Here is a 725-word paper outlining the differences between unipolar and bipolar disorders: Unipolar and Bipolar Disorders: A Comparison Mental illnesses such as depression and bipolar disorder can have a profound impact on an individual's quality of life. It is important to understand the differences between unipolar and bipolar disorders in order to properly diagnose and treat those suffering from these conditions. This paper will compare unipolar and bipolar disorders by examining their underlying causes, symptoms, and available treatment options. Unipolar disorder, also known as major depressive disorder, involves episodes of depression without any history of mania or hypomania (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The causes

1. 1
McKenna
The Chesapeake Bay and the surrounding land are currently
contaminated with mercury from industrial sources, primarily
coal-fired power plants. These mercury emissions have been
linked to severe developmental disorders, which can occur
during prenatal development.[footnoteRef:1] Coal-fired power
plants account for up to 48 tons of mercury emissions per year
in the United States.[footnoteRef:2] In 1990, mercury
regulations were mandated by the Environmental Protection
Agency, which deemed that the regulation of mercury for coal-
fired power plants was “appropriate and
necessary.”[footnoteRef:3] However, after this date, few
legislative actions were enforced to prevent coal-fired power
plants from emitting mercury into the atmosphere. On December
21, 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency finally issued
mercury and air toxics standards to limit the amount of mercury
and other toxic pollutions released from power plants. Coal–
fired power plants have not reduced their mercury output until
recently due to the lack of effective technology implementation,
the influences of power plant lobbyists, and the lack of
government enforcement of mercury regulations. [1: for the
sake of precision here, you might put “linked to developmental
disorders, some of which can occur during prenatal
development.” i.e. to indicate that it’s the mother’s ingestion of
Hg which is the problem. ] [2: "Basic Information." EPA.
Environmental Protection Agency, 10 Mar. 2014. Web. 26 Oct.
2014. <http://www.epa.gov/mercury/about.html>.] [3: “Basic
Information”]
Once mercury is released into the environment from coal power
plants, it can then be swept into bodies of water. Environments

2. like the Chesapeake Bay, is home to many fish and wildlife that
are harmed by mercury. Not only does mercury pollute the
water, but fish also ingest mercury, making them harmful to
consume. Once mercury reaches the water, microorganisms are
able to convert mercury into methylmercury, which is a much
more toxic form. Even a small amount of mercury can cause
serious damage. According to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation,
approximately one gram of mercury per year is capable of
contaminating a 20-acre lake, poisoning fish and other aquatic
life. Fish and shellfish consumption is the most common form
of mercury exposure in humans. In a process called biological
magnification, methyl mercury accumulates in fish and becomes
more potent as it travels up the food chain. From this process,
concentration of mercury in fish tissue can be more than a
million times higher than in the surrounding water.
As top feeders, humans face severe physical and mental
impairment as a result of inadvertent mercury
consumption.[footnoteRef:4] Mercury is most harmful in the
early stages of fetal development; therefore, prenatal mercury
exposure can be especially detrimental. Once pregnant women
consume contaminated fish, methylmercury can have a negative
effect on the development of the fetus, even if the mother does
not show any symptoms of mercury exposure. When a mother is
exposed to high levels of methylmercury, it can also be excreted
into breast milk.[footnoteRef:5] This will further damage a
child’s development and function of both the immune and
central nervous system. In the United States alone, one in six
women of childbearing age have dangerous levels of mercury in
their blood, which has impacted over 400,000 newborn children
in the United States.[footnoteRef:6] [4: Beatrice Trum Hunter.
“Our Toxic Legacy: How Lead, Mercury, Arsenic, and Cadmium
Harm Our Health” Laguna Beach: Basic Health Publications,
2014. Ebook Library. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.] [5:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3096006/ ] [6:
“Basic Information”]

3. Coal, naturally containing mercury,[footnoteRef:7] is widely
used for electricity throughout the United States. It is burned to
generate about 50% of electricity in the United States and can
circulate in the atmosphere for far distances before it settles
into the environment.[footnoteRef:8] Currently there are power
plants in the Chesapeake Bay region that have already installed
efficient technology to reduce mercury emissions, however,
older coal-fired plants were not required to have this type of
costly technology. In the United States, Carbon Injection (ACI)
has been a popular method to decrease mercury emissions in
coal-fired power plants. Highly processed carbon absorbs
mercury in its gaseous form and converts it to a particulate that
allows it to be captured. To install only one ACI in a 300-
megawatt power plant, the cost can be $30 million. Another
form of technology used to capture mercury is a scrubber. “Dry
scrubbers,” have a fabric filter to trap mercury, whereas “wet
scrubbers,” capture mercury that is chemically bound with
oxygen. Both scrubbers can capture up to 90% of mercury
produced by coal-fired power plants; however, their installation
is far more expensive than that of an ACI, costing around $120
million per power plant.[footnoteRef:9] Instead of spending
significant amounts of money installing these technologies,
older power plants decided to fight against proposed EPA rules
for implementing technology.[footnoteRef:10] [7: ] [8: Tom
Pelton] [9: Daniel Weiss. “Mercury Falling.” Center for
American Progress. 21 June 2011. Web. 28 October 2014.
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2011/06/21
/9843/mercury-falling/ ] [10: ]
Older power plants had been successful in delaying EPA
requirements because the process of installing these
technologies is both long and tedious. According to the
Environmental Protection Agency, the total time needed to fully
install a wet scrubber system for a typical power plant is at least
27 months. Owners of coal-fired power plant industries take
advantage of this lengthy installation process. For example,

4. MidAmerican Energy, a global energy service provider, was in
favor of delaying the air toxics rule. Prolonging the institution
of these air toxic regulations would help power plant companies
save money and prosper for a longer amount of time.
Unfortunately, over an extended period of time, these delays are
contributing to a lethal accumulation of mercury throughout the
environment. Daniel Weiss, the Director of Climate Strategy at
American Progress, is currently a proponent for the clean
energy and climate advocacy campaign. He has proposed that
legislature should focus on the immediate implementation of
these control technologies, instead of allowing dominant power
plant utilities to continue to procrastinate. Weiss argues that the
public needs to take a higher responsibility to urge
administration to enforce these long-delayed
provisions.[footnoteRef:11] [11: Daniel Weiss]
Coal company lobbyists were also primary contributors to the
ongoing delay of these mercury pollution regulations. Jeffrey
Holmstead, a particularly egregious example of corruption,
abused his power in prominent environmental positions to
prevent the implementation of new laws. In 2001, he was
appointed as the Assistant Administrator of the United States
Environmental Protection Agency. During his time with the
EPA, he acted as though he was adamant about solving major
environment challenges, including those associated with
mercury. In reality, he was actively promoting decisions that
would benefit his outside clients, who were primarily coal
power plant companies. For example, under the bush
administration, he helped to design the “Clear Skies Initiative,”
which guaranteed that major air pollution-related health and
environmental problems would be improved, including
mercury.[footnoteRef:12] Instead, The Clear Skies Initiative
gave the coal industry years before they had to take any action.
In order to assist their coal operations, Holmstead continued to
delay clean air and climate change protection acts. The National
Resources Defense Counsel and other environmental groups

5. criticized Holmstead’s actions, stating that he had “tried to
achieve through litigation and delay a savings of billions of
dollars for the industry.”[footnoteRef:13] From 2002 to 2010,
Holmstead, among other lobbyists, significantly impacted the
delayed implementation of mercury pollution controls. [12:
http://www.pbs.org/now/science/clearskies.html ] [13:
“Mercury Man; Did the EPA's Jeffrey Holmstead take a cue
from Latham Lobbyists.” Institute for Agriculture and Trade
Policy. 1 August 2005. Web. 4 November 2014.
http://www.iatp.org/news/mercury-man-did-the-epas-jeffrey-
holmstead-take-a-cue-from-latham-lobbyists]
Finally, on December 16, 2011, the legislative struggle for strict
mercury pollution controls came to an end. The final rule
established power plant emission standards for mercury, acid
gases, and non-mercury metallic toxic pollutants and reduced
the amount of mercury emitted into the environment by 90
percent. Daniel Faber, the director of Northeastern
Environmental Justice Research Collaborative, proposed ideas
to improve pollution from toxins like mercury. He believes that
it is crucial to reshape the public opinion on the damaging
effects of mercury pollution to promote change. He believes
that remodeling the public opinion, putting more pressure on the
government, and recommending new political strategies to
government officials will help assist in key policy
innovations.[footnoteRef:14] Continuous political pressure and
demand for change are essential to enhance public priorities and
permanently reduce mercury pollution. [14: Faber, Daniel.
Capitalizing on Environmental Injustice: The Polluter-industrial
Complex in the Age of Globalization. Lanham: Rowman &
Littlefield, 2008. Print.]

6. Many people become depressed at some point in their lives, but
when these feelings interfere with an individual’s ability to live
a normal life and persist for an extended period, the individual
should seek professional help. Some individuals not only
experience depression but also extreme highs, known as mania,
making it more difficult to live a normal, productive life.
Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper outlining the differences
between unipolar and bipolar disorders.
Address the underlying causes of unipolar and bipolar disorders.
What symptoms would indicate that an individual may be
suffering from a unipolar or bipolar disorder? What treatments
are available for individuals who suffer from unipolar or bipolar
disorders?
Provide at least two references to support your research.
Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.