Bipolar Disorder1 essays

Bipolar Disorder1 essays Bipolar disorder can best be compared to a mountain range. With high peaks of euphoria and deep valleys of depression, this disorder has periods of high, or manic stages, and periods of low, or depressed stages, with some periods of normal in between. For many people this disorder begins in the adolescent stage of life and continues throughout the persons adult life. Often people suffer needlessly for years or even decades without even recognizing that they have the disorder. As long as people are informed of the disorder this suffering can be avoided. Bipolar disorder can be recognized by many signs, has many treatment options, but awareness is the key to the treatment. One symptom of bipolar disorder is severe irritability and mood swings. The teen "snapping" at his or her parents, common in most households, can now be taken as a sign of depression. Of course, most teens that have bipolar disorder do not have parents to snap at. This is due to the trend of sorts that severe neglect is a major cause of this affliction. Early trauma can lead to a life of unhappy irritability and mood swings. A "bad attitude" can be an after effect of these early life traumas and abuses. An example of this is Lauren: at four years old she had been chained to a car door and while chained was attempting to care for her younger brother who was then two years old. Her mother, a cocaine abuser, had not tended to the children in several days. Various family members undertook the task of caring for her, but her forceful and unmanageable tendencies wore them down and they were forced to pass her on to another relative. Mood swings are also common among those sufferi ng from bipolar disorder. These are more drastic than those normal people experience. Normal teenagers have mood swings quite frequently; the causes can range from trouble with family, friends and boy or girl friends. These things can also cause mood swings of those ...