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Bipolar

In: Philosophy and Psychology

Submitted By aliciaurbana30
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Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive disorder has been around for a long time, some said as far back as 300 to 500AD. Most people who were diagnosed with bipolar back in that time were considered or thought of as being crazy or being possessed by the devil’s spirit. In the Middle Ages those that were afflicted with mental illness were thought to be guilty of wrongdoing, since there disease was a manifestation of wrongdoing (Stephens, 2014). The treatment or punishment for those that had bipolar and that were thought of as being “crazy “, was to chain them up or to restrain them, or cut the person to let the blood drain out of the body. People who had bipolar were also given potions and electric eels were placed around the skulls of the person. There have even been times where witchcraft was used to “try” to cure those that that were ill. The ancient Greeks and Romans used waters from northern Italian spas to treat agitated or euphoric patients, and later the Greeks and Romans believed lithium salts were absorbed into the body as a naturally occurring mineral (Stephens, 2014). Now, bipolar disorder is treated differently, when treating a person for bipolar, the individual is given a doctor and a therapist who understand the disorder. There may also be group or family counseling sessions that may need to be done as well. Treatment options that there are today versus the old ways have changed drastically. Patients are now hospitalized if the patient is a threat or seems severely detached from reality. Initial treatment is when you start seeing a doctor and are on meds that have helped to keep your symptoms under control. It is important for a person to keep being treated no matter how well they think that they are doing, if an individual decides not to have continued support that person is at a higher risk of

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