Symptoms And Treatment Of Bipolar Disorder - 1442 Words

The human body, especially the brain, is one of the most strange and complex organs known to man. With a unique structure and various neurological pathways, no human being ever has or ever will have quite the same mental processor, though it is possible for two people to become afflicted with the same mental illness. For example, manic depressive illness, or bipolar disorder, is a cognitive disease which affects â€Å"about 2.6% of the U.S. population† every year (DBSA). Along with the vast number of patients stricken with bipolar, are also a plethora of symptoms, with researchers and patients reporting, â€Å"unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and (an inability) to carry out day-to-day tasks† (NIMH). Along with the symptoms of†¦show more content†¦For example, a research study found in the Oxford Textbook of Psychopathology showed that out of a pair of identical twins, it was possible for just one twin to develop bipolar, despite them both havin g an identical genetic code, with the study finding that even in cases of twins, the chance of them both developing bipolar stood only at 60 %(qtd. in Twin Studies). This shows that although genetics are likely to contribute to whether or not a person will develop bipolar, it is by no means a guarantee such a thing will happen. Other factors that could possibly contribute to a person developing Bipolar include, the structure of the brain and an imbalance of neurotransmitters. According to the NIMH, the structure of a brain that is affected by bipolar disorder, is significantly different than a person without. When researchers took MRI scans of someone with the disease it showed that â€Å"the pattern(s) of brain development in children with bipolar disorder was similar to that in children with multi-dimensional impairment†, a disease with similar symptoms to bipolar. These