by Lorraine Nyc

Created on: November 13, 2008

Bipolar disorder comes in a variety of guises which, were all known, could be better treated. Therefore, it seems only logical to explore the disorder and it's various effects using previous research. Perhaps some correlations will be discovered in the process which will help us to better understand this disorder leading us to more effective treatments per individual. So, perhaps the first order of business should not be in defining the disorder, but by defining what an individual is in as much as it pertains to this particular stage of research.

One of the first defining items of an individual, directly following definition of species and race is the gender label. This is one of the most important labels we as individuals can have. So, it stands to reason that our genders will effect every aspect of our lives, including but not limited to mood disorders.

The male of our species has a certain role to play. (Admittedly this role has lines that have become more and more vague in recent times). But still, there are certain things expected from a male of the homo-sapien affiliation. The male is the dominant species. His role is one of strength, independence, competence and aggressiveness. Let us keep these traits in mind as we explore the effects of bipolar disorder.

The female of our species also has a certain role to play. Again, the lines that define this role have become vague, but for our purposes we are using traditional roles. The role of the female is one of submission, dependence, sensitivity and emotional weakness.

The goal is to look at the roles of men and women and define whether or not bipolar disorder effects them differently on a biological level and on a social level.

Now let us take a look at the disorder itself. Bipolar Disorder is a disorder that is characterized by two distinct phases. In one phase, the individual is "manic". The manic phase is displayed through lack of sleep, excessive energy, a sense of euphoria that is easily turned to anger and an increases in the volume and amount of vocal communication. The "depressive" phase is almost completely opposite of the manic phase. The depressive phase includes such traits as lack of interest in things and/ or people that the individual is normally interested in, a sense of hopelessness and a severe drop in self esteem.

Now, for a sense of stability, I turned to research that revealed "data suggest a pattern of diagnostic stability over time for manic and mixed episodes in patients with bipolar

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