As we have become desensitized to its existence in our society, the prevalence of mood disorders is devastating. These disorders affect people from all walks of life and cause great destruction in their wake. Janice Butterfield is one of those people who lives with a mood disorder. She is a 47-year-old white woman, married with three daughters. She is an independent real estate agent and derives great satisfaction from her work. This, however, was a point of stress for her as the poor economy forced her to incur losses within her business. She lives with her husband of 27 years and her youngest daughter. Janice often feels overwhelmed and disappointed by her worries about not being able to send her daughter to college or financially support her family. Janice underwent therapy after a suicide attempt, where she took a large amount of previously prescribed medication. for a back problem. Janice says she has depressive episodes that last between one and two months before easing and seem to randomly follow periods where she feels almost ecstatic. During high moments of her mood, Janice acts erratically, from spending money frivolously (uncharacteristic of her modest tendencies) to needing very little of sleep. This caused great relationship damage in Janice's life, she spent most of her savings, and she and her husband often argued over financial matters. On the other hand, during periods of low mood, Janice spends the majority of her days in bed and toying with suicidal thoughts. These mood swings have bothered her since she was 19, and although she has considered therapy in the past, this is the first time she has actively sought it. Janice's illness n...... middle of paper ...... in time. However, if she stops treatment prematurely, she will have little success. People with bipolar I disorder are difficult to treat because they are accustomed to fluctuating moods. Some people go through periods of normality where they return to their baseline mood and therefore do not always consider treatment necessary. Janice's road to recovery is difficult as it is revealed that she stops taking medication when she begins to feel better. This could directly harm the treatment. She also fears appearing "weak" in the eyes of her family and directly attributes therapy to this weakness. Unless she overcomes this preoccupation with the stigma of therapy, she will never experience true success. Moving forward, I see Janice and individuals like Janice continuing to experience the roller coaster of emotions associated with bipolar, especially if they are reluctant to get help..