Pat's Bipolar Movie Analysis

Bipolar disorder affects 2.5% or 6 million people of the United States and is known as the fifth leading cause of disability world wide (Bipolar Disorder Effects 2016). Bipolar disorder is often called manic-depressive illness which is a disorder where the brain causes unusual shift in mood, energy, activity levels and the ability to carry out every day tasks (Bipolar disorders). There are a few different types of bipolar disorder, however they all are very similar and slightly differ from on another. The most common types are bipolar I disorder and bipolar II disorder. With bipolar I disorder the manic episodes or symptoms last at least 7 days, with a depressive period mixed in the symptoms that are sometimes so severe that instant hospital care is required. While with bipolar II disorder, there are patterns of depressive episodes however they …show more content…
To start with, Pat will not take the medicine that he is prescribed to because he claims it doesn’t allow him to feel like himself. In the movie it is obvious that with out his medicine he isn’t able to keep his bipolar disorder together. For example, when Pat goes over to his friend’s house for dinner he hopes to run in to Nikki because he knows Nikki is friends with them as well. Instead, he meets Tiffany someone who is widowed and says she can help Pat reconnect with Nikki despite the restraining order if he does her a favor. Desperate to reconnect with Nikki Pat takes the deal. After they meet they start to practice for a dancing competition where you are really able to see Pat try and cope with the struggles of having bipolar disorder. Pat’s relationship with Tiffany really shows how important building relationships are for the recovery of Pat. His relationship with Tiffany allows him to find a sense of belonging and express his