Bipolar Disorder

As a normal person experiences their own emotional highs and lows, a person with Bipolar Disorder (BP) goes through extreme mood swings that can be short-lived or long-lasting. These severe mood adjustments can be caused by distress or disruption to the patient’s life. In many cases of this disorder, the manic state may be replaced by hypomania (meaning “below-mania”) or mixed states.

Hypomania is constituted as mild mania, allowing the patient to maintain reason while experiencing the rapid flurry of thoughts distinctive to mania. This combination can result in high productivity and creativity. Mixed states are defined as a combination of depression and mania, as patients feel constantly “blue” while ideas are racing through their minds. Bipolar Disorder is currently incurable, but effective treatment can be provided after an accurate diagnosis, to help control the severe mood swings of this medical condition.

Types and Diagnosis

Bipolar Disorder can generally be classified into two categories: Type I and Type II. Patients with Type I experience full-blown mania during their manic episodes. Type II describes a patient whose manic state only ever reaches the level of hypomania, unless more severe mania is induced by medication. This category of Bipolar Disorder is much harder to diagnose, as the hypomania experiences may simply appear as high productivity. There are four Bipolar Illnesses in total: Type I, Type II, Cyclothymia (alternating between hypomania and depression; similar to Bipolar Disorder Type II), and Bipolar Disorder NOS (Not Otherwise Specified). Unfortunately, Bipolar Disorder is sometimes misdiagnosed as Unipolar Disorder (also known as Clinical Depression). Unipolar Disorder medication, when administered to someone with Bipolar Disorder, can induce mania, worsening the condition. It often takes ten years or more to correctly diagnose and treat this ailment.

The Effects of BP

Bipolar Disorder can have effects on social and economic factors in our world, affecting human communication and lifestyle, as well as pharmaceutical and personal profit. The depression aspect can have serious consequences such as insomnia, fatigue, loss of interest in activities once enjoyed, lack of decision-making abilities, pessimism, and even thoughts of death or suicide. In fact, the rate of lifetime suicide attempts in Americans with Bipolar Disorder is 29.2%, compared to 15.9% of persons diagnosed with Clinical Depression. Other aspects of Bipolar Disorder have negative repercussions, such as the two combined feelings of rapid thought and depression, as these two moods combined may lead to a state of anxiety; this is why those with Bipolar Disorder sometimes also suffer from panic disorder (a disorder known for periodic panic attacks, which may induce a number of phobias).

As well, a state of mania may cause several problems. Some patients suffer from severe anxiety and/or panic in the manic state, and psychosis (with such symptoms as hallucinations and delusions) may also occur while one is in this state of being. One may be advised by a psychiatrist to purchase treatment for Bipolar Disorder as a method of controlling their overwhelming feelings; however, treatment for this ailment can be expensive, further discouraging patients to find help for their disorder. Untreated Bipolar Disorder can have serious consequences on the lives of those it afflicts.

A Positive Side to BP?

While untreated Bipolar Disorder can cause mental and physical harm to its convalescents, it can also provide some positive side-effects. This disorder has been proven to have links to high productiveness. During hypomania episodes, the rapid flight of ideas combined with maintained coherent thought provokes high levels of creativity. Over the years, people with Bipolar Disorder have been known for above average creativity, perseverance and, in some cases, intelligence. Countless creative talents throughout history have been diagnosed with this disorder, and some attribute it to their success in creative ventures. These dynamic, industrious personalities can have a positive effect on our society.

However, treatment can also be prescribed by a licensed psychiatrist to keep one’s moods balanced. While treatment (often in the form of lithium, an effective drug for controlling mania and preventing severe mood swings) may reduce hypomanic activity, depleting these productive incidents, it can also diminish the depression a patient feels between episodes. The purchase of these treatments increases profits for pharmaceuticals; however, untreated Bipolar Disorder Type II or Cyclothymia can yield profitable creative works for the patient during a hypomania episode. Treated or untreated, certain classifications of Bipolar Disorder can have positive results for different parties.

Bipolar Disorder is, by definition, “Any of several mood disorders characterized usually by alternating episodes of depression and mania or by episodes of depression alternating with mild nonpsychotic excitement”. This disorder can have negative ramifications on the lives of those it affects. However, it can also increase a person’s creativity and productivity levels. Bipolar Disorder can affect suicide rates, human relationships, and pharmaceuticals. Overall, Bipolar Disorder can be both foreboding and favorable.