Bipolar Disorder Case Study

“Bipolar disorder is a mental illness marked by extreme mood swings from high to low, and from low to high. Highs are periods of mania, while lows are periods of depression. The mood swings may even become mixed, so you might feel elated and depressed at the same time.”(Healthline p1) Bipolar is often misdiagnosed or is not diagnosed at all because of the constant shifting of behaviors. The manic and depressive stages can lasts from days to weeks to even months, which may lead to hospitalization. The common diagnosed age for bipolar is late teens and early adulthood. Some of the common symptoms that psychiatrists look for include feeling overly happy, fast talking, easily distracted, engaging in risky behavior, withdrawal from family and friends,

The common “symptoms” of the depressive phase include “ Prolonged sadness or unexplained crying spells, significant changes in appetite and sleep patterns, irritability, anger, worry, agitation, anxiety, loss of energy, persistent lethargy, feelings of guilt, worthlessness, indecisiveness, inability to take pleasure in former interests, social withdrawal, recurring thoughts of death or suicide”(DBSA p1) Elena exhibited most of these symptoms when she was in her depressive phases. She would very often get physical, throw objects, screams, argue, and eat most of the time. Once she started to overeat and start to eat her feelings away as a coping mechanism, she started getting more depressed and suicidal because her self esteem was so low since she was gaining weight and not in a healthy, helpful environment. About every 18 months Elena would have a depressive phase so bad that she would have to be hospitalized for months at a time because it got so bad and did not show any signs of improvement. This took a huge toll on the family and me as well, since I was so involved in their

I have learned that I need to be more patient with families and people like Elena because I do not know what they have been through, living with it everyday of their life. I have gotten a better understanding on what is going on with people like Elena and that they are still good people, but they just have phases they need to go through. I have also been very helpful with the family surrounding Elena to help them better understand what is going on and make Elena feel like she is in a safe environment. There are ways for people with bipolar to get medical treatment and to help them be in a better state of mind. “Bipolar treatment may include: medication, behavioral therapy, substance abuse treatment, electroconvulsive therapy,”(Healthline p2) I know Elena is on medication, but it has not helped recently, especially since she is starting to go through puberty, but her family has taken her to behavioral therapy and family counseling to help to get to the bottom of some of Elena’s and the family’s frustrations or