Depression Effects | Depression Definition | Depression Children | Treatment Of Depression | DEPRESSION MEN

We go through life with our ups and down. But those with this mental illness called bipolar disorder, their good days are really up with high energy level and their low days very, very low with low energy . Patients with symptoms of the disorder can have problems with their work, children with their school performance, relationships can go down with daily activities easily disrupted. Bipolar disorder can be treated, but a lot of individuals are not able to see the warning signs and get the help needed. All must be warned that this mental disorder can get worse if its not treated early. Therefore, important to know and learn the early signs and seek help as soon as possible. In other words all must be able to recognize the early symptoms for it is the way forward to getting this mental disease under control.

Also known as manic depression, bipolar which is a mental disease with severe shifting of mood, thoughts, behavior and energy level. The high energy is called mania on one side and the low energy – depression. In some patients the cycles of bipolar can take days, and some others weeks and even months. Mood swings in bipolar are not like ordinary mood changes because it is severe and usually interferes with daily activities.

Know the Difference of Mania and Depression

When victims are going through mania symptoms they can become very impulsive and decide with the spur of the moment to leave their jobs, having a few credit cards with lots of credit and sleeping two to three hours with lots of energy. On the other hand patients going through the depressive episode, this same person can be very tired after a long rest and get out of bed tired with feelings of being hopeless and helpless.

What Causes Bipolar?

To date no one really knows what causes bipolar disease. Experts believe that this mental disorder may be passed on by family members and has biological and environmental causes. Symptoms of bipolar can be noticed in young children as young as age two but that has to be clarified by the experts to determine if its bipolar. Bipolar symptoms in children can be both subtle and confusing because of other mental disorder which may accompany bipolar. With adults it is quite straight forward, the only difficulty is when other symptoms similar to bipolar symptom coming together. This is probably one of the reason why many people are under diagnosed. Having the right diagnosis and treatment, bipolar patients can live a normal life.

Using Bipolar Medication

To help control the lows and highs of bipolar disorder symptoms, doctors are treating bipolar disorder with mood stabilizers. This medication may have some serious side effects, but they are the key in treating both mania and depression symptoms. Lithium is an old medication but quite effective as a mood stabilizer. It has been very effective in treating bipolar mania.

Not forgetting your daily medication that must be taken,  bipolar support groups allow those who share a common diagnosis or interest to gather for a common purpose. The main idea of these people  coming together is to share ideas on how to cope, and offer emotional support.  Most support groups are usually administered by someone who has some experience in these kinds of dialogue, but this must not dishearten you because it is not an important factor. To come together to just SHARE IDEAS. With the right tool you as a mother or a patient can form a bipolar support group and help those that are interested.

A Suitable Place

A place to meet whether it be in your garage, a hall or even inside your house, the one important factor here is that it must be comfortable and available when you as a group need it.  The most ideal  sitting position is in a circle rather than the church style setup.

Rules to be followed

There are some important points that must be emphasized every time you meet, beside the ones you as a group will make later on:

Confidentiality: everything shared inside MUST stay inside.

No other sources: everything shared must be from personal experience. There should be no quoting from the bible or famous people, it must not be allowed into your meetings.

No preaching: not be tolerated are words such as don’t do this or don’t do that.

Offer suggestions: Use non threatening suggestion. All  suggestions must be from personal experience like; “my child had that same thing and I did this” or “ I went through the same experience and I did this.”

No gossip: dragging somebody’s name down in these meetings must not be  allowed.

JUST LISTEN: Most would come to a meeting not to have their problem solved but to have an opportunity to share all  their  frustrations in their everyday life with bipolar victims.

Primary Goal

Ensuring no one living with bipolar disease or this mental condition feel alone again, the primary goal of most bipolar support groups is to  provide important emotional support. Support groups can improve the physical health and well being of those taking part and a  safety net for patients and caregivers.

Other Functions

In some places bipolar support groups, also called special interest groups (SIG), form an integral part for many health organizations and a critical foundation for those trying to cope with the disorder. Support groups help fill the emptiness between medicine and the daily everyday struggles.  It generally helps patients to cope and also serve as educators and inform about the new advancements in bipolar treatment or therapies available.

Support Groups Online

With modern technologies at our doorsteps, many have found online support a great help. This type of support network is ideal for those living in rural areas or those who are scared of leaving the security of their homes. Many use online support as a backup to their existing bipolar support groups in their community.

There have been many doubts prevailing about the brain disorder called bipolar in children. Physicians and scientists come out with various opinions and conclusions but many times they have been misguiding. Various theories and statements have been issued about the symptoms of bipolar but all of them have aggravated the confusion. The American Journal of Psychiatry published an article in the year 2000. It stated that “people with symptoms of bipolar have 30% more brain cells in both the parts of their brain. These extra cells send electric signals that cause over stimulation of the brain. Thus symptoms of bipolar are developed in children.

The Cause of the  Disorder?

We have yet to find out where childhood bipolar disorder really comes from, and though it’s tempting to look for a simple, catch all answer, in truth it’s not as simple as all that. It seems, though, that this disorder comes from a combination of factors, where certain biological conditions in the child have to come together with environmental factors in order to create this illness.

The Influence of Genes

Do kids inherit bipolar condition from their blood relatives? Research has shown that in cases of multiple, twin and adoption situations, kids have a greater tendency of inheriting mood imbalances if they have family members with histories of symptoms of bipolar disorder condition. With twins, research found that when one twin has the condition, the other twin has a 300% greater chance of having it also.

The Question of  Neurotransmitters

But what features are inherited? The Neurotransmitter system–the information network of the brain–has unfortunately received a lot of attention as the possible cause of bipolar disorder in both children and adults. Scientists have known for some time that mood disorders and neurotransmitters are linked. Indeed, using medications that target and change these transmitters are able to relieve bipolar symptoms.

Triggers of Stress

All  mental, environmental and emotional issues, having a stressful life are thought to be the main reason bipolar disorder occurs. Stress  can range from the  death of a loved one, losing your only source of income divorce and moving to a new place. These stress can be anything and clear cut, because what may be  one person’s piece of cake may be another person’s misery.

Adding all together

When one looks at  the cause of symptoms of bipolar in children, the best explanation according to research recently available is what they call the “Diathesis-Stress Model.” This  word diathesis when  simplified means, a person with a physical condition that make him/her more than vulnerable  to certain diseases,  somehow  inherits some physical problems that may or may not appear depending on what kind of stress has  occurred  in their lives. To know more about symptoms of bipolar in children visit  knowingbipolardisorder.com.

This mental illness is a very complex disease with   different symptoms — and types. When we talk about this disease, its main signs are unpredictable shifting of emotions and moods from high (mania), low (depression) and the middle hippo mania. The severity of this mental illness can vary from severe to mild with certain periods when there are no signs showing at all (normal).

Some Signs

One item that is an absolute fact is that patients who suffer from severe depression will not all be impacted the same way. The mood swings, length of time in a severe depression, and other factors will all vary greatly from person to person. Each and every individual is different and bipolar depressive signs may surface very differently from one person to another. Due to the fact that bipolar depression is fairly common and a very serious condition, it is of the utmost importance that as soon as bipolar disorder symptoms are recognized that the individual seek treatment from the closest medical professional in psychiatry.

Experiencing an extreme depression, which is also referred to as the depression stage, may include feelings such as a minimum level of energy, feeling very down and out, anxious and nervous, empty and alone, being of no value to yourself or anyone around you. Along with these adverse feelings, you may consider suicide and how you would actually go about taking your own life. Other feelings you may experience could include feeling guilty, withdrawing from events and activities that you may have enjoyed at one time or another, trouble focusing, insomnia, and a marked change in your appetite.

Children with the illness

It is important for all those working with young children, both parents and school staff, to familiarize themselves with the range of bipolar disorder symptoms. When the important people in a child’s life are able to recognize early-onset bipolar disorder, fast action in the form of diagnosis and treatment can be taken. When everyone works together in a program for the child with behavioral, academic or social problems there is a good chance of successful treatment.

Seeking Treatment

Both mood stabilizing medication and counseling are indicated in the treatment of bipolar disorder. It is crucial that those with bipolar disorder learn about their medication and the side effects associated with the drugs. A reliable system needs to be implemented to ensure that the patient takes their medication regularly, even when they are feeling better and stable. Not taking the medication on a regular basis will lead to severe episodes, relapses and hospitalization. Those around the bipolar patient, such as family and friends, should continue to monitor the patient’s mood, sleep patterns, change in eating habits and behaviors to prevent the onset of manic or depressive episodes. Bipolar patients should not use alcohol or drugs, even mild drugs such as marijuana can make bipolar symptoms worse. It is essential that those with bipolar disorder lead a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet, adequate sleep and regular exercise. Such a healthy lifestyle will aid in lowering stress levels and improving quality of life.

For most psychiatrists or doctors the first line of treating this mental disease bipolar  is the use of medications  or by pharmacological intervention . Most of the prescribed treatments we have today are for bipolar depression or mania. We have outlined some general classes and specific examples of medicine used by doctors in the control of bipolar manic symptoms.

Treating Bipolar manic depression

1.Mood stabilizers. Doctors give mood stabilizers to treat bipolar manic depression. One of the biggest problem with antidepressants are – patients are at risk of switching into either mania or hypo mania symptoms. Victims of bipolar have been known to develop severe cycling of moods. Many doctors use  combine stabilizing drugs with antidepressants to help control patients from this mood swing.

2.Lithium is used for the short-term treatment of bipolar manic patients, to keep the depressive and manic moods from returning.

3.Two other effective medications are Valproate (sold as Depakote) and carbamazeprine (marketed as Tegretol), which prevent convulsions, stabilize the patient’s mood, and treat bipolar symptoms that resist effective treatment with other drugs.

4.Valproate and carbamazepine, (Antipsychotic medicines). It has been proven by doctors and patients alike that clozapine, which is an antipsychotic drug, is quite good as a mood stabilizer for those who cannot respond to lithium or anticonvulsants treatments.

5.Olanzapine is another widely prescribed drug, approved by the FDA specifically to treat the most serious bipolar manic symptoms.

More Bipolar Treatments

If you have or know someone with bipolar manic depression, you should know that there is an intervention that can be used as part of a bipolar treatment plan.

Warning to Adhere to

Psychosocial intervention, along with an unremitting continuing care plan, can help combat the persistence of the problem. It is necessary to maintain your psychosocial appointments and to be sure to take all prescribed medications as prescribed. As with all medication, you should make sure you keep track of all your medication is working correctly.

If you are taking a prescribed medication along with an over the counter medication, inform yourself of the dangers of the drugs mixing. Lastly, if you are being treated for bipolar symptoms or manic depression, be advised that you should not stop your medication without speaking to your doctor as this may cause an adverse effect.

Bipolar Manic Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Affective Disorder, Manic Depression, Bipolar Affective Disorder and Disorder “+” bipolar is a mood and emotional disorder which is caused by an imbalance of  chemical in the brain. These chemical imbalances  than causes uncommon shifting (bipolar) of an individual’s moods, energy level, and everyday function. These unusual disorder “+”bipolar( mood swings) can range from severe happiness to complete despair or hopelessness. These feelings can change very quickly for some people and stay on for long periods of time with others. One thing that must be pointed out here is, it is not the normal ups and down that we go through every day. These disorder “+” bipolar victim’s up and down are severe, when they are happy that are very, very happy with lots of energy and when down (depressed) they are really down with no energy.

The Who? -  Question

This  disorder affects both men and women and children diagnosed at 5 years have been seen to have the symptoms at 2. While bipolar manic disorder may appear different in children than in adults, it usually occurs more often with people whose relatives have the disorder running in their families.

The Disorder “plus”

While some people experience the most severe form of bipolar disorder, with severe ups and downs, there are also milder versions of the disorder, which have varying symptoms. Some bipolar patients experience only hypo mania, with a lesser severity of manic symptoms, and without accompanying depressive symptoms. Other patients experience hypo mania and very slight episodes of depression.

    Cyclothymia is a mild disorder, with fluctuations between mild depression and mild hypo mania.

    Hypo mania is similar to mania but less extreme, and is sometimes called the middle ground.

    Hypo mania: It is mania but not the extreme of mania. It is the middle ground of disorder “+” bipolar.

    Depression:  What is extraordinary about this depression is, it’s the brain making  its own lows with  feelings of worry, sad, angry, guilt, isolated and no hope. These disorder can cause sleeping and eating problems with the body always tired and unable to do activities once enjoyed. Because of its low energy, the lack of sexual activities and  lack of action or motivation are some obvious signs to look out for.

    Mixed state: When the two main phases of mania and depression overlap each other and occurring at the same time or in quick succession one after each other.

Treating Disorder “+” Bipolar

Not treating disorder “+” bipolar can be disastrous both for the individual and the families living with you. The disorder affects our relationships with others , school and work activities and which can  lead people to suicide or attempted  suicide. Always seek treatment whenever you see the signs of bipolar manic symptoms appear.

With long periods of depression followed by manic mood episodes, bipolar disorder characteristics are the thoughts and mood disorders. Each person is different, depending on each patient, depression or mania can last a long time. Bipolar mania is sometimes called  mania or hypo mania (a much lesser form of mania). With those in the hypo mania stage, victims may be irritable, too sensitive with an extremely elevated mood. Victims associated with mania episodes have big plans, involved in many projects and quite talkative. The high risk for bipolar manic victims is the use of alcohol or cocaine.

Anti-Psychotic Drugs

The presence of psychotic thoughts, leading to highly charged emotional responses and judgment errors which can render them incapable of communicating is  the main symptoms for those with bipolar mania. It is important before these thoughts get out of control, patients must be given mood stabilizing medicine to control their symptoms. These drugs may include:

Clorazil : For treating schizophrenia was first used in Europe in 1971. It is one of the  first antipsychotic drug to be developed.

Risperdal:  Under this market name, was developed by Janssen-Cilag as an antipsychotic drug for the treatment of schizophrenia. It was later used for mixed and mania episodes and  children with autism disease.

Zyprexa: A combination of two drugs fluoxetine Symbyax  and FDA approved for  antipsychotic and treatment of schizophrenia and later for the treatment of bipolar.

First Line Bipolar Treatments

The first-line of the treatment of severe bipolar manic episodes  for most doctors are:

Lithium: A drug primarily for bipolar mania, is a chemical salts and used as a mood stabilizer.

Valproate: A replacement to lithium salts is believed reverse the brain process and affect the function of the neurotransmitter. It is used in bipolar treatment . Its main work is to stop or  block transamination of GABA.

Monotherapy: With  FDA approval for treating bipolar manic and bipolar I.

Family Therapy

Quite effective for bipolar patients, a lot of people who are bipolar manic or depressive episodes forget that the first line therapy is a family-focused therapy. Patients  with bipolar manic can get  worse by fighting within the family. With this family-focused therapy, all family members must contribute by trying to manage their own behaviors so there would be no catalyst for the symptom to reoccur. This bipolar treatment -family therapy is for them to be alert to the signs and symptoms of bipolar manic symptoms and how to they can handle it when the signs appear.

Therapy – Dialectal Behavior

This kind of behavior therapy was first started by Dr. Marsha Linehan in which patients go through different stages of therapy which finally can lead them to taking control of their behaviors. One of the main focus of this therapy is patients learn to accept and control their thought patterns.

For bipolar manic patients, building on these stages requires skill training. But the first  stage  goals is to reduce these behaviors which are self-threatening and an  obstruction to  bipolar treatment.

The use of medications, or pharmacological intervention, is often the first step in treating bipolar disorders. The majority of such medicines are designed to treat either bipolar depression or bipolar mania. Below we have provided some examples and categories related to the treatment of bipolar mania.

Treating Bipolar manic depression

1.Mood stabilizers are the standard treatment for bipolar manic depression, and are prescribed by many doctors. Unfortunately, antidepressants are not always effective, since they may lead to hypo manic or manic symptoms. Patients with bipolar disorders will frequently have violent mood swings, and these are usually prevented with antidepressants combined with other drugs to keep the patient’s mental state in an equilibrium.

2.Lithium. Lithium is generally used to control bipolar manic patients. It is most effective in limiting the reappearance of depressive and manic modes.

3.Valproate and carbamazepine are anticonvulsant drugs that work to stabilize mood and treat difficult-to-treat bipolar symptoms. They are known under the brand names as Depakote and Tegretol, respectively.

4.The first kind of medicine that should be considered is antipsychotics such as carbamazeprine and valproate. Many patients do not respond to lithium or to anticonvulsant medications, but the antipsychotic drug clozapine is much more effective at preventing bipolar mood swings.

5.Some other prescribed drugs. Olanzapine ” Aproved by the FDA – this drug is capable in the treatment of severe bipolar manic symptoms.

Some  Other Bipolar Treatments

Psychosocial intervention can be used in the treatment of bipolar manic depression .Because of the recurring nature of bipolar manic depression, a continuous long-term bipolar treatment is absolutely necessary. A good combination of medicine and psychosocial treatment is vital. Make sure you keep note of the following so you can be sure the medication given is doing its work.

Caution to All

Psychosocial intervention can be used in the treatment of bipolar manic depression .Because of the recurring nature of bipolar manic depression, a continuous long-term treatment is absolutely necessary. A good combination of medicine and psychosocial treatment is vital.

Any nutritional supplements and over-the-counter medications need to be disclosed, so that the doctor can check for the possibility of harmful interactions. Never change your treatment by yourself. Talk to your doctor, who will let you know if any course of treatment needs to be started or stopped on your bipolar symptom medications.

It is important for bipolar patients to be aware of how they feel to be able to remain healthy. When many people have bipolar attacks or feel depressed too much time has passed to be able to treat the moodiness. Always look for any little variations such as a change in energy, thinking, moods and sleeping habits. Moving quickly and very soon for any problem might help you avoid several minimal mood alterations from becoming a very bad occurrence of bipolar maniac depression.

The early warning signs – Always Know what are your Triggers

It is best to look and understand warning signs of an oncoming bipolar depressive episode. A great method is to create a check list of any symptoms that were common in your  latest episode. It also helps to be alert to triggers, such as outside pressure that caused the issue. Some common triggers are:

Stress: from work or from families. Difficulties financially: because of the hopelessness feeling in bipolar depression ” it can add stress to a patient. Fighting and arguments: especially with your loved ones. Having problems in school or at work: relationships can suffer in these  two different places. Seasonal changes: for some people these seasonal changes can also affect the hormones in the body. Not enough sleep: while getting enough sleep is recommended- lack of sleep can be a sign of what is to come.

Some Warning signs to Look out for

Not wanting to do cooking. Hate being around people. Wanting to have chocolate. Bad headaches. No  interest in everybody. Having the feeling people are bothering  them. Wanting to sleep.

The Warning Signs of Bipolar manic or Hippo manic symptoms:

I can read a lot of books all at once. I am unusually talkative . I easily getting angry. I am hungry even after a good meal. My friends tell me I am bad. I have lots of energy.

Create an Approach to Health care

If you detect signs of bipolar manic or depression, there is no time to lose in treating the problem. You need to have a health care plan in mind and coping strategies will be very helpful until stability returns. The best strategy will take some trial and error. These are techniques that have been helpful for many people like:

Try and talk to a person  who is supportive. Get a good  eight hours of rest. Try and not do too much  activities. Find a support group and attend it. Be faithful to your  psychiatrist or therapist. Be creative and do something fun.

Final Advise

It is important that you control your bipolar manic depression. Stress can attribute to starting an attack. You need to know your limits in everyday life and everyday interactions. Don’t take on more than you can handle. If you start to feel down, take some time to yourself.

Since man started recording history, this depressive disorder has been known to be with us. When we read in the Old Testament, Job and the famous King David, suffered from this terrible mental disease . It was called by Hippocrates the Greek physician  a black bile (melancholia). Negative in nature which affects how we feel, think and act, it is a clinical depression with a serious medical disorder. Written in literature arts many years ago, this depressive disorder or a bipolar depression disorder was portrayed as a weakness of temperament which was handed down by family members. It was Freud of the 20th century that linked the progress of depression to guilt and conflict.

The Two Divisions of Depression

During the middle of this century depression was divided into two:

• 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: depression is caused from outside, like the death of a loved one, losing somebody special and the loss of the only source of income. In 70s and the 80s, the focus changed from “the cause”, to the “effects” of depression on victims.

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 are the presence of negative thoughts, moods, and behaviors and not to mention the physical symptoms like, crying spells, aches in the body, very low energy in both work and sex. Other problems may include eating, weight  and sleeping problems.

• Depression increases the risks for coronary artery disease, HIV, asthma, and some other medical diseases. It can also increase the mortality rate  of victims with this depressive conditions.

• In the United States alone the huge financial and human costs includes -  treatment and other indirect costs, like lost in productivity and absenteeism of workers can be  enormous.

Bipolar Depression Symptoms

This bipolar disorder is caused by the brain’s neurotransmitters producing its lows with  feelings of worry, sad, angry, guilt, isolation and hopelessness. This can cause sleeping and eating problems and a shift in moods.

Problems with Depression if Not Treated

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 Depression  and Bipolar Treatment

Is a member of your family or a friend showing symptoms of bipolar depression like sleeping too much, sad, feelings of helpless, worthless, and hopeless with decreased energy and concentration. Seek medical advice near you so they can be given early bipolar treatment.