Bipolar Depression And Other Depressions
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009Known to be with us since man started recording history, this depressive disorder has been read in the Old Testament like Job and King David, suffered from this mental illness. The Greek physician Hippocrates called depression, melancholia (a black bile). It is a clinical depression, a serious medical disorder that is negative in nature and affects our feelings, thinking and our actions. Most of what we experience today has been written in literature arts many years ago. But what does this mental illness – depressive disorder or a bipolar depression disorder mean? During the 18th century, this mental illness was portrayed as a weakness of temperament which was inherited from family members. In the beginning of the this century Freud linked the progress of depression to guilt and conflict.
Depression – The Two Divisions
Depression was divided into two in the olden days:
• Endogenous: depression is a problem coming from within the body and probably linked to a genetic origin. It may also be caused by the body itself but nobody knows its source. Bipolar depression falls under this category.
• Neurotic or reactive: the cause is from outside, like the death of a loved one, losing somebody special and the loss of the only source of income. It was in the 70s and the 80s, that the focus changed.
We may never know what causes depression or bipolar depression, but most would agree that:
• It is a syndrome that reflects severe sad, irritable mood which can be classed as abnormal sadness or grief. These feelings of sadness of depression are both intense and takes a long time when compared to the normal ups and downs.
•The characteristics include eating, weight and sleeping problems and the presence of negative thoughts, moods, and behaviors. The physical symptoms are, crying spells, aches in the body, very low energy in both work and sex.
• The risks for coronary artery disease, HIV, asthma, and some other medical diseases increases also with mortality rate.
•The huge financial and human costs of depression in the United States alone are huge and this includes - treatment costs, other indirect costs, like lost in productivity and absenteeism of workers.
Bipolar Depression Symptoms
The unique trait of this illness is, it’s not the outside that is causing the depression, but the brain producing its lows with the feelings of worry, sad, angry, guilt, isolation and hopelessness. This disorder is caused by the brain’s neurotransmitters which can cause sleeping and eating problems and a shift in moods.
Problems with Not Treating
Family members of those with peopleof bipolar depression, can drain out the energy of family members. Like any serious diseases, depression in bipolar can create a lot of problems with those living together, the family, friends, and even your boss at work.
Bipolar Treatment of Bipolar Depression
Please seek medical advice near you if you find that a member of your family or a friend are showing symptoms of bipolar depression like sleeping too much, sad, feelings of helpless, worthless, hopeless with decreased energy and concentration. Early bipolar treatment is essential with this type of mental illness.