Bipolar disorder

Treating Bipolar Disorder with Medication

January 11, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Medications for bipolar disorder, also called manic depression, usually fall into one of three categories. These categories include mood stabilizers, antidepressants, and atypical antipsychotic medications. Some patients only have to take one type of medication while others may have to take a combination of the three.

Mood stabilizing medications are the most common form of medication used to treat bipolar disorder. Usually, these medications are considered anticonvulsive medications, which can aid individuals with bipolar disorder control mood episodes. A number of different prescriptions can be prescribed that have proven effective as treatment for bipolar disorder.

A second type of medication that can be prescribed for manic depression is called atypical antipsychotic medications. These medications are considered atypical because they are usually not conventional medication or are not first generation medications. These medications are often prescribed in conjunction with other medications and are generally prescribed to focus on specific systems. Some work better for manic episodes while others treat both mania and mixed episodes. Additionally, some can be prescribed to help manage more severe episodes, mania, or psychosis.

The last type of medication is called antidepressants. These typically target depression episodes and are usually prescribed in conjunction with mood stabilizers. Additionally, taking only antidepressants can make some patients more susceptible to episodes of mania, hypomania, or can even increase the possibility of rapid cycling onset. Furthermore, current research by the National Institute of Mental Health has suggested that a significant number of patients do not perform better with both antidepressants and mood stabilizers as opposed to taking just mood stabilizer medications.

Medication is a large part of the treatment process for individuals with this disorder. Therefore, individuals with this disorder should consult a mental health professional prior to starting or ending medications. Side effects are present with each type and brand of medication. However, medication treatment can be effective at helping individuals manage episodes and systems to lead productive and healthier lifestyles.

Filed Under: Guidance Tagged With: Bipolar disorder

Types of Bipolar Disorder

January 8, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Manic depression or bipolar disorder can be different for each individual that suffers from this disease. Typically, bipolar disorder can be categorized as one of four different types. These types include Bipolar I, Bipolar II, Bipolar disorder not otherwise specified, and Cyclothymic Disorder. Each of these types or categories of Bipolar disorder exhibit differences in length or type of symptoms.

Bipolar I disorder is characterized by mixed moods that dramatically alter an individual’s normal behavior. This type is also characterized by the length of those moods. Individuals with Bipolar I usually suffer from manic episodes that can last for a minimum of two weeks.

Bipolar II disorder is characterized by a specific pattern created that alternates between episodes of depression and episodes of hypomania. Hypomania is less severe and usually allows the individual the ability to still function. This type does not show signs of severe or manic episodes.

A third type is referred to as Bipolar disorder not otherwise specified, or BP-NOS. This type is often diagnosed when an individual shows signs and symptoms of depression, mania, mixed, or hypomania episodes. However, the episodes are not as severe, or are not as long, or do not develop a specific pattern. As a result, individuals with this type express behaviors uncharacteristic of their normal behavior but do not fit the requirements to be diagnosed as Bipolar I or II.

The last category is called Cyclothymic Disorder. Also called Cyclothymia, this disorder is often considered a more mild form. Individuals with this type often suffer from mild depression or mild hypomania. However, these episodes are mild and occur irregularly for at least two years. However, for those who have excessive episodes, these individuals are said to be rapid cycling.

Despite the type of manic depression or bipolar disorder, individuals can still be treated. Treatment can aid individuals in managing the effects of this disease as well as lead longer and healthier lifestyles.

Filed Under: Guidance Tagged With: Bipolar disorder

Dangers of Depression: Self Harm

December 16, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

ContentWhile depression itself is a highly prevalent condition that can be debilitating for some, one of the most significant dangers of depression is the possible destructive side effect that some sufferers may find themselves slipping into if their condition goes untreated.

One way the chronically depressed sometimes express their sadness and depression is a desire to hurt themselves. This desire to “feel” something is usually manifested in self-harm. This can include hair pulling, burning one’s self and other forms of deliberate harm to one’s self, but the most prevalent form of self-harm is “cutting.”

People who cut themselves use a sharp instrument to create a self-inflicted would that is used to end a sense of numbness they feel in life. Self-harm is considered to be a symptom of a greater problem (like depression, borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia) rather than a distinct mental disorder of its own.

Self-harm does permanent damage to your body for a condition that can be temporary in nature or kept in control if treated. Treatment methods for those that engage in self-harm vary widely and there is no definitive method of treatment at this time, since the most effective treatment depends on the patient’s personal history and mental state.

However, avoidance techniques – something that a depression sufferer engages in instead when they want to commit an act of self-harm – has shown to be successful for some patients in the past. The idea with avoidance techniques is to keep the person busy enough that they don’t have time to engage in the self-harm that they normally would. For instance, going for a run, cleaning the house or tackling a school or work project. In the end, though, the avoidance technique or alternate treatment must be appropriate and suited toward the individual whose behavior is being curbed.

Filed Under: Guidance Tagged With: Bipolar disorder, Borderline personality disorder, Disorders, Health, Major depressive disorder, Mental disorder, Mental health, Mood

Early-Onset Bipolar Disorder

December 9, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

: Image via Wikipedia

Bipolar disorder in children is becoming more and more common. Once only seen in adults, this alarming trend is seeing health professionals diagnose more and more children each year, and, they’re being diagnosed younger.

Called Early-Onset Bipolar Disorder, symptoms such as extreme mood swings seem to be the most common. Children will rapidly move from giddiness to depression and back again, sometimes several times in a row. For children that are hyperactive, it can be very difficult to distinguish normal behavior from bipolar symptoms. Child behavioral specialists can be consulted to help you determine if there is cause for worry, once you begin to suspect there may be a problem.

Children are ill equipped to deal with bipolar disorder. They will have difficulty in school and may be labeled as difficult and dealt with more harshly by teachers who are unaware of the disorder. Other children my find those afflicted with this disorder to be strange, and they may begin to suffer from being a pariah. Erratic behavior in a child with this disorder may attract the attention of children with behavioral issues which can just lead to more and more issues.

The depression element of bipolar disorder in children is particularly severe. Even adults have difficulties with depression but children just do not have the ability to comprehend what is going on and certainly can’t objectively deal with their feelings. Depression may be expressed through moody or aggressive behavior such as stealing your treasured Mikimoto pearl necklace, and can ultimately lead to suicidal thoughts.

Unfortunately these children are being diagnosed under the age of 10. The years that are supposed to be carefree and exploratory are filled instead with incomprehensible feelings, emotions and behaviors. Sadder still is that many parents refuse to accept that their child has an issue so many go undiagnosed all together.

Filed Under: Guidance Tagged With: Bipolar disorder, Child, Disorders, Health, Major depressive disorder, Mental health, Mood, Symptom

Raised Liver Enzymes Effect Depression Treatment

November 30, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

It is fairly common when a patient goes into their healthcare provider with symptoms of depression or manic depression to be put on antidepressants. It is such a common practice that most patients don’t even question the side effects or what can really come from being put on these types of medications. Very few patients suffering from depression know that depression medication can actually be playing with the body’s other organs, which can have an adverse reaction to the treatment of depression. The organ of the body that has the most effect from antidepressants and can delay the treatment of depression is the liver.

Many times when a patient is recently put on antidepressants it can cause the liver enzyme count in the blood stream to go up. In most cases this is rarely a cause for concern and most healthcare professionals will let these enzymes cycle through and in a little over a week the enzyme count is back to normal. However, in some cases this elevated liver enzyme count could be impeding the treatment of the depression.

Some sufferers of depression, mostly those patients that suffer from depression associated with bipolar disorder, have a hard time when their liver enzymes are raised. This higher level of enzymes causes them to go from a depression state to a manic state. It can take as little as a week to as long as a month to get through the manic state. For those looking for a treatment to bipolar this type of cycling in moods is not productive and can actually cause a setback in treatment.

Although raised liver enzymes do happen and can cause treatment to be delayed it is usually a rare case that these raised levels would actually cause you to be taken off the antidepressant medications. If you believe that liver enzymes are preventing you from getting the treatment for depression that you want, consult with your healthcare provider.

Filed Under: Guidance Tagged With: Antidepressant, Bipolar disorder, Enzyme, Liver

A Balanced Diet for Manic Depression

November 25, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

: Image via Wikipedia

Suffering from manic depression can be difficult. There is a constant need to ensure that you are on a daily routine, as well as taking your medications and if applicable attending counseling sessions. However, very few people worry about what they are eating. What you put in your body can have a direct effect on manic depression. Here are some dietary tips that can help keep your manic depression in order.

Eat a Balanced Meal. Eating a balanced meal that is filled with leafy greens, grains and dairy will keep the body and brain funcitioning properly. Manic depression is about chemical imbalance in the brain that causes the extreme mood swings. Eating a balanced meal will keep the body and brain funcitioning properly. Cognitive function has a direct relationship with the amount of nutrition that the body intakes. To keep the cognitive levels high, a balanced meal is needed.

Folic Acid. Recent studies have found that folic acid intake can actually subside acute phases of mania that come with manic depression. Making sure that folic acid is added to the diet will decrease the levels of mania in manic depression sufferers. Folic acid can be taken in a pill form or by adding greens to your diet such as broccoli, spinich and avacados.

Magmesium. Studies that were conducted about food intake in patients that suffered from manic depression, showed that when the levels of magnesium were increased the symptoms of the disorder subsided. Make sure to add grains, nuts, breads and other types of foods that contain high levels of magnesium.

There is still a lot of further studies that need to be conducted on manic depression and the type of foods that are consumed. In many cases, eating continual well balanced meals helped those who suffered from manic depression. However, there are still a lot of aspects that need to be studied further and explored more. Until that time stay under a healthcare professional’s care.

Filed Under: Guidance Tagged With: Bipolar disorder, Folic acid, Leaf vegetable, Suffering

Symptoms of Manic Depression or Bipolar Disorder: The Mania Side of the Disorder

November 19, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Do you suspect that you or someone you know is suffering from manic depression or bipolar disorder? It can be hard to distinguish if a person is just going through a small mood swing or if they are really suffering from something that is a lot more concerning.

Manic depression is the term for a mood disorder that causes the person to go through extreme mood swings. These mood swings range from extreme highs known as mania to extreme depressions known as lows. The mood will cycle through the person’s body and it is often hard to distinguish what is happening.

Here are some of the known symtoms of bipolar disorder or manic depression. These symptoms can help you better understand if you should seek medical treatment for this disorder.

Since manic depression can be broken down into two groups mania and lows, the symptoms can also be broken into two groups. Here are the symptoms for the manias that a person goes through.

Racing thoughts or incoherent thinking. This is from the body over processing information. These are often linked to poor judgment in a situation.

Insomnia. The insomnia associated with the mania side of manic depression isn’t just a case of someone staying up for an hour or two and not being able to fall asleep. Sometimes the person can stay up for 3 to 4 days at a time without sleeping.

Inappropriate behavior or social skills. A person going through a mania might act out of place or extremely inappropriate for the given situation. This can range from shouting in public places, acting inappropriately sexually or even just emotionally acting out of line.

Loud Talking or increased talking or speech. Due to the racing thoughts that are going through the persons head, a person suffering from manic depression will often talk loudly or string a whole bunch of words together. They do not often realize that they are doing this.

Filed Under: Guidance Tagged With: Bipolar disorder, Mania, Mood disorder

Manic Depression 411: Medications Used for Manic Depression

November 5, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Manic depression is a very complex mood disorder that causes people to have massive mood swings and extreme mood changes. These people go from extreme highs known as manias and extreme lows known as depression. For this reason the treatment for bipolar disorder or manic depression can be very complex.

A number of medications can be used to treat the disorder but it takes a lot of patience and a lot of trial and error. Many times the first medication that is used will not treat the bipolar disorder and another one will have to be used.

Here are some of the common types of medications that are used to treat manic depression.

Mood Stabilizers. These are used usually when a person is in a mania. The only approved drug specifically for bipolar disorder is that known as lithium. Sometimes drugs that are normally prescribed for seizures are used on those suffering from manic depression.

Antidepressant. Antidepressants are prescribed to combat the depression state of manic depression. If antidepressants are used as a form of treatment then it must be used in combination with another drug, usually lithium to combat the mood swings. If antidepressants are prescribed only it can actually cause manic depression to worsen and cause a relapse of treatment.

Anti-psychosis. These drugs are only prescribed for severe cases of manic depression. Sometimes sufferers of manic depression have hallucinations and see things. These drugs prevent people from seeing and hearing things that don’t exist.

Anti-Anxiety. Manic depression comes with a lot of feelings of anxiety. By tackling the issue of anxiety people can calm down and get the treatment that they need.

Sedatives. A symptom of manic depression is that of insomnia. Having a sedative could help the person get the sleep that they need and help get the treatment for the disorder that is needed.

Filed Under: Guidance Tagged With: Bipolar disorder, Major depressive disorder, Mania, Mood disorder

Does Manic Depression or Bipolar Disorder Require a Hosptial Stay?

November 3, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Manic depression or bipolar disorder can be an extremely difficult condition to manage. Due to the ever changing mood swings and personalities that are present those suffering from manic depression can find it difficult to mingle back into every day life after having some of these manic episodes. So the question arises: If you just got diagnosed with manic depression do you have to go to the hospital?

The answer is a bit complex.

For the most part those that are diagnosed with bipolar disorder do not require hospital stays. However, if you notice yourself or someone you love showing signs of manic depression or bipolar disorder it is a good idea to seek medical help through a health care professional or a doctor so that the disorder does not get out of hand.

With that said, the disorder usually does not require a hospital stay. Most doctors will try prescribing various medications and try to sort out the issue of the mood disorder. It is a balancing game and as long as the patient is stable and in an okay condition there is no need for a hospital.

However, sometimes the manias or depression states of manic depression become so severe that a person is at risk to themselves or others. Sometimes these people consider killing themselves or others and that is when hospitalization is needed. If you or a loved one exhibit signs of harming yourself or others it is best to seek hospitalization immediately before further damage is done.

Other times a hospitalization stay is required if it seems that the person suffering from manic depression cannot integrate into society normally. This can be either they are not adapting to the medication or if they need to have extensive counseling due to other issues that sometimes come up with manic depression such as drug use, alcohol use or some other serious addiction.

Filed Under: Health Care Tagged With: Bipolar disorder, Mania, Mood disorder

Treatment Options for Manic Depression

November 1, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Do you or someone you know suffer from manic depression? It can be a very tough disorder to deal with due to the uncertainty of the mood swings and feelings of the person. Luckily, with modern medicine there is the ability to treat disorders like this through various means.

While there is no known cure for manic depression, there is the ability to stabalize the emotions and mood swings of the person and allow those people to live normal lives. In order to do that the person must undergo various forms of treatments.

Here are some of the treatment options that are being used for manic depression.

Medications. There are various medications that are believed to help the chemical balance of bipolar disorder, or manic depression. What one medication works for one person it might not work for another. When it comes to the type of medications that are used with manic depression it is a bit of a trial and error to see what medications a person works best with.

Counseling. Manic depression is a mood disorder and many patients find that their treatment is very successful when it is combined with counseling sessions. Counseling sessions can occur in group settings or individual settings. They allow a person who suffers from manic depression the ability to talk freely and naturally with a group of peers. Counseling can also allow a person to help deal with stress. Stress is a major trigger for manic depression episodes and learning to handle stress is key to recovery.

Support Systems. While not an active part of the treatment, support systems are very important for those that are suffering from manic depression. Having friends, family members or co-workers who support you can help you deal with the various treatments and emotions that come with manic depression. With no support a person is likely to relapse and have more episodes of mania or depression.

Filed Under: Guidance Tagged With: Bipolar disorder, Mood disorder, Mood swing