NURS 6630 week 5 assignment :Assessing and Treating Clients With Bipolar Disorder

Assessing and Treating Clients With Bipolar Disorder Bipolar disorder is diagnosed and classified by noted behavioral changes with episodes of depression or mania. Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic-depressive disorder, is characterized by unusual and dramatic shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and concentration, which affect a person’s ability to carry out day-to-day tasks (National Institute of Mental Health, 2017). The presence of noted manic or depressive episodes often vary among patients, and these fluctuations can be extreme, leading to severe patient debilitation. An estimated 82.9% of United States adults with bipolar disorder had serious impairment related to their disorder, which is the highest percent of serious impairment reported among mood disorders (National Institute of Mental Health, 2017). Due to these instabilities in mood, many with bipolar patients can reach a level of debilitation and impairment that requires emergency intervention and medical treatment. Bipolar disorder can be easily misdiagnosed if symptoms are not properly identified. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5 (2013), there are several types of bipolar disorder that are categorized into subtypes by their extent of severity, symptom types, and the duration of symptoms experienced (Gooding et al., 2019). Bipolar patients can present with episodic symptoms that fluctuate between depression or mania. These symptoms can fluctuate from noted withdrawal and sadness to disorganized speech, explosive aggravation, and erratic behaviors. A diagnosed manic episode consists of either an elevated or irritable mood that is accompanied by at least three of the following exhibitions: inflated selfesteem/grandiosity, increased goal-directed activity or agitation, risk taking, decreased need for sleep, distractibility, pressured speech, and racing thoughts (Stahl, 2013). The proper identification of these behavioral alterations and shifts can lead to the appropriate diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder.