Manic Depressive Disorder

Among all types of depression manic depressive disorder or bipolar disorder is by far the least common. Nonetheless, according to recent studies and depending on the interpretation of the results of these studies about 1.3 to 6.4 percent of the population can be classified as having manic depressive disorder. This type of depression is characterized by mood swings between severe emotional lows (the depressive state) and highs (the manic state. In general manic depressive disorder is categorized as either Bipolar Type I or Bipolar Type II – the former defined by mania in its extreme form, the latter characterized by a less extreme expression of mania called hypo-mania.

The manic phases of manic depressive disorder are defined by a dramatic increase in energy leading to over-activity and over-confidence. The patient is also commonly over-talkative with a high speech-rate. The attention span is drastically lowered as is the ability to think rationally and to behave properly in social settings. This in turn leads to the affected person devising and pursuing unrealistic and oftentimes dangerous ideas, as well as to the unintentional creation of embarrassing situations in public. If left untreated mania can develop into a psychotic state. The hypo-mania characteristic for Bipolar Type II is less destructive than full-blown mania insofar as the symptoms are much weaker and usually last for a shorter period of time. The hypo-manic state can even lead to creative outbursts and, at least temporarily, to unusually high innovative problem solving skills.

The depressive phases of manic depressive disorder are in no way different than the depressive phases of other kinds of depression. The patient experiences prolonged phases of sadness, often without a cause, and a loss of energy leading to lethargy. He is indifferent and pessimistic; feels guilty and worthless; shows a loss of appetite and a change in sleep patterns – with insomnia being very common; is indecisive and unable to concentrate; experiences anxiety, irritability and anger. Furthermore, the patient may have recurring thoughts of death or suicide.

Sometimes manic depressive disorder patients experience a mixed state where certain aspects of the manic and the depressive state occur next to each other. For example it is possible that a patient experiences insomnia, paranoia, anxiety and suicidal thoughts as well as agitation, aggressiveness and hyperactivity. Mixed episodes of manic depressive disorder often are the most destructive mental state leading to self-mutilation, suicidal activities and substance abuse if untreated.

While some sufferers of manic depressive disorder experience only a few manic and depressive episodes during their lifetime the opposite is true for many other cases of this type of depression. Rapid cycling of mania and depression is hard to control and has a worse prognosis than the other types of manic depressive disorder. Interestingly the use of antidepressants can have a negative effect on patients experiencing rapid cycles or can even induce the rapid cycling state.

Concluding it has to be said that manic depressive disorder is a serious condition and arguably the worst of all types of depression. Probably to a large extent genetically pre-determined it cannot be healed. However, the condition can be alleviated and controlled by proper medicinal management and anyone suffering from manic depressive disorder is well-advised to seek medical help as soon as possible.

The Misunderstood Epidemic: Depression is the newest documentary by filmmaker Susan Polis Schutz. It is an intimate look at how depression affects its victims and their families. It tells powerful stories of people who suffer the lowest depths of depression. The film explores through first-hand accounts that depression can happen to anyone regardless of age, race, or socioeconomic background. One by one the topics are unraveled in gripping detail: suicide; the stigma and lack of understanding; the stress in families and relationships; the loss of ability to work. The film also discusses the pros and cons of medication, different types of therapy, and support groups. The film contains uplifting advice to families and friends of people who are depressed. It inspires hope for happiness and a path to get better. — 57 min — PBS release date: February to May 2010 — www.ironzeal.com
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Common Methods To Treat Depression

Depression is a very common condition that can occur in any person at any stage of life. The depressed person always feels loneliness, helpless, hopeless and sad for most of the time. These conditions are not temporary and may go for months or years. The proper treatment of depression is required. There are two very common way to treat depression. These are psychotherapy and medication.

In psychotherapy, the patient takes the help and services of a qualified therapist or psychologist. The therapist gives proper time to the patient and tries to identify the reasons of depression of the patient. The good therapist becomes the friend of patient and talks about different aspects of life. In this way he tries to identify the change in the mood of patient during different discussion topics and try to find out the event, accident or problem that was the real cause of the depression. Sometimes, there may more than one reasons of depression that makes the case very complex. Once, the actual reasons, causes or triggers of depression in a person, are identified it becomes easier to do the treatment. Now, therapist encourages the patient and discusses that causes in detail. These discussions and sharing of thoughts, releases the burden and tension from the mind of patient.

The second common way to treat depression is the use of medicines and drugs. Usually drugs are given along with the psychotherapy. These medicines usually have some side effects, so should only be taken according the prescription of the therapist.

In Nov. 2006, results from the Star D Study were published. The nation’s largest real-world study of treatment-resistant depression suggests that a patient with persistent depression can get well after trying several treatment strategies, but his or her odds of beating the depression diminish as additional treatment strategies are needed. The analysis also found two important indicators of treatment success. Those who become symptom-free have a better chance of remaining well, as measured in the follow-up period, than those who experience only symptom improvement. Those who need to undergo several treatment steps before they become symptom-free are more likely to experience a relapse during the one-year follow-up phase, reminding clinicians that even if a patient overcomes the depression, he or she still needs attention. HealthyPlace.com Expert Depression Patient and author, Julie Fast, provides an easy-to-understand summary of the Star D Study and you can read her “Gold Standard of Treating Depression” section on HealthyPlace.com here: www.healthyplace.com
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Shrinkpod Part 2 of 3 Dr. Michael Blumenfield interviews Dr. Rena Cooper-Kazaz senior psychiatrist in the Department of Psychiatry at Hadassah University Hospital , Jerusalem Israel. Dr. Cooper-Kazaz discusses the latest research on this technique for treating resistant or non-responsive depression to the usual antidepressant medications
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Essential Herbs For Treating Depression – Which Ones to Take to Regain Your Sense of Well Being

Herbs for treating depression can be even more effective than drugs at lifting mood and creating energy and motivation than prescription drugs. This is because they are tolerated well by most people. In this article, you’ll learn about some effective medicinal remedies that you can take to get back your sense of physical and emotional well-being.

First, a word about herbs that treat depression. Because we’ve been so overwhelmed with advertisements for antidepressants by the pharmaceutical companies, many people see medicinal herbs as an alternative treatment. In their minds, this means that herbs are “new-fangled” medicine.

Actually, the opposite is true: since medicinal herbs have been used since the beginning of man, it is drugs that should be considered new-fangled. After all, knowledge about the healing properties of plants and herbs has been passed down for centuries and used by generations of people in countries around the world, while antidepressants have only been around for a number of decades.

With the advent of scientific studies, these herbs have also proven themselves effective in clinical trials. Better still, manufacturers can combine complementary herbs and boost their restorative properties. For instance, the mood-lifting properties of St. John’s Wort is enhanced with the addition of Passion Flower. In fact these are the most effective herbs for treating depression known today. Although you might have taken St. John’s Wort, you probably haven’t taken it with Passion Flower.

Rather than taking these herbs separately, take them together in a quality formulation that ensures the same dose every time. After taking it for about three weeks, you will start to feel a difference. Feelings of positivity and a return of energy and motivation are common signs to look for.

Once this happens, you can enhance the action of the supplement by making small improvements in your diet. By eating more fresh green vegetables which are full of phytonutrients, you will be going the extra mile to improve your brain health and thus stabilize your mood.

Add in some healthy oils, like coconut oil or flax seed oil which increase brain and heart health. Recent research has indicated that these oils are also helpful in the prevention of cancer. As these herbs that treat depression have you feeling better, your outlook and your life will improve immeasurably. Plus you won’t be reliant on synthetic substances to control your mood.

Get started on the natural route today.

Depression ? Types and Symptoms

Clinical depression goes by many names — depression, “the blues,” biological depression, major depression. But it all refers to the same thing: feeling sad and depressed for weeks or months at a time (not just a passing blue mood), accompanied by feelings of hopelessness, lack of energy, and taking little or no pleasure in things that gave you joy in the past.

Psychiatrists estimate that one in four women and one in ten men can expect to develop depression during their lifetime; depression affects at least one in 50 children under 12 and one in 20 teenagers.

Symptoms

Generally, the symptoms of depression include:

• Feeling sad, hopeless and despairing

• A loss of interest and pleasure in normal activities

• Loss of appetite or weight

• Loss of sex drive

• Sleeping problems, such as an inability to get to sleep or early waking

Types of Depression

Psychotic Depression:

Sufferers of psychotic depression begin to hear and see imaginary things – - sounds, voices and visuals that do not exist. These are referred to as hallucinations, which are generally more common with someone suffering from schizophrenia. The hallucinations are not “positive” like they are with a manic depressive. The sufferer of psychotic depression imagines frightening and negative sounds and images.

Melancholic Depression

Is a more severe depression than non-melancholic depression and is primarily caused by biological factors. It is an uncommon type of depression, affecting only around 1-2% of the population and roughly the same number of males and females. It can occur on its own (unipolar) or as part of Bipolar Disorder.

Major Depression

An individual with major depression feels a profound and constant sense of hopelessness and despair.

Major depression is manifested by a combination of symptoms that interfere with the ability to work, study, sleep, eat and enjoy once pleasurable activities. Such a disabling episode of depression may occur only once but more commonly occurs several times in a lifetime.

Cyclothymic disorder

Cyclothymic disorder is when a person has mild and alternating mood swings of elation and depression occurring over a long time period. Because the mood swings are mild, and the elation is often enjoyable, frequently people with cyclothymic disorder do not seek medical help.

The periods of elation and depression can last for lengthy periods, such as a few months. Often, a person with cyclothymic disorder has a relative with bipolar disorder, or they may develop bipolar disorder themselves.

Psychotic depression –

A depressed mood which includes symptoms of psychosis. Psychosis involves seeing or hearing things that are not there (hallucinations), feeling everyone is against you (paranoia) and having delusions.

Non-melancholic – in this case the depression is not melancholic, or, put simply, not primarily biological. Instead, it has to do with psychological causes, and is very often linked to stressful events in a person’s life, alone, or in conjunction with the individual’s personality style.

Non-melancholic depression is the most common of the three types of depression. People with non-melancholic depression experience:

• a depressed mood for more than two weeks

• social impairment

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Dr. Michael Blumenfield interviews Dr. Rena Cooper-Kazaz senior psychiatrist in the Department of Psychiatry at Hadassah University Hospital , Jerusalem Israel. Dr. Cooper-Kazaz discusses the latest research on this technique for treating resistant or non-responsive depression to the usual antidepressant medications. www.shrinkpod.com

I wrote this one during my third-year psych rotation. It’s probably a bit too detailed for Step 1, but you could learn a lot from it. Because all music should be free, I’m giving mine away: music.studywithsubstancep.com This song was supposed to be a funk song, but it turned out sounding a lot like the Minutemen during the bridge. I am a medical student who decided that it’s nearly impossible to memorize everything for the USMLE board examinations without making things more memorable. Thus, I starting writing songs about the diseases to help me (and you) remember a little bit about them. I realize that this practice can be a bit dehumanizing and may even seem inappropriate or malicious. I assure you that I mean no harm and do not mean to poke fun at these conditions. I know that people suffer from disease each and every day and that disease is no laughing matter. Nonetheless, medical education can be a bit dry and simultaneously completely overwhelming. Thus, I thought singing about these diseases might help me remember them. I apologize if you are offended, but I assure you that I have a big heart. I wrote these songs to ensure that I would know something about your diseases when I am treating you in the future.

Using Herbs To Treat Depression

There are many ways to treat depression. Many effective drugs are available in the markets that give very good results. But these drugs should not be taken without asking your therapist. Some of the drugs act on the nervous system to make it fast and release the depression, while some other drugs inhibit the nervous system to release the stress from the mind. Actually in some patients, the state of depression may be due to over-activity of the nervous system. In some other patients this might not be the case. So, a patient cannot decide himself or herself about the correct drug to release the depression. There are some other treatment ways like electric shock treatment, holistic treatment method and natural treatment methods.

Another effective way to treat depression is to use the herbs in order to release depression signs and symptoms. Griffonia Simplicifolia is the name of a plant. Its seeds are known to be very effective in depression treatment. The seeds of this plant contain a chemical namely 5-Hydroxy-Tryptophan (5-HTP). This chemical is a natural depression-inhibitor. This chemical is usually given in capsule form to the patients. Its side effects are very less and less sever than ordinary anti-depressants.

Ginkgo biloba is another herb that is very effective in depression treatment. When the extracts of this plant are used, they increase the flow of oxygen and blood to brain and all other body parts. This results in the relaxation of mind and the person feels relaxed, normal and happy. This herb is especially effective in elder persons.

This is a song i did last year when i was having a hard time handling my depression, just doing the song helped me alot………..this is not my beat, i don’t own it…this is soul theory’s beat

Treating Depression With Psychotherapy

Depression is a very real disease and millions of people are suffering from it. They may have suffered a terrible loss or something terrible might have happened against them by someone that they love or trust. Or

it is possible that some people may be suffering from depression because of chemical and hereditary imbalances in the brain. Whatever the reason is there are ways that these people can seek out treatment.

Depression is very real and many people have to face it everyday. It isn’t always known how and why depression can hit someone – but what we do know is that it can affect the way we live and interact with the people around us. It is important for people with depression to find treatments that will help them to work past it.

The most common treatment for depression is psychotherapy. This type of therapy involves a number of techniques during which time the affected patient will talk to a trained and licensed mental healthcare professional. Together they will help to identify the cause of the depression.

Psychotherapy helps people with depression by:

- Understanding the emotions and behaviors that work to attribute to the depression.

- Understanding and identifying the life events or problems that might have jump started them into a depression and help them to cope with it.

- To learn to feel pleasure in their life and to have control over their life.

- To practice techniques that will help them to cope.

Types Of Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy can be offered in a few different ways.

Individual – This type of therapy involves only the therapist and the patient.

Group – During this therapy for treating depression two or more patients may be asked to participate at the same time. This way the patients can share their experiences and what they have learned to see who else may feel the same way.

Couples – During this therapy couples and spouses can try to understand why their partner feel the way they do and how they both can work to keep them from becoming depressed.

Family – Family is very important in most people’s live and can do a lot to helping patients to heal. They only way they can help is to know what they are going through and why. Together they can work with each other and help each other to cope.

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