Exploring Bipolar Disorder through the Lens of Demi Lovato’s Journey

Introduction: Profiling a Famous Person

Who is the celebrity you will be diagnosing? The celebrity I will be diagnosing is Demi Lovato. Demi Lovato was born on August 20, 1992, to Patrick Lovato and Dianna De La Garza in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sadly, her father, Patrick, died of cancer, but she has followed in the footsteps of her mother by becoming an actress. Demi’s mother, Dianna, in addition to being an actress, is also a producer, while Demi herself is also a singer as well as an actress. Despite being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Demi has managed to accomplish so much at such a young age and uses her platform to raise awareness of mental illness and what you can do to get help or what you can do to help others in need.

Body

Provide a description of the symptoms this individual is demonstrating

For instance, if you write, “Fred is demonstrating signs of depression, as evidenced by his feelings of worthlessness,” you must provide an example from Fred’s life history. For example, “Fred demonstrates the symptom of worthlessness, as evidenced by his constant self-degrading remarks. An example of this would be Fred’s self-description of himself as a “loser with no life purpose.”

Bipolar disorder includes a disruptive and intense experience of a manic episode. During a manic episode, the individual may experience unusually high levels of euphoria, which is the feeling state of an abnormally positive mood. “For years, people said I was depressed, and I actually didn’t know myself why I was so upset and why I would have these episodes of mania – what I now know is mania,” Demi says.

Please list the DSM V Criteria for this disorder

A distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and abnormally and persistently increased activity or energy must last at least one week, and the symptoms must be present most of the day, nearly every day, or for any duration if hospitalization is necessary. During the period of mood disturbance and increased energy or activity, three or more of the following symptoms are present to a significant degree, four if the mood is only irritable, and represent a noticeable change from usual behavior: inflated self-esteem or grandiosity, decreased need for sleep, for example, the client feels rested after, say, only 3 hours of sleep, the more talkative mood than usual or pressure to keep talking, flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing, distractibility, for example, attention is too easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant external stimuli, as reported or observed, increase in goal-directed activity either socially, at work or school, or sexually or psychomotor agitation, excessive engagement in activities that have high potential for painful consequences such as unrestrained buying sprees, sexual indiscretions, or foolish business investments. This episode must represent a clearly observable change in functioning but not be severe enough to require hospitalization to prevent harm to self or others.

Which criteria does your character meet? How?

Here, you will combine your answer in question 2 with DSM V diagnostic criteria. If you are unsure the individual meets a particular criteria, please write three questions you would ask to clarify. For example, if you are unsure Fred has insomnia (for the Major Depression Diagnosis), you will write: Insomnia (provisional), and the clarifying question: “I would ask Fred, how have you been sleeping.

During manic periods, Demi says she’d stay up until 5 a.m. and write seven songs in one night, showing both a decreased need for sleep and an increase in goal-directed activity. “Sometimes I felt invincible, and it was these moments when my mind would go all over the place,” she says, showing the flight of ideas and subjective experience that thoughts are racing. Not knowing what was behind her behavior led to addiction. ‘When you don’t know what’s happening, why you’re feeling certain ways, and you don’t have the answers yet, people tend to self-medicate, which is exactly what I did,’ she says. ‘Now I know that when I focus on my treatment plan with my team and my support system, I’m able to not only maintain a healthy mind, but I’m able to maintain my sobriety.’

Please research two different theories on the causes of the disorder (bio-psycho-social)

First, both genetic and environmental factors can create vulnerability to bipolar disorder. As a result, the causes vary from person to person. While the disorder can run in families, no one has definitively identified specific genes that create a risk for developing the condition. There is some evidence that advanced paternal age at conception can increase the possibility of new genetic mutations that underlie vulnerability. Imaging studies have suggested that there may be differences in the structure and function of certain brain areas, but no differences have been consistently found. Second, Life events, including various types of childhood trauma, are thought to play a role in bipolar disorder, as in other conditions. Researchers do know that once bipolar disorder occurs, life events can precipitate its recurrence. Incidents of interpersonal difficulty and abuse are most commonly associated with triggering the disorder.

Please describe the specific treatments and medications that are used for the disorder

The traditional treatment for bipolar disorder is lithium carbonate, referred to as lithium, a naturally occurring salt found in small amounts in drinking water that, when used medically, replaces sodium in the body. Clinicians advise people who have frequent manic episodes, two or more a year, to remain on lithium continuously as a preventive measure. The drawback is that even though lithium is a natural substance in the body, it can have side effects. These include mild central nervous system disturbances, gastrointestinal upsets, and more serious cardiac effects.

As a consequence, people who experience manic episodes may be reluctant or even unwilling to take lithium continuously. One of the major ways Demi maintains her mental health and sobriety is by working out for an hour to an hour and a half every day. “I actually exercise as much as possible because there’s something that it does—it just helps,” she says, explaining that she enjoys a mix of circuit training, cycling, and hiking. “I used to meditate every day, as well. I don’t do that as often anymore because I feel like exercise is kind of a form of meditation for me—what it does to me spiritually and physically.”

Please list the prevalence (i.e., age, culture, family patterns) of this disorder

Bipolar disorder has a lifetime prevalence rate of 3.9% in the U.S. population and a 12-month prevalence of 2.6%. Of those diagnosed with bipolar disorder in a given year, nearly 83% have cases classified as severe. At least half of all cases begin before a person reaches the age of 25. Approximately 60% of all individuals with bipolar disorder can live symptom-free if they receive adequate treatment. This means a large percentage continue to experience symptoms. According to one estimate, over the course of a 5-year period, people with bipolar disorder feel that their mood is normal only about half the time.

Conclusion

List some interesting facts about this disorder. (i.e., are there other famous people with the disorder?) Of all psychological disorders, bipolar disorder is the most likely to occur in people who also have problems with substance abuse. People with both bipolar and substance use disorders have an earlier onset of bipolar disorder, more frequent episodes, and a higher risk of developing anxiety and stress-related disorders, aggressive behavior, problems with the law, and risk of suicide.

References

1. Demi Lovato. (n.d.). About. Retrieved from https://www.demilovato.com/about
2. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
3. Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil. (2021). [Documentary]. Directed by Michael D. Ratner. YouTube Originals.