Bipolar Disorder Symptoms, Effects, Diagnosis and Treatment

Table of Contents Symptoms Effects of Bipolar Disorder Other Diseases That Co-Exist With Bipolar Risk Factors for Bipolar Diagnosis of Bipolar Treatment of Bipolar References The other name for bipolar disorder is Manic-depressive illness. This disease specifically causes the patient to experience extra ordinary changes in mood, strength, levels of concentration, and the ability to execute daily tasks (Kato, 2007). Unless the disease has been diagnosed, it is difficult to identify the symptoms.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Bipolar Disorder: Symptoms, Effects, Diagnosis and Treatment specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, the infected person is constantly in conflicts with the people who interact with him/her. For instance, such persons can barely be in a stable relationship for a considerable period. Moreover, they seem to be in a habit of engaging in intense arguments at their places of work . This is probably because they cannot fully concentrate on what they are doing at a particular time. Symptoms Bipolar disorder is common in persons under the age of 25 years. However, there are situations that have been reported involving patients who are in their sun set years and others who are considered too young to contract this condition such as children below the age of ten years (Miklowitz, 2008). Bipolar disorder is considered a long-term condition that often begins gradually because it can take up to 10 years before the symptoms are visible. Usually, symptoms are only uncovered through diagnosis. This implies that bipolar disorder falls into the category of diseases such as diabetes and heart condition, which need to be managed throughout the affected person’s lifetime (Serretti Mandelli, 2008). Bipolar patients experience irregular mood swings that range between exaggerated amusement and sadness (Srivastava Ketter, 2010). This means that the patient can be extre mely happy in one minute and the next minute the person looks dull. Such people are easily irritated and hence, should be handled with a lot of care and understanding. These mood swings are not influenced by the events that are going on in their surroundings because their sadness or joy cannot be linked to anything. For instance, under normal circumstances, people laugh because something funny has been done or said, but to bipolar patients, joy and sadness alternate without a justifiable reason (Miklowitz, 2008). Likewise, persons suffering from bipolar disorder tend to speak very fast during conversations like there is a matter of urgency. When they embark on making a statement, they hardly finish putting their point across because they encounter numerous distractions in their minds that cause them to divert from the topic of discussion (Kieseppa et al., 2004).Advertising Looking for research paper on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15 % OFF Learn More At the end of their conversations, there are so many half-complete stories. Moreover, they have a habit of setting unrealistic goals. This is caused by their thought of having unique abilities and hence they feel they can achieve goals that are deemed unachievable. This overconfidence causes them to handle more tasks beyond their capacity, such as assuming more roles at a go (Kato, 2007). Furthermore, bipolar patients experience lack of sleep probably because they work for long hours. Nonetheless, they sleep for few hours due to the restlessness that keeps them up all night. Besides, they loose interest in activities that they previously enjoyed and in most occasions, they seem to be carried away due to their low level of concentration. They are quite forgetful and hence tend to have varied opinion or fail to stick to an agreement’s terms due to their poor memory (Miklowitz, 2008). For instance, the infected person can schedule a meeting and later fa il to avail him/herself without a good reason. Effects of Bipolar Disorder If a person suffering from bipolar is not diagnosed and the illness persists for a long time, the effects worsen with time. According to Miklowitz (2008), â€Å"The behavioral and emotional experiences of the person with bipolar disorder affect everyone – the patient’s parents, spouse, siblings, and children† (p. 5). A bipolar individual is prone to getting into fights and arguments with friends and relatives including their spouse. In the end, their family ties are disintegrated. Similarly, their employers are hardly satisfied with their performance because they make avoidable mistakes, which may lead to dismissals. This turn of events makes them to resort to abusing substances such as alcohol and other related drugs (Lam, Wright, Smith, 2004). They abuse drugs in an attempt to divert their attention. They also experience hallucinations. Furthermore, patients who suffer from this condit ion are known to have thoughts of ending their own lives and hence, they are likely to commit suicide. Other Diseases That Co-Exist With Bipolar Bipolar disorder can go for a long time without being noticed because it exhibits symptoms common to related conditions. These illnesses include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social Phobia and attention deï ¬ cit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Lack of concentration and restlessness are very common in these diseases and hence one may be confused for the other. When this happens, the medical expert ends up prescribing treatment for the wrong ailment and thus the symptoms persist (Srivastava Ketter, 2010).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Bipolar Disorder: Symptoms, Effects, Diagnosis and Treatment specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Additionally, bipolar patients are prone to contracting thyroid illness, migraine headaches, heart disorders, diabetes and o besity. It is therefore advisable for patients to consult the doctor if their treatment is not making any positive progress. This will cause the doctor to carry out a thorough diagnosis that could probably unveil other underlying illnesses that could be hindering the effective treatment of bipolar (Miklowitz, 2008). Risk Factors for Bipolar There is no exact cause of bipolar disorder. However, several issues have been identified as major contributors to contracting the ailment. The generic background of an individual has been sighted as the major contributing factor. This implies that bipolar disorder is a hereditary ailment because it can be passed on from parents to their children (Mansell Pedley, 2008). People who hail from family backgrounds that have had a history of being affected by this disease are more likely to contract the ailment than their counterparts whose families have never had any brain disorder related to bipolar. Twins are also prone to contracting bipolar, but in most cases, its only one child among the pair that tests positive to bipolar diagnosis. This does not mean that the other child will also contract bipolar disease because each of them exists as an independent entity (Serretti Mandelli, 2010). Diagnosis of Bipolar Unlike other illnesses, bipolar cannot be detected through evaluation of blood samples or brain screening. However, these tests can be carried out to unearth other underlying illnesses that could hinder effective treatment of bipolar. The condition is therefore best diagnosed through physical observation coupled with thorough interrogation of the patient (Miklowitz, 2008). Psychiatrists are in a much better position to handle conditions like bipolar due to their expertise. The medical health practitioner should seek to obtain adequate information regarding the patient’s family history regarding bipolar disorder. If the condition of the patient does not favor interrogation, the practitioner should consult a close relative to the affected person such as brothers, sisters and spouse such as wife or husband. Previous medical records can also be referred to while probing the health history of the patient (Kieseppa et al., 2004). Treatment of Bipolar Bipolar is not curable, but it is manageable. People who stick to the prescribed medication are able to regulate mood swings and hence lead healthy productive lives (Serretti Mandelli, 2008). It is important to note that bipolar is a condition that keeps on recurring and hence the patient has to be on medication for the rest of his/her life. The medicine for treating bipolar is usually prescribed by licensed medical experts; it cannot be purchased without written prescription. Among the drugs that are used to treat bipolar include Lithium, Valproic acid, Anticonvulsant lamotrigine, Neurontin, and Topamax (Miklowitz, 2008).Advertising Looking for research paper on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Besides medication, bipolar can be treated through psychotherapy. In this form of treatment, the patient is offered emotional support through regular conversations. The patient is helped to stop his/her destructive habits by being made to understand the consequences of his/her actions. Alternatively, the therapy can take place at the family level where the family members counsel one of their own. However, Miklowitz (2008) argue that: A close working relationship between the bipolar patient and his or her family members can not only address the multiple psychological problems that emerge in the context of this disorder, but can also facilitate the patient’s willingness to follow a prescribed medication regimen. (p. 6) Similarly, people suffering from bipolar can undergo collective counseling on the effects of bipolar disorder. Moreover, psycho-education is reserved for people who suffer from bipolar disorder. The training empowers them to be in a position to manage this lifeti me condition, and seek medical attention while there is still enough time. This reduces the impact of the disease on the patients (Kato, 2007). References Kato, T. (2007). Molecular genetics of bipolar disorder and depression. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 61(1), 3-19. Kieseppa, T., et al. (2004). High concordance of bipolar I disorder in a nationwide sample of twins. American Journal of Psychiatry, 161(10), 1814-1821. Lam, D., Wright, K., Smith, N. (2004). Dysfunctional assumptions in bipolar disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 79(1-3), 193-199. Mansell, W. Pedley, R. (2008). The ascent into mania: A review of psychological processes associated with the development of manic symptoms. Clinical Psychology Review, 28(3), 494-520. Miklowitz, D.J. (2008). Bipolar disorder: A family-focused treatment approach (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press. Serretti, A. Mandelli, L. (2008). The genetics of bipolar disorder: Genome ‘hot regions,’ genes, new potentia l candidates and future directions. Molecular Psychiatry, 13(8), 742-771. Srivastava, S. Ketter, T. A. (2010). The link between bipolar disorders and creativity: Evidence from personality and temperament studies. Current Psychiatry Reports, 12(6), 522-530. This research paper on Bipolar Disorder: Symptoms, Effects, Diagnosis and Treatment was written and submitted by user Maryam Spence to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Maggie Fox writing for NBC News wrote that, if health care was banking it would take days to withdraw money from an ATM because records would be misplaced and if it were airline pilots would have to depend on their own intuitions to dictate which safety checks to carry out (Fox, 2012).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Well, not too harsh an assessment considering the mess that currently bedevils our health care system. As a matter of fact, the rain has not just started beating us now; the US health care system was declared broken and requiring fixing more than a decade ago. This underscores the recent spate of actions in terms of policy legislation that we are still yet to all agree on. That aside, there are serious issues with our health care system. Issues of priority such as access in terms of the uninsured, quality and cost in that ord er are the three most important things in a health care system (Nyman, 2003). I will highlight and discuss in detail each of the three in this paper. It is quite unfortunate that in the US the most developed economy in the world today access to health care is right now an issue yet to be addressed fully. Most recent statistics indicate that close to 40 million Americans in this day and era are uninsured and still have to struggle to meet their health care requirements (Squires, 2012). A few critics would argue that insurance and access cannot be taken as one since the uninsured could still walk into any health care facility and get medical attention at their own cost. However, this would be the narrowest thinking to look at this issue.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More With the ever escalating costs, upsurge of chronic diseases requiring complex and costly medical routi nes to prevent and cure, one can never go wrong in arguing that health insurance is an essential part of care access. Any sound and viable plan for the future to fix our health care system therefore must arise to this fact and promise to offer universal coverage that guarantees every American citizen right to basic health plan of their choice. Secondly, quality is an important aspect of a sound health care system. According to OECD health data database 2011, despite high health care costs and spending as well quality indicators of health in the US reflect variable performance and notably not any superior in comparison with other far less expensive systems of other countries in the study (Squires, 2012). Even though the US is notably rated among the best countries with the highest survival rates for certain chronic ailments in some other chronic diseases the same trend is not consistent with poor showing and in some instances below average performance. Given that in some of these chr onic conditions that the US records a poor showing make up and indeed constitute an increasing share of the disease burden casts doubts as to the quality of care accorded by our current system. Thirdly but not least is the cost of health care. With nearly $8,000 average spending on health per capita according to statistics carried out in 2009, the cost of health care in the US is arguably the most expensive in the world (Squires, 2012). This is in comparison with countries such as Japan and New Zealand spending one-third of that and Switzerland and Norway that spends about two-thirds of same. In fact if the trend is anything to go by, the US average per capita spending on health care continue to grow highest than any other economy (Squires, 2012).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More We need a health care system that can address these both in terms of reversing the unsustainable trend of escalating health associated costs and also reduce the current recorded spending on health care. It is important to note the Affordable Care Act of 2010 cognizant of each of the three major issues highlighted above was designed with specific attention to address them. Firstly with respect to access, the Act proposes universal health insurance coverage for all that would guarantee every citizen to a basic health plan of their choice effectively doing away with previously income-related payments that uninsured would have received. In addition, the ACA envisages an electronic medical record to store patients’ records and allows physicians via a tight security protocols this information effectively simplifying the health care system that hitherto preapproval requirement by authorities to gain access to this information. This measure also addresses the issue of quality of health care as both the physician and the patient can be able t o trend the medical history. Effectively patients would be able to demand quality care and physicians afraid to taint their careers offer better services. Having addressed both access and quality the issue of cost comes in automatically through improved system efficiencies and use of preventive rather than curative measures (Santerre Neun, 2013). In conclusion it will be interesting to see how the plan works given it will be difficult to eliminate the unnecessary services currently offered which compounds the cost of health care as well as the huge administrative challenges.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the downside, the plan as some critics point out are the unintended consequences in terms of tax burden which not until the current costs are brought down is a concern to many. On the upward side though, is an ambitious plan which if it works could lift up the welfare of all Americans and be a major reprieve of our ailing health care system. References Fox, M. (2012). US health care: Its officially a mess, institute says. Web. Nyman, J. A. (2003). The Theory of Demand for Health Insurance. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Santerre, R. E. and Neun, S. P. (2013). Health Economics: Theories, Insights, and Industry Studies, 6th Edition, Mason, OH: South-Western. Squires, D. A. (2012). Explaining High Health Care Spending in the United States: An International Comparison of Supply, Utilization, Prices, and Quality. Commonwealth Fund pub. 1595, Vol. 10.