StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Brief Overview of Unipolar and Bipolar Disorders - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The "Brief Overview of Unipolar and Bipolar Disorders" paper states that patients suffering from either disorder need to be constantly monitored as they stop caring for themselves and may pose a risk to those around them, depending upon the severity of their condition…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER96.2% of users find it useful
Brief Overview of Unipolar and Bipolar Disorders
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Brief Overview of Unipolar and Bipolar Disorders"

Download file to see previous pages

In the United States of America alone, 60% of suicide cases sprang out of clinical depression. Alarmingly, statistics show that 3.4% of people suffering from unipolar disorder commit suicide. A person suffering from unipolar disorder loses appetite and subsequently weight; takes no interest in anything whatsoever; feelings of worthlessness and regret are prevalent; insomnia develops; and the person may display poor memory, lack of focus, and introverted behavior. Unipolar order is diagnosed by the patient’s own experiences as well as behavioral changes and disorders observed and reported by the family.

There are no tests as such but behavioral analysis techniques are employed in diagnosis. If not treated at an early age, it may worsen the condition subsequently affecting the patient’s physical and mental health. Bipolar disorder is also known by its common name manic-depressive disorder or short manic depression. Sufferers of manic disorder experience weird bursts of energy resulting in hyper moods. On the other hand, they may also experience bouts of depression. In rare cases, an individual may be the target of both types of symptoms.

These moods may be buffered by what is termed normal behavior. However, in some individuals, one type of mood is followed by the opposite resulting in continuous ups and downs. This is clinically termed rapid cycling, the alternating between two “poles”, hence the name. In extreme cases, bouts of manic depression may cause delusional behavior as well as hallucinatory experiences. There are further categories of this disorder to better help diagnose cases. The diagnosis for bipolar disorder is similar to the former kind: self-reported symptoms or symptoms and behavioral abnormalities reported by friends or family are analyzed.

Clinical analysis entails sessions with a psychologist. The difference between the two is thus obvious: unipolar disorder causes patients to lose all taste for life; and bipolar disorder causes its patients to have mood swings, sometimes causing unpleasant experiences. There are two main theories concerning what causes unipolar disorder. The first theory, the biopsychosocial model, states that clinical depression may be caused by biological, psychological, and social causes, as the name hints. The other theory, the diathesis-stress model argues that a pre-existing anomaly (or diathesis) is triggered by a distressing stimulus resulting in unipolar disorder.

This anomaly can be either hereditary or generic, or acquired through experience. Very similarly, the roots of bipolar disorder in a patient may be genetic though the outside stimulus is also a major cause. A patient’s environment plays a large part in the ailment taking hold. A person’s environment or repetitive exposure to disturbing situations may act as a catalyst for the ailment fully taking hold. Physiological abnormalities or deficiencies, particularly the size and shape of the brain may also cause bipolar disorder.

Medication is largely used for treating both types of disorders. For unipolar disorder, antidepressants are prescribed to patients as well as psychotherapy. In some cases, electric shocks (electroconvulsive therapy or ECT) as also administered under a general anesthetic. The type of psychotherapy also varies depending on the severity of the case as well as the age bracket of the patient. Children and young people are normally given CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy sessions.  

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Depression Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/environmental-studies/1412084-depression-paper
(Depression Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words)
https://studentshare.org/environmental-studies/1412084-depression-paper.
“Depression Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/environmental-studies/1412084-depression-paper.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Brief Overview of Unipolar and Bipolar Disorders

Bipolar Disorder

The essay discussed bipolar disorders and its subtle forms through review of literatures and studies from 1983 to 2011.... Bipolar disorder and its subtle forms gained attention during 1983 when the American Psychiatric Association (APA) verified the existence of relatively mild and subtle spectrum of bipolar disorders.... Review of Literature Bipolar disorder and its subtle forms gained attention during 1983 when the American Psychiatric Association (APA) verified the existence of relatively mild and subtle spectrum of bipolar disorders (Grinspoon, 1983, 281)....
6 Pages (1500 words) Term Paper

The Use of Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Aggression-Related Impulse Control Disorders

As identified below, explorations and treatment intermittent explosive disorder can be limited by the prevailing attitudes of the treating clinicians, so one of the main aims of this review is to provide a full overview of the disorder and its relevance to the patient whilst identifying personal attitudes and biases that might affect the report.... The purpose of this paper will be to explore the uses of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in the treatment of intermittent explosive disorder (and related disorders), especially in those with mental retardation, using Mr....
50 Pages (12500 words) Case Study

Bipolar Affective Disorder Condition

The essay "bipolar Affective Disorder Condition" focuses on the critical analysis of the major issues concerning the condition of bipolar affective disorder, a neurological condition that is responsible for alteration in mood, daily tasks, level of energy as well as involvement in any activity.... ndividuals suffering from bipolar disorder display severe emotional conditions which are termed as "mood episodes", encompassing either being too thrilled or overjoyed which is called the manic episode; or the individuals remain in the phase of discouraging thoughts or gloom this phase is termed as the depressive episode....
12 Pages (3000 words) Essay

Mental Health as a Genetic Disorder

Indeed, mental health comprises the promotion of well-being, the curbing of mental disorders, and the treatment and control of the victims of mental disorders.... Notably is the fact that mental disorders are rampant in the world.... Indeed, approximately 450 million people suffer from mental disorders with mental disorders forming about 14% of the global burden of disease (WHO, 2013).... Nevertheless, there is the available treatment for mental disorders....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Treatment for People with Severe Mental Disorders

The patients are contacted first and given a general overview of the procedure involved and then leave it to the patient to decide whether to participate or ignore.... The paper "Treatment for People with Severe Mental disorders" explores that as hospitalized patients never seem to recover faster, indulged efforts for community mental health treatment have been executed, following a liberal democracy that adopted a policy of caring for mentally ill people.... Most of this population is subject to schizophrenia disorders, bipolar disorder, and psychotic features from people of Atlanta in the United States....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Crisis Intervention Lesson Plan

efore discussing specific instances where crisis intervention is utilized, a brief understanding of the key skills involved in crisis intervention will be outlined as follows: empathy, active listening, being nonjudgmental, and setting of boundaries, the ability to restate the subject's often emotional ideas and thoughts, and problem solving skills....
29 Pages (7250 words) Essay

Alcohol Problem with Bipolar Affective Disorder

The study "Alcohol Problem with bipolar Affective Disorder" focuses on the critical analysis of the history of the patient and critically evaluation of a planned intervention strategy to prevent episode recurrence in the patient and prevent alcohol abuse by the patient.... She was diagnosed as suffering from the bipolar affective disorder with an accompanying alcohol problem.... ary was a case with a previous history of bipolar affective disorder....
6 Pages (1500 words) Case Study

General Anxiety Disorder

In adults, well-validated commonly used interviews include the Structured Clinical Interviews for DSM disorders and the Anxiety and Related disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-5(the ADIS-5).... The coursework "General Anxiety Disorder" describes the problem of anxiety disorder....
9 Pages (2250 words) Coursework
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us