Bipolar Disorder and the Creative Genius Essay -- Biology Essays Resea

Bipolar Disorder and the Creative Genius Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a psychopathology that affects approximately 1% of the population. (1) Unlike unipolar disorder, also known as major affective disorder or depression, bipolar disorder is characterized by vacillating between periods of elation (either mania or hypomania) and depression. (1, 2) Bipolar disorder is also not an illness that remedies itself over time; people affected with manic depression are manic-depressives for their entire lives. (2, 3) For this reason, researchers have been struggling to, first, more quickly diagnose the onset of bipolar disorder in a patient and, second, to more effectively treat it. (4) As more and more studies have been performed on this disease, the peculiar occurrence between extreme creativity and manic depression have been uncovered, leaving scientists to deal with yet another puzzling aspect of the psychopathology. (5) Patients with bipolar disorder swing between major depressive, mixed, hypomanic, and manic episodes. (1-9) A major depressive episode is when the patient has either a depressed mood or a loss of interest/pleasure in normal activities for a minimum of two weeks. Specifically, the patient should have (mostly): depressed mood for most of the day, nearly every day; diminished interest or pleasure in activities; weight loss or gain (a difference of 5% either way in the period of a month); insomnia or hypersomnia; psychomotor agitation or retardation; fatigue or loss of energy; diminished ability to think or concentrate; feelings of worthlessness; recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal ideation or attempt. It is important to note that, except for the last symptom, all of these symptoms must be ... ... of such caliber in these people is something to conserve. As more effective drug treatment is being sought after, hopefully there will be medication that will permit the creative genius of the patients and allow them to function in society as well. Bibliography 1. http://www.healthguide.com/Bipolar/BASICS.htm 2. Rescorla, Leslie. Psychology 209, Abnormal Psychology. Bryn Mawr College, Apr 1998. 3. http://www.Scruznet.com/`Crawford/Madness/ 4. http://www.medscape.com/Medscape/M5/mh3183.bowden/mh3183.bowden.html 5. http://www.schizophrenia.com/ami/Cnsmer/creative.html 6. http://www.medscape.com/Medscape/M7/mh3206.bowden/mh3206.bowden.html 7. http://www.cmhc.com/disorders/sx20.htm 8. http://www.usask.ca/psychiatry/bipolar2.html 9. http://www.mhsource.com/edu/psytimes/p960533.html 10. http://www.pendulum.org/misc/famous.htm Bipolar Disorder and the Creative Genius Essay -- Biology Essays Resea Bipolar Disorder and the Creative Genius Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a psychopathology that affects approximately 1% of the population. (1) Unlike unipolar disorder, also known as major affective disorder or depression, bipolar disorder is characterized by vacillating between periods of elation (either mania or hypomania) and depression. (1, 2) Bipolar disorder is also not an illness that remedies itself over time; people affected with manic depression are manic-depressives for their entire lives. (2, 3) For this reason, researchers have been struggling to, first, more quickly diagnose the onset of bipolar disorder in a patient and, second, to more effectively treat it. (4) As more and more studies have been performed on this disease, the peculiar occurrence between extreme creativity and manic depression have been uncovered, leaving scientists to deal with yet another puzzling aspect of the psychopathology. (5) Patients with bipolar disorder swing between major depressive, mixed, hypomanic, and manic episodes. (1-9) A major depressive episode is when the patient has either a depressed mood or a loss of interest/pleasure in normal activities for a minimum of two weeks. Specifically, the patient should have (mostly): depressed mood for most of the day, nearly every day; diminished interest or pleasure in activities; weight loss or gain (a difference of 5% either way in the period of a month); insomnia or hypersomnia; psychomotor agitation or retardation; fatigue or loss of energy; diminished ability to think or concentrate; feelings of worthlessness; recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal ideation or attempt. It is important to note that, except for the last symptom, all of these symptoms must be ... ... of such caliber in these people is something to conserve. As more effective drug treatment is being sought after, hopefully there will be medication that will permit the creative genius of the patients and allow them to function in society as well. Bibliography 1. http://www.healthguide.com/Bipolar/BASICS.htm 2. Rescorla, Leslie. Psychology 209, Abnormal Psychology. Bryn Mawr College, Apr 1998. 3. http://www.Scruznet.com/`Crawford/Madness/ 4. http://www.medscape.com/Medscape/M5/mh3183.bowden/mh3183.bowden.html 5. http://www.schizophrenia.com/ami/Cnsmer/creative.html 6. http://www.medscape.com/Medscape/M7/mh3206.bowden/mh3206.bowden.html 7. http://www.cmhc.com/disorders/sx20.htm 8. http://www.usask.ca/psychiatry/bipolar2.html 9. http://www.mhsource.com/edu/psytimes/p960533.html 10. http://www.pendulum.org/misc/famous.htm