Bipolar Disorder 

Bipolar Disorder is a disorder that causes extreme anger, depression, and energetic levels that include mood swings.(Merrill 2010, 1) It effects both men and women very equally. Bipolar Disorder has three different versions as which it is diagnosed.(Merrill 2010, 2) Type 1 involves the patient have one bad anger episode and smaller episodes of depression. Type 2 involves the person n ot having a full potential episode of anger and also having episodes of increased energy switching off with depression states. The third type is called Cyclothymia involves the least severe moods but can accidentally diagnosed as lone depression.(Merrill 2010, 3) When someone is in their anger state some symptoms can tag along with it such as irritability, cockiness, little sleep requirement, more energy, less celf control, bad temper control, over activity, bad decicsion making, and the inability to focus very well.(Merrill 2010, 4) The depressed state of the didorder also comes with some symptoms like little focus, bad mood, weight loss and gain, being tired, no confidence, passiveness, isolation from family, friends, activities and suicidal thoughts.(Merrill 2010, 5) It is treated by both drugs like Lithium, and by getting people involved like trying to normalize the people during their episodes as much as possible.(Merrill 2010, 6) 

Innovations:

Bipolar disorder, just like any other disease, has some risk factors and susceptibilities. There have been new studies in the department of bipolar dosorder which reveals genetic variation in the genes of people and most of the people are bipolar. To prove these experimental statistics, there is a further study thats testing tens of thousands of bipolar people.(Jacobsen 2011, 7) The gene being studied is also in mice is, "involved in neuronal adhesion and migration, is strongly expressed in brain areas associated with cognition and the regulation of emotions." The gene in mice seems to be responsible of the ability to learn and memorization. (Jacobsen 2011, 8)The results of the study are proving this gene is a bipolar disorder variation gene as said by one of the doctors. He also states that deeper research is needed to prove what the gene actually does and how it affects the neurons in the brain.(Jacobsen 2011, 9)

Even if this new susceptibility gives someone bipolar disorder, they must be diagnosed correctly which some are diagnosed with depression. About 33% of patients that are diagnosed with depression could have bipolar diorder. (Laino 2010, 10) The study says that there are about five characteristics in a person that could distinct between bipolar disorder and depression, including mood swings and other psychological symptoms when they are young. (Laino 2010, 11) A variety of diseases and disorders can also be similiar to bipolar because they too cause the person to be depressed and angry or to be hyper and excited. (Laino 2010, 12) Experienced psychiatrists can even cross difficulty determining the patients diagnosis. Some studies were done to show that about 40% of patients have recieved a different treatment for the wrong diagnosis. The bipolar patients were diagnosed with depression so they recieved antidepressants when they should be recieving drugs that "Mood-Stabilize." (Laino 2010, 13) The doctors came up with some new format on which they go by to determine if someone has bipolar disorder. If they do not match these requirments then they have depression. (Laino 2010, 14) After the results were found, about one-third of people with depression actually have untreated and therefore misdiagnosed bipolar. (Laino 2010, 15) These requirments that have to be met are, "Family history of mania, Having at least two mood episodes in the past, Occurrence of first psychiatric symptoms before the age of 30, A switch to extreme mood swings, Mixed states in which symptoms of mania and depression occur together." (Laino 2010, 16)

If someone is correctly diagnosed with bipolar disorder, their chances to getting another disease increase. For example, people with bipolar have a 200-400% more chance of getting a range of skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema. (Laino 2010, 17) Even Jared A. Fisher says, "They're also 2.6 times more likely to have hypothyroidism, 2.3 times more likely to have hay fever, 90% more likely to suffer from migraine headaches, 60% more likely to have viral hepatitis, 60% more likely to be obese, 40% more likely to have asthma, and 40% more likely to have epilepsy than other people." (Laino 2010, 18) The same doctor also said the medications' side effects can cause the disease. Some examples are that psoriasis is caused by lithium and hypothyroidism is related to mood stabilizers. He also states that some of the diseases can also be caused by the same thing that causes bipolar disorder. His evidence is that if someone is bipolar, obese, and hypertensive that they could get increased levels of norepinephrine. (Laino 2010, 19) "But with others, we just have no idea as to why rates are higher in people with bipolar disorder.

We're just trying to find the most common disorders in people with bipolar disease and set the stage for future research," Fisher says. (Laino 2010, 20) There is also statistics saying that 40-56% of people that are bipolar also have another disease. (Laino 2010, 21) Researchers conducted another study comparing bipolar patients to the general poulation anout high blood pressure. (Laino 2010, 22) About 50% of the bipolar population does have high blood pressure where only about a third of the general population has high blood pressure. They also discovered that people with bipolar disorder also have a higher chance of having hypertension. (Laino 2010, 23) So the doctors put two and two together and wondered if treating the factors like hypertension could effect the outcome of the bipolar patient. 

Once the doctors know what they are dealing with and know what they are treating, then they have to decide how they are going to treat this. Bipolar disorder is best treated when it doesnt have any pauses or breaks between the doses of whatever the treatment is. Even if there isnt any break but something unplanned happens, then the doctor should be notified. (Schoenstadt 2008, 25) There have been  these studies going on anout some sort of "talk therapy" that improve just the overall health of the communication of the patients with their families. These "interventions" are meant to be with psychiatrists or therapists. They improve their mood to where its stable, keep them out of the hospital, and improve how their brain and other parts of the body functionality. (Schoenstadt 2008, 26)

 But if treatment medically is needed then they know what to do. At The University of Utah, some researchers are testing some naturally made substances to relieve the symptoms of depression and bipolar disorder and they are getting some good results. Creatine, "an amino acid that promotes energy transfer in brain and muscle cells," is the first of the two substances being used. The second substance being researched is uridine, which apparently made in the liver. Uridine is used for brain development and therefore is found in breast milk. (Purse 2010, 27) One of the doctors, Dr. Perry Renshaw, explains how these will work he states, "If you think of the times when you've been sad or not feeling well, your brain doesn't feel like it has a lot of energy, There's a tremendous focus on creatine as an athletic supplement, but it turns out it's not only skeletal muscle that uses creatine to create energy, but also the brain." He did some tests to prove the theory and it reveals that the creatine levels in people without bipolar disorder are higher than people with the disorder. (Purse 2010, 28)

He also states that with the creatine being a supplement, they are cuting down the symptoms of depression in half. With this kind progress, some patients are being treated with creatine alone and the results are phenomenal. They tried to see if the other substances could reduce the anger symptoms but havent found any results. (Purse 2010, 29) Clinical trials are in plan and with what they know, the predicted side effects of uridine and creatine are predicted to be better than the medications. (Purse 2010, 30) Other places such as Mount Sinai have doctors like Dr. Iosifescu are studying ketamine.

Ketamine is normally an anesthetic but some studies like at Mount Sinai reveal that it works better and more reliably than some other antidepressants. After a few days it show some improvement that is very substantial. With the success of the Ketamine, a whole new window of drugs for treatment has been opened. (Charles 2011, 31) This Ketamine research seems to be viral because it is being researched by the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda. They discovered that after only 40 minutes of injection, the ketamine improves the symptoms of depression. The improvements are apparently long term and fast because they not only work in 40 minutes but stay there after two days. (Woznicki 2010, #32) This is breakthrough because there is a so called "lag," between their medical injection and when they start seeing relief from their symptoms. (Woznicki 2010 #33) They are attempting Ketamine as a drug because they think it someohow affects the bodys' glutamatergic system which could be related to the cause of bipolar. To test the glutamergic system, a group of 18-65 year old patients with bipolar disorder were given common treatments of Lithium and Valproate because they havent seen improvements in the other treatments. (Woznicki 2010, #34) These patients were not allowed to do any other treatments or take any other medications besides the two being researched. The results were very positive because the past trials have showed a lot of failure and this was different. (Woznicki 2010, #35)

Even though there is all this treatment and clinical studies of treatment, people do not get the chance to get better because they are misdiagnosed. Acording to a new study about 2.4% of the population is bipolar and is untreated. This is said to be more common is poorer countries. (Warner 2011, #36) This study was actually a survey with a about 63000 participants and between 11 counrties that had good economies, middle economies, and bad economies.(Warner 2011, #37) This is the recorded as the first worldwide study of bipolar disorder. (Warner 2011, #38) 

Conclusion:

Bipolar Disorder is a disorder that cause very dramatic effects to a persons mood and can cause them to lose control. It can be very bad a ruin a persons life. If it is treated right with the right medication, therapy, or whatever procedure, it can be controlled. If its not taken then some consequences can be very bad and could leave the risks there as if they never took any medication. Suicide is a very high and big risk that comes along with bipolar disorder and its symptoms. Some of its symptoms are suicidal thoughts, irritability, little sleep, hyperness, more energy, bad temper, bad behavior, lower self control, eating more, eating less, weight gain, weight loss, lower self esteem, lower self confidence, and isolation from family, friends, and activities that they like. The people with the disorder will either need help physically or will have to get treatments through therapy or taking dosages of medication like Lithium, Lamotrigine, Carbamazepine. If they decide not to take these medications, then they would have to go to therapy like counseling. The goals of the counseling is to engage people with the bipolar patient so they can function properly or at least better with other people and their self control.

Charles, Katie. "Major Depression and Bipolar Disorder; New Treatments Are on the Horizon for Serious Depression - New York Daily News." Featured Articles From The New York Daily News. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. <http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-03-10/entertainment/28689338_1_bipolar-disorder-depressive-episodes-major-depression>.

Jacobsen, Emily. "Bipolar Disorder Risk Heightened By Genetic Variant | ThirdAge." Baby Boomer Health, Aging & Retirement | Midlife Caregiving & Relationships | ThirdAge.com. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. <http://www.thirdage.com/news/bipolar-disorder-risk-heightened-genetic-variant_3-5-2011>.

Laino, Charlene. "Bipolar Disorder Misdiagnosed as Depression." WebMD - Better Information. Better Health. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. <http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/news/20100601/bipolar-disorder-misdiagnosed-as-depression>.

Laino, Charlene. "Many Bipolar Patients Face Other Conditions, Too." WebMD - Better Information. Better Health. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. <http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/news/20100526/many-bipolar-patients-face-other-conditions-too>.

Merrill, Michelle. "Bipolar Disorder - PubMed Health." Web. 4 Apr. 2011. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001924/>.

Purse, Marcia. "Early Results Positive for New Bipolar, Depression Treatments." Bipolar Disorder Symptoms, Diagnosis, Medications, Treatment - Coping With Bipolar Disorder. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. <http://bipolar.about.com/b/2010/12/06/early-results-positive-for-new-bipolar-depression-treatments.htm>.

Schoenstadt, Arthur. "Bipolar Disorder Treatment." Bipolar Disorder Home Page. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. <http://bipolar-disorder.emedtv.com/bipolar-disorder/bipolar-disorder-treatment.html>.

Warner, Jennifer. "Bipolar Disorder Often Untreated." WebMD - Better Information. Better Health. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. <http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/news/20110306/bipolar-disorder-often-untreated>.

Woznicki, Katrina. "Anesthetic Shows Promise for Bipolar Disorder." WebMD - Better Information. Better Health. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. <http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/news/20100802/anesthetic-shows-promise-bipolar-disorder>.