Introduction
In the current world, psychological disorders have become very common given the prevailing lifestyle. Among those commonly affected by the psychological disorders are those in the media especially the movie actors, journalists, and musicians. One such person is Britney Spears who was recently diagnosed with a psychological disorder known as Bipolar disorder.
Since she was a media personality, the public had her condition exaggerated with some arguing that she her mental state had exploded. However, the doctor attending her confirmed that Britney Spears was suffering from bipolar disorder. This paper is therefore an exploration of the psychological disorder that Spears is suffering from by looking at the condition and the treatment that it should be accorded.
Summary of the Disorder
Bipolar disorder just like most of the other psychological disorders is associated with psychological defects affecting the brain of the human being. Theses defects are normally triggered by several factors that could either be environmental, genetic, or natural factors just to mention a few.
Bipolar disorder is normally characterized by periods of extreme happiness, which could be followed, by periods of extreme depression and vice versa (Nolen-Hoeksema, et al, 2009). The sessions are highly dependent on the current activity of the individual including what they could be experiencing during the different times. In that case, the individual responds to the existing conditions at high levels of the perception.
For instance, when faced with difficult circumstances, the person could be extremely depressed. On the other hand, good news to the individual could be received with extreme happiness. As such, the sessions of extreme happiness and depression normally have a significant influence on the life of the individual.
As for the case of Britney Spears, the bipolar disorder has significantly affected her music career given the uncouth behavior she has pertained due to the disorder. For example, she has all types of dramas during stage performances as well as in her private life (Celizic, 2008, p.1). This is attributable to the endless list of actions that she was accused of having committed.
She began with shaving her long locks unexpectedly and thereafter causally walking into a tattoo parlor to get a new tattoo (Rentz, 2009, p.1). The following, Britney was involved in several accidents all brought about by the disorder. Following the many accidents, Britney had several cases in the court, most of which she missed the court hearings. At one instance in 2008, “Britney locked herself in the bathroom of her home with her small children, refusing to come out. It shifted into a police standoff with full media attention.
Eventually, Britney was carried out of the home on a stretcher and taken to Cedars Sinai Medical Center” (Rentz, 2009, p.1). Given all these misbehaving, Britney was denied the custody of her children since her actions proved her irresponsible. It is evident that people suffering from bipolar condition cannot make good parents given the fact that they tend to be extremely emotional (Nolen-Hoeksema, et al, 2009).
They may be too soft on the children and at other times being very tough. This is not the ideal case of a parent as they (parents) are expected to be compromising among other qualities. The court was therefore justified in denying Britney the custody of her children. Despite the fact that Britney loves her children, it is clear that her mental disability is an obstacle to her making of proper judgment regarding the life of her children.
In addition to this, Jamie Spears, the father of Britney Spears was given the authority to conserve and take care of Britney Spears’ estate.
The bipolar disorder that Britney Spears suffers from has been linked to various causes, with some indicating that she suffered from postpartum depression after both her pregnancies, something that could have contributed to her current condition. For instance, sources have claimed that her condition grew even worse after the last child was born. This is because she did not need any help from anybody around her.
Nevertheless, Doctors indicate that bipolar disorder “usually starts in young adulthood from age 18 through early twenties. Up until that point, the person appears to be pretty normal, but it’s like a ticking bomb” (Wihlborg, 2008, p.1). Some of Britney’s close friends have claimed that she has been seen taking anti-anxiety medication given the fact that her condition leads to an unbalanced mind.
Treatment of the Disorder
The most important thing about bipolar disorder is early diagnosis so that treatment is started early. Given the fact that the signs of bipolar disorder are distinctive makes it easy to diagnose as bipolar disorder patient. Nevertheless, it is important that physicians or doctors conduct the diagnosis to avoid wrong diagnosis (Yatham, 2010). Once the doctor or physician has diagnosed the condition, treatment begins immediately.
Just like most of the psychological disorders, patients of bipolar disorder are taken to rehabilitation centers where treatment therapy takes place. The treatment of bipolar disorder is normally two fold, involving pharmacological and psychological treatment methods. The type of treatment is normally dependent on the severity of the condition with some patients undergoing one type of treatment while for others a combination of both medications.
During treatment, the patients are normally given mood stabilizers at the initial stages of the treatment in order to regulate the periods of depression and mania. Some of the commonly prescribed stabilizers include Lithium, Depakote, and Tegretol among others. Once the depression has been regulated through the use of the mood stabilizers, psychological treatment then sets in whereby the patients are counseled on how to deal with the condition.
Nevertheless, despite the much effort that physicians and psychologists do in order to help the bipolar disorder patients recover, some have proven to be uncooperative. For instance, studies have indicated that most of the patients resist from taking the medication given their maniac condition, which makes them unaware of their condition.
Additionally, other patients have been noted to quit taking the medication when the symptoms disappear without knowing that they could recur. Other than this, other obstacles underlie the treatment of bipolar disorder hence requiring the intervention of searchers and medical practitioners. For instance, in the recent past, new treatments have been found out that help treat the bipolar disorder. These include Modafinil, Tamoxifen, and Riluzole just to mention a few.
Conclusion
From the discussion above, it is clear that bipolar disorder is a condition that could affect the career of an individual like the case of Britney Spears. As such, it is significance that the condition is treated to prevent further damage like it has done with Britney Spears.
Research has indicated that Britney has been in and out rehabilitation centers, which should not be the case since a patient is normally expected to be in the rehab until fully recovery. Just like in other bipolar disorder patients, Britney deserves to undergo both pharmacological and psychological treatments since her case is very severe as per the detailed cases enlisted earlier in the paper.
Reference List
Celizic, M. (2008). Sources: Spears suffering from bipolar disorder. Web.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S et al. (2009). Atkinson and Hilgard’s Introduction to Psychology, 15th Edition. Stamford: Cengage Learning.
Rentz, A. (2009). Britney Spears: Suspected Bipolar Disorder. Web.
Wihlborg, U. (2008). Britney Suffers from Psychological Disease. Web.
Yatham, L. (2010). Bipolar Disorder: Clinical and Neurobiological Foundations. West Sussex, U.K. John Wiley & Sons.