Psychology Analysis - Case Study Example

This paper is a psychological analysis of Jason’s case, and it will involve a diagnosis, a discussion of the causes that may have led to the condition, and the recommended treatment plan. Diagnosis Following an official DSM-IV –TR diagnosis, it was found that Jason was suffering from a condition known as bipolar one. Bipolar one, which is also known as manic depression or manic-depression disorder, is a mental illness whereby the sufferer has at least one manic incidence in his or her life (American Psychiatric Association par 1).

A manic incidence can be described as a period of elevated mood that is abnormal, followed by abnormal behavior that can lead to disruption of life (National Institute of Mental Health par 1). Most sufferers of bipolar one disorder also suffer from incidences of depression, often with a pattern alternating between this depression and mania. This is the where the phrase ‘manic depression’ comes from. However, most of the sufferers of the disorder can lead relatively normal lives in between the incidences of depression and mania.

Virtually any person can suffer from bipolar one, with most of them being either in their teens or early twenties when the symptoms of the disorder first appear. Almost every sufferer of the disorder develops it before reaching the age of fifty years, with people who have family members suffering from the disorder being at higher risk of getting the disorder themselves (Krehbiel par 3). Causes Most scientists are of the opinion that mental illnesses are caused by a combination of several factors and in the case of bipolar one, the factors are divided into psychological and biological factors.

When exploring the biological causes, an issue arises as to whether the disorder can be inherited. In families of sufferers of the disorder, first-degree relatives such as siblings, parents, or children are at a higher risk of having a mood disorder than the relatives of those without the disorder (American Psychiatric Association par 2). A study involving twins showed that if one twin is suffering from the disorder, his or her identical twin is about three times more likely to suffer from the same disorder than fraternal twins (Yatham & Maj 177).

Since identical twins are conceived when one fertilized egg is split into two, meaning that they share the same genetic material, this is overwhelming proof that the disorder is hereditary and that genetic vulnerability exists in developing the condition. In the case of emotional, mental, and environmental issues, stressful events in life are perceived to be the main predisposing factors in the development of bipolar disorder. Each person has a different level of vulnerability to a mental disorder.

However, this vulnerability is increased when several factors that lead to the vulnerability come together. In terms of mental and emotional health, the sources of stress can range from the loss of a job like in the case of Jason, death within the family, the birth of a child, or a move to a new environment. If these events coincide with a vulnerability as well as absence of coping mechanisms, a manic episode can occur. Stressful events can be pretty much anything but there is no precise definition as the cause of one person’