Your assignment is to prepare and submit a paper on bipolar disorder. This manic-depressive illness can, many times, prove to be a serious form of mental illness that is likely to spoil individuals’ relationships, weaken and destabilize career prospects, and have threatening effects on the academic or professional performance of the patient (Goodwin, Jamison, pp. 20-45). According to the American Psychological Association, due to such overwhelming emotional and mood shifts, the patient may also choose to end his life by committing suicide (Medical News Today, web).

An individual suffering from bipolar disorder counters rigorous mood (poles) fluctuations and variation which ranges from depression to mania. These moods are often normal during the phase of peaks and troughs. When the individual becomes depressed, there is a feeling of extreme sadness and hopeless leading to lost pleasure or interest in many of the activities. On the other hand, when there is a mood swing in the opposite direction, the individual seems to be full of energy and feels euphoric. In bipolar disorder, the shifts in mood take place merely a few times within the duration of a year. or the mood shifts may also occur as often as several times a day. Many times, individuals with bipolar disorder counter the symptoms of mania and depression simultaneously (Mayo Clinic, web).

However, the variations in moods experienced by normal individuals sometimes are not concerned with the bipolar disorder. they are extremely debilitating, severe, and incapacitating. However, the disorder can be treated provided the patient receives the right medication and proper care in order to perform well academically and at work to lead a productive and complete life. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (MANI), there are more than 10 million people in the United States living with bipolar disorder. MANI also adds that, of all cases, a half start with the patients aged between 15 and 25 years old, affecting females and males equally (MNT, web).