Bipolar disorder: characteristics, symptoms, and treatment approaches

¶ … particular mental health disorder. Specifically it will reflect on my personal experience with someone who suffers from bipolar disorder (manic-depressive disorder). A mental disorder is one that affects the brain and can disrupt how a person thinks, feels, and/or relates to others. Bipolar disorder is certainly characteristic of this definition of a mental disorder. A person suffering from bipolar disease exhibits massive mood swings. They can be deep in depression, and then display excessive "highs" or mania. Both of these swings are far more severe than the general highs and lows most people face in the course of their lives. I first became aware of bipolar disorder when I met a fellow student who had the disease. She said that she had not been diagnosed for years, and that she had not understood what was wrong with her. After I got to know her, I did see some severe mood swings, especially when she forgot to take her medication. The swings did not take place overnight, but they were severe and they were noticeable. For example, one day she would be severely depressed over a grade on a test. The next day she would be manic in her desire to study to better her grade. She would spend literally hours in the library studying, with little sleep. She would be incredibly restless and active, but she would be distracted, and when she "crammed" at these times, she usually forgot most of what she studied.

This student could sometimes recognize when she was in the middle of an episode. Her doctor prescribed medication, and the episodes did become less frequent. There is quite a bit of information available on the disorder online and in print, and she has read quite a lot about it, and understands how it affects her. She lives with knowing that an episode can come at just about any time, and she is working to control the episodes. She keeps a daily "mood diary" that shows patterns of her symptoms, sleep patterns, and treatments that are most effective. Her doctor uses this diary in her treatment, too. Frankly, I think it is amazing that she lives with the disorder as well as she does. It is a frightening disorder because it can strike at any time, and she really has no mental control over what is happening to her. I have seen her in both the manic and depressive states, and it is amazing that she can even function at all. When she gets depressed, it is a major, deep depression, and when she has a manic attack, she can be so active it is impossible to keep up with her. She jokes that this is a good time for her to clean house because she cannot stop until she is totally done with everything and the house is sparkling. It's funny, but it's not funny at the same time. She can joke about her disorder, and I think talking about it with her friends has helped her come to terms with it and not be so afraid of it. I know that it made me want to learn more about the disorder and find out what kind of treatment is available.