Posts Tagged ‘bipolar disorder’

The Role of Medication In Treating Bipolar Illness

Sunday, December 20th, 2009

Medication plays a critical function in combating the dreaded symptoms of manic depression or bipolar 1 disorder. In fact, In thousands of instances, medication is the main thing that is helping them to forge ahead. But no medications is perfect and many have the potential of causing dangerous side effects. And the same is true for basically any medicine used to fight a disease. However, one way to at least mitigate the chances of medicine having harmful effects is to subject it to stringent testing.

Before a medication can be advertised as being effective for a certain disease, it must be approved by the FDA. However, just because a medication does not have FDA approval does not mean that it is ineffective. It could simply be in trials or it could be that money is not available to do long term clinical trials. The best thing is to find a doctor or health provider that you trust and follow their recommendations.

Therapy, for many people, has an undeserved negative connotation. They feel that they’ll be stigmatized or viewed as crazy if they seek psychiatric help. But, for many people it can literally be a godsend.

You have a couple of options when it comes to manic depression therapy treatment. You can partake in private therapy or you can choose to enroll inĀ  group therapy sessions. Therapy can be extremely helpful in bringing people to an understanding of themselves and their emotional swings. It can also help them to understand that they have some control over this illness. Therapy can help them realize that they do not have to be an innocent bystander in their own lives.

People who suffer from this terrible disorder can still manage to live an almost normal and productive life with the right treatment and medications. The more difficult cases may require hospital stays of various lengths to treat the problem.

Manic depression is an illness that affects millions of people. The best way to help those suffering from it is to bring it out of the closet and help them get the treatment that they need.

You can read more about bipolar illness and useful bipolar support groups at Julie’s website.

Therapies For Manic Depression

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

Manic Depression, otherwise referred to as bipolar 1 disorder, is not a disease that you come down with and then get over. It is something that will be with you the rest of your life. And it can make your life a living and emotional hell as you try to get through the ups and downs. But you have to learn to live with it.

As human beings, it’s normal for us to swing from happiness to sadness and back again depending on the circumstances. What separates this behavior from manic depressive illness is the intensity of the swings. It’s not unusual for the mood of a person with manic depressive illness to swing from giddy exhilaration to the deepest suicidal depression. It’s trying to control and live with those extremes that can make life very difficult for these people.

The symptoms of manic depression usually arrive sometime in the late adolescent years. It can be extremely difficult to diagnose because it arrives at precisely the same time that hormonal and other factors are affecting them. Even normal teenagers’ emotions can swing wildly from one moment to the next.

There are two factors for learning to live with manic depression successfully: 1) get diagnosed early and 2) get proper treatment. Bipolar disorder, once diagnosed, is normally treated with a combination of mood stabilizers and therapy.

Mood stabilizers are psychiatric medications developed to stabilize the extreme mood shifts from mania and depression in those suffering from manic depression or bipolar disorder. Popular mood stabilizers are Lithium, Valproic acid, Lamotrigine, and Carbamazepine. A variety of mood stabilizers are constantly undergoing clinical trials in an attempt to find the best treatment possible for manic depression.

While it’s true that mood stabilizers can usually help manic depression symptoms, they should be used with care. And then should probably not be used by women who are pregnant as they have not been proven to be safe for the fetus. If you are pregnant, as with all other medical issues, consult your doctor before embarking on this form of treatment.

You can read more about bipolar illness and bipolar support groups and therapies at Julie’s website.

Want To Know More About Manic Depressive Disorder? Read On.

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

Manic depressive disorder, also known as bipolar disorder, is a kind of mood disorders where the person has mood swings that can cause them not to respond appropriately to daily challenges. Left untreated, this can become a severely disabling psychiatric condition.

The difference between manic depressive disorder and major depression is that manic depressive disorder has “energized” or “activated” mood states in addition to depressed mood states. The duration and intensity of mood states varies widely among people with the illness.

Moving from one mood state to another is called “cycling” or having mood swings. Mood swings cause damage not only in one’s mood, but also in one’s energy level, sleep pattern, activity level, social rhythms and thinking abilities. Most people become fully disabled, for some period of time, after being diagnosed, and during this time may find it challenging to function normally.

The vast majority of people diagnosed with suffer from depression. For people who suffer from bipolar I disorder, there is at least a 3 to 1 ratio of time spent depressed versus time spent in a normal mood or hypomanic or manic~For people who suffer from bipolar I disorder, they experience 3 times the time spent depressed than in other states in their lives~For people who suffer from bipolar I disorder, there is at least a 3 to 1 ratio of time spent depressed versus time spent in a normal mood or hypomanic or manic}. In most cases, people with the bipolar II disorder experiences depression more often than hypomania. That is up to 37 times longer than bipolar I.

In 2003, a medical research conducted by Rober Hirschfeld, M.D., of the University of Texas, Galveston found bipolar patients fared worse in their depressions than unipolar patients. When compared in terms of disability, lost years of productivity and potential for suicide, manic depressive disorder is now recognized as the most menacing aspect of the illness.

If you would like to know the treatments for manic depressive disorder, do head over to http://www.RemedyBipolarDisorder.com for more information and resources.

How To Identify The Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder

Monday, November 16th, 2009

Bipolar disorder refers to patterns of abnormal and severe mood swings. The patients require people around them to given them love, understanding and care.

It is estimated that there are about 5.7 million Americans who have bipolar disorder. In quite a number of cases, the prodromes of this illness started to manifest during adolescence or early adulthood. Although there is no cure, people who suffer from it can still continue to live well. The key lies in recognising the different symptoms and their corresponding treatment.

If you know someone who is suffering from a bipolar disease then you already know the effects in their daily lives. However, it does not necessarily mean that a person with bipolar disorder is always down and depressed. Their moods just have a tendency to alter from an extremely high to an extremely low status. This mood swings are very hard to recognize. Coping with such condition is also difficult since the patient is also affected physically.

Always expect for a worst scenario. Sometimes, the persistent highs and lows of moods can drive some of these patients to end their lives. It is because they think that it is their way to escape. When this happens often, getting medical help is crucial. Do not think that you would waste their time if ever nothing happened. What matters most is that you have avoided any worst consequences.

Remission of the illness is possible thus it can affect a person throughout his or her life. Treatment can be through creating and sustaining a strong support network. But the first step for achieving successful results in the future is to learn some basic tips on how to spot symptoms of a bipolar disorder.

1. It is very easy to determine manic episodes. The most distinguishing factor is euphoric mood and increased level of energy. These characteristics are easily noticed and very evident. It is obvious that a person first manifested a depressed mood for a longer period of time. Other symptoms include coming up with new ideas, increased risky activities and increased sex drive.

2. While identifying depression can be easy, it is often written off as a bad day. An anxious or a sad mood over a long period of time is a clear sign of a depressed person. This is the first symptom you should look out for. Another common symptoms is the neglect of taks and reduction in activities due to loss of interest.

3. Serious cases of bipolar disorder can later display psychosis symptoms including delusions and hallucinations. These are much easier to identify. However, the sufferer may not be aware of it.

4. To spot a mixed state of a bipolar disorder, you should know that the sufferer is simultaneously experiencing both depression and mania. It include reduced sleep, agitation, and appetite changes. The sufferer of such bipolar disorder can possesses a very high energy level yet feel very depressed.

5. The symptom that is considered to be the most horrifying is morbid thoughts. Many people choose to ignore it while hoping that it will soon disappear. Suspecting a patient who have morbid thoughts and contemplates suicide must be acted upon immediately. Get help to prevent anything worse from happening.

Keep in mind that recognizing these symptoms correctly is important to reveal the real nature of a bipolar disease. Incorrect diagnosis can lead to prolong or lifetime suffering. The sufferers can get advice from medical professionals when depression attacks them but sometimes they are not sharing information aout their manic behaviors. That is due to the fact that is assoiated with normalcy or happiness.

Recently, more and more people are getting the proper education regarding the distinguishing symptoms of a bipolar disorder because of the attentions given on its research and studies. Guidance can be found through reputable site or local clinics which offer information. Keep in mind that this challenging mood disorder can be treated to lead productive lives. So learn more about the symptoms of bipolar disorder today at http://www.remedybipolardisorder.com

Treating Manic Depressive Disorder

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

Manic depressive disorder, sometimes known as manic depression or bipolar disorder, isn’t one single thing. It’s more a constellation of disorders, mostly characterized by swings between highly elevated moods and severely depressed ones. With variations of the illness manifesting itself in different ways (rapid or slow cycling of moods, for example), finding the best treatments can be a real challenge. Probably the first step in getting a handle on it, in fact, is to find a therapist who knows a great deal about the disorder. Teamwork among the person with the illness and his or her doctors is the key.

Often people who live with manic depressive disorder function well in the periods between manic and depressive episodes. This means they can take an active role, along with their doctors, in devising and monitoring their own recovery depression treatments. They particularly need to guard against the temptation to go off their medications, thinking they no longer need them, if the symptoms seem to disappear. So their therapy will often not be restricted just to the drugs, but may include psychotherapy to help them recognize any of their own behaviors that might contribute to the worsening of their illness.

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When it comes to the medications prescribed for manic depressives, there are a great many currently available. However, lithium has been used for many years in various forms, and seems to have the best track record for stabilizing the mood swings and even for reducing instances of suicide. One difficulty with this drug, however, is the side effects of high blood pressure, water retention and constipation. So, new treatments are often sought to see if other drugs might work as well, with fewer repercussions. Interestingly, it’s a breast cancer medicine called tamoxifen that has shown one of the best and quickest responses to a manic phase. Other mood stabilizers and antipsychotic drugs are also among the current treatments.

As constant research into manic depressive disorder goes on, and knowledge about the manifestations of this illness increases, newer drugs and treatments are also being developed. What people can contribute on their own side of the treatment equation is to gather whatever bipolar info they can, work with a therapist, and become familiar with potential weak spots in their own behavior. A successful treatment strategy can only be developed when all parties work together.

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