Diagnosis_and_Treatment

Diagnosis and Treatment Andrew Spoor Axia College – University of Phoenix BEH225 The phenomenon of “bipolar affective,” disorder has been a mystery since the 16th century. Many philosophical leaders suffered from this mental disorder. Bipolar, is a mental disorder associated with depression. This illness as an affective bipolar disorder, can be classified as a mood disorder (exaggerated feeling of well-being). History has shown that this affliction can appear in anyone. Even the great painter Sigmund Frued, is believed to have had bipolar disorder. It is clear that in our society many people live with bipolar disorder; however, despite the abundance of people suffering from it, we are still waiting for definite explanations for the causes and cure. The one fact of which we are painfully aware is that bipolar disorder severely undermines its' victims ability to obtain and maintain occupational success. It is also believed that the lithium level is what causes these mood swings. Because bipolar disorder has such debilitating symptoms, it is imperative that we remain vigilant in the quest for proper procurements. There are no definitive answers for the direct cause or treatment of this illness. It is a smorgasborg of symptoms that can be broken into manic and depressive episodes characterized by affective disorders. The manic episodes are characterized by elevated or irratable mood, increased energy, decreased need for sleep, poor judgment and insight, and often reckless or irresponsible behavior (Hollandsworth, Jr. 2002 ). When a person is in the manic stage they may become agitated which makes them more talkative than usual or they feel pressured to keep talking, they also may wring their hands or fidget because they feel unsure of the situation that they are in and seem to have just extreme restlessness to them. They might appear to have put on quite a bit of weight and anger extremely easy. Bipolar disorder affects approximately one percent of the population (approximately three million people) in the United States. Bipolar Disorder can affect both males and females and involves episodes of mania and depression.. Bipolar disorder is diagnosed if an episode of mania occurs whether depression has been diagnosed or not (Goodwin, Guze, 1989, p 11). There are three stages of mania begin with hypomania, in which patients report that they are energetic, extroverted and assertive (Hirschfeld,1995). The hypomania state has led observers to feel that bipolar patients are "addicted" to their mania. Hypomania progresses into mania and the transition is marked by loss of judgment (Hirschfeld, 1995).Often, euphoric grandiose characteristics are displayed, and paranoid or irritable characteristics begin to manifest. When both manic and depressive symptoms occur at the same time it is called a mixed episode. Those afflicted are a special risk because there is a combination of hopelessness, agitation, and anxiety that makes them feel like they "could jump out of their skin"(Hirschfeld, 1995). Up to 50% of all patients with mania have a mixture of depressed moods. Patients report feeling dysphoric, depressed, and unhappy; yet, they exhibit the energy associated with mania. Rapid cycling mania is another presentation of bipolar disorder. Mania may be present with four or more distinct episodes within a 12 month period. There is now evidence to suggest that sometimes rapid cycling may be a transient manifestation of the bipolar disorder. This form of the disease exhibits more episodes of mania and depression than bipolar. The bipolar disorder can affect anyone at anytime. It is still unclear as to what and why this happens. Some doctors believe that the bodies' chemical sometimes get out of whack and that the treatment of lithium as well as the other drugs will help combat the normal levels in our bodies. One such treatment is light therapy. Breathing techniques are showing promise. Learning how to breath in through your nose and out through your mouth can help to calm a person. One study compared the response to light therapy of bipolar patients with that of unipolar patients. Patients were free of psychotropic and hypnotic medications for at least one month before treatment. Bipolar patients in this study showed an average of 90.3% improvement in their depressive symptoms, with no incidence of mania or hypomania. They all continued to use light therapy, and all showed a sustained positive response at a three month follow-up Whether we ever fins a cure or really how this genetic and emotional disorder does come about, we all can agree that this does occur in families and most of the time it affects women more so than that of the men. I think that is because women are so emotional to begin with and that aids in the manic depression episodes. Hopefully scientist will continue to study and dissect this disorder that affects so many people. References: Hirschfeld, F (1995) Bi-polar Disorder, Anomoly. Retrieved August 2nd, 2008: World Wide Web: http://www.psych.org/ (Goodwin, Guze, 1989) Personal reference: August 2nd, 2008:World Wide Web: http://community.livejournal.com/philosophy/1663869.html (Hollandsworth, Jr. 2002 ) Bi – Polar Complication. Retrieved August 2nd, 2008: http://www.echeat.com/essay.php't=26339