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While working with individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder I've learned that more should and could be done to assist those diagnosed with any mental illness. Many don't fully understand bipolar disorder, the symptoms associated with the disorder, or what it takes financially to assist with the care of those diagnosed. I myself was one that didn't completely understand. I was very well aware that budget cuts were coming, but I had never experienced it in such magnitude. Complete and proper diagnoses of mental illnesses, symptoms associated with them, and providing adequate treatment needs to be a main objective compared to focusing on new drugs that most can't afford. The current wave of budget cuts has left many without treatment leaving those depending on state care unstable and homeless.
Mental Illness has always been looked upon as something that is associated with being week, lacking control over one self. Mental illness is a condition that alters a person's thought, emotions, ability to communicate and function daily. For years families have placed their loved ones in facilities who primary focus was those who were diagnosed with severe mental illnesses. Major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, and borderline personality disorder are all different types of treatable, severe mental illnesses. Hence the difficulty in providing adequate and affordable treatment that's specifically tailored for illnesses based on their symptoms and characteristics. Such medical conditions often result in a lessened capacity for coping with the mundane demands of life.
Manic depression is currently known as bipolar disorder an illness that causes severe high and low mood changes within a person. These mood changes can happen over a period of time, not following a set pattern (Fawcett, Golden and Rosenfield 27). To further understand bipolar lets breakdown the coupling words "manic depression". The term "manic depression" origins came from Greece describing symptoms of mental illness. Through the work of a French psychiatrist named Jean-Pierre Falret, the term manic-depressive psychosis had become the label of this psychiatric disorder. In 1902 a German psychiatrist named Emil Kraepelin used the term manic-depression to describe mental illnesses centered in emotional or affective problems. German psychiatrist Karl Leonhard introduced the term bipolar to distinguish unipolar depression from bipolar depression. Manic describes the time in which the person experiences an
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overwhelming amount of change with their mood ranging from being overly excited to quickly transforming into anger, rage, confusion, etc. Symptoms of mania, the highs, include excessive happiness, hopefulness and excitement, restlessness, rapid speech and poor concentration, just to name a few (Fawcett, Golden, and Rosenfield 31). Depressive describes when the person feels very sad, gloomy, dejected or downcast. In the depressive period, the lows, symptoms include loss of energy, feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, difficulty with concentration and decision making not to mention thoughts of death or suicide (Fawcett, Golden, and Rosenfield 32). In 1980 the term manic depression was changed to bipolar disorder.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in four adults is estimated to have experienced one form of mental health in a given year which occurs equally in men and women (NAMI.org 2012). Marc Salzer, an associate professor of psychology at the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine stated, "between 15 and 25 percent of severely mentally ill people are unemployed and less educated, and those who attend college have an 85 percent chance of withdrawing before graduation (Clemmit, "Treating Depression"). There are studies that suggest that early onset bipolar disorder occurs more frequently in males. If one parent has the disorder there is a 7.8 percent chance that the child developing the disorder while 11.2 percent has a chance of developing unipolar major depression (Fawcett, Golden, and Rosenfield 41). Diagnosis is based on an assessment of emotional, cognitive, behavioral functioning. Researchers identified a gene that may be linked to this disorder. Most individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder are in the depressed phase rather than the manic phase and such phases differ in severity from person to person. While a definite cause to the disorder is arduous to ascertain, diagnosing the disorder possesses its own inconvenience due to symptoms having similarities with other disorders (Fawcett, Golden, and Rosenfield 244).
Thomas Joiner, a professor of psychology at Florida State University, and author of Why People Die by Suicide said, "all severe mental disorders increase suicide risk". Nevertheless, "by themselves the illnesses are not very explanatory" of what happens in suicide, since millions of Americans have these disorders but don't die by their own hands (Clemmit, "Treating Depression"). Without proper and continuous treatment persons suffering from this disorder
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have a higher chance of becoming more disoriented and tend to resort to crime to defend for themselves financially.
Works Cited
Clemmit, Marcia. "Treating Depression: Is effective treatment available?" CQ Researcher 19.24 (2009): n. pag. Web. 28 May 2012.
Clark, Charles S. "Mental Illness: Should the mentally ill get more healthcare benefits?" CQ Researcher 3.29 (1993): n. pag. Web. 28 May 2012.
Fawcett, Jan M.D. Bernard Golden, Ph.D. and Nancy Rosenfeld. "New Hope for people with Bipolar Disorder" Three Rivers Press:New York(2007): 41-47; 244-253. Print 15 June 2012.
Miklowitz, David J. PhD, "The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide" The Guildford Press (2011): 13-35; 73-91. Print. 15 June 2012.
Tanner, Jane. "Mental Illness Medication Debate: should more patients have access to new drugs?" CQ Researcher 14.5 (2004): n. pag. Web. 29 May 2012.
Roush, Karen MS RN, FNPC. "Examining Our Bias About Mental Illness," American Journal of Nursing 112.2 (2012): 7. Web. 5 June 2012.
Walker, Isabelle T. "Mentally Ill and Uninsured in America" American Journal of Nursing110.3 (2010): 27-28. Web. 5 June 2012
While working with individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I've learned...
Complete and proper diagnoses of mental illnesses, symptoms associated with them, and providing adequate treatment needs to be a main objective compared to focusing on new drugs that most can't afford.
Mental Illness has always been looked upon as something that is associated with being week, lacking control over ones self.
Mental illness is a condition that alters a person's thoughts , emotions, ability to communicate and function daily.
For years, families have placed their loved ones in facilities whose primary focus was those who were diagnosed with severe mental illnesses.
Manic depression is currently known as bipolar disorder, an illness that causes severe high and low mood changes within a person.
...symptoms include loss of energy, feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, difficulty with concentration and decision making, not to mention thoughts of death or suicide (Fawcett, Golden, and Rosenfield 32).
Researchers have identified a gene that may be linked to this disorder.
:)
