BIPOLAR DISORDER

Stephen ApaezAnthony Nong

Per. 5

Case Study

Claimant: 47-year-old female Occupation: overnight stocker at big-box retailer, manager at

breakfast restaurant. Education: high school education Background: A 47-year-old female with a long history of

emotional instability and anger management issues.  She complains of “racing” thoughts and has been under regular medical management treatment with a psychologist and counselor.  My client also reports that she often has fits of anger and thoughts of harming herself and others.  At the time of the hearing, her living arrangements had greatly contributed to her stress and emotional instability.  She had been living in a room in the house of an adult child and the adult child’s spouse.  My client complained that her child’s spouse often verbally abused her.  In addition to the emotional issues, my client also has physical problems, including back and hip pain.

Bipolar Disorder: What Is It?

Bipolar disorder, sometimes called manic depression, is a disorienting condition that causes extreme shifts in mood.

Bipolar disorder is characterized by periods of deep, prolonged, and profound depression that alternate with periods of an excessively elevated or irritable mood known as mania.

The symptoms of mania include a decreased need for sleep, pressured speech, increased libido, reckless behavior without regard for consequences, grandiosity, and severe thought disturbances, which may or may not include psychosis.

What are bipolar disorder symptoms and signs in adults, teenagers, and children?

elevated, expansive, or irritable mood; racing thoughts pressured speech (rapid, excessive speech) decreased need for sleep grandiose beliefs (for example, feeling like

one has super powers or superlative talents or faults)

tangential speech (repeatedly changing topics to topics that are hardly related)

increased goal directed activity impulsivity and poor judgment.

Theories of How It’s Caused

Bipolar disorder often runs in families, and researchers believe there is a genetic component.

Some studies suggest that a low or high level of a specific neurotransmitter such as serotonin, norepinephrine or dopamine is the cause.

Other studies indicate that an imbalance of these substances is the problem, i.e., that a specific level of a neurotransmitter is not as important as its amount in relation to the other neurotransmitters.

Treatment

The best treatment for bipolar disorder is a combination of medication and counseling.

Doctors often treat the mania symptoms associated with bipolar disorder with one set of drugs, and use other drugs to treat depression. Certain drugs are also used for "maintenance" -- to

maintain a steady mood over time. Treatment for bipolar disorder most often includes a

combination of a mood-stabilizing drug and psychotherapy.

Although drug treatment is primary, ongoing psychotherapy is important to help patients better cope with the condition.

Facts

In any given year, bipolar disorder affects more than 2% of American adults.

About 5.7 million U.S. adults are living with bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder affects men and women equally, as well as all races, ethnic groups, and socioeconomic classes.

April 14, 2011 Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones has been treated

for bipolar disorder

Works Cited

"Bipolar Disorder â Case Study #1." �� Bipolar Disorder â Case ��Study #1. Web. 05 Mar. 2012. <http://www.georgia-social-security-disability.com/case-studies/mental-health-conditions/bipolar-disorder-case-study-1/>.

"Bipolar Disorder: Overview & Facts." WebMD. WebMD. Web. 05 Mar. 2012. <http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/guide/bipolar-disorder-overview-facts>.

"Internet Mental Health." Internet Mental Health. Web. 05 Mar. 2012. <http://mentalhealth.com/>.

"MedicineNet.com." MedicineNet. Web. 05 Mar. 2012. <http://www.medicinenet.com/bipolar_disorder/article.htm>.

"TeensHealth." Bipolar Disorder. Web. 05 Mar. 2012. <http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/bipolar.html>.