Symptoms And Treatment Of Bipolar Disorders - 2279 Words

I. Introduction Everyone has heard the term â€Å"meet in the middle† which means to compromise and when it comes to our mood we are not considered normal unless we are somewhere in the middle of the mood spectrum. The mood spectrum has depression on one end and mania on the other with sadness, normal mood, and joy in the in-between. This spectrum can be used as a gauge to determine one’s mood. Think of the ends of the mood spectrum as poles representing opposite sides with one side being heightened mood (mania) and the other side being depression; this is where the term bipolar comes from. Bipolar disorders seem to be rare (2% of the world’s population) in comparison to unipolar disorders but yet I know at least a dozen people who have been†¦show more content†¦Genetics and the environment play a definite role in bipolar disorders and neurotransmitter regulation, or lack thereof, is the joining factor between the two. Depression and mania are the left and right limi ts to bipolar disorder and there is quite a bit that can happen in between. 1. Thesis Statement Depression and mania are the left and right limits to bipolar disorder and there is quite a bit that can happen in between. 2. Define the type of disorder Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder and there are four different types of Bipolar disorder which are Bipolar I, Bipolar II, Cyclothymic, and Substance/Medication Induced Bipolar and Related disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Since it is classified as a mood disorder it would be considered a psychological disorder because a neurological disorder is a disorder of the nervous system. 3. Diagnostic Criteria A diagnosis of Bipolar I requires that the criteria for a manic episode be met. The manic episode may have been preceded by and may be followed by hypo manic or major depressive episodes (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). A diagnosis of Bipolar II requires that the criteria for a current or past hypo manic episode and the criteria for a current or past major depressive episode have been met (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).A diagnosis of Cyclothymic Disorder