Case Study: Bipolar Disorder

George Lawler is a thirty-five year old who lives in a small community. He is married to Cheryl and is the father of two children. He is a physical education teacher at a small junior college. He also coaches the men and women’s track team. George has experienced many ups and downs with his psychological problems. They never seemed to completely go away. His first psychological problem was experienced in college his junior year. He played on the football team; he made good grades, and was popular with the other students. Symptoms he presented were a lose of interest in everything, he did not care about football anymore, and he did not have enough energy to play. He also was able to stay up as long as possible to study for exams in college …show more content…
This does not mean it cures him, but hopefully it decreases his mood swings greatly. He should be able to stay with his family, keep his job, and be a coach. His cognitive ability should be fine with the medication. Bipolar disorders seem to be effectively treated different for each person. Some people live more normally than others. It is a life long illness, but it can be managed with certain medications. Changing George’s medication and finding the right one for him could change how often he has mood swings. One medication that helps treat bipolar disorder is Lithium. Lithium is thought to work on someone’s central nervous system. It helps strengthen nerve cell connections in the brain that help regulate mood, thinking, and behavior. Lithium can affect the kidney or thyroid functions, therefore as someone takes this medicine they have to have blood test. Medication usually cannot do the trick on it’s own. Psychotherapy usually needs to be involved in the process. When working with a therapist it helps the person cope with difficult or uncomfortable feelings, repairing relationships, manage stress, and regulate their