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Which two mental illnesses tend to emerge in a person's teens or twenties?

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are serious psychological illnesses that have a very strong genetic component and tend to be diagnosed at a relatively young age. These disorders can usually be treated with prescription medications.

Schizophrenia

Bipolar Disorder

SchizophreniaSchizophrenia is relatively rare, affecting only about 1% of Americans. People mistakenly refer to this condition as “split personality,” but that description is not accurate. Someone with schizophrenia does not have two or more personalities--they just act very different when having an episode of psychosis (losing touch with reality) because their perception of reality is so skewed.

Symptoms of schizophrenia include hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not perceptible to anyone else), delusions (bizarre or paranoid beliefs not based in reality), disorganized or illogical thinking, garbled speech or the use of nonsense words, agitated body movements, a monotonous tone of voice, and neglect of personal hygiene. Not everyone with schizophrenia has all of these symptoms, however.

Schizophrenia typically develops in a person’s twenties. Someone with the disease may have a single schizophrenic episode and recover, or they may have recurrent episodes and require long-term treatment. With appropriate medication, many people with schizophrenia are able to manage their symptoms and go on with their lives.

Bipolar Like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder usually develops or emerges in a person's early twenties. The condition is characterized by extreme mood swings, from extreme enthusiasm and energy (mania) to extreme depression. Bipolar disorder used to be called manic depressive disorder.

In the manic phase, a person with bipolar disorder has lots of energy and a sense of euphoria (extreme well-being). The person may talk very fast, take wild risks, spend money extravagantly, and become sexually promiscuous. They may choose not to eat or drink and may stay awake for days at a time. Mania usually doesn’t last more than a few weeks, however, and is followed by deep depression.

There is no cure for bipolar disorder, but symptoms can be managed with medication. Unfortunately, some people with bipolar disorder miss the “high” of their manic phase and choose to go off their medication.

Question

What are some possible dangers to a person with bipolar disorder during a manic episode?

During a manic episode, a person with bipolar disorder might contract a sexually-transmitted infection during unprotected sex; the person might go into debt with wild spending or be in an automobile accident due to risky driving.