Bipolar Dissorder

According to Williams and Wilkins, (1999) bipolar disorder, also referred to as manic depression, is a mood disorder. A person with bipolar disorder will have extreme mood shifts between mania, a state of highly elevated euphoric feelings, and depression, a state of despondency and despair. These shifts can take weeks, days, or even minutes to happen. The period between shifts will vary for each individual, depending on the severity of the disorder. Affective disorders are characterized by a smorgasbord of symptoms that can be broken into manic and depressive episodes. The depressive episodes are characterized by intense feelings of sadness and despair that can become feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Some of the symptoms of a depressive episode include anhedonia, disturbances in sleep and appetite, psychomotor retardation, loss o

Insight therapies involve getting patients to discuss problems they are having and emotions they are feeling, which are thought to be the cause of their psychological dilemmas (Rubin, Peplau & Salovey, 1993, p.494). One such insight therapy is psychoanalytic therapy, developed by Sigmund Freud, which helps patients discover their unconscious motives and develop insights about how to adjust to them. (Psychotherapy, 1990).

Bipolar affective disorder affects approximately one percent of every population. Approximately two percent of adults have this mental illness, and about fifteen percent of those adults will attempt suicide. Bipolar disorder affects both men and women and the affected rates are similar between different cultures and countries. Most people with bipolar disorder experience their first mood episode in their twenties, although it is not uncommon to experience the first episode during childhood or in late life (Bi-polar Disorder: Innovative Research in Health, 2000). As the National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association (MDMDA) has demonstrated, bipolar disorder can create substantial developmental delays, marital and family disruptions, occupational setbacks, and financial disasters. This devastating disease causes disruptions of families, loss of jobs and millions of dollars in cost to society. Many times bipolar patients report that the depressions are longer and increase in frequency as the individual ages.

Another method of treatment is through self-help. This is when the patient endeavors in groups or research, outside of a doctors care, which help the patient maintain or even improve his/her mental condition. There are many support groups worldwide for people suffering from bipolar disorder, as well as an almost infinite number of resources available through local libraries or over the Internet. Self-help treatments are becoming more widely available because of the convenience of nearby support groups, updated libraries and personal computers (Bipolar Treatment, 2000).

f energy, feelings of worthlessness, guilt, difficulty thinking, indecision, and recurrent thoughts of death and suicide (Hollandsworth, Jr. 1990). The manic episodes are characterized by elevated or irritable mood, increased energy, decreased need for sleep, poor judgment and insight, and often reckless or irresponsible behavior (Hollandsworth, Jr. 1990). Mania is the manic phase that is characterized by a euphoric or irritable mood that lasts at least one week. A manic episode is represented by change from a normal person to one that often interferes with work and personal relationships. Usually, Mania is the first episode in males. People experiencing a manic episode require hospitalization to return to a normal level of functioning. (Davison & Neale 2001) There are three stages to mania. The first stage of mania begins with hypomania, in which patients report that they are energetic, extroverted and assertive (Hirschfeld, 1995). The hypomania state has led observers to feel that bipolar patients are "addicted" to their mania. Hypomania progresses into mania and the transition is marked by loss of judgment (Hirschfeld, 1995). Often, euphoric grandiose characteristics are displayed, and paranoid or irritable characteristics begin to manifest. The third stage of mania is evident when the patient experiences delusions with

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