Bipolar Disorder - Mental Illness or Medical Condition

A mental illness can be defined as a health condition that changes a person’s thinking, feelings, and/or behavior, which causes the person distress and difficulty in functioning. A medical condition is an abnormality of the body or mind that causes discomfort, dysfunction, distress, or death to the person afflicted or those in contact with the person. The definitions of mental illness and medical condition both describe bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a mental illness and a medical condition.

Some people like to distinguish bipolar disorder as a mental illness only. This would deny the genetic component and any biological causes of the illness. There are physical, social, environmental, and psychological causes for mental illness. While someone with a family history of manic depression may have a genetic predisposition to develop the disorder, the environmental, social, and psychological stressors that the person has may affect whether or not they actually develop bipolar disorder.

Some people would like to consider bipolar disorder as purely a neurological disorder and not a mental illness. Science has not yet pinpointed a specific biological cause for bipolar disorder. Once scientists can determine the causes of bipolar disorder, perhaps they can use that knowledge to develop better treatments or to find a cure. Like other mental illnesses, bipolar disorder is diagnosed by the set of symptoms that an individual exhibits. There are no blood tests or medical imaging procedures that can be used to diagnose bipolar disorder. Until an exact biological cause is identified, bipolar disorder is not likely to be considered a neurological condition.

The line between mental illnesses and other brain or neurological disorders is not as distinct as it used to be. Scientists study the brains of people who have mental illnesses in order to learn how mental illness is associated with changes in the brain’s structure, chemistry, and function. Scientists use molecular or biochemical methods to investigate specific genes or proteins in the neurons, or brain cells.

Scientific research shows that mental illness does indeed have a biological basis. Studies focusing on the chemicals of the brain, known as neurotransmitters, have revealed abnormalities in neurotransmitter functioning among individuals with certain psychiatric diagnoses. Some mental disorders, such as bipolar disorder, are known to be hereditary. Because of the heredity of some mental illnesses, possible links between certain genes and particular mental disorders have been found. This research leads scientists to minimize the distinctions between mental illnesses and other brain disorders.

Scientists looking at changes in the brains of bipolar patients have found decreases in the size of the cerebellum in some patients. The cerebellum is the part of the brain that regulates balance and controlled movements. In some manic depressive patients, researchers have noted changes in the metabolism of some chemical compounds and a decrease in the activity of specific brain regions during the depression phase. Hopefully, scientific research will lead researchers closer to a greater understanding of bipolar disorder.

Next article: Types Of Bipolar Disorder