Psychological Disorders In DSM

Running head: PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS IN DSM-5 1

Psychological Disorders in DSM-5

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PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS IN DSM-5 2

Psychological Disorders in DSM-5

The term psychological disorder is a term that has been used to refer to the mental

disorders or psychiatric disorders (mania). Psychological disorders are the patterns of behavioral

symptoms that cause brain instabilities. Disorders are often caused by several activities that

include relationship problems, conflicts, among others. According to Diagnostic and Statistical

Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), there are several categories of mental or psychological

disorders that have been seen to be affecting the people immensely. Below is a discussion of one

of the psychological disorders stated in DSM-5 based on its etiology, symptoms, interventions,

and controversial issues.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a psychological and mental disorder that is often characterized by

changes in activities, moods, energy levels, and behaviors. One of the etiological causes of

bipolar disorder is depression. Other primary causes include abuse, stress, daily activities,

behaviors, emotions, among others. Once an individual develops bipolar disorder, he or she will

start to develop some symptoms that include fluctuation of emotions, depression, and mania.

Therefore, bipolar disorder is the psychological illness that needs proper attention and

management. On the other hand, there are several biological, social, psychological, and genetic

factors that contribute to the development of bipolar disorder. One of the biological factors that

can trigger the development of bipolar disorder is a chronic illness. In most cases, people who

have other incurable diseases can easily develop depression and stress that can result in the

development of bipolar disorder. Another biological factor is genetics. This is the study of genes

and variations in the bodies of human beings. In this case, if an individual realizes that his or her

family is not the original family, mental and psychological disorders will start to develop. In

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other words, an individual will start to develop stress and depression because of the family

problems. Based on the psychological factors that cause bipolar disorder, these are the factors

that associate with the mind of an individual. One of these factors is the emotions. Emotions or

feelings are the main influences of bipolar disorder. When an individual is hurt emotionally, he

or she might feel depressed and the next thing is to develop some kind of psychological

disorders. Emotions often come due to the daily activities that may hurt or cause discomfort to an

individual. Besides emotions as the psychological factor behind the development of bipolar

disorder, stress and hostility is also another factor. Stress comes in when a person has lacked

something such as basic needs. As a result, bipolar disorder develops with time until the patient

reaches a stage of a bipolar disorder that is known as Bipolar Disorder II. The same thing applies

to hostility. Being hostile to an individual can cause a psychological instability that may lead to

the development of bipolar disorders. On the other hand, social factors can also be the reason

behind the development of bipolar disorders. These include relationships, love, and physical

activities. When there is a problem in love and relationship, an individual may develop bipolar

disorder due to severe depression. Therefore, bipolar disorders can be caused by several factors

that may be controlled by undergoing therapy and counseling.

Major Symptoms

There are several warning signs and symptoms that can be seen from a patient suffering

from bipolar disorder according to ‘Warning Signs and Symptoms’ article. These symptoms vary

due to the status of a person and the level of depression. If a person has a high level of bipolar

disorder, for instance, Bipolar Disorder II, his or her symptoms will be severe and easily

noticeable. But in the early stages, bipolar disorder cannot be recognized in an individual. It will

just involve the psychological symptoms that cannot be seen physically.

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Lack of sleep

One of the major symptoms of bipolar disorder is lack of sleep. Patients who suffer from

bipolar disorders often encounter sleep difficulties. This is because of depression and stress.

Therefore, a patient or an individual who is always awake during the nights might be suffering

from a bipolar disorder.

Mood Swings

Another symptom of a bipolar disorder is the development of mood swings. This is a

sudden change in moods and emotions of a patient. Continuous change in moods for a long time

depicts the development of a bipolar disorder.

Loss of Appetite

Often times, patients with bipolar disorders cannot eat much. This is an observable

symptom because a patient can stop eating because of stress and depression that can result in a

psychological disorder. Therefore, loss of appetite is an indication of a bipolar disorder in some

of the individuals.

Impulsive Drug Usage

Another primary symptom of a bipolar disorder is impulsive consumption of drugs. In

most cases, people who have bipolar disorders try to regulate their stress and depression by

taking a lot of drugs such as alcohols. They consume a lot of drugs uncontrollably with the aim

of reducing psychological disorders.

Speech Pressure

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Rapid speech is the most common symptom of a bipolar disorder. People who tend to

develop bipolar disorders can talk rapidly without standing on the same point. This kind of

people is seen to be jumping from one conversation to another. In other words, they are not

stable psychologically.

Task Incompletion

Another well-known symptom of bipolar disorder is the inability to complete tasks. In

this situation, an individual may not complete the given works, especially in a working

environment. He or she will partially perform tasks and always leaving with a lot of excuses.

This shows that the person is not stable in his or her mind.

Poor Attention

Poor attentiveness is another main symptom of a bipolar disorder. This symptom is seen

during the conversation with an affected person, or during the mass meetings. An individual may

not concentrate but instead, focus on other things or just keep quiet without responding to other

people.

Suicide Attempt

Of all the other bipolar disorder symptoms, the suicide attempt is the most recognized

symptom. It is clear that a person attempts a suicide because of mental disorder or depression. A

person will attempt to kill himself or herself because of several reasons. In this situation, the

status of the disorder will be higher.

Impacts of Strengths, Resiliency, and Cultural Factors in establishing a Coping Strategies

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In most healthcare organizations, bipolar disorder has been remedied by encompassing

different forms of treatment. The organizations and therapists have focused on strengths,

resiliencies, and cultural factors in the treatment of bipolar disorder (Oedegaard, Berk, Berk &

Oedegaard, 2013). Therefore, focusing on these three strategies have impacted the families and

individuals in establishing the positive coping strategies of bipolar disorders and all forms of

depression. One of the ways in which focusing on resiliency, strengths, and cultural factors in

establishing the positive coping strategies is that the patients suffering from bipolar disorders

will get proper intervention and medication. For instance, if a therapist focuses on the strengths

that can be applied to this particular disorder, a patient will be positively impacted because of the

outcomes. A bipolar disorder patient will get some ideas and methods of relieving stress and

depression that may lead to disorder.

On the other hand, focusing on the cultural factors as a way of treatment or assessment

can impact the patient positively by allowing him or her to establish a positive coping strategy.

Cultural factors such as the way of life, education, and others, can be the best interventions to be

used. In most of the cases, individuals develop bipolar disorders because of stress and biological

factors. So if the therapists and nurses will focus on the cultural factors to diminish bipolar

disorder, patients will start establishing positive strategies for bipolar disorders. They will learn

how to solve the cultural issues causing the bipolar disorders. When focusing on the cultural

assessments, families are the population to be considered. Bipolar disorders can affect the family

because of the cultural factors that are unavoidable. Therefore, for the bipolar disorders to be

fully cured in the family, therapists and psychologists should focus on the cultural factors and

find the means of solving them.

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Resiliency is also another treatment or assessment method that should be focused when

remedying bipolar disorders on individuals and families. This is a way of recovering and

avoiding difficulties that can result in the bipolar disorders. Focusing on resiliency can result in

significant approaches that can make individuals and families establish positive strategies for

bipolar disorder. The reason why focusing on this factor as a treatment method will be of

significance is that patients suffering from bipolar disorders will acquire skills used to fight the

disorder. Patients will thus establish positive coping strategies that can reduce bipolar disorders

in all means.

Treatment and Intervention of Bipolar Disorder

There are several ways of treating and reducing bipolar disorders in the family or in an

individual life (Vieta, Salagre, Grande, Carvalho, Fernandes, Berk & Suppes, 2018). Literally,

treating bipolar disorders depend on the stages- Bipolar Disorder I, and Bipolar Disorder II. The

early stages of bipolar disorder have some kind of interventions that need to be used. The same

thing applies to the critical stage of bipolar disorder. But generally, bipolar disorders have the

common treatment and intervention methods that are used by therapists and psychologists to

intervene a family or an individual.

One of the treatment and intervention methods that have been researched to be effective

is using therapies. These are rehabilitation from various experienced groups such as support

groups. In this treatment option, patients suffering from bipolar disorder are given

psychoeducation that encompasses mental health education and methods of solving the situation.

Psychoeducation is normally given by the experienced support groups that understand the ways

of treating bipolar disorder. Cognitive behavioral therapy is another form of therapy that is used

to treat bipolar disorder. These are the talks that are used to modify the negative thoughts of an

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individual and give him or her positive thoughts that establish a positive coping strategy for the

disorder. Therefore, therapy is the best way of treating and intervening bipolar disorder in the

family.

Another effective way of treating a bipolar disorder is using medication. The medications

such as Anticonvulsants, Antipsychotics, and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) can

be effectively used to prevent seizures, depressions, and other symptoms of psychiatric

conditions. Medications can be provided by the supportive care units in the nursing homes or any

health organization that has therapeutic treatment options.

Using specialists also is another significant treatment option that has been researched to

be effective. Specialists such as Psychiatrists, Clinical Psychologists, and Primary Care Provider

(PCP) are the best person to handle the patients with bipolar disorders. What these specialists do

is that they primarily treat mental disorders by using medications. They also provide counseling

that may prevent bipolar disorders to the depressed individuals.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is another secondary intervention and treatment

method for bipolar disorder. This method is used when all the other treatment methods such as

medication have failed. In this method, anesthetics and muscle relaxants are used. Typically,

ECT can last for one and half minutes. When all the procedures are followed, a patient can

recover in the next five to ten minutes depending on the level of bipolar disorder. Therefore,

when all the medication and therapeutic methods fail, ECT can be alternatively used.

Controversial Issues in Treatment and Diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder

There are several controversies surrounding the treatment and diagnosis of bipolar

disorder. These are debated issues that agree and disagree on some of the treatment of the

PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS IN DSM-5 9

disorder. However, interpreting the DSM criteria have aroused major concerns when it comes to

treatment of bipolar disorders. Some of the treatments can be compromised when they are used

in place of others. For instance, using the diagnostic forms of treatment of Bipolar Disorder II to

treat Bipolar Disorder I may result in compromised treatment. In other words, the treatment can

distract attention from the families or an individual because of change in genetics.

Therefore, there are a number of controversial issues in the treatment and diagnosis of

Bipolar Disorder (Elkin, Shea, Watkins, Imber, Sotsky, Collins & Fiester, 1989). One of the

controversial issues is the use of antidepressants as the BD medication. Several arguments have

been posted that are against the antidepressant drugs. Several people argue that using the

antidepressant drug is not an effective method of treating bipolar disorder because it can cause

other distractive psychological problems. The current research, however, does not support this

treatment method.

Another controversial issue is an argument that concerns Neuroleptics. Several people

have argued whether Neuroleptics should be used for long-term basis or not. Since these are the

mood stabilizers, they should be used for a specific period. According to the research, this

treatment method has no proof that it can permanently cure bipolar disorder. It has posed a

controversy that if a patient uses Neuroleptics and leave them as soon as he or she recovers, a

new episode of disorder will develop. This is because of improper use of the drug. Therefore, it

has been argued that Neuroleptics are not so much effective in the treatment of Bipolar Disorder,

but it can cure it to some extent.

Is there any difference between the treatment for Bipolar Disorder I and Bipolar Disorder

II? This has been a controversy because several people have not differentiated the diagnosis.

Some of the people believe that bipolar disorder I and bipolar disorder II has no difference, while

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others believe that there is a big difference. But the fact is that therapists and psychologists use

all sorts of treatment regardless of the stage of BD.

Impact of Rural Environment on the Treatment of Bipolar Disorder

The treatment and diagnosis of bipolar disorder depend on an environment. For instance,

the rural environment can have diverse impacts on bipolar disorder. One is that it has no reliable

personnel that may treat the disorder. Since the rural environment is composed of most illiterate

individuals, the treatment of bipolar disorder may not be effective. This shows that the rural

environment has an impact on the treatment and diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Although there are

few impacts of the rural environment on the disorder, most medications are not found therein.

Therefore, if someone has started developing bipolar disorders, it would be difficult to handle the

situation in the rural environment. But the typical aspect is that bipolar disorder can be cured in

all the environments depending on the availability of the resources and experienced personnel.

Conclusion

In conclusion of the research, DSM-5 has a list of psychiatric disorders that can affect the

family and individuals. Bipolar disorders are one of the most researched psychological diseases

that has affected most of the bipolar. Therefore, the paper has researched all the etiology of the

disorder, its factors, symptoms, interventions, and controversial issues in the treatment and

diagnosis of bipolar disorder. All the issues of the disorder have been addressed, and the possible

solutions to be taken into consideration.

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References

Vieta, E., Salagre, E., Grande, I., Carvalho, A. F., Fernandes, B. S., Berk, M., ... & Suppes, T.

(2018). Early intervention in bipolar disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, appi-ajp.

Elkin, I., Shea, M. T., Watkins, J. T., Imber, S. D., Sotsky, S. M., Collins, J. F., ... & Fiester, S. J.

(1989). National Institute of Mental Health treatment of depression collaborative research

program: General effectiveness of treatments. Archives of general psychiatry, 46(11),

971-982.

Oedegaard, C., Berk, M., Berk, L., & Oedegaard, K. (2013). Socio-cultural challenges in the

management of bipolar disorder: a trans-cultural study by the International Society for

Bipolar Disorders. Bipolar Disorders, 15, 63.

https://www.verywellmind.com/a-list-of-psychological-disorders-2794776

https://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/guide/bipolar-disorder-warning-signs#1

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