Bipolar Disorder

Choose a mental disorder of interest and write an annotated bibliography focusing on five research articles related to the chosen disorder.
Create a journal from the viewpoint of a fictional individual who has the featured disorder. The journal should have a minimum of 8 entries and should focus on the experiences of the disordered individual. The following questions (or any others the student may wish to aIDress) may be considered in creating the journal, however, these are merely suggestions, and creativity is encouraged.
1) What are the sensory and/or cognitive perceptions of the individual?
2) What symptoms is the person experiencing?
3) What observations may be made about the treatment process that the individual is receiving?
4) How is the individual treated by society, friends, and family?
5) What concerns might the individual have?
6) Attempt to view the disorder from the perspective of the person having it and relay any experience that seems relevant.

Focus on the feelings and experience of the person, attempting to make it real. Avoid the tendency to make the journals clinical in describing the experience almost in an informational sort of way as if you are looking at the person’s behavior from the outside and making observations. Try to really think about what it would be like on the INSIDE of this person rather than trying to impart information through what you are writing. Just let your mind flow, sort of getting into the person and trying to feel life as they might feel it. Then write as if the journal is a journal €“ not as if it is going to be read by someone else. Don’t worry about describing symptoms and treatment from a clinical perspective; just describe them as the person would experience them.