Bipolar Disorder
Mood Disorders
Definition
(Farrukh, 2008)
Misunderstood
How Common is Bipolar Disorder?
(Bipolar Disorder)
Signs and Symptoms
Symptoms of mania or a manic episode include:
Mood Changes
A long period of feeling "high," or an overly happy or outgoing mood
Extreme irritability
Behavioral Changes
Talking very fast, jumping from one idea to another, having racing thoughts
Being easily distracted
Increasing activities, such as taking on new projects
Being overly restless
Sleeping little or not being tired
Having an unrealistic belief in one's abilities
Behaving impulsively and engaging in pleasurable, high-risk behaviors
Symptoms of depression or a depressive episode include:
Mood Changes
An overly long period of feeling sad or hopeless
Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed, including sex.
Behavioral Changes
Feeling tired or "slowed down"
Having problems concentrating, remembering, and making decisions
Being restless or irritable
Changing eating, sleeping, or other habits
Thinking of death or suicide, or attempting suicide.
(Bipolar Disorder, Signs and Symptoms)
Treatment
Mood Stabilizers
Lithium is used for both manic and depressive episodes
Side Effects
Lithium -
*Restlessness
*Dry mouth
*Acne
*Joint or muscle pain
Common side effects of mood stabilizers
Drowsiness, Dizziness, Headache, Diarrhea, Constipation, Heartburn, Mood swings, Stuffy or runny nose, or other cold-like symptoms.
Atypical anti-psychotics - these medications are often taken with other medications, such as antidepressants
Atypical anti-psychotics are used to relieve symptoms of manic episodes.
Side effects
you should not drive until you have adjusted to your medication
Dizziness when changing positions
Blurred vision
Rapid heartbeat
Can cause major weight gain and changes in your metabolism
Psychotherapy - when done with medication, this can be a very effective treatment.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), helps patients learn to change harmful or negative thought patterns and behaviors.
Family-focused therapy, helps enhance family coping strategies, improves communication among family members.
Interpersonal and social rhythm therapy, helps patients improve their relationships with others and manage their daily routines.
Psycho-education, teaches patients about the illness and its treatment. Helps them recognize when they might have an episode so that they can get help before it happens.
Side effects
- None that have been recorded/common.
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) - this is used for patients who are not affected by medication and psychotherapy.
"shock therapy"
Before ECT is administered, a patient takes a muscle relaxant and is put under brief anesthesia.
last from 30–90 seconds
patients usually recover within 5–15 minutes and are able to go home the same day
ECT is usually not used as a first treatment option.
Short-term effects
confusion
disorientation
memory loss
Herbal Supplements - not much research has been conducted on herbal or natural supplements and how they may affect bipolar disorder St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum), often marketed as a natural antidepressant, may cause a switch to mania in some people with bipolar disorder.
Side Effects
Be sure to tell your doctor about all prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, or supplements you are taking. Certain medications and supplements taken together may cause unwanted or dangerous effects.
(Bipolar DisorderTreatments)
Famous people?
Demi Lovato- American actress, singer and writer, revealed her illness in April 2011 in an interview with People magazine - what does she say about it?
Three months after leaving a residential treatment center, teen star Demi Lovato is bravely opening up about her private struggles – not only with anorexia and bulimia, but also with bipolar disorder.
"I never found out until I went into treatment that I was bipolar," Lovato told PEOPLE in a candid interview that took place last month in her L.A.-area home.
But during her three-month stay at a treatment center where she underwent therapy for anorexia, bulimia and cutting, Lovato, 18, who said she's "battled depression from a very young age," discovered why she was having trouble controlling her emotions and actions. "Looking back it makes sense," she says of her diagnosis. "There were times when I was so manic, I was writing seven songs in one night and I'd be up until 5:30 in the morning."
"I feel like I am in control now where my whole life I wasn't in control," she adds.
Now Lovato is taking the same brave step while discussing the "darkest time" in her life. "What's important for me now," she says, "is to help others."
(Demi Lovato, 2011)
(Focka, 2012)
Marilyn Monroe
“Marilyn Monroe
Many of the questions surrounding the actress’s life and death are still unanswered—and are likely to remain that way. But Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days, a 2001 documentary, shed some light on her drug use and mental health. “We knew that she was a manic depressive,” Monroe’s physician, Hyman Engelberg, MD, says in the film. “That always meant that there were emotional problems and that she could have big swings in her moods.” (You can watch clips of the film.)”
Marilyn Monroe would go through many erratic mood swings and had problems with drugs and overusing them. Monroe was a very difficult person to work with because of her disorder, most people did not understand why she couldn't just do her job like most other actors. She would need to leave in the middle of a scene so that she would not break down in front of everyone.
(Marilyn Monroe)
(Marilyn Monroe, 2010)
Works Consulted
(Bipolar Disorder. (n.d.). Retrieved December 4, 2014, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml)
Farrukh, (2008) Happy&Sad
Marilyn Monroe. (n.d.). Retrieved December 7, 2014, from http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20307117_6,00.html
Hotline Information. (n.d.). Retrieved December 7, 2014, from http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=education_statistics_bipolar_disorder
Britney Spears on Anxiety: 'I Turn Into a Different Person. Bipolar Disorder.' (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://extratv.com/2013/12/23/britney-spears-talks-anxiety-alter-ego-bipolar-disorder-in-jean-documentary/
List of people with bipolar disorder. (2014, May 12). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_bipolar_disorder
Focka, (2012) Demi Lovato @ Credicard Hall
marilyn monroe, (2010) marilyn monroe*
https://www.flickr.com/photos/marilynmonroe2011/5057127487/in/photolist-8GT6Pe-7D9pnn-5528nr-7LvAai-ejwj4b-8fcnrF-dsjSmY-bfSi5V-QMSx9-8GT6TK-8GT6St-9DDcox-bx7KsF-6t7KHL-aeJpMq-aeFAzi-9LNFTd-bqtDqe-9EPUqM-9GBfjB-bqu2TH-bqtC46-bqtCkk-bqtq5c-azj1Ct-68G1N2-9CDVJC-bwaXnV-bt8wcZ-5Wgc2b-i9DPfY-6CCsnZ-bJSWBa-7AT9tP-4iuvFR-eZq7k5-gRxyRS-8WGb37-ekvR6z-kDSErP-5Zrqcd-bKaczK-bqu2xx-bqu3Qv-bs6sR6-5SwJHu-bx5Jsg-9sfBHq-6MLs42-7AT9t4