Depression and Bipolar Disorder

There are no two bipolar patients alike, everyone has there own symptoms but there are some common ones.

Here's a list of some common symptoms manic episode symptoms from bipolar:

Common signs and symptoms of mania include:

• Feeling unusually "high" and optimistic OR extremely irritable
• Unrealistic, grandiose beliefs about one's abilities or powers
• Sleeping very little, but feeling extremely energetic
• Talking so rapidly that others can't keep up
• Racing thoughts; jumping quickly from one idea to the next
• Highly distractible, unable to concentrate
• Impaired judgment and impulsiveness
• Acting recklessly without thinking about the consequences
• Delusions and hallucinations (in severe cases)

Here's a list of common bipolar depressive symptoms:

Common symptoms of bipolar depression include:

• Feeling hopeless, sad, or empty.

• Irritability

• Inability to experience pleasure

• Fatigue or loss of energy

• Physical and mental sluggishness

• Appetite or weight changes

• Sleep problems

• Concentration and memory problems

• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt

• Thoughts of death or suicide

Hope this helps. I have bipolar and its a struggle but meds can help along with therapy.

Depression is a common and debilitating illness. It is treatable, but the majority of persons with depression do not receive even minimally adequate treatment

Depression is characterized by changes in mood, self-attitude, cognitive functioning, sleep, appetite, and energy level

The World Health Organization found that major depression was the leading cause of disability worldwide

Depression causes suffering, decreases quality of life, and causes impairment in social and occupational functioning

It is associated with increased health care costs as well as with higher rates of many chronic medical conditions

Studies have shown that a high number of depressive symptoms are associated with poor health and impaired functioning, whether or not the criteria for a diagnosis of major depression are met

Depression is an episodic condition. People have an episode of depression, get well, and may or may not have another episode later in their life. In 2005-2006, in any 2-week period, 5.4% of Americans 12 years of age and older had depression. Females, people 40-59 years of age, non-Hispanic black persons, and people living below the poverty level had higher rates of depression than their respective counterparts. Depression is a condition that causes impairment in many areas of functioning - including school, work, family, and social life. Approximately 80% of people with depression reported that their symptoms interfered with their ability to work, maintain a home, and be socially active. Reflecting this high rate of functional impairment, almost two-thirds of the estimated $83 billion that depression cost the United States in the year 2000 resulted from lowered productivity and workplace absenteeism

It is estimated that one in ten adults have experienced clinical depression, while most people will experience some form of depression at least once during the course of their life.

Clinical depression is usually diagnosed by an observation/self-report of symptoms over a time-span. For example, if you have a depressed mood every day or almost every day, lose interest in all or most pleasurable activities, endure significan weight loss or gain, sleep excessively or are unable to sleep, have slowed thinking or movement, have fatigue or low energy nearly every day, feel worthless or inappropriately guilty, feel loss of concentration or indecisiveness, or experience recurring thoughts of death or suicide, all are symptoms of depression.

If you experience at least five or more of these symptoms for more than two consecutive weeks, you may have clinical depression.

If you are feeling suicidal, please dial 1-800-suicide immediately, and seek assistance.

You are not alone.

Here are suggestions for feeling better:

• Any kind of Exercise. Exercise gets the body to release very pleasant chemicals and neurotransmitters. And you can also feel better about living healthier and eventually looking better.

• Exercise is certainly a good wake-up call for our bodies and makes us feel better, but before you rely on that solely please have a good check-up by your doctor. Ask for a T3/T4 thyroid test as well and also get your adrenal gland checked. These are two organs that can cause lethargy, panic attacks, depression from both.

• You could talk to a therapist, doctor, or psychiatrist; you may need an anti-depressant.

• For me it was exercise, therapy (cognitive behaviour therapy is supposed to be the most effective) and anti depressants. I'm now off the drugs and I'm still happy (not all the time, but enough, like an average person).

• Try watching comedies when you are alone. And try organizing gatherings with friends during the weekends. You will feel better if you are preparing for something, and you will have fun hanging out with friends.

• Organising events is usually the best way. I try to make myself feel better by doing something creative that I can rely on: I usually write.

• Other ideas: 1) get a pet. Something you can take care of. Usually when you feel bad, you can also end up quite lonely. 2) change your surroundings: move your furniture or try on a different outfit. 3) get an organiser- related to the one above, try to fill your days with something to do. 4) go somewhere- anywhere. Go for a walk with no direction. Don't get lost, but do go for a walk and take a look around you. 5) try cooking/cleaning - sounds too domestic, but often when you cook your own meal, or clean up your home you'll pleased with what you've accomplished

• Get some sun.

• Think about positive aspects of your life.

• If you're unhappy all of the time: 1) Talk to your most supportive friends. 2) Write down the names of ten people who care about you & of people you care about. 3) Find a way to cope with your depression like: reading, writing, or drawing. 4) Hurting yourself is NEVER the answer.

Cognitive Behavioral Techniques:

• Realistic Thinking: when you have a thought that makes you worry or feel unhappy, ask yourself if it is realistic. Unrealistic worries are often to blame when we feel bad. If the thought is not realistic (for example, thinking that you will never feel better, or thinking that everyone hates you), then you tell yourself "Realistically ..." and reframe that thought into something that is actually real instead of blown out of proportion (for example, "Realistically, I will feel better sometime, even if I don't feel good now" or "Realistically, some people like me and some people don't - everybody has some people who don't like them").
• Examine the Evidence: whenever you feel overwhelmed and depressed, look at the facts surrounding the situation. Things are almost never as bad as they look when you are upset. List the facts - both good and bad - on paper or in your computer so that you can be more scientific about it. This ties into realistic thinking.
• Find Your Triggers: keep a mood diary to figure out what things set off these unhappy feelings. The more you know about your emotions, the more in control you can become. If you know that you always feel sad after talking to a certain person, then you can decide if it might be best not to talk to them, or you can prepare ahead of time and figure out how to avoid feeling bad from the conversation.
• Mix it Up: try changing your routine, even a little bit. Sometimes doing something different will help you change your mood.

Another Suggestion:

What works for me is to do something JUST FOR ME. I go to Wal-Mart or some type of discount store and buy a brand new pair of pajamas that don't cost much. I also buy a pair of socks and panties to match. I make a trip to Blockbuster or Hollywood and find the FUNNIEST movie(s) that I can find; preferably movies with no real point except pure stupidity. Leslie Neilson and Jim Carrey are 2 of the greatest. I buy myself something for dinner (already cooked). I go home and take a shower, put on my all-new attire, pop the movie in, re-heat the dinner that I bought and laugh for the entire night. I don't answer the phone and I don't have any company. I don't share this time with ANYONE. It's my night and my night only and it's ALL ABOUT ME. You would be surprised how much better this little ritual can make you feel. But the key is being clean and that every piece of clothing that touches your body is brand new and that you aren't obligated to anyone or anything. The point is to actually acknowledge your own value. Make yourself a Queen for a night. You are very special and you are important.

Kindness

On another note, one thing you can do to immediately feel great from your core is to give! Give your time, your money, your energy or yourself (selflessness) to any cause or for something you want to help out with or make better. The reward for selfless acts are immediate and the effect is truly a blessing. This will immediately lift your value as a person to your own consciousness and boost your self esteem. Remember, the drive for your unselfish act should be greater than your drive to feel better. Selflessness has a great way of naturally sorting that our sometimes by allowing you to see your better side.