Helping a Person with Bipolar Disorder: Case Study Essay

Introduction

Approximately 1 in 5 people in the U.S. struggles with a mental illness every year, Hollywood is no exception. As time goes on due to a better societal view on mental illness more and more of our favorite actors, producers, and musicians come forward with their struggles with mental illness. From depression to schizophrenia it is crucial these illnesses not be ignored or misdiagnosed to ensure the proper treatment of those suffering. Although the recent forthcoming of a few of our famous population, in a recent study conducted by The National Alliance on Mental Illness, they found that over 48 million of all American adults struggle with a mental illness and over 60% of these cases go untreated and/or undiagnosed. This research suggests that a relatively large percentage of actors and musicians struggling with mental illness do not go public with their illnesses. There are many figures in Hollywood that may show different symptoms of different mental illnesses, whether this represents mental illness directly is to be decided by a mental health specialist. In this paper, I will attempt to provide a proficient amount of evidence to suggest that popular actor and musician Demi Lovato may suffer from bipolar disorder. A disorder that I believe could be partly responsible for influencing her in both her personal and career decisions throughout her life.

Background Information

Demi Lovato was born on August 20, 1992, in Albuquerque, New Mexico to mother Dianna De La Garza and father Patrick Martin Lovato. Lovato first faced adversity when her parents divorced in mid-1994, shortly after her second birthday. School for Demi was a struggle all by itself, she experienced bullying at a young age and this would eventually lead to health struggles such as eating disorders and cutting, and overall began to wear away at any of the confidence that she had. Demi and her parents at a young age decided that homeschooling would be best for her in an attempt to get away from the toxicity of public schooling. Demi began acting at a very young age performing in talent shows and many famous venues including the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day halftime show. She first appeared on television at the age of 7 to play a small role on a popular kids' tv show Barney and Friends. As a result of this performance, her acting career was born. She went on to play a bigger role on the Disney tv show When the Bell Rings, and then on to her breakout performance in the hit movie Camp Rock, to becoming the star of her tv show Sonny with a Chance. Being exposed to show business at this young age was an enormous task for her, creating a large amount of stress for the young actor. She recently said in an interview that if she could do it over again she would not take on the stress of being put in that position again nor would she put anyone else through it. Demi was exposed to cocaine at the age of 17 while she was working on the set of Sonny with a Chance Speaking in her 2017 documentary Simply Complicated, she said: “I was with a couple friends, and they introduced me to it. I was scared because my mom always told me my heart could just burst if you do it, but I did it anyways. And I loved it.” This began a long battle with staying sober as her drug abuse began to take hold of her life. In 2010 at the age of 18, Demi withdrew from the Jonas Brothers live in a concert tour to seek rehabilitation for her growing drug abuse. A statement from Demi’s reps said, “Demi has decided to take personal responsibility for her actions and seek help. She is doing just that. Demi and her family ask that the media please respect their privacy during this difficult time. She regrets not being able to finish her tour but is looking forward to getting back to work in the near future.” after leaving rehab Demi took to her old ways not sticking to the program and she admitted that her drug use spiraled out of cont control around 2011 to 2013. She said, “With my drug use I could hide it to where I would sneak drugs. I couldn’t go without 30 minutes to an hour without cocaine and I would bring it on airplanes. I would smuggle it basically and just wait until everyone in first class would go to sleep and I would do it right there. I’d sneak to the bathroom and I’d do it.” Rock Bottom came for Demi at the age of 19 when she found herself smuggling a Sprite bottle full of vodka into an airport trying to make it back to a sober house where she was living at. Demi went on to that sober house and became sober for the next 6 years relapsing again in 2018 this time narrowly escaping with her life as she was rushed to an L.A hospital for a possible heroin overdose.

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Diagnosis

Defined by the National Institute of Mental Health, Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. Bipolar Disorder breaks down into 4 different types; all 4 involve clear changes in energy, activity levels, and mood. These moods range from a severe “high” (also known as the manic phase) to severe “lows” (known as depressive stages. During the manic phase one may feel as though they are on top of the world, that they are invincible, they may feel heightened energy, lack of sleep, creativity, and euphoria. At the beginning of the manic phase, mania may feel good to a person although their mania often spirals out of control causing someone to behave recklessly making irrational decisions based on impulse, leaving them extremely vulnerable to addiction. In a study done by the Addiction Center, they found that over 60% percent of those suffering from bipolar disease also deal with ongoing substance abuse issues. It is not fully understood why this happens but Bipolar disease makes people more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol. Along with the manic highs that may last 7 days or more. mania is often followed by a period of bipolar depression that lasts at least 2 weeks. With Bipolar depression, you may speak and move slowly, sleep more than usual, and gain weight. You may also be more prone to develop psychotic depression—a condition in which you lose contact with reality, which may lead to severe issues in both the workplace and in your personal life.

Connection

Throughout Demi Lovato’s life, we see the signs and symptoms of Bipolar Disorder. And although it wasn’t diagnosed until later in her life I believe she may have developed the disorder as young as the age of 17. Beginning in just elementary school, we see that Lavato struggled with cutting a clear sign of depression due to her experiences at school. At the age of 17, Demi was introduced to cocaine and alcohol. Two substances can very negatively affect your mental as well as your physical well-being. Demi would go on to get addicted to these substances relying on them daily. I believe that bipolar disorder may have had an effect on her decision-making skills and her ability to fight the addiction.

Treatment

Had her struggles with bipolar disorder been caught earlier it could have been possible to help her break this addiction or even stopped them from happening. With Bipolar disorder the most popular type of treatment is medication. Anti-psychotics may help prevent mood episodes or reduce their severity when they occur. Other common types of treatment may include Psychotherapy (sometimes called “talk therapy”), which is a term for a variety of treatment techniques that aim to help a person identify and change troubling thoughts and behaviors. Psychotherapy can offer support, skills, and strategies to help combat this order to those who suffer and their families. Psychotherapy often is used in combination with medications. Had Demi been supported with these types of treatment she may have been able to avoid troubling habits and addictions throughout her lifetime.