Bipolar Disorder Film Analysis

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In the United Kingdom, over four million people kill themselves in result of suffering with Bipolar Disorder. Almost half of the population living with Bipolar Disorder go undiagnosed, which leads to a higher rate of suicide. Hearing that substantial number made me instantly feel intrigued to learn more about this mental health condition. Over the past two decades, there has been a considerable resurgence of interest in bipolar disorder (BD; formerly known as manic-depressive illness (Beidel, et al., 2014, p. 217). Individuals who suffer with BD experience both manic and depressive episodes. When a client is going through a manic episode he or she will experience elation, grandiosity and hyperactivation. Those who are diagnosed with …show more content…
Due to the lack of evidence, this raises concerns for me when it comes to diagnosing (as mentioned previously) and then prescribing medication. While I was watching the film, I became extremely overwhelmed seeing the amount of medication Rob Harvey and Ian and Todd Jensen had to take. I feel that as a parent I would be concerned about all the side effects that could possibly occur in my teenage child, knowing that there is a possibility for a misdiagnosis; and even more concerned if my child was diagnosed at a younger age. I would also be concerned that my child will become dependent on these drugs in order to be successful in life. After observing the side effects of lithium, I became very adamant that I would not want my child to receive medication if he or she had mild symptoms of Bipolar (BD II). Lithium, in the film was explained as making one zombie-like and not having any feelings. That statement is very scary for me, however, if medication was necessary and talk therapy was not successful I would allow them to take the medication as a last resort, if they were age appropriate. Playing devil’s advocate to my views, the only thing that would sway me towards medication is if my child was trying to commit suicide and or harm others at an extreme level. Then, is when I would be an advocate for medication to stabilize their mood and