Assessing and Treating Patients With Bipolar Disorder2 analyze a decision tree of a 26-year-old female client of Korean descent diagnosed with Bipolar I disorder.

  Bipolar disorder (BPD) is a mental health disorder that causes periodic shifts in mood through episodes of dysthymia, depression, hypomania, and mania (Stern, Fava, Wilens, & Rosenbaum, 2016). BPD is characterized by periods of depressed or elevated/irritable mood that last for weeks to years. There are different types of BPD, which includes and not limited to; ?Bipolar 1 disorder characterized by the presence of at least one acute manic episode that lasts at least 7days, ?Bipolar II disorder, characterized by hypomania and longer depressive episodes, ?Cyclothymic disorder isdefined by periods of hypomanic symptoms and periods of depressive symptoms lasting for at least two years (1 year in children and adolescents). Patients with BPD typically present with mood episodes that include periods of unusually intense emotion, changes in sleep patterns and activity levels, and uncharacteristic behaviors, often without recognizing their likely harmful or undesirable effects (National Institute of Mental Health, 2020). Treatment strategies for patients with BPD are divided into two stages;the Acute phase focusing on minimizing or eliminating acute symptoms, and Maintenance phase focused on preventing recurrence and maximization of function (Stern, Fava, Wilens, & Rosenbaum, 2016). U.S Food & Drug Administration has approved several medications categorized to manage BPD. This includesmood stabilizers that help in balancing certain brain chemicals to prevent mania, hypomania, or depressive episodes and antipsychotic drugs, which have relatively newer drugs called atypical antipsychotic drugs(US Food & Drug Administration, 2017). The purpose of this paper is to analyze a decision tree of a 26-year-old female client of Korean descent diagnosed with Bipolar I disorder. She presents to her first appointment following a 21- day hospitalization of acute mania