Week 5: Bipolar Disorders

Week 5: Bipolar Disorders

I am finally doing everything right. I stayed up all night studying for my final exams and even managed to clean out my closet and order a whole new bedroom from the Internet. I know I will ace all my exams. Nothing can go wrong like they did a few months ago. I was so low and was sleeping all the time. I did not think I would ever be happy again, but now I know I can do anything.

Jessica, age 22

Bipolar disorder is relatively rare with around only 3% of the population diagnosed with one of them. Although being relatively rare in terms of lifetime prevalence, bipolar disorder is burdensome to the individual and health care system because of its early onset, severity, and chronic nature. The average age of onset is around 25 and affects men and women equally. The importance of evidence-based intervention for treatment in persons with bipolar disorder cannot be underestimated. Unstable mood can result in repeat chronic hospitalizations. Developing a good rapport and relationship with the client can make a difference in the course, symptom management, and stability of the person with bipolar disorder.

This week, you will once again become “Captain of the Ship” as you take full responsibility for a client with a bipolar disorder by recommending psychopharmacologic treatment and psychotherapy, identifying medical management needs and community support, and recommending follow-up plans.

Learning Resources

Required Readings

American Nurses Association. (2014). Psychiatric-mental health nursing: Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Standard 13 “Collaboration” (pages 78-79)

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

“Bipolar and Related Disorders”

Marsee, K., & Gross, A. F. (2013). Bipolar disorder or something else? Current Psychiatry, 12(2), 43–49. Retrieved from http://www.mdedge.com/currentpsychiatry/article/66320/bipolar-disorder/bipolar-disorder-or-something-else

Miller, L. J., Ghadiali, N. Y., Larusso, E. M., Wahlen, K. J., Avni-Barron, O., Mittal, L., & Greene, J. A. (2015). Bipolar disorder in women. Health Care for Women International, 36(4), 475–498. doi:10.1080/07399332.2014.962138

Schouws, S. M., Comijs, H. C., Dols, A., Beekman, A. F., & Stek, M. L. (2016). Five-year follow-up of cognitive impairment in older adults with bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disorders, 18(2), 148–154. doi:10.1111/bdi.12374

Sadock, B. J., Sadock, V. A., & Ruiz, P. (2014). Kaplan & Sadock’s synopsis of psychiatry: Behavioral sciences/clinical psychiatry (11th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.