Abstract
Bipolar disorder is one of the various clinical disorders that affect millions of people worldwide. There is no known cause for the disorder though genetics and environment play a significant role in exacerbating it. This paper examines the journey of one Carrie Mathison, a CIA agent who suffers from bipolar disorder. Like other patients with bipolar disorder, Mathison experienced frequent maniac episodes. She also exhibited high-risk behaviors, which are characteristic of bipolar disorder patients. That behavior was evident in her lack of inhibition and excessive drinking. Mathison also exhibited psychotic behaviors, particularly when she saw herself as a heroine even though it was evident that her choices were irrational. Suicidal thoughts constantly bugged her, and she tried committing suicide two times in her life. As evidenced by the case of Mathison, medication works because she only suffered from maniac episodes after failing to take her medication. The bottom line is that a patient suffering from bipolar disorder can live a normal life if the condition is well managed.
Carrie Mathison: Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder is one among the numerous clinical disorders that exist. The disorder results in shifts in mood and energy levels. A person suffering from the disorder experiences periods of severe depression, which may be arbitrarily replaced by elevated moods. Previously, the disorder was referred to as maniac depression. In fact, mania is the major defining symptom of bipolar disorder. There is no known specific cause of the bipolar disorder; however, both environmental and genetic factors play a role in its emergence. In the United States, approximately 3.9 percent of the general population is affected by bipolar disorder (Hilty, Leamon, Lim, Kelly & Hales, 2006). The disorder can be disruptive to the life of the affected person, but the mood swings can be controlled through medication and psychotherapy (Myers, 2014). In the television series Homeland, Carrie Mathison, a CIA agent and protagonist in the film suffers from bipolar disorder. It is manifested through Mathison’s frequent and extreme mood swings to the extent that many around her questioned her sanity.
Bipolar type I manifests itself in the form of maniac episodes that may last for days and up to two weeks. Such episodes are often followed up by extended episodes of depression (Werner, 2014). Some of the symptoms may be too severe to the extent that the individual may require hospitalization. Maniac episodes may lead to the affected individual expressing euphoria usually through speaking rapidly - as was often the case with Mathison. It causes them to act in an uninterruptible manner (Werner, 2014). Often, Saul, Mathison’s colleague and confidant, who was aware of her disorder, had to calm her down during her euphoric feats. In one incident, Mathison’s impulsive behavior and erratic behavior saw her cause a tantrum in the office by demanding to acquire a green pen which she contended was the only way she could be productive.
The maniac episodes also manifested themselves in the form of highly goal-oriented activities (Fawcett, 2012). In the first season, Carrie Mathison discontinued her medication arguing that it interfered with her work, which is a common occurrence among those that suffer from bipolar disorder. Consequently, she experienced a maniac episode where she felt a heightened urgency to expose Abu Nazir, a primary antagonist in the television series. Mathison’s heightened state was depicted through her timeline of all the events in pictures and paper cuttings that she stuck on her walls covering almost her entire flat.
Maniac episodes in bipolar individuals may lead to them undertaking high-risk behaviors. For Mathison, this behavior was exemplified through hyper sexuality. It is manifested in the sexual affairs she has with Brody Nicholas and intelligence asset Hassan. Her lack of risk inhibition during the maniac episodes was coupled with a lack of sleep, the alienation of friends and family including her child as well as excessive drinking (Werner, 2014). They are common behaviors illustrated by individuals suffering from bipolar disorder.
Psychosis is a mental condition in which the affected individual loses touch with reality. In extreme cases, mania episodes turn into psychosis. For Mathison, her psychosis led her to have a perception of herself as a chosen heroine. This was especially the case even in situations that appeared evidently irrational. In one instance, she failed to accept the reality that Brody Nicholas would inevitably be hanged. She went to great lengths to save Nicholas, whom she had since fallen in love with, yet it was evident that having a relationship would be impossible as he was held up in a prison cell in Iran. The psychosis is closely related to hallucinations, which a majority of those suffering from bipolar disorder experience. As a result, the need to act rather than being guided by reality is often guided by what the affected persons experience in their hallucinations.
Most of the actions undertaken during such psychotic episodes are often inherently risky. However, attempts to stop the individual from such actions may turn violent and even lead to hospitalization as severally evidenced by Carrie Mathison. Her psychosis was also illustrated when she attempted to stop the perceived national security threat that Brody Nicholas posed even though she lacked the clearance to do so. It led her to Nicholas’s home where she irrationally told his daughter that her father was a terrorist.
Maniac episodes for most of the individuals suffering from bipolar disorder rather than being arbitrary are preceded by some symptoms (Fawcett, 2012). Most common of these symptoms is the lack of discernable sleep patterns as well as elevated or reduced appetite. An increase in the level of anxiety may also be experienced in the days or weeks leading up to a maniac episode. Such symptoms were exhibited by Mathison before the onset of her maniac episodes.
Often, maniac episodes are followed up by episodes of depression. The depression episodes may be expressed in the form of increased levels of anxiety, changes in appetite, isolation, guilt, and suicidal thoughts among other symptoms (Myers, 2014). Suicidal thought is one of the most prevalent symptoms during a depressive episode in an individual suffering from bipolar disorder. About fifty percent of people suffering from the disorder have been reported to have attempted suicide at least once. About a quarter of them commit suicide, which is a testament to the gravity of the clinical disorder.
The suicidal thoughts are often as a result of a feeling of worthlessness. That explains the high suicide rates for people affected by bipolar disorder (Angst, 2007). Carrie Mathison attempted to commit suicide twice, attributing it to voices in her head. During such depressive episodes, she was overcome by feelings of guilt for not being able to love her child as a mother would normally be expected to. It is this feeling of guilt that in one incident pushed her to attempt infanticide by suffocating her child in a bathtub. She also felt guilty for the death of the vice president and the near bombing of hundreds in Langley. She blamed herself for not being able to stop such incidents in time. During such episodes of depression, Mathison would sleep for days often waking up during the night due to delusions. It is during one such incident that she overdosed on her medication in an attempt to commit suicide.
It is not evident what might have predisposed Carrie Mathison to suffer from bipolar disorder. However, according to the kindling hypothesis, an individual that is highly predisposed to the bipolar disorder then ends up being exposed to stressful conditions is likely to show symptoms of the disorder. Her job as a CIA field agent, which is inherently stressful, might therefore have progressively raised her susceptibility to bipolar disorder.
As alluded to earlier, bipolar disorder can be managed through medication and psychological counseling (Myers, 2014). Once the CIA learned of her condition, Mathison was routinely taken for psychological counseling. Mathison’s psychotherapy as part of the management for the disorder was coupled with lithium medication. Lithium is the most common and effective medication used for patients suffering from bipolar disorder (Werner, 2014). As a testament to the efficacy of the management of bipolar disorder, Carrie Mathison only suffered from maniac and depression episodes when she failed to take her medication. Her condition was also exacerbated once when the agency switched her medication to the less effective LSD. Over and above professional courses of treatment, family focused therapy is also an important aspect of the treatment. Mathison experienced close family support from her father and sister who was a psychologist herself.
Ultimately, it is evident that bipolar disorder can have devastating effects in some instances resulting in death. This is illustrated by the high suicide as well as attempted suicide rates among individuals suffering from the disorder. However, with effective management, a bipolar person can live a relatively normal life. Carrie Mathison is a testament that persons suffering from bipolar disorder do not have to be condemned to mental institutions but can be productive with proper management.
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