Bipolar disorder: genetics, symptoms, and treatment advances

¶ … Bipolar Disorder. The writer explores the disorder, symptoms and treatments as well as changes that have taken place over the years with regards to the disorder. There were 11 sources used to complete this paper.

Bipolar Disorder Explained

While mental health field is still in its relative infancy it has made many large discoveries and advances with regards to mental health issues and disorders in recent years. One of the most difficult yet treatable mental health disorders is Bipolar. Bipolar has a range of symptoms that can have an extremely negative impact on one's life as well as the lives of those around the Bipolar patient. While Bipolar is treatable it is not considered curable and when left untreated it can have devastating consequences. Symptoms can range from mild to psychotic depending on the severity and type of Bipolar. With advances in the mental health field however, effective treatment is available and the majority of patients can live full lives.

Bipolar

Bipolar disorder is a disorder that can create havoc in the patient's life and is often seen in alcoholics and drug addicts (Brady, 2002).

Bipolar is believed to have a highly genetic component and it is able to skip generations before showing itself again in a family which can lead families to wonder where it came from if they are not aware of a great aunt, grandmother or other relative further up the family tree that had Bipolar disorder (History of Bipolar disorder (http://www.depression-guide.com/bipolar-disorder-history.htm).Because Bipolar disorder is a relatively newly discovered mental illness the generational knowledge is not as well documented as other disorders have been and mental health professionals are left to rely on family anecdotal stories about relatives' behavior to determine whether or not there is a genetic component or whether there is a familial propensity to developing the disorder.

Even when there are no clear genetic markers, the disorder can be brought on with environmental factors that influence whether a particular person or child will develop Bipolar (Strakowski, 2000).

Studies have concluded that the risk of developing Bipolar disorder for the general population is approximately 1 in 100, however, this is considered a conservative estimate as there are many cases of Bipolar that are not being diagnosed and instead are being masked by drug addiction, alcohol abuse or criminal behaviors.

Research has found that when a parent has Bipolar Disorder the children of that parent have a 15-30% chance of developing it., if both parents have the disorder then percentage for the children leaps to a 50-75% chance of developing it.

Recent studies also indicate that if a sibling or fraternal twin has Bipolar disorder then the sibling has a 15-25% chance of it developing but if the sibling with the disorder is an identical twin, the other twin has a 70% probability of developing Bipolar (History of Bipolar disorder (http://www.depression-guide.com/bipolar-disorder-history.htm).

It is interesting to note that since WWII the incidence of Bipolar disorder is increasing. This could be due to environmental issues or because it is more recognized and diagnosed than it was in the past. Regardless of the exact reasons the fact remains that Bipolar diagnosis is on the rise with each passing generation.

Though the disorder is relatively new in its diagnosable stages the family trees of those who have it is usually filled with relatives that had substance abuse issues. In addition the family tree often has many significantly successful relatives in the fields of business, arts and politics (History of Bipolar disorder (http://www.depression-guide.com/bipolar-disorder-history.htm).

Throughout history there have been a number of well-known people that mental health experts now believe had Bipolar Disorder. They included, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Anne Sexton, Winston Churchill, Virginia Wolf, Ernest Hemmingway, Beethoven, Newton and Charles Dickens (History of Bipolar disorder (http://www.depression-guide.com/bipolar-disorder-history.htm).

Symptoms

The hallmark symptom of Bipolar as compared to other types of depression is a roller coaster of highs and lows (Kopetskie, 2001). Those who have Bipolar disorder have periods of highs and lows that are extreme and outside the norm of society. One of the problems in the recognition of Bipolar initially is that the highs and lows cycle but the cycle lengths can vary significantly.

Increased sexual drive

Abuse of drugs, particularly cocaine, alcohol, and sleeping medications (Bipolar Disorder (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/bipolar.cfm#intro)." manic episode happens when the elevated mood occurs within three or more of the other symptoms most of a day, every day for more than a week long. If the person is also irritable then the need for four symptoms must be documented to diagnose a manic episode.

The depression of Bipolar is similar in nature to other types of depression and include symptoms such as sad, anxious and empty feelings, excessive worry, feeling hopeless, feeling guilty, feeling worthless, feeling helpless, losing interest in things that previously interested the patient, a loss of energy or increased fatigue.

The person may sleep to much or not enough, and there may be thoughts of suicide or death.

These symptoms will last more than two weeks and there should be at least five of the symptoms present for a diagnosis of a depressive episode.

Chronic pain is also a symptom that can occur with an episode of depression.

A mild to moderate level of mania is called hypomania. Hypomania may feel good to the person who experiences it and may even be associated with good functioning and enhanced productivity. Thus even when family and friends learn to recognize the mood swings as possible bipolar disorder, the person may deny that anything is wrong. Without proper treatment, however, hypomania can become severe mania in some people or can switch into depression (Bipolar Disorder (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/bipolar.cfm#intro)."

Sometimes the mania or depression become so severe that the person suffers from psychosis as well. Psychosis can include hallucinations through seeing, hearing or sensing that something is present that is not, or delusions which include strongly held beliefs that are completely false, (IE believing that one has become Godlike). Believing one is the U.S. president would be another example of delusions that can be seen in a manic or severe depressive state (Bipolar Disorder (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/bipolar.cfm#intro).

It may be helpful to think of the various mood states in bipolar disorder as a spectrum or continuous range. At one end is severe depression, above which is moderate depression and then mild low mood, which many people call "the blues" when it is short-lived but is termed "dysthymia" when it is chronic. Then there is normal or balanced mood, above which comes hypomania (mild to moderate mania), and then severe mania (Bipolar Disorder (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/bipolar.cfm#intro)."

Treatment

Bipolar is divided into several types. Bipolar II has the less severe mania and depression while the extreme episodes is called Bipolar I.

Rapid cycling is the term used for patients who have four or more cycles of mania-depression in a 12-month period.

Some people even experience cycling on a daily or weekly basis.

This tens to happen more often with women then men and more often in women overall.

Treatment of Bipolar is medication. Because it is a lifelong and recurrent illness it is important to work at finding the most effective treatment and then being followed up for life to be sure to maintain effective treatment.

A strategy that combines medication and psychosocial treatment is optimal for managing the disorder over time (Bipolar Disorder (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/bipolar.cfm#intro)."

The most common medications used include mood stabilizers to prevent manic episodes and anti-depressants to work on depression.

Conclusion diagnosis of Bipolar should be viewed as the answer to the problem instead of a problem in itself. Many people go through years of life problems before being properly diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Bipolar Disorder is largely genetic, also environmentally based and can be effectively managed and treated so the patient can lead a full and productive life.

It is important that anyone with symptoms of Bipolar seek mental health professionals for a full assessment.