A Personal Experience of Learning About Bipolar Disorder...

A Personal Experience of Learning About Bipolar Disorder My daughter Ashley, an engaging, highly intelligent, beautiful and artistically talented teenager, suffers from a life threatening genetic illness. It is an illness of extremes with a high, some estimates are as much as 20%, mortality rate. It is sometimes, as with my daughter, difficult to treat. It is always difficult for those so afflicted and their families. The contemporary nomenclature for this disease is Bi-Polar Disorder (1). But I prefer the more descriptive, no longer politically correct name, Manic Depression. Most of us understand the dangers inherent in depression and its associated high risk of suicide. Over the last three years my daughter has employed some†¦show more content†¦This is where a form of mania where the person is extremely anxious, hostile and self-destructive called dysphoria (4), occurs simultaneously with the suicidal tendencies of the depressed state. Closely related to the mixed phase, and also among the symptoms experienced by my daughter, is that which is known as rapid cycling (3). This is defined as four or more complete mood cycles within a years time, and some rapid-cyclers can complete a mood cycle in a matter of days--or, more rarely, [as has my daughter] in hours (3) (2). Rapid cycling (3), as well as other forms of pharmacologically induced hypomania/mania (5), as my family has learned, can be the direct result of the use of antidepressant medications. Over the course of four years and approximately 30 different psychoactive pharmacidicals my daughters experiences have been illustrative of how the use of one medication often leads directly to the use of others. And we have seen many of the numerous problems that can be medication induced. Such experiences began after several months of working with a psychologist and no discernable change in the profound depression which gripped my then 13-year-old daughter. She was referred to her first psychiatrist who prescribed the antidepressant medication Nortriptyline (6). This led directly to her diagnoses as Bipolar. Within hours of her first dose, Ashley began toShow MoreRelatedCase Study 3: Bipolar Disorder. Steven Fry Made A Documentary1293 Words   |  6 PagesCase Study 3: Bipolar Disorder Steven Fry made a documentary about individuals who suffer from bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, and even includes his own personal experience with the disorder. Many of them are well-known in the public eye and have decided to speak out about their disorder. Not every person in the documentary had the same experience and Steven Fry also spoke with many professionals about possible explanations to bipolar disorder and possible age of onset/diagnosisRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder Essay1372 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Bipolar disorder is a fairly common, yet publicly uneducated topic. Bipolar disorder is a frequently repeated and progressive condition wherein one experiences at least one manic episode followed by at least one depressive episode. According to Ferri and Reus (2016), bipolar disorder could be caused from calcium dysregulation, an abnormality of GABA, and the G-protein-coupled receptor abnormality (p. 174). The pathogenesis of bipolar disorder is that it is a heritable condition in whichRead MoreThe Stigma Associated With Bipolar Disorder1448 Words   |  6 PagesLiving with Bipolar Disorder The stigma associated with bipolar disorder is unacceptable. The purpose of this paper is to improve the readers ability to understand what bipolar disorder is and how being diagnosed with this disorder affects all facets of daily living. Family, friends and associates of individuals with bipolar disorder are often affected as well. As a result of the stigma associated with the disorder, the effects remain: often multiplied by individuals that have a limited understandingRead MoreAbstract. Effects Of Bipolar Can Be Far-Reaching, Both1413 Words   |  6 PagesEffects of bipolar can be far-reaching, both into the lives of patients and those around them. Bipolar affects work, school, relationships, physical health and many other aspects of everyday life. The most severe effect of bipolar disorder is suicide. Unfortunately, 25% - 50% of people with bipolar disorder attempt suicide and 11% commit suicide. Bipolar disorder is a mental illness known as a mood disorder. In mood disorders, the patient suffers from severe emotional states. In bipolar disorder, the patientRead MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Bipolar Disorder762 Words   |  4 Pages Bipolar Disorder 2 Disorder history, In the 19th century psychiatry, mania had a broad meaning of craziness, hypomania was equated by some concepts of â€Å"partial insanity† or monomania. Bipolar disorder origins in 1854, Jules Baillarger and Jean-Pierre Falret, independently present descriptions of the disorder to Academie de Medicine in Paris. German neuropsychiatrist Emanuel Mendel in 1881 wrote â€Å"that heRead MoreThe Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders1589 Words   |  7 PagesThis paper goes over several topics all of which are related to the mind and what is or is not perceived as a mental disorder. There are many different types of approaches to personality. Understanding each approach and how it compares to the others will help understand how one develops their personality. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is in its fifth edition. Had the original manual never been updated, there would be many individuals who are misdiagnose d. AsRead MoreLearning Project : Bipolar Disorder1666 Words   |  7 Pages Learning Project: Bipolar Disorder Brianna Parker Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania â€Æ' Learning Project: Bipolar Disorder Bipolar disorder is a very intense disorder and many people struggle with dealing with it on a day to day basis. According to the A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia (2013), bipolar disorder is a brain disorder that can affect your behavior, emotions, and wellness. Bipolar disorder symptoms are more severe than a personal just experiencing a bad day. They consistentlyRead MoreMental Illnesses Were Not As Formalized As They Are Now986 Words   |  4 Pagesreference the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, also called DSM, for information on hundreds of mental disorders that are currently acknowledged today. There is still a lot of research being done to find out why certain people are afflicted with certain disorders. Some ideas are that the illness is passed along genetically; it is also considered that a personal event or trauma could spark a reaction leading to a disorder. Another idea is that some people are born with a predispositionRead MoreThe Problem Of Bipola r Disorder1462 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Hot N Cold† comes to mind when I think of bipolar disorder, â€Å"You re yes then you re no, You re in then you re out, You re up then you re down.† This is the kind of general explanation that is given to give people an idea of what bipolar is. Not in the sense that it is rapid but it can be a battle between two ends. The National Institute of Mental Health defines bipolar disorder which is â€Å"also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energyRead MorePersonal Reflection On Bipolar Disorder1687 Words   |  7 PagesPersonal Reflection Before I truly understood Bipolar disorder, it was still a fairly common word in my vocabulary. Anytime I thought someone was being moody or fluctuating between emotions, I joked by claiming that person to be bipolar. Several incidents of this involved one of my roommates who seemed to be happy one day, and quite the polar opposite the next. However, it was not until my clinical experience on the psychiatric unit that I realized what true bipolar disorder was, and that she did