Instruction given using experience psychology by laura a king 2012 - Essay Example

Prof’s Depressive and Bipolar Disorders Depressive disorders and bipolar disorders are two of the most common issuesthat people face from mental health. Aspects of bipolar disorder might resemble aspects of depressive disorders, but they are fundamentally very different. Both bipolar disorder and depressive disorder can be categorized as mood disorders. Bipolar disorder is associated with extreme and sometimes shocking shifts in mood, from what is called a manic phase to a depressive phase (King 2012).

During each of these phases, people express extremes of mood behavior. During a manic phase, people might be overly excited and emotional (King 2012). They might display behaviors like going to a bar and buying everyone drinks, purchasing expensive things that they cannot afford, expressing excess energy, and generally being too “on.” This elevated mood will eventually come down, and can then drop into a depressive phase, though this is not necessary in the definition of bipolar disorder (Colombo et. al 2012). The depressive phase would look very similar to clinical depression, which will be discussed below.

It is important to note that because of the interrelation of cognition and mood, people’s cognitive balance is often skewed by their manic episodes. Depressive disorders are also mood disorders. They represent levels of abnormally low mood, which can include low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in things that used to be interesting or pleasurable. The symptoms can include tiredness, shifts in sleeping and eating habits (with oversleeping being more common than under-sleeping).

There are many similarities and differences between bipolar disorder and depressive disorders. The most obvious is that bipolar disorder contains manic episodes, whereas depression obviously does not. Furthermore, while both are fundamentally related to brain chemistry, bipolar disorder is more likely to arise spontaneously, whereas depression can tend to be associated with life changes. Getting fired, for instance, might lead to a depressive episode, whereas it would not tend to be associated with bipolar disorder.

With both disorders, people tend to self-medicate through the use of alcohol, often exacerbating symptoms. Biologically, the two disorders are quite similar, in that they are known to be caused by changes in brain chemistry (King 2012), and can be relatively well managed by drugs should the person be willing to take them. The two disorders can have very different public reactions. Pyschologically speaking, the disorders are treated very differently: though both can be treated with drugs, depression tends to be much more responsive to therapy than bipolar disorder will be, which seems to be more of a biological shift that is less reversible.

In general, bipolar disorder is considered more serious, whereas depression is often written off as a mood or a temporary phase. However, somewhat ironically, people with bipolar disorder are often more accepted socially, especially if the disorder is mild, because they can be quite gregarious during their manic phases, and tend to lay low and hide their depressive phases, so that people do not see them. Works CitedColombo, C., Fossati, A., & Colom, F. (2012). Bipolar disorder.Depression Research and Treatment, 2012, 525837.

King, L (2012). Experience Psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill.