General Psychology Unit 1 Essay

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Unit 1 Written Assignment Crystal D. Collier San Joaquin Valley College PSY 1: General Psychology Dr. Jan Bella, Ph.D., Ed.S, MSSED, MA, MBA July 9, 2013 I have decided to do my paper on mood disorders. The textbook gives the definition as emotions of depression or euphoria that are so strong they intrude on everyday living. My definition is any of a group of psychiatric disorders characterized by a persistent disturbance of mood that is not caused by an organic abnormality. I suffer from bipolar disorder. This is a type of mood disorder. It was hard for me to explain to people what this was. They just thought it was an excuse for me to act out. They did not understand how this disorder controlled me. There are many types of mood disorders.…show more content…
It often develops in a person’s late teens or early adult years. At least half of all cases start before age 25. Like diabetes or heart disease, bipolar disorder is a long-term illness that must be carefully managed throughout a person's life. People with bipolar are more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol, have relationship problems, or perform poorly in school or at work. Symptoms of mania associated with bipolar are mood changes and behavioral changes. Some examples of the mood changes are long periods of being overly happy or outgoing and extremely irritable mood or feeling jumpy. Some examples of the behavioral changes are having racing thoughts, easily distracted, being restless, insomnia, and indulging in high risk behaviors. There are also mood changes and behavioral changes associated with depressive episodes in people with bipolar. Some examples of these mood changes are long periods of feeling empty and loss of interest in activities that you once enjoyed. Some examples of these behavioral changes are feeling tired, trouble concentrating, irritability, restlessness, changes in eating, sleeping, and other habits, and contemplating or attempting suicide. There are different types of treatment depending on the severity of the disorder. Medication is one type of treatment. There are different types of medications used for…show more content…
It is also known as Dysthymic Disorder. You must exhibit a depressed mood for most of the days for the last two years. In order to be diagnosed with Dysthymic Disorder, no Major Depressive Episode can have been present during the first two years and there has never been a Manic Episode, a Mixed Episode, or a Hypomanic Episode, and criteria have never been met for Cyclothymic Disorder. This generally means that the person needs to have had an uncomplicated, long-term, low-grade depression for two or more years in order to meet this diagnosis. In order to meet the diagnostic criteria for Dysthymic Disorder, the symptoms may not be due to the direct physiological effects of the use or abuse of a substance or a general medical condition. The symptoms must also cause significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, educational or other important areas of functioning. The treatment and tests are the same as for depression (Psych Central Staff,
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