Bipolar 1 Disorder: A Psychological Analysis

Bipolar 1 Bipolar 1 disorder, also referred to as manic depression is a mental illness where patients affected experience the manic episode at least once in their lives. A manic episode can be defined as abnormal behavior accompanied by high energy and abnormally an elevated mood that disrupts life for a given period. Additionally, people affected by bipolar 1 disorder can experience depressive episodes. Mostly, there is a pattern cycle which alternates between depressive and manic episodes; in between these episodes, an individual can live a normal life. Anyone can develop bipolar 1 disorder where the majority of patients are said to develop the disease before 50 years. However, people who have an immediate family with bipolar
Although there are several domains in psychology associated with bipolar disorder, cognitive dysfunction has been the leading factor causing bipolar disorder. Mainly because changes in cognitive functions onset mood symptoms in people who are higher risks of suffering from Bipolar 1 disorder (Eric, Halari, Cheng, Leung, & Young, 2013). Other aspects of psychological functions that cause bipolar 1 disorder include the theory of mind, empathy, emotion comprehension, and autobiographical memory. However, these aspects have been understudied, and there is no comprehensive and detailed information explaining the relationship between them and bipolar 1 disorder. In most cases, clinicians argue that psychological and environmental factors work together to trigger stress and emotional stability which later result to bipolar disorder. It is, however, essential to recognize, while these factors are responsible for this form of the disorder, every individual reacts differently when subjected to these conditions. Therefore, an individual should visit a doctor for a
There exist evidence suggesting that genetic factors play a significant role in causing bipolar 1 disorder. Since bipolar 1 disorder can run in the family, it means that gene compositions of a person play a role in causing this disorder. Studies have indicated that about half of those people affected by this form of the disorder have a family member with depression and other mood disorders. Also, further studies are being conducted to determine the genes that are responsible for enhancing this disorder. The current thinking is that malfunction of certain brain chemicals in a specific part of the brain causes this predominant neurobiological disorder (Szegedi, Zhao, & McIntyre, 2013). As a neurobiological disorder, it may remain dormant in the brain or be activated by stressors experienced by an individual in their life. While there is substantial data and evidence relating genetic factors to causing the bipolar 1 disorder, there is no conclusive information on the bipolar disorder’s