Bipolar disorder is
defined as a mental disorder characterized with alternating period of
depression and elation. A research study conducted by Sara Weisenbach and
colleagues examines the impact of increasing age on symptoms of bipolar
disorder. Specifically the team showed a strong correlation between older
bipolar diseased patients and poorer performance in cognitive abilities such as
processing speed, language, visuomotor skills, working memory, verbal fluency,
episodic memory, executive functioning, and psychomotor speed.
In comparison to same-age control groups, researchers found
that patients with bipolar disorder, performed with less success on cognitive tasks.
Patients older than 65 showed a higher rate of decline in ability for all
cognitive abilities with the exception of complex attention. Bipolar disorder
symptoms severely limit patients in regard to their cognitive abilities and
their quality of life.
In the New York Time article, “Picking up a Memoir of
Madness,” the author examines the story line of the novel titled “He Wanted the
Moon.” The article talks about the decline of Dr. Perry Baird, the father of the
novel’s author, who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Dr. Baird was a respectable
doctor from Boston who lost his quality of life because of his austere bipolar disorder.
Mimi Baird, the author of “He Wanted the Moon,” is said to
have received a memoir from her diseased father many years following his death.
The article talks about what the memoir revealed about Dr. Baird’s mental capabilities
during his bipolar disease. Dr. Baird’s description revealed that he was a
high-spirit child and an intelligent student of medicine. Initially at his
young age, he did not experience severe cognitive limitations. However, at age
29 he was diagnosed with psychosis, a disorder where there is a mental
disconnection from reality, and his quality of life diminished there forward.
During his time with bipolar disorder, Dr. Baird had periods
of mental stability and periods of violent delusions. His delusions became so
destructive that he eventually lost his medical license and was removed from
his family home. Following this Dr. Baird was sent to a hospital where he
attempted to escape several times and succeed on more than one occasion. Dr.
Baird was incapable of understanding why he was in the hospital and consequently
thought of irrational reasons. As a result, he thought it was in his best
interest to attempt escape.
The memoir left behind by Dr. Baird showed a disparity between
an objective writer and an irrational counter writer. There were times of great
clarity in this writing, but other times where the writing was heavily
influenced with mania. Some of the writing was clear and concise reflecting
stable times, and other times the writing was surged and irrational reflecting
times of instability. This represents the alternating periods of depression and
elation Dr. Baird experienced because of the bipolar diseases.
As the diseased worsen and Dr. Baird age increased, his
mental capabilities became more severely limited. He saw irrational hidden
message in everyday objects and he became incomprehensible. During the rare
times where his mental capabilities returned, Dr. Baird acknowledged the mania
he had endured.
Bipolar disorder seems to worsen as age increases, as shown
through the research study and the memoir of Dr. Baird. Age-related brain
changes are thought to show vulnerability to developing cognitive and functional
problems. These are the most evidence areas for which mood disorders are
associated. As a result bipolar disorder has more of an impact on those of
older ages. Executive function and processing speeds are severely impacted in
those with bipolar disorder and their quality of life is greatly diminished as
compared to the control groups.
Weisenbach, S.,
Marshall, D., Weldon, A., Ryan, K., Vederman, A., Kamli, M., . . . Langenecker,
S. (2014). The double burden of age and disease on cognition and quality of
life in bipolar disorder. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 29, 952-961.
Zuger, A. (2015,
February 23). Picking Up a Memoir of Madness. The New York Times. Retrieved April
30, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/health/he-wanted-the-moon-is-an-extraordinary-effort-to-chronicle-bipolar-disease.html
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