Mentor: Dr.brennan
CO-Mentor: mrs.Mc Mahon
Bronx Community college
g.w.carver
BY: Megan Torres
Overview
What is bipolar?
Statistics/Graphs
Risks
Symptoms
Rapid cycling/BP1 BP2
Diagnosis
Bipolar medication
Bipolar treatment
The FAT gene
Future
References
Acknowledgements
Thank you! =]
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that
consists of quick mood shifts. It is also
known as manic depression because one
moment you can be happy, excited, hyper
and the next angry, frustrated or sad and
depressed. Sometimes bipolar disorder can
be dangerous for the patient as well as the
people surrounding them but only in
extreme cases. It is much more than shifts
between elation and depression.

The reason I am doing this disease is because
I personally know someone with the disease
and I would like to conduct experiments on
it and educate myself and others as much as I
can.
-More than 2/3rds of people with bipolar have at least
one close relative with bipolar or depressive
disorders.
-2.6% or 5.7million adult(18 and older) Americans are
affected by bipolar disorder
-The median age of onset BP is age 25 but it can
happen at any age
-Almost an equal amount of men and women have BP
(it does not discriminate either)
Euthymic: pertaining to a
normal mood when you
are neither highly elated
or highly depressed
-Although men and women develop BP equally
women almost 3 times more than men
experience rapid cycling
-Women with BP have more depressive episodes
and more mixed episodes than do men with the
illness
-Bipolar disorder results in about 9 yrs. Reduction
in expected life span and 1 in 5 BP patients
commit suicide
-20% of adolescents with major depression
develop bipolar disorder within 5 yrs. Of the
onset of depression
General Population
1%
2nd degree relative (aunt/uncle)
3-7%
Sibling
15-25%
Fraternal twin
15-25%
Identical twin
70%
One of your parents
15-30%
Two of your parents
50-75%
1.
2.
3.
Unexplained aches and pains: caused by physical
stress, insomnia (sleep deprivation). People with
depression problems or bipolar have more of the
stress hormone cortisol
Weight loss or Weight gain: depressed people or
people with mental illnesses tend to not eat because
of appetite or rely on food to comfort them
Decreased or Increased appetite: due to medicine
they may be taking or effect on the brain.
4.
5.
Psychomotor agitation: an increase in
activity caused by mental tension. This
typically includes pacing, wringing hands,
finger or foot taping which is categorized
by restlessness.
Psychomotor retardation: referring to the
slowing of both thought and physical
activities as simple as brushing your teeth
or eating
Rapid cycling
-this describes a person who as four or more mania episodes a
year 10% to 20% of people with bipolar experience this
(a mania episode is a period of abnormally elevated mood that can disrupt
everyday life)
Bipolar 1
-Person with this experience at least I manic episode in their
lifetime
Bipolar 2
-this is similar to BP 1 but their “up” never reaches full on
mania
There are 4 main things doctors check for or go over to
diagnose bipolar disorder.
-A complete medical history and physical exam
-A complete psychiatric history
-Family history of medical and psychiatric history
-Evaluation of current symptoms

Mood stabilizers. These may delay or relieve episodes of mania or depression
They can help people go longer between mood episodes.

Antidepressants. These are often used with a mood stabilizer in people with
depressive episodes. If used alone, antidepressants may increase the chances of a
person with bipolar disorder switching into mania.

Antipsychotics. These are medicines that are mostly used to treat mania. They
may also be used to treat psychosis that can occur during severe episodes of
mania or depression. Patients with severe anxiety or agitation may also receive
antipsychotics. Antipsychotics may be used alone or with other medicines for
treating bipolar disorder.

Other medicines might be suggested by the healthcare provider when a person
with bipolar disorder cannot sleep or feels nervous.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is not a medicine. It is a medical treatment
used to help people with severe mania or depression. It can also help people
who do not do well with medicine.




To control symptoms of depression and
mania
To reduce number of times mania episodes
happen
To help people with bipolar feel the best
they can
To reduce symptoms that may still be a
problem
The FAT gene is a newly found gene that
scientists believe is a gene that plays a big
role in developing bipolar disorder. The
FAT gene is responsible for a protein
involved in connecting brain cells
together. A team of researchers from
Australia announced their findings on
this gene in January. The gene was
discovered because BP is an organic brain
disorder and was thought to be connected
to a gene, which lead them to
experiments.
"We are the first group in the world to
take a multi-faceted approach to
identify a bipolar risk gene - we used a
number of families, unrelated patients,
and therapeutic drug mouse models.
Each of these three lines of
investigation led us to a gene called
FAT." –Dr. Ian Blaire
.
Chromosome 13
Position q33 on chromosome 13
FAT gene is
located on the 13th
chromosome
position 13q33
In the future I would like to conduct actual
experiments, such as using mice and
knocking out the FAT gene and observing
the results. I would also like to survey people
with BP and get their views on the disease
and life with the disease.
http://www.bipolar.com/
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml
http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/guide/bipolar-disorder-symptoms-types
http://mayoclinic.com/health/bipolar-disorder/DS00356
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/79070?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Gene.Gene_ResultsPanel.Gen
e_RVDocSum
http://www.bipolar.com/treatment_options/medicines.html
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/electroconvulsive-therapy/MY00129
^ http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0165032702004627
^ http://www.mental-health-matters.com/articles/article.php?artID=1176
^ http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/bipolar-disorder/what-are-the-symptoms-of-bipolar-disorder.shtml
^ Kessler, RC; Chiu WT, Demler O, Walters EE (2005). "Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of twelve-month DSM-IV
disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R)". Arch Gen Psychiat 6: 617–27. PMID 15939839.
http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/62/6/617.
^ "Bipolar Disorder: Signs and symptoms". Mayo Clinic.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bipolardisorder/DS00356/DSECTION=2.
^ NIMH · Bipolar Disorder · Complete Publication
^ NIMH · Bipolar Disorder · Complete Publication
^ http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/bipolar/bipolar.htm
^ "Bipolar Disorder: Complications". Mayo Clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bipolar
disorder/DS00356/DSECTION=7.
^ Bergen M (1999). Riding the Roller Coaster: Living with Mood Disorders. Wood Lake Publishing Inc.. ISBN
9781896836317
I would like to thank.
-Dr. Brennan
-Mrs. McMahon
-Bronx Community College
-Eric Konadu
-Jordan Liz
-Patrick Mahoney
-Dr.Sat
-HCS staff
-Dr. Bondoc
And all you
for listening!=]
-