BIPOLAR DISORDER Alex Dittmar

Social Media, Health & Leadership Internship

Bipolar Disorder • Bipolar Disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness,

is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks (NIMH)

•  It effects 2.6% of the American population (NIMH)

Bipolar Disorder (cont.) •  Three types of “episodes”:

•  Mania •  Overly happy and outgoing •  Feel extremely efficient (taking on more work)

•  Depression •  Overly sad period •  Suicidal thoughts

•  Mixed •  Energized, but hopeless •  Agitated, trouble sleeping, suicidal thoughts, etc.

Bipolar Disorder Statistics •  1% of teens 14-18 years of age are diagnosed with

bipolar disorder (NIMH)

• Up to one-third of the 3.4 million children and adolescents with depression in the United States may actually be experiencing the early onset of Bipolar Disorder (narsad.org)

• At least half of all Bipolar cases start before age 25 (NIMH)

Bipolar Disorder Science

•  The prefrontal cortex in adults with Bipolar Disorder (BPD) is smaller and does not function as well compared to adults without BPD

•  Part of the brain used for problem solving and decision making

•  The prefrontal cortex matures during the adolescent years

•  May explain why the disease may develop most often in teens

•  Can help to pinpoint the cause or help form a diagnoses

Gender Differences in Bipolar Disorder

• Although bipolar disorder is equally common in women and men, research may indicate that approximately three times as many women as men experience rapid cycling.

(Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 58, 1995 [Suppl.15]

Messages from Interviews with Bipolar Patients • Bipolar patients were interviewed to gain perspective on

living with Bipolar Disorder. Examples of their comments are listed below

•  You can still live life with the disorder

•  Medication is not magic. Partnering with a therapist is the best way to control symptoms

•  The stigma is what causes the most problems. Some parents of teens refuse to acknowledge the diagnoses

Bibliography •  "The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America." NIMH RSS.

National Institute of Mental Health, n.d. Web. 10 July 2013 •  "Bipolar Disorder." NIMH RSS. National Institute of Mental Health,

n.d. Web. 10 July 2013. •  National Institute of Mental Health. "Research on Bipolar Disorder."

Psych Central. N.p., 25 Oct. 2004. Web. 15 July 2013. •  "Hotline Information." Bipolar Disorder Statistics. DBSA, n.d. Web. 10

July 2013. •  Chatterton, Mary Lou, Xiongkan Ke, Barbara Edelman Lewis, Krithika

Rajagopalan, and Arthur Lazarus. "Impact of Bipolar Disorder on the Family." Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. National Center for Biotechnology Information, Jan. 2008. Web. 10 July 2013.

•  "Bipolar Disorder Epidemiology; Reports summarize bipolar disorder epidemiology study results from University of Michigan." Mental Health Weekly Digest. 01 Feb. 2010: 67. eLibrary. Web. 17 Jul. 2013.