Bipolar Disorder - PSY 354

Introduction

 By: Jessica Congdon

This WebQuest is indented for college aged students to learn more about the mental health disorder; Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that involve emotional highs (mania) and extreme lows (depression). When you become depressed, you may feel sad or hopeless and lose interest in most activities. When the mood switches to mania, you may feel full of energy  or unusually irritable. These mood swings can affect sleep, energy, activity, judgment, behavior and ability to think clearly.

People's symptoms vary in severity and can occur at any point in life. The average age of onset is 25 years old, every year 2.9% of the population is diagnosed in the US with nearly 83% of cases being classified as severe. This disorder can affect women and men equally.

Researchers found that 2.5% of youth met criteria met bipolar disorder in their lifetime. Rates increased with age - about 2% of younger teens reported having symptoms, while 3.1% older teens reported symptoms.

Recent studies suggest that there is more prevalence in the mania episode than that of depression and should be getting greater attention when evaluating mood disorders since it can be associated with behavioral problems and attention deficit disorder.

There are different types of Bipolar Disorder :

  1. Bipolar 1 - At least one manic episode that may be preceded or followed by hypomanic or major depressive episodes
  2. Bipolar 2 - At least one major depressive episode and at least one hypomanic episode, but never a manic episode
  3. Cyclothymic Disorder - At least two years - or one year in children and teenagers - of many periods of hypomania symptoms and periods of depressive symptoms

Bipolar Disorder

(Image from - https://clipartfest.com/categories/view/01aa9ceba957f8e346b7d4e171b65321271fd6b8/bipolar-disorder-clipart.html )

The Manic episode:

  • Abnormally upbeat
  • Increased activity
  • Decreased need for sleep
  • Racing thoughts
  • Unusual talkativeness
  • Poor decision making

The Depressive episode:

  • Depressed mood - sad, empty, hopeless, helpless
  • Loss of interest or feeling no pleasure
  • Insomnia or too much sleep
  • Restlessness or slowed behavior
  • Loss of energy
  • Feeling of worthless or inappropriate guilt
  • Thoughts of suicide, or attempt of suicide

Causes can either be Biological or Genetic - People with biological differences can have a change in their brains. Genetically, it's most common in people who have first-degree relative with the disorder.

Co-occurring conditions may include:

  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Eating Disorders
  • ADHD
  • Alcohol or Drug problems
  • Physical Health problems such as obesity, heart disease, or headaches

(Image from https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/February-2017/Understanding-the-Spectrum-of-Bipolar-Disorder )

Task

1. Watch the video "Depressive and Bipolar Disorders: Crash Course Psychology #30" -

https://youtu.be/ZwMlHkWKDwM

2. Answer a few questions about Bipolar Disorder to review your knowledge based off the video and information in the Introduction about the disorder

Process

Post-Video Questions

Please answer each of the questions to the best of your ability

1. What is Bipolar Disorder?

2. How does it affect those who have it?

3. What would some symptoms of a person who has the disorder be?

4. What causes Bipolar Disorder?

5. What can a person do for treatment/therapies of the disorder?

6. Who does it mainly affect?

7. How is a person's life affected by this disorder?

8. How does this disorder affect the person's family life/school life?

9. Are there any programs/tools to help this person if they are in school, to help them learn?

10. Is there a difference between clinical depression and the "depressive" state of Bipolar Disorder?

11. What are the different categories of Bipolar Disorder?

12. What is the difference between the depressive episode vs. manic episode?

13. What are the two causes of the disorder that are known currently?

14. What are some co-occurring conditions that a person can have with Bipolar Disorder?

15. What can you do for treatment?

Evaluation

(Evaluating to make sure the answers are correct and all completed)

Conclusion

Bipolar Disorder is a mental health condition that affects many people from children to adults. This disorder can affect multiple things in a person's life if left untreated; such as learning, school, relationships, ability to concentrate, and succeed in life.

There are multiple treatment options for those who have the disorder which is a lifelong condition:

  1. Medications (Mood stabilizers, Antipsychotics, Antidepressants, Antidepressant-antipsychotic, anti-anxiety medications)
  2. Continued treatment (Regular check ups)
  3. Day treatment programs
  4. Substance abuse treatment (Alcohol or drug problems)
  5. Hospitalization

 For treatments in children or teens - it usually goes by a day-to-day basis:

  1. Medications (Same medications as adults)
  2. Psychotherapy (Long term therapy session)
  3. Psycho-education (Learning about the disorder so children can be more aware)
  4. Support (Continued support from teachers, school counselors, family)

 

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(Image from -  https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/b/bipolar.asp - Drawn by Dan, Reynolds)

In conclusion, this topic has recently become more well known than it used to be. Depression, Bipolar Disorder and similar mental health conditions are being given more attention and recognition as a disorder to be treated just as any other disorder. It's extremely common throughout teens and adults and it has a stigma that it's not "ok" to make it known someone has a mental health issue. But with recent awareness and concerns it's something people are taking more seriously than it was. There are ways to spread awareness such as talking about it and giving information out on the topic.

Credits