Understanding Bipolar Disorder Disorder- Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Impact on Daily Life

Understanding Bipolar Disorder Disorder- Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Impact on Daily Life

The topic of choice for this paper is bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is among the top 10 leading causes of morbidity globally (Mclntyre et al., 2020). Besides, the symptoms often overlap, and there is a tendency for a misdiagnosis. This, therefore warrants a better understanding of the disorder. The purpose of this paper is to discuss in detail bipolar disorder with an emphasis on mania. The paper therefore will include the clinical features of bipolar as per the DSM-5 criteria, demographic details, and the etiology of bipolar disorder, including both environmental and biological causes. Generally, bipolar disorder can be defined as a mental disorder characterized by fluctuations in mood. Usually, a person is noted to fluctuate from mania to hypomania. The manic phase is characterized by elevated mood, while hypomania is characterized by depressed mood.

The Clinical Features of Bipolar Disorder

The DSM-5 gives a criteria for diagnosis of bipolar disorder depending on the type of bipolar disorder. According to Mclntyre (2020), there are three main presentations of bipolar disorder, including mania, hypomania, and major depression. The criteria for diagnosis of mania emphasize the presence of at least one manic episode, which may have followed or preceded by a hypomanic episode. The manic episodes, in this instance, are defined as a period of persistent mood elevation or mood irritability accompanied by increased energy experienced for at least seven consecutive days. Additionally, there should be at least three manic symptoms. The symptoms of a manic episode include grandiosity, insomnia, compulsion, talkativeness, rapid thinking, flight of ideas, distractability, psychomotor agitation, and excessive involvement in antisocial activities such as sexual indiscretion. In addition to the above two criteria, the DSM-5 also emphasizes that the disturbance in mood should be sufficient to cause impairment of a person’s social life or occupation (Goes, 2023). Lastly, the manic episode should be attributed to the effects of drug use or any other disease.

On the other hand, the criteria for diagnosis of hypomania include, first, a period of persistent mood elevation and irritability accompanied by increased energy, which has lasted for at least four days consecutively and mostly observed almost every day. Secondly, there should be at least four of the aforementioned symptoms during the episode. Thirdly, the hypomania episode should be associated with impaired functioning. The fourth criterion states that mood change should be observable to others. The fifth criterion is that the episode should be so severe that it causes impairment in one’s occupation and social life (Goes, 2023). Lastly, the episode should not be attributed to any physical disease or effects of drug use.

The third presentation of bipolar disorder is major depression. Major depressive disorder is characterized by a depressed mood, loss of interest in activities, weight loss, hypersomnia/insomnia, loss of energy, feelings of guilt, feelings of worthlessness, indecisiveness, and recurrent suicidal ideation. The criteria for diagnosis of major depressive disorder include, first, the presence of five of the above symptoms for two weeks with an evident change in functioning. Secondly, the symptoms should have caused impairment of one’s occupation or social life. Thirdly, The episode should not be attributed to any other physical disease or substance use (Goes, 2023). Lastly, depression cannot be explained by other mental disorders such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and delusional disorder.

Demographic Details of Bipolar Disorder

As stated previously, bipolar disorder is among the ten leading causes of morbidity globally. Interestingly, the comorbidity and severity impact patterns are similar across all nations. The average lifetime prevalence is higher for bipolar spectrum disorder than for bipolar I and bipolar II disorders, with a prevalence of 2.4%, 0.6%, and 0.4% respectively. The peaks in age of onset include 45 to 54 years and 15 to 24 years. Approximately 70% of people present with the features at the age of 25 years or below. There is no evidence of variation in bipolar statistics across ethnicity or gender. The male-to-female ratio for the occurrence of bipolar disorder is 1:1 (Carvalho, Firth & Vieta, 2020). There is evidence of higher rates of bipolar disorders observed among those who are low-income, unmarried, and unemployed.

Causes of Bipolar Disorder

Essentially, the specific cause of bipolar disorder is unknown, but various factors have been used to explain the potential causes of bipolar disorder. It is thought that bipolar disorder arises as a result of interaction between biological and environmental factors. The biological causes include an imbalance of the neurochemicals, genetics, and epigenetics. Besides, chromosomal abnormalities have been associated with high risk for bipolar disorder. For instance, DNA markers were found on the short arm of chromosome 11 (Gordover & McMahon, 2020). Also, the changes in the neurotrophic factors indicate neurotrophic signaling is a mechanism that may explain bipolar disorder due to neuroplasticity. Other molecular mechanisms include oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, compromised hypothalamus, and pituitary and immune imbalance. Neurochemically, it is thought that bipolar disorder occurs due to an imbalance of neurotransmitters, including dopamine and serotonin. However, not much evidence has been shown to prove it.

Consequently, there are environmental factors that have also been thought to be responsible for the occurrence of bipolar disorders. The environmental factors associated with bipolar disorders are mostly life events. They may include childhood trauma or maltreatment, divorce, childbirth, parental loss, unemployment, and living with a disability. According to Carvalho, Firth & Vieta (2020), approximately 60% of people with bipolar disorder report a preceding stressful life event. In addition, individuals who suffered neglect during childhood have also been found to be at risk of bipolar disorders.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I think bipolar disorder has never been well understood by the general public, and most often, the term is misused. An understanding of the bipolar disorder is crucial for quick diagnosis. Besides, an awareness of bipolar disorder will improve mental health-seeking behaviors. The symptoms should never be managed in isolation but observed for the evidence of fluctuation.

I have learned a lot from this topic. The key learning points include the diagnostic criteria for the three main presentations of bipolar disorder, including mania, hypomania, and major depression. Initially, I thought bipolar disorder was characterized by two presentations, which are mania and hypomania. I am glad to have learned about the major depressive disorder and its symptoms. Secondly, I also learned about stressful events as a cause of bipolar disorder. This is important as it will help me in the future when trying to identify the possible cause of bipolar disorder in a patient. This knowledge will help me during my practice to easily diagnose bipolar disorder and avoid misdiagnosis. Also, it will help to know what to inquire from a patient when they present with features of bipolar disorder. Lastly, the biological causes would help us understand why certain drugs are used in the management of bipolar disorder.

References

Carvalho, A. F., Firth, J., & Vieta, E. (2020). Bipolar disorder. New England Journal of Medicine, 383(1), 58-66.

Goes, F. S. (2023). Diagnosis and management of bipolar disorders. BMJ, 381. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2022-073591

Gordovez, F. J. A., & McMahon, F. J. (2020). The genetics of bipolar disorder. Molecular psychiatry, 25(3), 544-559. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-019-0634-7

McIntyre, R. S., Berk, M., Brietzke, E., Goldstein, B. I., López-Jaramillo, C., Kessing, L. V., … & Mansur, R. B. (2020). Bipolar disorders. The Lancet, 396(10265), 1841-1856. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31544-0

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1. State your topic and why you selected your research topic. State what you will cover in your paper. Explain/define your psychological disorder. What is it exactly?

2. What are the symptoms and clinical features of your topic? You should use DSM V

criteria.

3. Demographic details: State some national statistics and background information on your topic. You can include gender, culture, age, socioeconomic factors, etc. Who is at risk for this disorder?

4. What causes the disorder? Explain the biological and environmental influences (nature vs. nurture) of the disorder.

5. Conclusion: Your personal insight. What did you learn that was most interesting about your topic of research? How do you think this new knowledge and awareness will help you personally?