The Prevalence Of Bipolar Disorder And The Social...

American society has been faced with a growing concern of people that suffer from mental health issues. There are so many diagnoses that fit under the umbrella of mental illnesses. Statistics show that there was a rise in individuals that qualified for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Initially 1 and 184 Americans qualified for SSI, and now 1 in 76 are eligible. The figures showed that between 1987 and 2007 that there was a significant amount of people that were eligible for benefits. The surge in the qualified applicants is out of the ordinary. I am inclined to inquire about why the figures grew significantly. It challenges society to question the cause of this growing population. Despite the splurge of an increasing population,†¦show more content†¦There are two types of bipolar disorder, which are bipolar I and bipolar II. Bipolar I is when a person has had at least one manic episode in their life. Manic refers to a period when a person exhibits an elevated abn ormal mood that can be associated with a higher level of energy. As a result this abnormal behavior can drastically disrupt a person’s life. Sometime during this period a person can suffer from episodes of depression that cannot be explained. Bipolar II is similar to bipolar I. The major difference between the disorders is that those that suffer from bipolar II is the moods cycle between high and low over time. An article in WebMD states, â€Å"However, in bipolar II disorder, the up moods never reach full-blown mania. The less-intense elevated moods in bipolar II disorder are called hypomanic episodes, or hypomania.† (http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/guide/bipolar-2-disorder) Hypomania is defined as a mild form of mania, marked by elation and hyperactivity. Each form of the disorder have systems of mania or manic episodes. Symptoms of bipolar disorder can range from mild to severe. They are different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through from time to time. The shifts can be very unpredictable at times. The individual may isolate themselves because of the imbalance of the brain. As a result, some people may become paranoid and suspicious of a people in general, and tend to push