Bipolar disorder can be described as a psychiatric diagnosis of mood disorders. The condition is defined by presence of one or more episodes that results from increased energy levels, cognition, and mood imbalance including depression episodes. Bipolar disorder is common in both adults and children and is caused by a myriad of factors. It is estimated that approximately 1.2 percent of the population suffers from bipolar disorders. Due to high prevalence of the condition, the best way to live with individuals with bipolar disorder is to accommodate them. Therefore, it involves the efforts of psychiatrists and the whole community to assisting individuals suffering from bipolar disorders.
Bipolar disorder is also referred to as manic-depressive illness. It results to extreme mood wings which include high moods (mania) and low moods (depression) (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2010). This means that individuals who suffer from bipolar disorder have unstable moods that swing from high to low depending on different conditions. Bipolar disorder mainly involves imbalance of the chemicals that influence brain functions and therefore regulate emotions. The imbalance in chemical that regulate emotions is mainly caused by complex set of genetic and environmental factors which combine with environmental factors to disrupt a number of genes associated to bipolar disorder.
There are different types of bipolar disorder with system type showing different pattern of symptoms. The different types of bipolar disorders include (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2010):
Bipolar disorder is prevalent in all communities in the world especially among communities that have experienced traumatic events in the course of their lives. In the United States, statistics shows that approximately 2.3 million adults suffer from bipolar disorder (WD, 2010). This is about 1.2 percent of the population. Statistics also shows that about 1 percent of individuals who suffer from bipolar disorders are aged 18years and older at any given year. In Canada, there are about 390,094 people who suffer from bipolar disorders (WD, 2010).
Bipolar disorder may sometimes be difficult to diagnose and individuals can live with the condition for more than ten years of more before it is eventually diagnosed. The difficult in diagnoses comes due to the dual nature of the disorder (Read, 2010). Most people with the condition usually seek treatment when they have depression rather than when they have manic. In addition, bipolar disorder shares a wide range of symptoms with other psychiatric conditions like schizophrenia thereby complicating diagnosis. There is not laboratory test that can be used to confirm bipolar disorder but it is diagnosed using a simple question, Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) (Read, 2010). This looks for complete history of symptoms of the condition and whether there is a close family member with the condition. It also looks for complete medical history and physical examination for any physical illness or conditions that mimic bipolar disorder.
Definition
Bipolar disorder is also referred to as manic-depressive illness. It results to extreme mood wings which include high moods (mania) and low moods (depression) (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2010). This means that individuals who suffer from bipolar disorder have unstable moods that swing from high to low depending on different conditions. Bipolar disorder mainly involves imbalance of the chemicals that influence brain functions and therefore regulate emotions. The imbalance in chemical that regulate emotions is mainly caused by complex set of genetic and environmental factors which combine with environmental factors to disrupt a number of genes associated to bipolar disorder.
There are different types of bipolar disorder with system type showing different pattern of symptoms. The different types of bipolar disorders include (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2010):
- Bipolar I disorder – This type of bipolar disorder results to mood swing which created difficulties in the workplace, school and in normal relationship. It shows severe to dangerous manic episodes.
- Bipolar II disorder is less severe compared to Bipolar I disorder. It results to elevated mood, irritability, and changes in normal functioning. However, these individuals normally go on with their daily. These individuals also do not developed full-blown mania but they have hypomania, which is less severe form of mania. Individuals with this type of bipolar however shows elongated periods of depression.
- Cyclothymia – This is a mild form of bipolar disorder. Individuals suffering from this form of bipolar usually shows disruptive hyponomanic and depression but the highs and lows associated with this type are less severe compared to Bipolar I and Bipolar II.
Statistics
Bipolar disorder is prevalent in all communities in the world especially among communities that have experienced traumatic events in the course of their lives. In the United States, statistics shows that approximately 2.3 million adults suffer from bipolar disorder (WD, 2010). This is about 1.2 percent of the population. Statistics also shows that about 1 percent of individuals who suffer from bipolar disorders are aged 18years and older at any given year. In Canada, there are about 390,094 people who suffer from bipolar disorders (WD, 2010).
Diagnosis
Bipolar disorder may sometimes be difficult to diagnose and individuals can live with the condition for more than ten years of more before it is eventually diagnosed. The difficult in diagnoses comes due to the dual nature of the disorder (Read, 2010). Most people with the condition usually seek treatment when they have depression rather than when they have manic. In addition, bipolar disorder shares a wide range of symptoms with other psychiatric conditions like schizophrenia thereby complicating diagnosis. There is not laboratory test that can be used to confirm bipolar disorder but it is diagnosed using a simple question, Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) (Read, 2010). This looks for complete history of symptoms of the condition and whether there is a close family member with the condition. It also looks for complete medical history and physical examination for any physical illness or conditions that mimic bipolar disorder.