Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a mental health disorder that affects many people every year,
rooted in genetics, although the exact how and why are not currently known. The
symptoms of this disease can range from one extreme of feelings to the complete
opposite. Scientists and doctors are not in complete agreement on how to treat this
disease. Some believe antidepressants alone are enough, while some believe more
common therapy to treat bipolar disorder is controversial due to the lack of evidence
levels, or every-day activity levels of a person. The person experiences manic episodes
sad but also extremely energized) (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.).
hypertension, diabetes, thyroid disease, and migraines. These illnesses can be related
most likely because of smoking, obesity, and anxiety disorders that are prevalent in those
C) Scientists believe that bipolar disorder is a multifactorial disease but the cause
approaches 1, which means that it is a trait largely determined by genes (Jorde et al.,
2016).
bipolar disorder. Voltage-gated calcium channel genes appear to be the best choice for
examination, an interview, lab tests- to rule out other things that may cause problems
with ones mood- and a mental health evaluation (National Institute of Mental Health,
n.d.).
H) This mental illness tends to be lifelong, with over 50% of patients having
recurring incidents while 16% recover, meaning not having an episode for 5 years.
Mortality associated with bipolar disorder comes from the patient committing suicide,
with 35% of patients attempting suicide and 8% succeeding (Saunders & Goodwin,
2010).
I) There is not just one type of bipolar disorder, there are many subcategories.
These are: bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, bipolar disorder not otherwise specified,
Health, n.d.).
It seems as though a lot of research has been done with bipolar disorder in its
relation to the use of antidepressants, but not a lot of concrete evidence has come from
that. Most studies done on antidepressant treatment have concluded that there is not
enough evidence to say one way or the other what should be done. The use of
with one drug, is seen in 5-10% of patients. Almost 50% of patients are treated with 3 or
more drugs and/or therapies (Saunders & Goodwin, 2010). When using antidepressants
alone, it is thought that it can have the effects of switching from depression to mania or
states in one year (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.). In 10-30% of patients, the
use of antidepressants did cause mania (University of Maryland Medical Center, n.d.). A
manic episode is the extremely happy mood, the opposite of a depressive state (National
With this statement, it can be controversial itself. A person with bipolar disorder
is predisposed to going from one extreme to the other, so how can one determine if this is
really the result of the medication or the disease itself? If a patient has had both
depressive and manic episodes then how is one to know the difference from them
medicine is not working, working the wrong way, or not working well enough. Most
studies report that there is not enough solid evidence to say whether antidepressants work
or do not work.
One study done, compared the use of mood stabilizers and antidepressants to just
mood stabilizers. The scientists determined that in both cases, the patients recovered
approximately the same. It is mentioned that more long term studies were needed. So in
this case, results were inconclusive because the amount of patients recovered was almost
the same whether antidepressants were used or not (Sachs et al., 2007). In another study,
The International Society for Bipolar Disorder made claims that due to limited data they
could not endorse antidepressant use but it did appear that patients could benefit from
those in combination with mood stabilizers (Pacchiarotti et al., 2013). A mood stabilizer
is a drug that is commonly used in mental illnesses because it decreases abnormal brain
activity (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.). The International Society for Bipolar
Disorder is a group that was created to promote awareness and education about bipolar
disorder to professionals in the health field. This group has representatives in almost 20
countries and is a major contributor to research and data (The International Society for
disease. With a disease as complicated as this, although extensive research has been done,
much is still unknown. Scientists have failed to agree whether antidepressants are a
beneficial treatment due to their possibility of causing manic episodes as well as their
The International Society for Bipolar Disorders. (n.d.). About ISBD. Retrieved from
http://www.isbd.org/about
Jorde, L. B.., Carey, J. C., & Bamshad M. J. (2016). Medical Genetics (5th ed.). Philadelphia,
PA: Elsevier.
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml
Pacchiarotti, I., Bond, D.J., Baldessarini, R. J., Nolen, W. A., Grunze, H., Licht, R. W., .... &
Vieta, E. (2013) The International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) task force report
10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.13020185.
Sachs, G.S., Nierenberg, A. A., Calabrese, J.R., Marangell, L.B.,Wisniewski, S. R., Gyulai, L.,
Bipolar Depression. The New England Journal of Medicine, 365, 1711-1722. Doi:
10.1056/NEJMoa064135
Saunders, K. E. A., & Goodwin G. M. (2010). The Course of Bipolar Disorder. Advances in
http://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/bipolar-disorder