Genetic Disorders Research Paper on Bipolar disorder
Uploaded by kelizabeth on Sep 04, 2008
Genetic disorders:
Bipolar Disorder
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Research paper
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression disorder, is a serious two-faced mental illness that affects approximately two million people all across America today. Bipolar is characterized by a cycle of mood swings between elation (mania) and extreme depression. (www.managingbipolar.com)
Mania is the euphoric phase that is characterized by an exhilarated or irritable mood that generally lasts at least one week. A manic episode is represented by change from normal feelings to having feelings that often interfere with work, school and personal relationships. Usually, Mania is the first episode in males. Some people experiencing a manic episode require hospitalization to return to a normal level of functioning, others require anti psychotic medications such as Quetiapine, Olanzapine or chlorpromazine. Symptoms of Mania include: excessive talking/pressured speech, an inflated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, distractibility, irritability and excessive involvement in activities with pleasurable activities or high potential for destructive consequences. (www.mayoclinic.com) When people in a manic state experience the symptom of racing thoughts or ideas, they feel like they are tuned into two or three sets of televisions on at once which may cause a person to switch a topic from on conversation to another or become greatly confused and agitated. When a manic person has inflated self-esteem, they feel as though they could do things that they, normally, would never be able to accomplish, such as winning the Olympic gold medal or become the President of the United States of America or more simply, fly when jumping out of a building. The decreased need for sleep is the most common symptom of the manic period. A person experiencing mania may only get a few hours of sleep every night or not get sleep at all and claim to feel refreshed and energized. There are three stages of mania that starts with hypomania. During the hypomania stage, the bipolar patients say that they are energetic, and assertive. The hypomania state seems as though the patients are addicted to their mania. The second stage to mania is shown by a loss of judgment and an irritable mood. The third stage is evident when the patient experiences delusions and behavior becomes hyperactive.
The other phase of Bipolar Disorder is the depressive phase. A depressive episode is characterized by a depressed mood or a loss of interest...