Bipolar Disorder Treatment and Care - Free Essay Example

Did you know that half of the patients with bipolar disorder did and do not get care for 5 years and the right diagnosis took 8 years?(Donald M. Hilty, p.g. 48) Isnt that crazy! If you didnt know what bipolar disorder is it is a disorder that is marked by alternating periods of elation and depression. That basically means that you have times where you are very happy and times where you are extremely depressed. This topic is very relevant because 2.6 percent of adults in the US have it and you might need to know some of these things to help you in the future. Most people who have bipolar disorder wait to seek treatment, when they get diagnosed they either have bipolar 1 or bipolar 2. There is a variety of causes and symptoms of bipolar disorder.What are the types of bipolar disorder? There is bipolar 1 and bipolar 2. Bipolar 1 is where patients have had at least one episode of mania, these last around 7 days. ?(Donald M. Hilty, p.g. 49) Mania is an excessive enthusiasm or desire, or an obsession. If you havent had a episode at least once you probably have bipolar 2 or even a different disorder. Bipolar 2 is diagnosed by if you have had depressive and hypomanic episodes. That is where the symptoms are not nearly as bad as bipolar 1 and may last as long as two weeks. Sometimes it can be much less severe than having a episode of mania. Are there treatments for bipolar disorder? There is a few treatments but no cure. All of the treatments are therapies which include medications, and physical and psychological Garrity 2interventions. Some of the medications include anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, aripiprazole, olanzapine, risperidone, and lithium carbonate which is the most common. If you have bipolar 1 it may help your manias by keeping a regular routine with a healthy diet, enough sleep, and even just a little exercise. ?(Donald M. Hilty, p.g. 50) You can also go to a doctor and they might suggest some physical therapies like a support group. In these support groups you can talk with others and discuss your issues and theirs. It is very helpful to some patients.What are the causes and symptoms of bipolar disorder? There are no known exact causes it but there is things that can put you at higher risk of having it. Those things are cigarettes and illicit drug use. Cannabis and marijuana is also something that associates with bipolar disorder. If you were to use those things it could make your manias, or highs and lows, worse. Some of the symptoms include negative impacts on families, rela tionships, and employment. ?(Clinical Psychiatry) Not many people are going to want to be around you because they dont know the state your mind is in. If you take medications the symptoms will be much less severe than if you werent.In conclusion this is a relevant topic because it is a pretty common illness and you might know someone who has is. 2.6% of adults in the US have it. Maybe in the future you will need this information to talk to someone with it. You will need to know how to handle their personality at the time. It is possible that someone you work with has it and it could affect their job so you will have to make sure you dont trigger anything for them because 9/10 people who have it their employment was affected by it. They couldnt handle some of the peoples attitude they had to work with.