Research studies report that a greater percentage of the US population suffers from different mental illnesses. One out of four Americans suffer from one mental illness or another related disease. On the same note, studies report that one in ten Americans develop a mental disorder on a yearly basis (Medleter & Associates, 2016). Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that affects both the young and older people. It has different effects on the lives of the people diagnosed with it. In fact, many professionals categorize bipolar disorders as a mood disorder. Therefore, this paper is a research study on bipolar disorder and its effects on the lives of people diagnosed with the condition. The paper also looks at the alterations that bipolar disorder has on a person’s brain.
A research study by Neves-Pereira et al. (2002) defines bipolar disorder as a severe psychiatric disease that has a strong genetic component in the people diagnosed with the condition. The study further states that bipolar disorder affects 1% of the worldwide population. Similarly, the authors report that the disease is characterized by recurrent episodes of depression and mania ( Neves-Pereira et al. (2002). Bipolar disorder is a condition that makes people exhibit different depressive illnesses such as anxiety and change in emotions. On the other hand, the condition is characterized by episodic occurrences of depression and emotional issues. The study also states that bipolar disorder is also referred to as mood or affective disorder because it interferes with the mood of the people diagnosed with the condition. The study by Neves-Pereira et al. (2002) further states that the disorder was formerly referred to as manic-depressive disorder and that people with the condition show interchanging depressive and manic activities. The study further reports that mania, which is sometimes seen as the opposite of depression, presents the characteristics of an elevated or elated mood and increased activities. Similarly, the condition is marked by an overblown self-image and exaggerated self-confidence. In many cases, the bipolar disorder is episodic in nature, meaning that it presents bouts of illness that are separated by durations of no symptoms and general feelings of relative well-being.
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Similarly, a research study by Pavuli and May (2014) states that the main causes of bipolar diseases are not well known. However, a combination of psychological conditions, genetic predispositions, and medications seem to play a vital role in causing the disease. Scientists consider the bipolar disorder as a family affair and seem to agree with the existence of genetic compositions passed form the parents to their children. For example, the study reports that if one identical twin is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, there is a 50% chance that the other identical twin will also have the condition because they share similar genetic compositions (Pavuli and May, 2014).
Medletter and Associates (2016) in their study of adopted children found out that the adopted children whose parents had a history of bipolar disorder were three times more likely to have the condition compared to adopted children whose parents did not have the disease. On the same note, the authors found out that non-adopted children whose parents had bipolar disorder also had higher chances of acquiring the condition from their parents because the parents usually pass some genes down to their children. The authors also state that genetic composition of people with bipolar disorder is important since it also influences how the people will respond to different types of medication.
A research study by Neves-Pereira et al. (2002) has shown that bipolar disorder has a different effect on the brain since varied conditions of the brain lead to the existence of the disease. Specifically, the authors report that Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has a major implication in the pathogenesis of mood disorders, which includes the bipolar disease. The authors conducted a study, which aimed at testing for the presence of linkage disequilibrium between two polymorphisms in the BDNF gene and bipolar disorder. The researchers used a Family-based association test (FBAT) to study the dinucleotide repeat (GT) , and polymorphism at position −1040 bp ( Neves-Pereira et al., 2002) . They found out that the allele A3 was preferentially transmitted to the affected people in the study. Similarly, their FBAT results presented a positive correlation for allele G. In most of the selected participants, they found out that the 3-G allele combination was also responsible for causing the existence of bipolar diseases in people studied. From the study, the authors concluded that the existence of manic and depressive disorders associated with bipolar disease leads to different chemical changes in the brain ( Neves-Pereira et al., 2002) . The chemical alterations occur because of chemical activities triggered by the emotional, anxious, and depressive conditions sent to the brains of the people with bipolar disorder ( Neves-Pereira et al., 2002) .
The study by Neves-Pereira further reported that a DNA variant found near the BDNF locus increased the susceptibility of the individuals to the bipolar disease. On the same note, bipolar disease also leads to chemical imbalances in the brain due to the interference of the genes and alleles found in the region suspected to be related to the disease. A study by Mitterauer (2004) suggests that the glia and the astrocytes are intimately involved in the active control of the synaptic transmission and neural activities of the human brain. The study reports that any imbalance or overbalance of this chemical in the brain makes a person susceptible to suffer from bipolar disorder.
Consequently, Mitterauer (2004) also reveals that any fluctuations or increase in these chemicals in the brain also causes bipolar diseases. Similarly, the authors also state that specialized chemicals known as neurotransmitters found in the brain function in carrying messages across the small gap (synapse) between neurons ( Mitterauer, 2004) . However, if the inadequate amounts of the neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine are available to stimulate the receiving neurons, then, the neurons will fail to transmit enough signals to the brain, hence, leading to the existence of bipolar disease ( Mitterauer, 2004) .
Bipolar disease is a psychiatric condition that that leads to manic action and depression in people suffering from it. Studies report that even though the main cause of this issue is not well established, genetic composition, psychological issues, and medications are the probable leading causes (Pavuli and May, 2014). Similarly, many research professionals have also stated that the condition was formerly referred to as manic-depressive disorder and its symptoms include overblown self-image and exaggerated self-confidence ( Neves-Pereira et al., 2002) . On the same note, studies also report that those with bipolar disorder also exhibit depression and anxiety among other emotional issues. Therefore, bipolar disorder also affects a person’s behavior. Genetic composition is the major cause of bipolar disorder especially in children born with parents who have the condition. Similarly, studies reveal that identical twins are likely to suffer from bipolar disorder if they were born to parents with the diseases since parents give their genes to the children ( Mitterauer, 2004) . On the same note, the studies have proved that bipolar disorder causes chemical imbalances or overbalance in the brain; hence, worsening the conditions. Some of the chemicals in the brain responsible for bipolar diseases include neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine.
References
MedletterandAssociates. (2016). Causes of mood disorder. Journal of Psychiatry. Vol 2 Issue No 4 , 1-5.
Mitterauer, B. (2004). Imbalance of Glial-Neuronal Interaction in Synapses: A Possible Mechanism of the Pathophysiology of Bipolar Disorder. Journal of Clinical Neurology. Vol. 10 Issue No. 3 , 199-206.
Neves-Pereira, M., Mundo, E., Muglia, P., King, N., Macciardi, F., & Kennedy, J. (2002). The Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Gene Confers Susceptibility to Bipolar Disorder: Evidence from a Family-Based Association Study. American Journal of Human Genetics. Vol. 71 Issue 3, 651-655.
Pavulli, M., & May, A. (2014). Differential Treatment of Pediatric Bipolar Disorder and Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder. Psychiatric Annals. Vol. 44 Issue No 10, 471-480.
