Depression and Bipolar Disorder

I am sure most people if not all, experience a depression at one stage or another throughout life.

As people cope different to depressions, this might be very much noticeable, or not so much noticeable.

It is part of life to experience ups and downs.

A dear boyfriend or girlfriend may go a different way.

Something most people can relate to.

unfortunately some experience this as in being very high up when happy, and very low down when sad.

It is important to have good friends to chat with during a down-period.

Likewise, share with your friends your up-periods.

This will minimize the effect of a depression and it can most likely be turned so that it does not become a severe depression that might "need" medication to overcome.

Good friends is the best medicine there is.

"Cheer up, or I'll give you something to really cry about!" *PUNCH*

Make sure they know that while you won't pressure them to talk about it, you are there if they want to. Make sure they know you value them.

Find the "life" causes. Many times depression starts as a situational reaction. No matter how deep he has dug himself in the right "sunlight" can give him something to grow toward. I am not being flippant. Help him see and change the things he can. The things he can not change will be minimized. Consider diet. I have an odd reaction to dark colored soda pop. See also "49 days to the work you love."

This depends on the type of depression. Major depression might need a combination of anti-depressants and professional therapy, while less significant depression could be changed with one treatment. However, there is never a guarantee that the depression will be cured.

No, the symptoms are too different. Depression can only cause cognative problems that might be confused with ADD in older people, but ADHD has hyperactivity as a symptom, whereas people with depression typically have the exact opposite.

== == It is possible, especially when they are in the "manic" phase of the illness, particularly if they experience psychotic symptoms, such as hearing voices or having delusional beliefs. When bi-polar people are "high" they lose their usual inhibitions, which would include the inhibition not to be violent towards other people. This could make them "lash out" physically or verbally against an "innocent bystander" if they misconstrued something that had been said, or just imagined something had been said. They are likely to over-react to anything they take as "thwarting" their plans, however unrealistic these may be. Another possibility is that on some level they are aware that they are unwell and need help, but instead of admitting this, they "engineer" a situation, which may involve violence, in order to demonstrate that they need help. I disagree with the above statement, as someone who for many years has bipolar. There are very fine lines in between diagnosing mental health disorders. Plus there is a lot of unknown of how and why of disorders. Hearing voices or having delusional beliefs on the very extreme of symptoms for mania, "sometimes, severe episodes of mania or depression include symptoms of '''psychosis (or psychotic symptoms). I believe the more correct mental disorder would be Borderline personality disorder (BPD) - which can co-exist with bipolar''' * Borderline personality disorder (BPD)is a serious mental illness characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image, and behavior. This instability often disrupts family and work life, long-term planning, and the individual's sense of self-identity. Originally thought to be at the "borderline" of psychosis, people with BPD suffer from a disorder of emotion regulation. While less well known than schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness), BPD is more common, affecting 2 percent of adults, mostly young women.1 There is a high rate of self-injury without suicide intent, as well as a significant rate of suicide attempts and completed suicide in severe cases.2,3 Patients often need extensive mental health services, and account for 20 percent of psychiatric hospitalizations.4 Yet, with help, many improve over time and are eventually able to lead productive lives. * While a person with depression or bipolar disorder typically endures the same mood for weeks, a person with BPD may experience intense bouts of anger, depression, and anxiety that may last only hours, or at most a day. These may be associated with episodes of impulsive aggression, self-injury, and drug or alcohol abuse. Distortions in cognition and sense of self can lead to frequent changes in long-term goals, career plans, jobs, friendships, gender identity, and values. Sometimes people with BPD view themselves as fundamentally bad, or unworthy. They may feel unfairly misunderstood or mistreated, bored, empty, and have little idea who they are. Such symptoms are most acute when people with BPD feel isolated and lacking in social support, and may result in frantic efforts to avoid being alone. * People with BPD often have highly unstable patterns of social relationships. While they can develop intense but stormy attachments, their attitudes towards family, friends, and loved ones may suddenly shift from idealization (great admiration and love) to devaluation (intense anger and dislike). Thus, they may form an immediate attachment and idealize the other person, but when a slight separation or conflict occurs, they switch unexpectedly to the other extreme and angrily accuse the other person of not caring for them at all. Even with family members, individuals with BPD are highly sensitive to rejection, reacting with anger and distress to such mild separations as a vacation, a business trip, or a sudden change in plans. These fears of abandonment seem to be related to difficulties feeling emotionally connected to important persons when they are physically absent, leaving the individual with BPD feeling lost and perhaps worthless. Suicide threats and attempts may occur along with anger at perceived abandonment and disappointments. * People with BPD exhibit other impulsive behaviors, such as excessive spending, binge eating and risky sex. BPD often occurs together with other psychiatric problems, particularly bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and other personality disorders. Source: nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/borderline-personality-disorder-fact-sheet

The specific physical symptoms of conversion disorder may include a loss of balance or paralysis of an arm or leg; the inability to swallow or speak; the loss of touch or pain sensation; going blind or deaf; seeing double;.hallucinations, seizures.

Bipolar disorder can run in families. My mother (who is now deceased), older sister and daughter all are bipolar. It can skip generations or only one person in the family can be affected. My daughter's doctor advised that her children run a 25 percent chance of being bipolar.

• Bipolar - mood disorder, involves cycles of extremely exaggerated high and low mood
• Depression - mood disorder, involves periods of extremely exaggerated low mood
• Anxiety - anxiety disorder, involves extreme anxiety and fears that does not correspond to real world dangers

When you feel as though you need to cry but no tears will flow then you are still crying inside you may even be screaming but no sound comes forth from you but you could still be screaming inside as crying uncontrollably and screaming inside without making a sound are just as if not more painful for you often a pain that you have never experienced before with that kind of intensity and so you think that you should be crying as you would usually when you are hurt but the pain that brings no tears and the screaming inside which brings forth no sound from you happens to everyone for the first time at some point in your life and you wont know how to handle it and so your body remains numb for a while until your body and soul adjust themselves to the totally unbeleivable pain that you must be feeling then and only then will the tears fall and the screaming or sobbing will rack through you like you have never known often continuing over a period of time depending on what has caused these feelings within you but they do ease and despite what you may be feeling at the time maybe you will think that you will never be able to smile again but you will believe me and you will never forget what it was that caused you to feel so hurt but you will grow to go on with life and be able to take so many more knocks and come out of those unscathed due to that terrible pain which you have lived through after all if you survived through that then you can survive anything which life throws at you cant you this is true and although it seems impossible to you now as indeed it also felt for me when i had to experience this kind of pain for myself here i am still standing as living proof so that's the best answer i can come up with you will cry tears once your body and soul have prepared themselves for whats coming but you are strong and so let them come let them fall wail rock scream whatever comes until you are all cried out and once the pain eases as you heal from it you will grow stronger and be able to appreciate my answer a little better and maybe be able to give your advice to someone else that is experiencing racking pain just as you may be feeling now and you will know the feeling of a different kind of pain then when that happens because your heart will go out to them as you will know that there will be nothing that you are able to tell them that is going to shoulder any of their pain and all you are able to do is tell them the same as i have tried to tell you here brightest blessings love n light x

In the Mental Health field, Bipolar Affective Disorder is a major mood disorder with alternating mood states of Mania and Depression often interspersed with normal mood states.

Manias involve excessive exuberant moods and high degrees of energy.

Depressions involve excessive poor moods and low energy levels.

They are therefore as opposite as two magnetic poles (as, for example, the North Pole is the opposite of the South).

Thus, bipolar describes the opposite nature of the two dominant mood traits using the analogy of polarity.

The stigma associated with a diagnosis of Bipolar disorder on patients is a serious problem.

Legally, Bipolar patients are denied security clearances as a matter of course, due to a perception of personal instability and bad moral conduct. They may not serve in the armed forces or in the police. They are almost universally denied life insurance at any realistic cost due to a perception that they are invariably suicidal, even though life insurance policies do not pay at all in cases of suicide. Public knowledge that an individual has ever been treated for the condition is seen as a near total bar to holding public office.

The drugs they take are associated in pop culture with angst and inner turmoil (Nirvana's album Lithium, being a prominent reference).

The conditions name is often used to describe mercurial indivduals who clearly do not have the disorder.

Sometimes when people have depression, one of the symptoms is sometimes abnormal pains that occur for an unknown reason.. before i started taking prosac for my depression i used to always get stomach pains. But now im on anti-depressants they have calmed down a bit.

i hope i helped :) x

Depression in adolescence can be caused by a variety of factors. At this age changes in hormones, conflict with parents and peers or overall transition to adulthood can be precipitators. Adolescents have a higher suicide rate than adults and if depression is suspected, it's important to get them treatment.

Not that i know of. Doctors will say they have cures but its just chemical castration which doesn't stop the urges or behavior. The only way would either be hypnotism or to ween yourself off of it. you shouldn't need to cure it, and if someone tells you that you do than they are wrong. It's perfectly normal, people just don't understand it. don't tell people about it if you don't think they will accept you. you could try to find some websites with more information.

People with underlying medical/mental disorders or illnesses, people in abusive relationships, people who have experienced their parents divorcing, people in low economic households. These people are vulnerable, but depression can happen to anyone.

i think so, because the hormones are up and down which means so are emotions. Kids go through all manner of emotions during puberty and depression can be one of these. It is hard for them to understand what is happening to them during this period. They become moody and irritable at the least little thing and lazy and troublesome. The brain is changing along with the body and all the information is too much for some teenagers. If you think your son or daughter is depressed then take them along to see the doctor as there are drugs that can help. Sometimes there are serious issues involved that they think they cannot get through or find a way out off. It is known for some to take their own life because of this. It is essential that parents of depressed teenagers take it seriously and not overlook what is happening to their child.

Depression is a serious medical condition. Everyone experiences "ups" and "downs" in their life. But for some people the "downs" can outweigh the "ups." This can cause problems with everyday activities such as eating, sleeping, working, and getting along with friends. If this happens for more than a few weeks, depression may be the reason. Depression affects a person's physical health, as well as how he or she feels, thinks, and acts toward others. It brings about a mixture of feelings and thoughts that can cause someone to depart from his or her usual behavior. This can include not only suicidal thoughts, but a real danger of acting on them. If you believe your life or the life of anyone around you is in danger you must IMMEDIATELY get help. Go to a hospital, go to your doctor, or call a cop if that's all you can do. If you have a gun in the house, call your best friend, your sister, your religious leader, or your mom and have them take it away until you feel better. Depression can be treated with an arsenal of drugs; unfortunately, most of them take a few weeks before you start to know if a particular drug is going to work for you. If you have no health insurance, most towns have a free clinic of some sort, and their number will be in the phone book. Try to avoid going online and taking "are you suffering from depression?" self-quizzes. These are all, without exception, sponsored by drug companies, so obviously they want you to answer the question Yes so they can stuff you full of their particular drug. But if you feel worthless, are crying a lot for no apparent reason, and feel certain that the world would be a better place without you in it, and either can't sleep or want to sleep absolutely all the time, these are classic symptoms

A lot of people don't understand how it feels to have depression, unless they actually have it. You should be patient with them, because you never know if you are going to be the one that pushes them off the "edge" and make them feel so bad they would commit suicide. So be patient and try to understand. We can't just "snap out of it". Sometimes, things just bug us to the point where it's not worth living anymore, and sometimes we can't just one minute be all happy all of sudden. That's not the way it works. We need happy things to happen to us and somedays we just feel like crap, and on those days, just try and be really nice to those people with depression. Be their friend. We can always use a smile from a stranger or a "Good Morning" from the crush that we like. It's mental and some people may be able to just get happy all of a sudden, but when we are in depressed moods, it's hard to be happy really quickly.

* BANSWER * ENSWER It can really affect not only her children, but her husband, family members and also herself. Children learn from their parents, so any bad habits a depressed person has such as sitting around the house doing nothing, seeing no one, drinking or doing other drugs to deaden the pain is computed by the children. Because one is depressed doesn't mean that person doesn't know what is going on. They are simply so down that they are like a runaway locomotive that can't stop. Not until they receive professional help and get medication along with that help can they function normally. Firstly, the depressed person needs to realize that there are stats of 75% of depressed people roaming the U.S./Canada (since 9/11 in the U.S. these stats increased by a high margin) and that most people in their lifetime will have one or more bouts of depression (mild or serious) where they will need medication to get them on their feet and counseling. That stats on that alone are rising dramatically because of the times we live in. Teenagers to college students have a high rate of depression from peer pressure, studying too hard and perhaps holding down a job or two to pay their way through college, but, many thank heavens are seeing out advise from their doctors and taking medications (be it conventional medicine or homeopathic medicine) and professional help. There is help out there! Cognitive Therapy is a wonderful tool and helps people deal with the stress' of life. I have been depressed in the past, took the meds for short-term and saw a psychologist along with Cognitive Therapy and Tai Chi (Mind, body and soul) not to mention I am a Christian with a deep faith). Of course I still get depressed off and on like most people, but when it doesn't last more than two weeks it's normal depression. There are many reasons why people can get depressed: DEPRESSION IN YOUTH can be caused by a lack of confidence, not fitting in with the crowd they would like to be with and thus a feeling of rejection. These are years when the hormones in the body are going all over the place. Depression in youth can be caused from trauma such as parents divorcing, poor grades, drugs (including alcohol) or other traumas in their lives such as date-rape, car accident, beatings, being bullied, etc. DEPRESSION IN MOTHERS: PostPartum Blues depression wasn't recognized by doctors until the last 5 years (at least in Canada.) The thought was that "the mother would get over it!" She was left to deal with it herself and it was a terrifying experience for many. The mother had feelings of not being able to cope with her child(ren) because she could hardly hang on herself. Well, it's real! The doctors have recognized it and it can happen with a first, second or third birth. A mother may have two great births and no postpartum blues, but after the third child is born she may experience this. These mothers are treated like anyone else with depression and there is a very high success rate. The hormones will settle down. Husbands/boyfriends and family in general play a big part in helping the mother to cope and to give her a break from the stress' of raising the baby. ADULT DEPRESSION: Each unpleasant thing that can happen to a person in life be it losing a good job, being fired from a job, a divorce, a death of a mate or child or a loved one can trigger depression in some people. DEPRESSION FROM TRAUMA: If a person of any age is in a car accident or any bad accident to a trauma to the body such as rape, being severely beaten up or even see their home lost in a flood or fire can experience depression. Bodily injuries such as spinal cord injuries, etc., or any disease can throw an otherwise mentally healthy individual into depression. DEPRESSION IN THE ELDERLY: A high rate of 89% affects the elderly. If they have many illeness' to cope with while growing old and they realize they are getting older and there is no place to go but closer to death this can certainly thrust them into a deep depression. Dementia, Alzheimer's and many other illness' can cause depression. While some elderly have no problems with settling into a nursing home others pine for their mate or families and fall into a "death wish" depression. Depression can be genetic (so check the family back-ground) or it is a malfunction of the 2 brain chemistries in the brain. I have seen a scan of a malfunctioning brain and it's amazing. A healthy brain has these two chemicals encapsulate the brain, while the brain that is not functioning correctly only has parts of the brain that have these 2 chemicals. It can be from birth and thus genetic. Head trauma can also cause this. AM I CRAZY AND WILL I BE LOCKED AWAY? Absolutely not! If you know there is something wrong and feel sad all the time, just can't get out of bed and have no energy and don't want to see friends or family or go to work then you are more than likely depressed. Instead of worrying, be honest with yourself (I was) and see your doctor. Your doctor will lead you in all the right directions and, if you follow what your doctor and specialist says you will get over this. YOU WILL NOT GO CRAZY! There isn't the stigmatism to depression as there once was. I am not in the least embarrassed about my depression and talk openly about it if a person asks me and by doing so I have helped some recognize their depression where they didn't feel embarrassed or uncomfortable about getting help from professionals or discussing it with certain family members they felt comfortable talking too. Many people I know that have been depressed and including myself go through the process of getting better and feel much stronger. People with depression are usually intelligent, artistic in nature, can be perfectionists, and are kind to a fault. That's where the professionals come in to teach people with depression to "speak up and learn to say no if you don't want to do something without feeling guilty." Depressed people come from all cultures and all walks of life (rich, famous or poor.) At one time it was a myth that only poor people who had to struggle were depressed, but that myth has been broken and, in fact, the poor have been found to be resilient and strong. If you look at Black Americans and what they have had to go through for over 400 years that is strength! I often wonder how they did it. I know. It was faith in God. No matter what happened to them they still had that faith and they fought for everything they knew was right. Why? That will always remain a mystery. Is it because certain cultures go through so many traumas it tends to bounce off or is it faith. I feel Westernized countries have too much out there to choose from and there are the "fat cats" and people that struggle to maintain a way of life all their lives. Westerners have become soft and selfish, but there are still many that are of good pioneer stock. It doesn't really matter how one gets depressed, but it is important that a person with depression knows they are not going to die or they aren't crazy and they are going to make it. I am walking proof of that. My depression hit me in 1973 because my father had a severe stroke and it crushed me more than I knew. I worked hard, just got married, raced up to help my mom look after my father, then came home to my new husband and do work around our apartment and started all over the next day. I simply burned myself out. So what! I knew it, I had to do it, but by being on medications to mask the depression it gave me a chance to learn from the professionals and others who had suffered from depression what tools I could use so I would never fall into that trap again. I learned that it's OK to feel sad or to say "no" without feeling guilty. So far, so good! So please, if you or anyone else you know is depressed get help. It's there so use it. Life really is a great gift and a depressed person can enjoy life again whether they believe it or not at the time of their depression. Good luck & God Bless

There are mood stabilizing medications that you can take for actual hypomania. If you have not already, you need to go to your doctor to find out if this is what you actually have, and what is causing it. After they find the possible causes, they can begin treating it.

There are many places where one could find the location of a depression treatment centre. The best way to find the location of centres is by visiting local health services.

Depression is an illness that can be treated by a doctor, with the help of medication and/or counselling. This is a good "solution", if the sufferer follows the help and advice of the medic. Unfortunately depression is often ignored, but if someone broke their arm they wouldn't ignore it, they would go to the doctor and get treatment. When you go to the internet and search for "famous people who suffer from depression", it is quite an eye opener, and makes you feel you are certainly not alone.

There are many ways that can help with depression.There is no one 'cure all' answer.There are different types of depression & many causes.Medication can help along with talking therapies, such as counselling.Exercise is very good at combating depression as is sunlight.This is because they both help to release serotonin in the brain,a chemical that is often depleated in those suffering depression.

== == Only a professional has the right tools for this. Cognitive Therapy often helps. It takes time to learn, but as far as I'm concerned more people should practice it and their life would be less stressful. Also medications are a must! A person can "interview" a good psychologist that deals in Borderline Personality Disorder. In case you may not know a Psychiatrist studies medications more than the acts of the human mind and Psychologists study human behavior and don't prescribe medications, but they can discuss what medications they feel you need with you doctor. == == Have you been diagnosed? I have similar problems although I don't think I have this disorder, I have been searching for answers I believe a lot of women are experiencing this now and being told they have a complete different personality. This is a forum I joined on the Yuku forums called Mind bridges for women, this deals with memory loss, loss of concentration and other matters, in other words you are not yourself anymore.

I have BPD and I am currently in Dynamic Group Psychotherapy (talking therapy) to try and deal with the issues that underlay my feelings. I need to face the anger and fears that are deep inside and I believe in facing my fears I may learn to lead a more productive life. i was diagnosed 7 years ago and take medication but what has helped me is my faith in God. prayer is often only way i can calm down if im in a rage or panic or want to cut myself.

read this: If a sad feeling goes on for too long, hurts too deeply, and makes it hard for you to enjoy the good things about your life, it's called depression. Here are some of the signs and symptoms of depression: * feeling empty or numb * feeling hopeless (like there's nothing to look forward to) * feeling guilty or worthless * feeling lonely or unloved * feeling irritable and annoyed a lot (every little thing gets on your nerves) * feeling like things are not fun anymore * having trouble keeping your mind on schoolwork or homework or getting bad grades * having trouble keeping your mind on things like reading or watching TV or not remembering what a book or a TV show was about * having less energy and feeling tired all the time * sleeping too much or not enough * not eating enough and weight loss or eating too much and weight gain * thinking about death or thinking about suicide * spending less time with friends and more time alone * crying a lot, often for no reason * feeling restless (being unable to sit still or relax) * having certain body feelings, like lots of stomachaches, headaches, or chest pain from: http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/thought/sadness.html you can read the whole article if you want