to keep it under control.

As you have learned bipolar is no joke. Effective treatments are available that greatly help the suffering caused by bipolar disorder and can usually prevent its complications. These include marital breakups, job loss, alcohol and drug abuse, and suicide. “It affects approximately 2.3 million adult Americans, about 1.2 percent of the population More than 2 million American adults, or about 1 percent of the population age 18 and older in any given year, have bipolar disorder” (Health T. N., 2010). Education and awareness are keys to better understanding this tragic illness. Once armed with the proper knowledge and tools, bipolar disorder can be successfully managed and a person can live a healthy and fulfilling life. About 1 out of every 45 adults have bipolar (David V. Sheslow, 2007). It is equally found in men and women and is found across all cultures and ethnic groups. Although Bipolar Disorder can become disabling, it is also one of the most treatable of the mental illnesses. The combination of psychotherapy and medications returns most of manic depressive patients to happy functioning lives. While the mental health field is still in its relative infancy it has made many large discoveries and advances with regards to mental health issues and disorders in recent years. One of the most difficult yet treatable mental health disorders is Bipolar. Bipolar has a range of symptoms that can have an extremely negative impact on one’s life as well as the lives of those around the Bipolar patient. While Bipolar is treatable it is not considered curable and when left untreated it can have devastating consequences. Symptoms can range from mild to psychotic depending on the severity and type of Bipolar. With advances in the mental health field however, effective treatment is available and the majority of patients can live full happy lives. I would like to conclude by saying that bipolar disorder can be a very disabling illness caused by an inherited chemical imbalance of the brain. The extreme mood swings between mania and depression can interrupt a person’s life and their immediate family’s life. The mania or depression of bipolar disorder is treatable once stabilized with medications. Individual therapy, group therapy and behavior modification can also be helpful in maintaining stability in this disorder.