Bipolar Disorder
Biology 2404
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Disorder affects over millions of people. Anyone regardless of age, gender,
nationality, can fall victim to this vindictive disease. There are many symptoms of this particular
disorder but many are overlooked because they are seen as normal. There are three main types of
bipolar disorder. Bipolar I disorder, Bipolar II disorder, and Cyclothymic disorder, each fall
under the same umbrella so to say, but are very different when it comes to treatment and
approaches. The five main episodes of the bipolar disorder are Manic Episode, Major Depressive
Episode, Hypomanic Episode, Mixed Episode, and Rapid Cycling or Ultra-Rapid Cycling
(Grande et. al, 2016). Although so many people are suffering from this disorder the cases are still
unknown and treatment range from light therapy to unorthodox methods.
Before anyone truly understood bipolar disorder, it was known as a manic-depressive
illness and consists episodes of mania and major depression. A person with the disorder will
have will have incredulous highs, known as mania, and plummeting lows, known as depression.
The lifespan on these episodes may vary. Depending on the person, they can last for a few hours,
a few days, or even quite a few months. People suffering may have intervals of mania,
depression, or limited amounts of both. The symptoms exhibited by those with bipolar disorder
stay dependent on whether the person is suffering from a manic episode or a depressive episode.
For example, a person exhibiting a manic episode might seem to be overjoyed and outgoing or
be highly irritable or jumpy. They may talk very rapidly (slurring or mumbling their words), be
easily distracted and restless, have difficulty sleeping, behave impulsively and do high-risk
behaviors (some include but not limited to: unsafe sex, spending sprees, impulsive investments).
When that person becomes in a depressive episode, however, they may undergo long periods of
worry or a feeling of “empty,” lose interest in hobbies that had once interested them, sex, or
other activities, feel very tired and seem to move slow. Changes in eating or sleeping may occur,
and even the entertaining of suicidal thoughts or the attempts of suicide (NIMH, 2008).
One treatment more common than most is using lithium. Lithium has been the primary
treatment for bipolar disorder since it was introduced in the 1960’s. In the majority of patients,
when treated with lithium found that...
