Bipolar Disorder1
Bipolar disorder can best be compared to a mountain range. With high peaks of euphoria and deep valleys of depression, this disorder has periods of "high", or manic stages, and periods of low, or depressed stages, with some periods of normal in between. For many people this disorder begins in the adolescent stage of life and continues throughout the person's adult life. Often people suffer needlessly for years or even decades without even recognizing that they have the disorder. As long as people are informed of the disorder this suffering can be avoided. Bipolar disorder can be recognized by many signs, has many treatment options, but awareness is the key to the treatment. One symptom of bipolar disorder is severe irritability and mood swings. The teen "snapping" at his or her parents, common in most households, can now be taken as a sign of depression. Of course, most teens that have bipolar disorder do not have parents to snap at. This is due to the trend of sorts that severe neglect is a major cause of this affliction. Early trauma can lead to a life of unhappy irritability and mood swings. A "bad attitude" can be an after effect of these early life traumas and abuses. An example of this is Lauren: at four years
Most of the people with bipolar disorder can be treated and successfully helped. There are drugs out today that can help stabilize the moods swings brought on by this disorder. One such medication is lithium. This drug is very effective at controlling the mania and preventing the recurrence of both the manic and depressive episodes. Carbamazepine and valproate, mood stabilizing anticonlvulsants have also bee found very useful, most recently. These are especially useful with hard to manage bipolar episodes. Many times these are combined with the lithium for a maximum effect. These are used on both children and adults alike. For the depression, many types of antidepressants can be used in junction with the lithium, carbamazepine, and valproate. An early sign of bipolar disorder can be hypomania. During this state a person shows a high level of energy, excessive moodiness or irritability, and impulsive or reckless behavior. When family and friends learn to recognize these mood swings, many time the person will deny that anything is wrong. This is due to the fact that hypomania can feel good to the person experiencing it. Sometimes bipolar disorder takes on the look of other problems, thus masquerades. For example it may seem that the person just has a drug or alcohol problem, or perhaps this person is just having problems at school or work. However, on closer examination, it is in fact bipolar disorder. If a person experiencing bipolar disorder does not receive treatment, the disorder can worsen, In this case it could break out into a full-fledged mania and a clinical depression. Myers, David G. Exploring Psychology. Hope College, Holland, MI, 1999. pp 441-442, 449, 485 http://www.lib.usf.edu/ovidweb/ovidweb
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Approximate Word count = 1548
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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