In psychiatry, bipolar syndrome is a kind of medical finding which refers to depressed mood along with a mixed state or hypomania. When compared with people who are normal, people suffering from bipolar depression have mood swings which might range from a few minutes to even a few months. Such people are prone to attempt suicide at any given chance and are equally associated with distress and disruption. Bipolar syndrome is many times linked to extreme functioning and many creative people attribute their creativity to this ailment.

Bipolar disorder is further classified into Type I and Type II. In case of Type I disorder, the affected person is most likely to experience full-blown mania. In case of the Type II ailment, the ‘highs’ of the affected individual do not exceed the hypomania stage unless it was set off by such medications. During such manic periods, psychosis may arise. Rapid cycling can also take place. The extent to which a person may get affected because of such disorder varies from individual to individual and from time to time. Thus, the bipolar spectrum concept is put to use generally and it includes cyclothymia too.

The bipolar ailment is characterized by periods of abnormally disconcerted moods which often lead to the individual feeling depressed. The moderation and the period of such depression also vary from one affected individual to the other. Such fluctuation of mood can cause either improvement in the functioning or an impairment which hugely depends on the severity of the lows and highs of the mood swing. The affected normal routine is also affected due to the alteration in social rhythm, energy level, cognitive functioning, pattern of sleep, and activity level of the person.

The depression which is gone through by people affected with the bipolar depression is quiet similar to that experienced by people suffering from clinical depression. The various symptoms includes sadness, anger, anxiety, guilt, isolation, lack of self confidence, sleep and appetite disturbances, escapism, fatigue, disinterest in things which the person used to enjoy, apathy, shyness, self loathing, irritability, chronic pain, social anxiety, and suicidal tendency.

The most brutal problem an individual faces in today’s world is the period of bipolar depression. Many times the period of such a depression becomes very obvious to people around and is very upsetting.

Certain types of serious depression are supplemented by the symptoms of psychosis. It may consist of delusions (beliefs which are false and cannot be proved or explained with any sort of evidence), hallucinations (hearing, sensing or seeing things which do not really exist), and escapism (finding and making excuses to break out off from apparent stress and unpleasant situations).

People who are so affected may also have the belief that a very powerful body is controlling and hunting them. Many of them may even have the feeling that people who are very close to them are bullying and plotting against them. Many times the anxiety level increases without any reason. They start feeling left out and isolated from near and dear ones. Many people tend to believe in unusual religious sentiments and start thinking that they have supernatural powers and have been born to accomplish a specific task. Delusions are even worse. They generally arise out of the guilt of doing something which must have affected the life of some other person. Many other such contradicting theories have also been associated with the factors triggering bipolar depression. However, none of them has been widely accepted as being perfect.

The basic nature of bipolar depression is flux. It is a state of mind whereby the affected individual is totally immersed in what they are doing. There is complete involvement, absolute focus and success during the activity period. The indicators of bipolar depression are energy, sleep, mood, thought, and activity. The diagnostic subtypes are many times just a sample preview of the continual changes which take place during the ailment period.

In the opinion of the United States National Institute of Mental Health (US NIMH), there is no particular or specific reason for such an ailment. Nevertheless, a number of factors cause such an ailment when combined together. It has also been found that such a disorder runs through the family. Hence researchers are looking for the particular gene. However, most of these researches has ended up proving that more than one gene is responsible for the ailment.



Thanks to Abhishek Agarwal for contributing this article to our Depression blog:

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Some people call it the ‘pits’ and some people call it the ‘blues’ and some just call it ‘feeling down in the dumps’. But whatever you may call it, being depressed is a terrible feeling.

The most common types of depression are:

Major Depression, which is characterized by a sad mood, sleep disorders, and a decreased or absent appetite. Often when a person is in a major depression, the person feels a complete lack of drive and motivation and the sufferer lacks the desire to do anything in life. Some people are completely disabled by depression, and some even consider suicide.

Dysthymia: This is a less severe type of long term depression that typically does not completely disable the individual. But it prevents the person from feeling motivated and functioning at optimum levels. Sometimes people who are suffering with Dysthymia also suffer from Major Depression, and when this occurs it is called double-depression.

Manic Depression is also called Bipolar Disorder. This type of depression is not as common as Dysthymia or major depression. It involves cycles of a manic state, alternated with a depressed state. This is often a long term recurring disorder. Sometimes the mood swings occur suddenly. But generally speaking, they tend to be gradual.

There are many variations of depression; the types described here are only three of the most common.

Some of the symptoms of depression include:

Sadness; anxiety; pessimism; insomnia and other sleep disorders; feelings of worthlessness; guilt; restlessness; pain; fatigue; weight loss; headaches; and thoughts of suicide.

Sources of Depression:

As previously stated, there are several types of depression: Major Depression; Manic Depression; and Dysthymia being three of the more common forms.

Many types of depression are hereditary. Living in a stressful environment can lead to depression. A traumatic experience such as a serious loss, relationship problems, or financial trouble can also lead to depression.

Women are twice as likely to suffer from depression as men are, but scientists do not know why.

If you suffer from depression, you will want to seek the advice of your physician. He may prescribe medication for you. But keep in mind that every medication has side effects.

Wouldn’t it be phenomenal if you could regulate and eliminate your depression just by having certain thoughts? I know that this sounds too good to be true, but very often, various types of depression are caused by thinking negative thoughts.

Don’t believe me? Then try it out! It’s really quite basic and simple. Just imagine something that you feel is very troubling or sad. Go ahead, think about it right now! Then come back to this article.

Okay, so what happened? If you really focused and visualized the sad situation, you began to feel sad and a little depressed. And the longer you allow yourself to remain in that thought pattern, the sadder you will feel. As you stay in sad thoughts and keep feeling sadder, you lead yourself into a gradually intensifying depression.

The good news is that if you focus on a happy thought, then you will displace that sadness and depression and have happy feelings instead.

Listen closely now, because here are the keys to eliminating your depression: Our persistent thoughts spring forth from the unconscious mind. These are the thoughts that we find ourselves automatically thinking about during the day.

If the persistent thoughts that keep recurring in your mind are about your problems or sad experiences, then you raise your levels of anxiety, stress, and depression.

But here is the ‘Light at the end of the tunnel’: Since hypnosis can be used to alter our unconscious thoughts, NLP and self hypnosis stress management CDs will rapidly alter the way that you think, feel, and behave. The interesting thing is that the exact same techniques that work for stress management also work just as well for eliminating depression!

Now I’m going to tell you exactly how and why it is going to happen. Hypnosis is a natural state of mind. Specifically, it is the Alpha state of consciousness. We go through the Alpha state as we are falling asleep at night. And we go through it again as we wake up in the morning. We also enter the Alpha state when we are daydreaming and imagining.

The unconscious mind is the seat of our emotions, and it is like a computer; the input controls the output! Hypnosis therapy is a wonderful tool for reaching directly into the unconscious mind and reprogramming it to automatically divert you away from negative thoughts, and promote positive thinking. It’s a tool that allows you to bypass the consciousness to create positive expectations, which will in turn generate positive feelings. You can overcome depression by using hypnosis therapy.



Thanks to Alan B. Densky, CH for contributing this article to our Depression blog:

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Almost everyone goes through depression once or more in his or her lifetime. This may be due to the hectic lifestyle most of us lead, these days. The competition, job requirements and family life makes it really important for most people to look out for certain things that would reduce some amount of stress they face in their daily life.

In case, they don’t make any efforts to remove this stress of occasional stages of feeling blue, depression is bound to occur.

However, most people who suffer from depression do not consider it seriously because they don’t have the slightest idea that depression has entered into their lives.

This is the reason that most people come to know about it when it’s too late.

It is very necessary to keep tabs on the potential symptoms of depression. This will let you know about whether there is depression in your life. Once you come to know that depression exists, it is time to go for a treatment option. You may talk to your friends and loved one about the depression you are facing. They will help you a lot in removing depression from your life.

It would also be wise to take professional advice in this regard. This will provide you a lot of relief. The most important step you need to take in this regard is to learn the symptoms of depression.

This is the best way to keep tabs on your mood swings. Different people experience depression in different ways. This depends on the type of depression one is going through. However, there are still certain common symptoms that would indicate the depressive mood of an individual.

Here are some of the most common symptoms associated to depression:

A) Behavior

- Crying more than usual, Losing temper more than usual

- Lack of energy, Lack of motivation

- Increased use of alcohol, Increased use of drugs

- Staying away from family and friends, Being over dependent on the family

B) Mood

- Feeling of anxiety

- Feeling guilty; Blaming oneself

- Inability to enjoy

- Feeling of hopelessness; Feeling of helplessness

- Feeling empty; Feeling numb

C) Physical changes

- Feeling physically unwell; Loss of appetite; Overeating

- Difficulty in sleeping; Waking up in the middle of the night

- Sleeping more than usual

- Stomach aches; Headaches

- No interest in intimate relations.

D) Thinking

- Excess of self criticism

- Thoughts of suicide; Thoughts of death

- Lack of concentration; Loss of memory

- Difficulty making decisions; Unable to think clearly

- Believing that you can’t cope up; Believing that things are simply out of control

All these experiences mentioned are the symptoms of depression. However, may not experience all. In case, you come to know about any of the symptoms mentioned above, it would be great to take a professional help on an immediate basis.

This would help you to combat the serious after effects of depression.

Remember that if not treated on time, depression may lead to serious health problems.



Thanks to Bertil Hjert for contributing this article to our Depression blog:

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There are various situations in life where an individual may have to go through the procedure of depression. Although the cause of depression varies from person to person, the main reason may be due to some personal problems which may be work related, relationship problems or due to family problems but personal and family problems mainly contribute to the build up of depression.

What does Depression cause?

For many, depression does not seem complex because they live with it. But depression causes problems in work, social life, family adjustment. If you suffer from depression then you must be well aware of the problems that you face, but it is not only you that suffer, but people around you suffer too because they care for you.

Types of Depression:

You may wonder how can there be different types of depression. The truth is that there are 5 types of depressions and the following section explains it further.

Ø Major Depression: This is the most serious type and the variety and number of symptoms are huge.

Ø Dysthymic Disorder: A depression that is generally moderate and has been present for nearly two years or at times longer.

Ø Unspecified Depression: This type exists in people who have depression that is quite serious in nature but not severe in nature.

Ø Adjustment Disorder Depression: A type of depression that occurs with people due to problems or due to a crisis in one’s life.

Ø Bipolar Depression: People facing this type of depression may have low and high mood swings along with other symptoms.

If you suffer from depression, depression therapy will help you to combat it. You can do depression therapy on your own and the first thing you need to do is stop thinking negative. Negative thinking is the main reason for depression and it pulls any person back from achieving what they want to do. The following steps given below are useful when considering a good depression treatment :

1) In the initial stages set goals that are not tough for you by breaking them down to smaller ones and then accordingly proceed to fulfilling the goals.

2) Avoid staying alone and instead always try to have friends or relatives around so that you can enjoy every moment. By enjoying yourself you keep all problems away.

3) Avoid negative thinking whenever it comes to your mind, instead think the positive version of it and try and achieve that.

Although you can start and catalyze a depression therapy, getting help from a psychologist would speed up the healing process and also make it simpler for you.

There are various websites which you can search to get loads of information about depression therapy, its types and ways to implement to help people suffering from depression.



Thanks to Harry for contributing this article to our Depression blog:

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Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses with 10-15% of people suffering from depression at some stage in their lifetime. The general symptoms of depression include irritability, difficulty to concentrate, feelings of guilt or helplessness, reduced appetite, anxiety, loss of interest in activities and personal appearance, difficulty sleeping, difficulty getting up in the morning, constant tiredness, lack of energy, changes in weight and headaches.

Depression is a form of what is known as a mood or affective, disorder, because it is primarily concerned with a change in mood.

Depression is a very complex illness. No-one really knows for certain what causes depression, and everyone’s experience of depression is different.

Winter Depression (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

This is very common in countries which have cold, cloudy winters and little daylight or sunshine. I used to live in England and did suffer a from this. Now I live in Turkey and the difference is incredible. Sometimes the weather is fantastic - sunny and warm even in winter! It does affect your mood but everybody is different, if you are very sensitive to weather change you may suffer from this.

Pregnancy Depression

Although pregnancy is normally a period of great joy, about ten percent (10%) of pregnant women experience prolong periods of great sadness.

Although hormones are a factor in pregnancy depression it is not the lone cause.

Dysthymia

Dysthmyia is a condition that sufferers don’t even know they have depression, it is just a daily part of their lives and always has been. People suffering from Dysthmyia are people that are simply sad, blue, always depressed but for them it is completely normal and are not aware of it. They go through life feeling unimportant, frightened, dissatisfied and simply don’t enjoy life.

Bipolar depression (or manic depression) includes both high and low mood swings, and a variety of other significant symptoms not present in other types of depression.

Seasonal Affective Disorder has symptoms that are seen with any major depressive episode. It is the recurrence of the symptoms during certain seasons that is the hallmark of this type of depression.

Non-melancholic Depression

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. Non-melancholic depression has a high rate of spontaneous remission because it is often linked to stressful events in a person’s life. Non-melancholic depression responds well to different sorts of treatments (such as psychotherapies, antidepressants and counselling), but the treatment selected should respect the cause (eg stress, personality style).



Thanks to Peter rodrick for contributing this article to our Depression blog:

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