Bipolar Depressive Disorder - A Case Study

Bipolar Depression or manic-depressive disorder is characterised by one or more episodes of abnormally elevated moods. Here is a case study which provides further example of this condition.

As a child, a female accountant was always having mood swings. She did not understand the condition as there was no parental support for her. Her parents had separated when she was young. She went to live with her father. He always worked very hard to support her but was never available to talk to her. She often felt neglected as a child.

She soon found someone she liked and got married. Whilst having her first child, she realised that she needed prescriptions for her mood swing. Not having a supportive husband, she would end up doing everything herself. She felt that she was the only parent. Her Doctors prescribed her some medication.

When she had her second child, she again realised that she needed help. Her husband was getting less supportive towards raising the kids. Her mood swings were increasing. This time her Doctor prescribed her a different medication and asked her to take a job to be around people. She found however that this did not help. Her mood swings actually increased due to work related stress and having to look after two kids.

She decided that enough was enough and she should seek help from a Psychiatrist. Her Psychiatrist put her on medication and eventually on stabilisers. The road to recovery has been very difficult for her. Her medication has been changed on a few occasions. However, she is well on the road to recovery. Having left her husband, become a single parent and taken more control of her life, she now shares her story freely with anyone who can benefit from her experience.

This case raises a number of issues:
• This condition can affect a person from childhood.
• Parental separation can result in depression.
• Lack of support is often a factor that further enhances this condition.
• A Doctor does not always prescribe the right solution. You have to see other specialists to overcome such conditions.
• Work can sometime add to the stress of an individual suffering from this form of depression.
• Sometimes, removing obstacles in your life can change the way you feel and reduce your problem.

I want to emphasise that the cases I write about have been freely shared by many supporting individuals. Their common goal in sharing their story is to enable others to learn from this. The learning can enhance others growth and help them to cope with similar situations.