Bipolar Disorder and It's Effects.

Essay by xunsp0k3nwordsxHigh School, 10th gradeA, February 2005

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Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a disease that affects over 2 million adults and late teens. It has many different symptoms and takes place over a long period of time. However it is treatable and a person who has Bipolar Disorder can lead a normal and productive life if they get the right treatment. There are two parts of this disorder, depressive and manic. Both have many different side effects that greatly affect a person's mood. Bipolar disorder is also known as a "manic-depressive illness" and can affect anyone; age, race, or gender does not make a difference, although it is more common in people in late teens to late twenties.

Bipolar disorder has two different parts to it, manic and depressive, and areas in between which are hypomania, which is a mild level of mania, and psychosis, which is the severe cases of mania or depression. It is caused by an unbalance in brain chemicals, but we do not know much about how this happens.

This disease is hereditary, stress or other serious event or illness may cause you to experience a depressive or manic episode but they cannot actually cause the disease. After the first episode happens it makes changes in the brains chemical balance, which makes it more likely for another episode to happen. After so many episodes you start to have them randomly and can't control it. At least two thirds of the people with Bipolar disorder have one close relative with it.

Some symptoms of the manic episodes are extra energy, activity, and restlessness, being in a overly good, ecstatic mood, extreme irritability, racing thoughts and fast talking, jumping from one idea to another, being easily distracted and difficulty concentrating, barely any sleep needed, unrealistic beliefs, bad judgment, increased sexual drive, denial that anything is...