Bipolar Disorder Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Bipolar Disorder - Research Paper Example With bipolar disorder comes many complications, but there are equally as many treatments in the ongoing battle against this disorder. Causes and Risk Factors Bipolar disorder is among the emotional disorders that has no definite cause. Regardless of the advances made in understanding this disorder, concrete causes are still being questioned and further investigated. However, there is an array of potential causes and risk factors that are believed to play a role in the development of bipolar disorder. Such factors include biological differences, hormones, neurotransmitters, inherited traits, and an individual’s environment. Biological differences, hormones, and neurotransmitters are vital aspects to the workings of an individual’s mind. If even one detail is off mark, the individual can experience a plethora of disorders, including bipolar disorder (Miklowitz & Cicchetti 229). It has been noted that many people who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder have physical alterations to their brains that do not exist in the brains of people who do not have the disorder. It has not been determined as to what causes these changes, but they are one of the characteristics that many bipolar disorder sufferers have in common. Likewise, an imbalance of neurotransmitters, which occur naturally in the brain, are thought to play a part in the causation of bipolar disorder. This imbalance can come in the form of too many or not enough neurotransmitters, or neurotransmitters that are not reacting as they should. The same can be said about an imbalance of hormones. Should an individual have too many or too few hormones, they risk developing bipolar disorder. Since these two features of the brain are important in defining one’s mood, any off-set can trigger many mood disorders, including bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is also believed to be a result of genetics, though the genes connected to the disorder are still to be determined. All the same, it has been shown that bipolar disorder is more common in individuals whose blood family, such as a parent or sibling, has a history of bipolar disorder or other mood disorders. Indeed, if there is a history of mood disorders, the risk of an individual developing the disorder themselves increases significantly. This connection has become too common to be just a coincidence, and doctors and scientists continue to look for the gene that may be linked to bipolar disorder. Finally, an individual’s environment is thought to be associated with the onset of bipolar disorder. â€Å"Genes are the bullets, but environment is the trigger† (Grieco & Edwards 63) is the agreement when it comes to most mood disorders. An individual might be prone to bipolar disorder, but they may not show symptoms of this disorder until their environment takes its toll. Stress, abuse, or a significant loss can trigger the start of bipolar disorder. Someone may have the makings for a mood disorder, though qu ite a few people go their entire lives without realizing it because they are not subjected to certain trigger events in their lives. There are also factors that can increase one’s risk of developing bipolar disorder. As previously mentioned, having blood relatives who have been diagnosed with a mood disorder increases one’s chances of developing bipolar disorder. Being subjected to periods of high stress or major life changes can drastically alter