Bipolar Disorder

9 Pages 2290 Words

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. Different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe. They can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even suicide. But there is good news: bipolar disorder can be treated, and people with this illness can lead full and productive lives. More than 2 million American adults, or about one percent of the population age 18 and older in any given year, have bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder typically develops in late adolescence or early adulthood. However, some people have their first symptoms during childhood, and some develop them late in life. It is often not recognized as an illness, and people may suffer for years before it is properly diagnosed and treated. Like diabetes or heart disease, bipolar disorder is a long-term illness that must be carefully managed throughout a person's life.
Bipolar, or manic-depression, is classified as a mood disorder. Depression is a low, sad state in which life seems dark and its challenges overwhelming. Mania, the opposite of depression, is a state of breathless euphoria, or at least frenzied energy, in which people may have an exaggerated belief that the world is theirs for the taking. People with bipolar disorder ride an emotional roller coaster, swinging from the heights of elation to the depths of despair without external cause. The first episode may be either manic or depressive. Manic episodes, typically lasting from a few weeks to several months, are generally shorter in duration and end more abruptly than major depressive episodes. In some cases, episodes of depression and elation may alternate regularly, with months or years of symptom-free normal functioning between the disordered mood states. Sometimes cases involve periods of "rapid ...