Bipolar Disorder
...disturbances in a person's mood. The moods scale from extreme depression all the way to outright mania (Morris, Maisto, 2002). Bipolar disorder has been further divided into the following subdivisions, Bipolar 1, Bipolar 2, and Cyclothymia. Both Bipolar I and II have the chance of presenting with rapid cycling from one extreme mood to the other. The name of the illness refers to the cycling between high and low episodes. Manic Depression also refers to the same illness but was replaced with the new name due to the stigma that surrounds the combination of the terms manic and depression (Bipolar Disorder, 2007).
The symptoms of Bipolar disorder typically appear in young adulthood. In fact, the peak time for the onset of the disorder is somewhere between late adolescence to early adulthood. The onset of the disease can cause serious disruption in a young adult's social development. Doctor's diagnose the illness based on a combination of observed behaviors and patient reported symptoms. The episodes of bipolar disorder are associated with distress and disruption. An outright organic cause for the disorder has not yet been found. Some of the contributing factors appear to be neurobiology, environment, and genetics (Bipolar Disorder, 2007).
The best way to describe the cyclic nature of the illness is to say that the person periodically exhibits elevated states of euphoria, or mania as well as depression. Most people experience a number of the episodes, on average 0.4 to 0.7 per year. Each episode generally lasts 3 to 6 months. There are different levels in the so called bipolar spectrum. A bipolar spectrum is often used to help understand the many different levels of the disorder. Some people experience severe anxiety when they are in a manic state, while others experience euphoric and grandiose feelings (Bipolar Disorder, 2007)....
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