INFORMATIVE SPEECH ABOUT BIPOLAR DISORDER

Posted by santw001 on Apr 20, 2022 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

Bipolar Disorder

“Hi everyone, my name is Stephen Antwi sophomore student at ODU, today I want to inform you about bipolar disorder. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), bipolar disorder affects nearly forty-five people globally, and it is the sixth major cause of disability. Furthermore, the National Institute of Mental Health reports that in the United States, 2.8 percent of the entire population is affected by bipolar disorder. In this speech, I will first give an overview of bipolar disorder, its signs, symptoms, and risk factors, and the treatment and therapies of bipolar disorder. Lastly, I will look at the ways of preventing bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder was formerly known as manic depression or manic-depressive disease. It is a mental illness which causes unusual changes in mood, concentration, activity levels, energy, and capability to undertake daily tasks. These changes in energy and mood levels are more serious than the usual ups and downs people experience. Therefore, bipolar disorder may severely disrupt an individual`s life. However, the impact of this disorder varies from one person to another. There are three types of bipolar disorder – cyclothymic disorder, bipolar I disorder, and bipolar II disorder. On the one hand, bipolar is characterized by experiences of mania, which last at least one week. Bipolar II, on the other hand, refers to the pattern of hypomanic and depressive episodes. Hypomania is the mood elevation which increases agitation, energy, and distressed speech. The cyclothymic disorder is characterized by more frequent mood swings. A person can experience these mood swings for about two years.

Having looked at bipolar disorder, we now focus on its signs and symptoms. As per the National Institute of Mental Health, the major symptom of this disorder is alternating episodes of low and high mood. Other symptoms of bipolar disorder include changes in sleep patterns, energy levels, and the capability to concentrate. In addition, in some cases, people suffering from bipolar disorder experience psychosis characterized by paranoia, hallucinations, and delusions. The other symptoms of bipolar disorder are loss of feeling or interest, slowed behavior, fatigue, feelings of excessive guilt, a decreased capability to think, and thinking about suicide.

Now lets us focus on the risk factors of bipolar disorder. There are four main risk factors for bipolar disorder. Miklowitz (2019) posited that the first risk factor of bipolar disorder is having the first-degree relative like a sibling or parent with this disorder. If a person has a close family member with this disorder, there is a high likelihood of experiencing the disorder. Nevertheless, studies show that environmental factors may increase or decrease the risk of suffering from this disorder. The second risk factor for this disorder is high stress. This stress may result from a traumatic event or the loss of a loved one. Thus, individuals who experience high stress may experience bipolar disorder. The third risk factor of bipolar disorder is substance abuse. It is imperative to underscore that substance abuse does not cause bipolar disorder; however, it can make the mood episodes hasten or worsen. The fourth risk factor for bipolar disorder is gender. Although men and women may equally suffer from bipolar disorder, women have a higher likelihood of experiencing mood episodes.

Concerning the treatments and therapies, it is worth mentioning that proper treatment may help individuals with bipolar disorder to have active lives and lead healthy lives. Even people with severe types of bipolar disorder can be treated. Carvalho & Vieta (2017) opined that the effective treatment of the bipolar disorder is talk therapy. Smith (2020) defined talk therapy as a combination of psychotherapy and medication. Psychotherapy allows people to comprehend their thoughts and start to differentiate between the accurate thoughts and the ones caused by the disorder. The medication helps people with bipolar disorder experience more stable moods by controlling the dysregulation of moods.

Eventually, it is essential to pinpoint that there is no sure approach to preventing bipolar disorder. Nevertheless, receiving treatment at the earliest stages can prevent this mental condition. Individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder can prevent themselves from experience full-blown symptoms by avoiding alcohol and drugs and adhering to the medication regimen. The therapies may also include physical intervention and lifestyle remedies.

Today, we have looked at an overview of bipolar disorder, its signs and symptoms, risk factors, treatment, and ways to prevent it. Although the bipolar disorder has no cure, it can be managed through an appropriate combination of behavior therapy, bipolar medicines and mood stabilizers.”

References

Carvalho, A. F., & Vieta, E. (2017). The treatment of bipolar disorder: Integrative clinical strategies and future directions. Oxford University Press.

Miklowitz, D. J. (2019). The bipolar disorder survival guide: What you and your family need to know (3rd ed.). Guilford Publications.

National Institute of Mental Health. (2020). Bipolar Disorder. NIMH. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder

Smith, K. (2020). Talking therapy: Knowledge and power in American psychiatric nursing. Rutgers University Press.

World Health Organization. (2019, November 28). Mental disorders. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-disorders#:~:text=activities%20is%20important.-,Bipolar%20disorder,by%20periods%20of%20normal%20mood