Bipolar Disorder Term paper

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INTRODUCTION

What is Bipolar Disorder?

The word bipolar is defined as "relating to, associated with, or occurring in two polar regions7". Bipolar disorder is a concept described as a mental illness in which a person experiences dramatic mood swings. This disorder affects one in every one hundred people. Bipolar disorder is the technical term for manic-depressive illness.

The first known history of bipolar disorder was in 1922. Emil Kraepelin, director of the Research Institute of Psychiatry, developed the first categories of mental illnesses4. Manic-depressive psychosis (bipolar disorder) and dementia praecox (now called schizophrenia) are two categories he defined.

BODY

What Are the Stages and Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder?

There are two recurring stages of bipolar disorder. Each stage is generally followed by a period of normalcy. The following section of the report will analyze the stages of bipolar episodes, and describe the symptoms of each.

Mania. The etymology of the word mania comes from the Greek word mainesthai, meaning to be mad7. The Webster's Dictionary defines mania as "excitement manifested by mental and physical hyperactivity, disorganization of behavior, and elevation of mood".

The mania stage of bipolar disorder is like the happiest moment of a person's life, exaggerated to the full capabilities of the human mind (analogy). This becomes a problem when the feelings are so strong that the person looses contact with reality.

In an episode of mania, a person may experience the following symptoms:5

 Abnormally elevated mood (euphoria)

 Over-inflated self-esteem

 Decreased need for sleep

 Increased talkativeness

 Racing thoughts

 Distractibility

 Involvement in risky activities


Severe Depression. The Bipolar Disorder Glossary defines depression as "an extreme mood of sadness with physical symptoms such as loss of appetite and sleep."

Everyone experiences depression in their lifetime, it helps people to recognize problem situations. In contrast to normal depression, severe depression can impair a persons ability to function in everyday situations.

Someone with bipolar disorder will usually demonstrate several of the following symptoms:5

 Persistent sad mood

 Loss of interest in pleasurable activities

 Change in appetite

 Difficulty sleeping

 Loss of energy

 Feelings of worthlessness

 Difficulty concentrating

 Suicidal thoughts

Mixed Episode. When in the mixed episode stage of bipolar disorder, a person experiences symptoms of both mania and depression at the same time. This stage is the most disabling because the depressed mood accompanies manic activities.

Figure 1

These are tomography scans of the brain of a person with bipolar disorder. Blue and green show low levels of brain activity: red, orange, and yellow show high levels of brain activity. The top row of Figure 1 shows depression, the middle row shows mania, and the bottom row shows the change back to depression3.

What Are the Factors of Bipolar...

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