Bipolar Disorder Research Paper

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The definition of Bipolar Disorder in the dictionary is “a mental disorder marked by alternating periods of elation and depression.” To diagnose a patient with Bipolar Disorder they have to undergo a careful evaluation and confirmation of hypomanic or manic symptoms. Bipolar Disorder I consists of a patient who experiences at least one manic episode, meaning that the manic symptoms need to be present most of the day, nearly everyday, for at least one week, and significantly affect functioning. Along with this symptom, those with Bipolar I (especially women) often have hypomanic episodes that alternate with depression (Swann, Steinberg, Lijffijt, & Moeller, 2009). Approximately 25 percent of mood episodes among those with bipolar I involve rapid-cycling. Rapid-cycling is the occurance of four or more mood episodes per year. (D. A. Solomon et al., 2009).
Bipolar disorder affects more than 3 million adults in the United States alone. Bipolar disorders affect males and females equally although females are more likely to experience more depressive symptoms and less …show more content…
The most pronounced feature of Bipolar II is depression; depressive symptoms sometimes occur almost simultaneously with hypomanic symptoms. In Bipolar II, symptoms are usually most severe during depressive episodes, with almost three fourths of those diagnosed with Bipolar II reporting severe impairment while depressed (Merikangas, Jin, et al., 2011). Unfortunately Bipolar II is a severely underdiagnosed disorder. A big part of this is that many physicians prescribe antidepressants without adequately assessing for periods of highly energetic, goal-directed activity and other hypomanic symptoms (Benazzi, 2007) The primary difference between Bipolar I and Bipolar II is the severity of symptoms during the energized
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