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Bipolar Disorder in the Criminal Justice System
Bipolar disorder is a type of mental illness marked by mood fluctuations that are out of the ordinary, as well as changes in energy and capacity to operate. Unlike typical mood swings, which everyone experiences, the symptoms of bipolar illness may be quite significant. In some situations, the first signs and symptoms show as early as childhood, while in others, symptoms are not discovered until a later age (Rowland & Marwaha, 2018). Bipolar disorder is frequently misdiagnosed, and many must suffer for years before being properly identified and receiving the appropriate therapy. The bipolar disease produces mood swings that range from anger and irritation to helplessness, followed by a return to their original condition and, in many cases, periods of normal mood in between (Rowland & Marwaha, 2018). Bipolar disorder is not always triggered by mental illness; it can also be caused by substance addiction, academic or job failure, and strained private life.
From a clinical standpoint, the most prevalent categorization of bipolar disorder is into unipolar variations (manic or depressed), bipolar with a predominance of manic or depression periods, and distinctively bipolar, with nearly equal phases (Rowland & Marwaha, 2018). As a result, only a phase of periodic mania in which only manic episodes alternate or a phase of periodic depression in which only depressed phases alternate can be present over the course of the condition. They can also combine so that the depressed phase can start after the manic phase, and the manic phase can be replaced by itself in some situations.
Most persons with bipolar illness, even those with the most severe kinds, can stabilize their mood swings and other symptoms with the correct therapy. Because bipolar disorder is recurring, prevention is not only necessary but also strongly advised (Schug & Fradella, 2015). The best treatment is a combination of medicine and psychotherapy. Psychosocial approaches, such as specific types of psychotherapy, are indicated in addition to pharmacological treatment (Rowland & Marwaha, 2018). Although mania and depression episodes come and go, it is vital to remember that bipolar disorder is a long-term illness for which there is presently no solution. The only way to keep this condition under control is to take drugs all the time, even when the condition is seemingly better.
The prevalence rate of the disease is high, and due to difficulties in the diagnosis, the exact numbers can be bigger. More than 45 million people all over the world are suffering from bipolar disorder, while annually, more than 2 percent of the US population is diagnosed with it (Singlecare, 2021). The most vulnerable group to the disease is youth (from 18 to 25 years); they have the highest statistic of bipolar disorder (Singlecare, 2021). Thus, with the existing difficulties of diagnosing bipolar disorder and considering the fact that it is almost uncurable, the severity of this disease and its impact is hard to overestimate.
The connection between bipolar disorder and the criminal justice system, as well as crime in general, is obvious. Bipolar disorder, especially when untreated properly, served as a major catalyst in a number of crimes, including one of the most critical issues in the USA school shootings (Rowland & Marwaha, 2018). In the criminal justice system, bipolar disorder, like other mental illnesses, is an affirmative defense in criminal cases, stating that the accused is not liable for his acts because he was suffering from episodic or persistent mental illness at the time of the crime (Schug & Fradella, 2015). The prevention of the development of bipolar disorder (especially in its manic phase) has to be the priority of criminal justice systems, working together with rehabilitation centers and other healthcare system organizations.
References
Rowland, T. A., & Marwaha, S. (2018). Epidemiology and risk factors for bipolar disorder. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, 8(9), 251-269.
Schug, R. A., & Fradella, H. F. (2015). Mental illness and crime. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Singlecare. (2021). Bipolar disorder statistics 2021. Web.
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