NURS 6521 UMES Bipolar Disorder Manic Depression & Mental Disorders Discussion

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder, formerly known as manic depression, is a psychiatric illness. It produces significant mood swings such as mania or hypomania, as well as depression (Muneer, 2016). When you are depressed, you may feel gloomy or hopeless, and you may not desire or enjoy most activities. According to Morsel et al, 2018, this major mood illness is classified as manic, major depressive, hypomanic, or mixed.

Each one combines distinct characteristics and oddities in behavior, mood, and the patient’s self-perception. They do, however, share symptoms such as mood swings, despondency, anxiousness, distrust, and lack of focus. NURS 6521 UMES Bipolar Disorder Manic Depression & Mental Disorders Discussion

Bipolar 1 and Bipolar 11 disorders exist. Bipolar 1 is defined as a recent or recurrent manic episode lasting at least one week in which one’s mood was unusually and persistently high, expansive, or irritated (Morsel et al, 2018). The event is severe enough to impede social and occupational functioning severely.

Bipolar 11 is defined as the presence or history of one or more severe depression episodes and at least one hypomanic episode with no manic episodes. The goal of this article is to determine which type of mood the patient has, which symptoms indicate the severity and duration of the problem, and which medications should be used to treat the patient, including education, and to establish the patient’s recovery process.

A 35-year-old Caucasian female is selected for the interactive media case study, who was diagnosed with bipolar I disorder. She has manic episodes, mood swings, and concentration issues. According to her history patient has been on Risperdal but has been off her medications for a month. Stating that she felt better that’s why she stopped taking her medication. NURS 6521 UMES Bipolar Disorder Manic Depression & Mental Disorders Discussion

Therefore, Risperdal was chosen again to start treatment for the patient’s bipolar disorder, because it worked for her before. Dosage for the Risperdal – 2mg orally at nighttime, which should help to stabilize the mood and behavior due to the medication effect on dopamine and serotonin rebalancing (Morsel et al, 2018).

The patient denies being allergic to any drugs and is started on 2 mg taken at nighttime because of the severity of her illness, and the drowsiness of the medicine. Risperdal is a typically prescribed drug to treat bipolar mania and other several psychological disorders (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2019). The patient complained during her follow-up visit that she gets lethargic in the morning and this started 10 days into taking the medicine. NURS 6521 UMES Bipolar Disorder Manic Depression & Mental Disorders Discussion

After the assessment, the dosage of Risperdal was reduced to 1mg at bedtime, so that the patient can be less lethargic and return to normal activities (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2019). Other side effects of Risperdal are akathisia, dystonia, tremors, dizziness, anxiety, blurred vision, sleepiness, and fatigue. All these were made known to the patient during education so that she would be aware of them. On the next visit, the patient’s condition was better and she stated so herself, with minimum symptoms.

The Young Mania Rating Scale is a tool that can be used to assess symptoms of manic and mania at baseline. (Young et al, 1978). This tool can also be used to evaluate how the patient is doing. The patient will continue this regime until further notice since she is doing better on it and will be subject to more assessment if the condition worsens, and other antipsychotic medication like mood stabilizer may be added. NURS 6521 UMES Bipolar Disorder Manic Depression & Mental Disorders Discussion

Conclusively, patient’s education is very essential. This patient was educated to talk to the provider or mental health professional if she has bothersome side effects, not to make changes or stop taking her medications without consulting her doctor, otherwise, she will experience withdrawal effect, or her symptoms may worsen or return or she may become depressed, feel suicidal, or go into the -manic or hypomanic episode (Muneer, 2016).

Psychotherapy will also be introduced to the patient because it is a vital part of bipolar disorder treatment and be provided in individual, family, or group settings. Risperdal is a good choice of medicine for this patient because it belongs to atypical antipsychotics and works by helping to restore the balance of certain natural substances in the brain.

NURS 6521 UMES Bipolar Disorder Manic Depression & Mental Disorders Discussion References

• Morsel, A., Morrens, M., & Sabbe, B. (2018). An overview of pharmacotherapy for bipolar I disorder. Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy, 19(3), 203-222. doi: 10.1080/14656566.2018.1426746
• Muneer, A. (2016). Pharmacotherapy of Acute Bipolar Depression in Adults: An Evidence-Based Approach. Korean Journal of Family Medicine, 37(3), 137. doi: 10.4082/kjfm.2016.37.3.137
• Rosenthal, L. Laura, R., & Burchum, J. (2019). Lehne’s pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practitioners. St Louis, Missouri: Elsevier.
• Young RC, Biggs JT, Ziegler VE, Meyer DA. A rating scale for mania: reliability, validity, and sensitivity. Br J Psychiatry. 1978; 133:429-435. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1192/bjp.133.5.429