Bipolar Disorder
America is known to be “The land of the free.” When in actuality, sadly, it is not. There are many American Citizens suffering from poverty, hunger, unemployment, health care and the list continues. There are many views on these social issues; one being, people got there on their own or if they really wanted a job they can go out and get it. Sociology teaches one to see political or social issues from the person suffering’s point of view, not the one viewing it from the outside. This concept is referred to sociological perspective; this allows the people from the outside to examine these issues critically and objectively. Bipolar Disorder is a perfect example of a social and political issue that people view as “Not a big deal” or “Just send them to the crazy house.” Sociology teaches one to look at this issue from another perspective and once one chooses to do so they will fully understand the issue.
Bipolar Disorder, or manic depression, is one of the oldest known illnesses. According to Bipolar Disorder Living in the second century, ancient Turkey there was a Greek physician named Aretaeus Cappodociam, he wrote about people experiencing depressive and manic moods at the same time. In 1650 a scientist named Richard Burton wrote a book titled, The Anatomy of Melancholia, and is known as the father of mental illness because his findings are still used today by those in the mental health field. These scientists and others were observing what was going on around them, documented it and their findings help societies today. They knew that it had to be something more than this person is, “Just having a bad day.” The symptoms that they documented are if not the same, similar to bipolar disorder.
Many people, young people, use the
term ‘bipolar” or “He or she is so bipolar right now” all the time, but if one
asks them “What is bipolar disorder?” They wouldn’t know how to explain or
describe it; they would most likely answer it by saying someone is happy one
second and then sad the next. This is the number one misconception about
bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is more than just a fleeting good or bad
mood people often think of because it’s more than just a mood change, it
affects the way one functions. It is also a known as a chemical imbalance in
the brain which causes someone to act differently from others. Bipolar Disorder
causes serious shifts in mood, energy, and behavior. There are three types of
bipolar disorder, bipolar disorder I involves severe mood swings from mania to
depression, this is the most known type, the secod type is bipolar disorder II,
is a milder form, this involves milder episodes of hypomania that alternate
with depression and the last type is cyclothymic disorder, which is basically
the same as bipolar II only there is mild disturbance in mood. A manic episode
causes someone to quit their job or say things that they don’t mean and a
depressive episode causes someone to want to stay in bed or not continue with
things that they love to do ad if not treated may result in suicide.
Like most health issues bipolar
disorder can reach someone as young as three, which some people reject, and as
old as fifty or so, but the median age of onset bipolar disorder is twenty five
years old. This illness affects all ages, races, ethnic groups and social
classes, in other words there isn’t any racial group that is more affiliated
with the illness as well.
When people that suffer from bipolar disorder they have two different episodes, manic and depressive, and they’re different. Some symptoms of a manic episode are racing speech and thought, increased energy, decreased need for sleep and increased physical and mental activity. Some symptoms of a depressive episode are loss of interest, loss of energy or fatigue, feelings of guilt or worthlessness and thoughts of death or suicide. Doctors treat this illness by many different ways. One way is by working closely with their patient, the better they know him or her better the patient can trust their doctor and the doctor can figure out what works best for this particular patient. Another way is by group sessions, sometimes talking and being around people who are going through the same thing often helps them. The doctor might also give lithium to its patient because lithium helps reduce severity of mania. Another common treatment is zyprexa which is a mood stabilizer. According to many sources it is said that in the United States 5.7 million American adults are affected by bipolar disorder or about 2.6 percent of the U.S.
There are many theories and different view points on bipolar disorder. Some say it is the illness of the “creative” because many famous people that were and are in the arts suffered or are dealing with it. Vincent Van Goph, Virginia Woolf, Britney Spears, Kurt Cobain, and rapper/actor “DMX”, Earl Simmons and Maurice Benard to name a few. Some say because people with mental disorders such as bipolar disorder go through many emotions they can express themselves artistically. Vincent Van Goph for example is one of the best artists of all time and he is said to have suffered from this illness. Goph was able to express himself and his feelings through his art. Unfortunately he took his own life.
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Bipolar disorder is a social issue that most people think is not a big deal because if the person wants to change their mood or to get better than they should do what makes them happy. What people fail to realize is that bipolar disorder and other mental health illnesses cannot be fixed on someone’s own; they need support from the family, trusted friends and most importantly their doctor.
http://helpguide.org/mental/bipolar_disorder_symptoms_treatment.htm
http://www.caregiver.com/channels/bipolar/articles/brief_history.htm
http://www.everydayhealth.com/bipolar-disorder/bipolar-disorder-and-gender-differences.aspx
http://www.mental-health-today.com/bp/famous_people.htm
http://www.livestrong.com/article/82673-bipolar-stereotypes/
http://www.caregiver.com/channels/bipolar/articles/brief_history.htm