The Bipolar Disorder Issue

Bipolar Disorder: An Overview

Bipolar disorder is a type of mental illness that involves dramatic swings in mood, energy, thoughts, and even behavior. It can reach tremendous highs in the form of mania and extreme lows in the form of depressions. Unlike typical mood swings, mood swings in bipolar disorder are so strong that they interfere with one’s capacity to operate normally. When a person is in the manic stage, he or she may engage in risky behavior such as abandoning a job for no apparent reason (Merikangas et al., 2007). Moreover, the same individual is also capable of feeling tired to the point that they cannot get out of bed during the depression phase. However, there are not definite and elaborate causes of bipolar disorder; however, it is believed to be a hereditary type of disorder. The depressive of the manic stage majorly happens in the adolescent ages or in the primary maturity. In most cases, persons with bipolar illness are ignored and sometimes misdiagnosed resulting in redundant sorrow. Nevertheless, appropriate management and maintenance may result to an amusing and a more satisfying lifecycle. Most of the organizations are in place to help and offer their services to people with bipolar disorder. American Psychiatric Association is one of the organizations that deal with such cases (Merikangas et al., 2007). For this reason, therefore, the paper intends to address the multiple cultures that the organization serves. It will also deal with the symptoms of bipolar disorder and the various interpretations about the available cultures in the organization. Moreover, it will also discuss the implications of culture affects the interpretation of the symptoms as well as recommendations of services for American Psychiatric Association.

Cultures and the American Psychiatric Association

The American Psychiatric Association deals with multiple health disorders and cultures. The first kind of culture is the individual indigenous communities. With such a culture, they can experience significant health inclusive of the mental health challenges (Merikangas et al., 2007). The same culture is also capable of having incredible resilience. The second culture includes the urban dwellers, the main dwelling place for most indigenous people. Moreover, the association also works in collaboration with the religious culture. The association comprises of multiple religious cultures that have different views based on the cases, treatment and diagnosis of the bipolar syndrome. Moreover, the organization is also inclusive of the educational culture. In the organization, some of the workers have formal while other informal education. Moreover, the level of education also differs bringing about different understanding and interpretation of symptoms characterized by bipolar disorder. In so doing, the culture presents another face of the organization in trying to offer their services to individuals with such disorders.

Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder and Cultural Interpretations

The bipolar syndrome is branded by numerous specific symptoms. Some of the symptoms are only active in the first stage and may disappear in the case of other higher stages. Therefore, the symptoms present or visible during the bipolar depressions are the ones that determine the overall symptoms of bipolar disorder (Merikangas et al., 2007). In most cases, people with bipolar disorder experiences both mental as well as physical sluggishness. They tend to experience high cases of fatigue as well as energy loss. Individuals with bipolar disorder experience, no pleasure in every aspect of life, making them feel hopeless and sad. Such individuals are poor performers in class due to low concentration and memory problems. Moreover, individuals suffering from bipolar disorder always feel worthless and are guilty even when they are doing the right thing (Merikangas et al., 2007). However, different cultures within the organization have different interpretations of the symptoms that indicate the existence of bipolar disorder in an individual. For those persons in the rural setup, the source of energy loss and fatigue is not necessarily resulting from the presence of bipolar disorder, but rather from the multiple tasks they have to accomplish to make ends meet. According to them, bipolar disorder is only for the urban dwellers.

The Influence of Culture on Symptom Interpretation

Just like another kind of organizations that deal with health disorders in humans, the American Psychiatric Association is affected by culture in the process of identifying symptoms. The symptoms of bipolar disorder are also affected by various cultures in the organization. In these cases, culture has much more influences the interpretation of symptoms with regard to the disorder in the organization (Purcell et al., 2009). The major influencing and challenging culture that affects the interpretation of symptoms in the organization includes the religion culture. Some cultures do not recognize the importance of the organization in dealing with such disorders. Religion may misinterpret the extent to which the symptoms have affected an individual. Moreover, it may consider the symptoms minimal and not seek medication in any case, only realizing the spread of the symptoms when it is difficult to treat the situation (Purcell et al., 2009). Moreover, the education culture also affects the misinterpretation of symptoms in the organization. Various individuals in the organization have a different educational background in relation to the symptoms of bipolar disorder (Hirschfeld et al., 2013). In so doing, some physicians in the organization will realize the existence of the disorder in an individual as compared to other physicians. With such challenges in an organization, it becomes difficult for the organization to deal with the disorder in individuals. In some cases, the symptoms are severe but mild in others.

Recommendations to Address Cultural Implications

However, despite the challenges that culture presents to the organization in interpreting signs of bipolar ailment, some fundamental recommendations can support to reduce the diverse implications. It is important for the organization to come up with the specific training curriculum that each member of the organization should go through before fully applying the services in the organization (Hirschfeld et al., 2013). It will help reduce the education disparities that affect symptom interpretation. Moreover, the counseling team needs to understand various tips of reducing religion disparities among the members affected with bipolar disorder. Application of these recommendations is of importance in changing the process and strategic approach in which the organization can adopt to improve the manner in which they deal with reduces cases of bipolar disorder as well as other disorders therein.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear that the American Psychiatric Association deals with multiple cultures in their operation. Moreover, bipolar disorder encompasses several symptoms with various cultures having distinct interpretations based on the symptoms presented. Consequently, culture plays a major role in the misinterpretation of symptoms. The main influential kind of culture includes the religious as well educational cultures. A clear understanding of the specific cultures in the organization is a vital step in offering the best services to the customers. However, the challenges have specific recommendations that reduce the impacts that the challenges present in the organization.

References

Hirschfeld, R., Lewis, L., & Vornik, L. A. (2013). Perceptions and impact of bipolar disorder: how far have we really come? Results of the national depressive and manic-depressive association 2000 survey of individuals with bipolar disorder. The Journal of clinical psychiatry.

Merikangas, K. R., Akiskal, H. S., Angst, J., Greenberg, P. E., Hirschfeld, R. M., Petukhova, M., & Kessler, R. C. (2007). Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of bipolar spectrum disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey replication. Archives of general psychiatry, 64(5), 543-552.

Purcell, S. M., Wray, N. R., Stone, J. L., Visscher, P. M., Odonovan, M. C., Sullivan, P. F., ... & O’Dushlaine, C. T. (2009). Common polygenic variation contributes to the risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Nature, 460(7256), 748-752.