Bipolar disorder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Bipolar disorder - Essay Example These episodes cause unusual and severe shifts in mood, energy, and behavior that interfere drastically with normal, healthy functioning. Bipolar disorder is often a chronic, recurring condition. Sometimes, the mood switches are vivid and rapid, but most often they are steady. When a person is in the depressed phase, the individual can experience any or all of the symptoms of a depressive disorder. When in the overexcited cycle, any or all of the symptoms listed under mania may be experienced. Mania affects a person’s thinking, judgment, and social behavior in ways that cause serious problems and discomfiture. Bipolar disorder is usually subdivided into bipolar I and bipolar II disorders (Mitchell et al. 207–210). The usual form of bipolar disorder is referred to as bipolar I. Bipolar II is a syndrome in which the affected person has repeated depressive episodes interrupted by what is called hypomania. These exhilarated states in bipolar II do not fully meet the criteria for the complete manic episodes that occur in bipolar I. There are various symptoms observed an affected manic person. It is not necessary that all the symptoms should appear in a person who is affected. Some people experience a few symptoms and some many symptoms. Following are some of the symptoms of manic or depressed individuals: Studies have shown that bipolar disorder is diagnosed in equal numbers of men and women. It is not known exactly why major depression seems to affect more women than men while mania affects both men and women equally. One of the obvious reasons may be that mania, with its very prominent symptoms it is much more easily recognized than depression. Depression may also go unrecognized in men especially under alcoholic conditions. Heredity: Individuals with relatives who have had bipolar disorder have a greater chance of developing it themselves. Immediate