Victoria Faria, Gianna Hackimer, Melissa Fletcher, and Yelda Sisman

About the disorder  Also called depressive disorder  Associated with large ranges of mood swings  When you feel depressed you feel sad and hopeless  When your mood shifts you feel full of energy  Mood shifts occur a couple times a year or several times a day(depending on the person)  Can be taken care of with treatment plans, medications, and psychological counseling

Signs & Symptoms  Overly long periods of happiness & sadness/hopelessness.  Being unusually distracted  Changes in eating and sleeping patterns  Irritability  Poor performance at work or school  Suicidal thoughts or behavior  Aggression  Risky behavior  Loss of appetite  Anxiety  Guilt

Causes  Biological Differences- Physical changes in brain.  Neurotransmitters- An imbalance in naturally occurring brain chemicals.  Hormones- Imbalanced hormones  Inherited Traits- Passed down through generations of blood relatives.  Environment- Stress, abuse, and traumatic experiences may trigger this disorder.

Treatment/Medications  There is no cure for this but proper treatment helps many people to better control their mood swings and related symptoms. Medication  Mood stabilizer- Trileptal, Depakote, & Lamictal  Atypical antipsychotics- Olanzapine helps people with sever psychotic bipolar depression. Aripiprazole taken as a pill. These are used to treat the symptoms. Treatment  Behavioral Therapy- Focuses on different behaviors and helps decrease stress.  Cognitive Therapy- Helps you approach your true identity and helps you keep track of your mood swings.  Interpersonal Therapy- Involves Relationships with people.  Social Rhythm Therapy- Helps you develop and maintain daily routines.  Social Groups

Helping People With Bipolar Disorder  Learn: Get informed about the disorder.  Listen: Be patient and observing of the things they say.  Keep track of their symptoms in order to know when they are in need of help.  Take care of yourself as well as them.

Sources    disorder/index.shtml disorder/index.shtml  gAo4 gAo4