How Do You Know if You Have Manic-Depression

By Michael Rayel

Nancy was doing very well until about two years ago when Phil, her boyfriend of 9 years, broke-up with her. It was a difficult moment for her especially after she learned that Phil eventually married her cousin. Since then, Nancy had deteriorated. One evening, she was involved in a motor vehicular accident because she was driving fast and recklessly in a quiet suburban neighborhood.

During interrogation, the cops noted that Nancy was talking rapidly and nobody could interrupt her. Also, she was making jokes and laughing so loud. She further indicated to them that she was on her way to meet the President and his top officials about her invention that could cure the oil crunch. She eventually ended up in the emergency room where she was diagnosed and treated for bipolar disorder after intensive evaluation.

Bipolar disorder or manic-depression is manifested by highs and lows. When a patient like Nancy is on the manic side, there is a persistent feeling of euphoria or irritability associated with lack of need for sleep, excessive energy, agitation, fast and loud speech, increase in goal-directed activities such as spending sprees and establishing businesses with no appropriate plan, and hypersexuality.

Patients with this disorder develop poor judgment and impulsivity. They become irritable and can lash out easily even if not provoked. Some patients have delusions of grandeur. When this happens, patients think that they have special powers, talents, and influence.

When not manic, patients either feel normal or depressed. Depression in bipolar disorder has the same manifestation as major depression that consists of feelings of sadness associated with neurovegetative signs and symptoms such as inability to sleep, eat, and concentrate. Energy level is also impaired. In addition, patients experience a feeling of hopelessness, worthlessness, and helplessness. Suicidal ideation may ensue.

For individuals who develop mania, does it always mean that they suffer from bipolar disorder?

Not necessarily. Mania can be caused by various medical and neurologic conditions. For instance, multiple sclerosis and stroke can present with manic symptoms. Moreover, medications and street drugs may precipitate mania. Steroids, cocaine, and amphetamine are some examples. Even some antidepressants can induce mania.

So when a person shows mania, the physician usually does intensive evaluation to rule out medical, neurologic, and medication-induced conditions before diagnosing bipolar disorder. This process is important because the treatment varies depending upon the cause. Once other conditions are ruled out, then bipolar disorder can be safely diagnosed and treated.

Copyright © 2004. Dr. Michael G. Rayel – author (First Aid to Mental Illness–Finalist, Reader’s Preference Choice Award 2002) psychiatrist, and inventor of Oikos Game: An EQ Game. For info, visit http://www.oikosgame.com and http://www.soardime.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Rayel

Manic Depression: Tips to Turn Frowns and Tears into Smiles and Laughter

By Matt OConnor

You could be suffering from manic depression without even knowing it. Even if your mood swings don't resemble the actions of a pendulum, actions of extreme opposites are sufficient evidence to prove that you’re suffering from manic depression. If you believe that you’re suffering from this disorder, it's important to get help immediately and prevent it from affecting your life in a more significant way.

How to Handle Manic Depression

Also known as bipolar disorder, manic depression may be inherited and is usually serious and persistent. As mentioned earlier, not all people suffering from bipolar depression would have violent mood swings. In some cases, the transition from depression to mania or elation is gradual.

Regardless of that, it’s imperative that proper medical attention is given immediately to the affected individual to prevent the disorder from worsening.

COOPERATE FULLY WITH YOUR DOCTOR. This is not the time to feel ashamed about your condition. It's not your fault if you happen to suffer from manic depression. You should also understand that your doctor is there to help you and nothing else. If you don’t give your complete trust to your doctor, the treatment for your condition is most probably not as effective as it’s meant to be.

KEEP A CHART OF ACTIONS AND EVENTS RELATED TO YOUR CONDITION. Take note of the dates and times when symptoms of manic depression have occurred. Keeping a chart would not only help you understand the seriousness of your condition but it could also show you a trend that you were once unaware of. Awareness of this trend will better enable you to identify when you’re once again starting to experience the effects of manic depression.

NEVER TAKE ANY MEDICATION FOR MANIC DEPRESSION WITHOUT A GO-AHEAD FROM YOUR DOCTOR. Although your desire to be cured is entirely understandable, that doesn’t mean it should overrule common sense. Dabbling with drugs that you don’t fully comprehend can lead to serious medical complications. If you don’t think your present medication is effective, relay your feelings to your psychiatrist and he will no doubt see to it that your medication is immediately changed.

Speaking of medication, mood stabilizers are one of the most common forms of drugs prescribed for people suffering from manic depression. With the consumption of mood stabilizers, there is less chance for manic depression to recur. Lithium is the first type of mood stabilizer used for treating manic depression. Anticonvulsant medications like valproate are conversely used to treat the more serious cases of manic depression. It’s possible for a doctor to prescribe both anticonvulsant medication and lithium for manic depression patients.

WHEN A PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT HAS BEEN PRESCRIBED FOR YOU, FOLLOW THIS RIGOROUSLY. Having on-and-off treatment will only give you a temporary cure from manic depression. Prioritize your therapy sessions as it’s the only way for you to get better.

DON’T KEEP SECRETS. If something new comes up and it seems to be related to your condition, inform your doctor immediately. Failing to do so could lead to more suffering in the future.

TAKE NOTE OF SIDE EFFECTS. Certain medications for manic depression may make you gain weight, feel weak or nauseous, and even lose hair. If your medication has any side effect that bothers you, inform your doctor about it so he can change your treatment accordingly.

Lastly, don’t hide your condition from your loved ones. Even if you don’t have a doctor for a parent or partner, you’ll be amazed at the amount of help they can give just by providing you comfort and emotional support.

Did you know 16% of the world's population suffer from depression? Author Matthew OConnor runs a site dedicated to the latest news and developments in manic depression. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_OConnor

Hope For Those Suffering From Manic Depression

By A. Green

A bombshell has dropped! You or a loved one have been diagnosed with manic depression. After the initial shock has lessened, you find yourself trying to understand this disorder. It makes sense to educate yourself about bipolar disorder, when attempting to deal with and recover from this condition.

Questions may arise regarding the origin or cause of manic depression. Do genetics influence whether a person is born with it or will be affected later in life? Are early experiences significant and can stressful events trigger onset of symptoms? Much has been said about chemical imbalances. Is there a correlation between nutritional deficiencies and biochemical imbalances in the brain?

Although the illness appears to have a genetic link, seemingly running in families, no gene has been identified that can be said to be responsible or the cause of manic depression and experts are divided in their opinions as to whether genes actually play a part.

Psychological factors may also play a role. Children who have experienced traumatic events and suffered emotional damage may be at greater risk. Some sufferers can pinpoint a period of great stress precipitating or triggering onset of their condition and feel this may be at the root of or the cause of manic depression in their case.

More significantly, however, extensive research shows that nutritional deficiencies in the brain and nervous system can have an impact on the brain's delicate balance, resulting in neurotransmitters and the nervous system being compromised. These deficiencies can contribute or may be a cause of manic depression because nutritional imbalances and deficiencies may cause neurotransmitters and brain impulses to malfunction, leading to thought and mood fluctuations and changes in energy or behavior. These changes can last for hours or days, weeks or even months. For someone living with manic depression, life can be a roller coaster. Moods can swing between highs (mania) and lows (depression).

When examining characteristics of or defining what is manic depression it may be helpful to describe how a brain deficient in the right nutrients may present chemistry consistent with bipolar disorder. During a manic phase a person may feel a heightened sense of self-importance, increased self-confidence, and euphoric feelings. In this overactive state, a person may experience racing thoughts and rapid speech and may be bubbling over with plans. Impulsivity and poor judgment can lead to spending sprees and debts; irritation and anger may be more readily activated. When we continue to define what is manic depression the most consistent symptom and the one presenting the biggest challenge, is often the depression sufferers experience. The sadness, worry, anxiety, guilt, and worthlessness can feel overwhelming. Appetite and sleep patterns may be affected. Trying to concentrate and remember can make even the simplest tasks seem monumental. All of this can combine to provoke suicidal feelings.

Thankfully, promising new treatments offer hope. One effective treatment option is the use of natural remedies. Natural remedies incorporate essential and key ingredients, providing nutrients that work to correct deficiencies and imbalances in the brain, restoring positive mood, repairing neurotransmitter malfunction, and increasing emotional energy. Key nutrients found in natural supplements are: Choline Bitartrate or Phosphatidyl Choline, L-Valine, Selenium, and Valerian, to name a few. These nutrients address deficiencies that may be a cause of manic depression, restoring and repairing cognitive function.

We have discussed what is manic depression what causes it, symptoms, and how use of natural remedies is a safe and scientifically backed alternative treatment approach for bipolar disorder. More information about the cause of manic depression can be found at our site. Athlyn Green is an avid health enthusiast with an interest in natural remedies for treatment of health disorders. She is a regular contributor to several health sites, including Beat Your Depression, a site dedicated to treating depression safely and effectively. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=A._Green

Tests For Manic Depression In The Real World

By Flor Serquina

Manic depression or manic-depressive illness is also known as bipolar disorder, a medical condition characterized by shifting moods, energy levels, and functional abilities of the afflicted person. With the mood and energy swings reaching the severe levels, tests for manic depression are increasingly becoming more complex.

What Is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder or manic-depressive illness or simply manic depression is a condition characterized by recurring bouts of significant, severe mood and energy disturbances. The range of the spectrum is from those lows of debilitating depression to those highs of uncontrollable mania, thus the bipolar or extreme poles of the condition. Bipolar disorder sufferers are almost always in a mixed range of depression episodes that occur in cycles.

Precisely a cyclic illness, bipolar disorder or manic depression occurs regularly from the elevated or manic level to the lowest depressed level. It begins to manifest itself from childhood and may continue on to young adulthood and even adulthood if not treated.

The state of mania is characterized by the elevated irritability state of the sufferer's mood. The manic depressive may experience a surge of energy and will have difficulty in falling asleep. Attentiveness may be affected and the manic-depressive is distracted easily. The manic-depressive may have delusions of grandeur. The manic-depressive may even in the extreme get psychotic or detach himself from reality.

What Tests Are There For Manic Depression?

Manic depression being a mental illness is not measurable or diagnosable physiologically, that is through blood tests, MRIs, or brain scans. Tests for manic depression are more focused on the disorder's symptoms, the genetic and family history of the sufferer, the course and duration of the illness.

Clinical studies on manic depression or bipolar disorder abound. These include tests for manic depression presence or occurrence in the subjects. Tests for manic depression include scientific evaluation and investigation into the causes and treatments of this illness.

Research studies on mental health, such as those sponsored or conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health, provide relevant information on the types of medication, the combination of medication and therapies, the benefits of psychotherapy or behavioral intervention in manic depression, the diagnosis and the diagnosis' reliability, and preventive measures.

The National Institute of Mental Health introduced recently tests for manic depression and other behavioral disorders through real-world studies, so called for several underlying reasons. These tests provide different treatments and different combinations of treatments and target large numbers of mental disorder sufferers living in diverse area settings. The real-world aspect comes in such real-world issues like family life, work patterns and attitudes, even social relations and functions.

More recently, the National Institute of Mental Health initiated and implemented the STEP-BD or Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder. This test for manic depression or bipolar disorder solicited participants for this largest-ever study based on "real-world" scenarios on the different treatment schemes for bipolar disorder. This and other clinical studies on bipolar disorder are proving that tests for manic depression will shed more light on better medication and therapy regimens for patients.

What To Do If You Were Tested "Positive?"

Bipolar disorder is a serious form of mood disorder. Its symptoms of shifting moods from one end of the spectrum to the other end make the person suffering from it very unpredictable.

Today, the patient may be extremely happy as though the world has been too good for him. Then the next day he falls into a crying episode, displaying melancholy and gloominess, and dislikes to socialize even with members of the family.

These erratic changes in behavior makes a manic depressive person a high risk for suicide. He can harm himself and he can harm the people around him, even those that he loves.

If you are tested "positive" from bipolar disorder, seek help immediately. You need to know how to manage and control your impulses and urges, which a manic depressive has a hard time controlling, such as excessive gambling, promiscuous sexual behavior or shop lifting.

Thus if you suspect you or a family member is manic depressive, don't hesitate to take the test for manic depression.

Flor Serquina is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Facts-About-Depression.com. She provides more information on topics such as test for manic depression, medications for depression and anxiety and depression anxiety treatment that you can research on her website even while lounging in your living room. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Flor_Serquina

Manic Depression - Happily Sad Or Sadly Happy?

By Neil Day

Like a pendulum on a constant swing either up or down, those who suffer from manic depression might find themselves feeling and acting clinically depressed one day and on an emotional high the next. Also known as bipolar disorder for this pendulum swing, the condition does not have a known cause and cures are also not known. But, there are some effective treatments to help put the person in regulating the swings.

Before treatment for manic depression can be sought, however, a diagnosis of the condition must be made. While it’s normal for people to have one bad day followed by a good one, the swings involved in manic depression are anything but ordinary. The reality is those suffering from it have serious, severe depression in the downward spiral and clinical mania when they're up.

The symptoms of both conditions must be present for a diagnosis of manic depression to be made. Medical and/or psychological assistance should be sought to help determine if the symptoms are characteristic of manic depression. In general, the polar swings have some common ties in most patients. Let’s look at both.

When in a depressive state, a person with manic depression might exhibit such symptoms as a constant feeling of sadness, guilt or hopelessness, a loss of sleep, fatigue, concentration issues, irritability and even thoughts of suicide. The periods of depression can present exactly like clinical depression and can be moderate to severe.

The manic phase might sound like a little more “fun,” but the truth is the ups are unhealthy ones for a person suffering from manic depression. The symptoms of the manic phase include such things as high self-esteem, euphoria, racing thoughts, increased physical activity, recklessness, sleep issues, distraction, aggressiveness and more. A person in a manic upswing might make bad decisions, get involved in risky ventures and create all sorts of problems for themselves that will seem doubly worse if a depressive state ensues.

When the pendulum swings between these two on a persistent basis, a diagnosis of manic depression might be in order. While there’s no known cause or cure, there are medications that can help regulate a person’s swings. This can help ensure a relatively normal life is possible. Treatment for this condition generally will last a lifetime and the road ahead won't necessarily be easy, but it can be traversed.

The signs and symptoms of manic depression can be hard to identify at first. The first appearance of them is generally in youth with the swings continuing throughout a lifetime.

If a member of your family or a friend told you they felt life wasn't worth living, and then the next minute they were feeling on top of the world, would you be able to recognise if they could be suffering with manic depression? If not you must visit this site called Some Depression Info RIGHT NOW! Get the facts about the spirit killing condition that is depression, and find out more about depression treatment and depression medication. It could literally mean the difference between life and death. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Neil_Day

Life With Manic Depression: A Carer's View

By Eric Hartwell

Chrissie is a carer. She looks after someone with bipolar manic depression. Life is hard. this is part of her story.

Despite all the known and recognised cases of this type of depression, the 1 in 25 people suffering include: Stephen Fry, the artist Van Gogh, the poet Coleridge and even Carrie the Princess Leila out of Star Wars (you may have watched Fry's biographical documentary) at some stage in their lives, they took the brave step to get treatment - and yet many years of medical experience, cases and medicine used has only brought half acknowledgment. They have not brought about a cure for this rampant and as yet largely incurable condition.

Medication forms the major part of the prevention of worsening symptoms. At best stabilising the condition. It is not a cure and can be intermittently dispersed to a less or greater degree. Similarly abating for a season only to suddenly and swiftly rear up again rendering the sufferer into a terrible journey. All too often, daunting demoralising and frightening for both the victim and the nearest relative into a process, which sadly can so often be the best one can hope to achieve as far as a "cure" is concerned. There are very few cases that are totally cured - and medication is still even today very much in its infancy; still trial and error.

Counselling sometimes helps using cognitive behaviour therapy, either one to one or in a small group; Both for the sufferer and the people closest to them it is at the moment the only other accepted supportive form of treatment.

Not enough is known about, or indeed done, to research the devastating effects of the sufferer and families concerned. Here my aim is to de-mistify this strange and baffling condition. To humanise and inform as many as I can about some of the many symptoms.

BI-POLAR MANIC DEPRESSION.

What is it? What is the medication? How does it effect you/signs to look out for, the myths and the why/wherefores.

Now before you all start to panic I’ll put this in a simple nutshell This fairly common yet disruptive in every way mood disorder is the result of a simple imbalance of the chemicals in the brain. It’s not the end of the world. What? Is that it, you ask?

Yep that’s it. An imbalance in the brain. It causes an array of not so simple symptoms which will be discussed in good detail.

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

Firstly and most importantly hospitalisation either voluntarily or not in a safe and professionally trained environment under the watchful observation of a skilled psychiatrist will be needed to avoid further damage danger and, in some cases, death.

Then of course after careful observation to build up a complete picture of the symptoms and suffering there comes the stabilising medication. In the main form this is usually "Lithium Carbonate." This is a powerful but time dependent compound the brain needs in order to function properly, particularly absent in many manic depressives or by normal comparison very low.

With the Manic depressive, the causes of this absence are not known, though doctors argue and have their differing opinions. The brain after all is covered with delicate fluids and hundreds of neuro transmitters, like a tv or a computer. Any major change to the chemicals found in the delicately made brain can cause chaos. Upset.

There are several reasons to consider the contributing factors for the delicate juices of the brain’s sensitive balance being swung out of sync.

The chemical imbalance is often thought to be especially predisposed in certain groups of people and to have a predisposition to its lack in the first place. For example, many patients have an alcohol dependant parent (usually the mother) which has affected the genetic makeup of the child. Or it has been inherited - passed down from generation to generation. In others there can be no major reason at all.

No one has found a hard and fast 100% cure.

Lithium or sometimes Sodium Valproate taken over time is the commonest therapeutic substance known to ease the effects of mania. It is generally well tolerated and of significant help to alleviate the most stressful of the distressing/mania symptoms. (More of mania later).

But, for most, the effects are not found to be effective immediately, other than as a calming sedative. It has to be taken for at least a year/18 months for any real significant noticeable improvement or benefits. This difficult time period is true in most cases. Depending, of course, on the severity.

Also, and most unfortunately, like some drugs there are side effects which can be off putting to say the least. Not much to show for 2007 in the name of medical scientific advancement then!

Thirst, weight gain, a bloated feeling, and a tremor, coupled with a chance of possible over toxicity and kidney failure are just some of the main side effects that happen....great! Therefore at least every 3-4 months or bi-annually, depending on the severity and the needed therapeutic dose, simple routine but regular blood tests must be carried out to check the Lithium levels and safeguard against possible toxicity.

But what’s the alternative?

Be barking mad? Or be able to be somewhere in-between. The sufferer will instantly say: "mad it’s more interesting"! But the voice of conscience, of reason, of propriety in the carer in other words, will roar "LITHIUM PLEASE, and as fast as you can”!

THE CAUSES OF BI-POLAR

Some say alcohol/drug abuse causes a trigger into psychosis,(this makes sense considering how much damage binge drinking and Class A drugs can do to the body, much less the brain cells!). Others say it is an inherited trait - a defective gene “gone wrong.” Still others argue that the disorder is triggered by some life changing trauma, child abuse, family breakdown, marital breakdown, bereavement and long term stress. These factors are probably all to a degree, true, with much hidden other separate factors too.

Cruelly, many people with a high IQ are affected. The condition is indiscriminate. I’m not a doctor and therefore am not qualified to conclude who is right or wrong – probably the cause is a multiple mixture of all that - and much, much more besides.

Even in the medical advances we have today, not enough is known, and treatment consists of trial and error medications, anti-psychotics, sleeping pills/tranquillisers, mood stabilisers and sometimes usually in the worst affected, slow release injections.

No one knows precisely why Lithium works for some and not in others but it is effective in approximately 79% of diagnosed cases. Much is trial and error which poses all sorts of problems and unwanted side effects. Then again, there are sufferers that can be very unfortunately resistant to any treatment, long term. And as much as 40% of all severe diagnosed cases will need indefinite continuing treatment for possible relapse.

Probably Lithium is one of the commonest prescribed drugs in stabilising the moods. There are various different degrees of severity, episodes and symptoms, which can range between fairly mild (allowing the patient to continue normal life with minimum disruption,) to a full blown severe "hypermanic" episode.

Bipolar, the modern more commonly used name, is classified as having a mixture of exaggerated both high and low moods. Contrasting sides of the same coin, sometimes mingling and overlapping each other in a complex cycle of mixed mood/ contradictory behaviours. Hence the name bipolar - opposites to one another.

THE MYTHS

Let me say now that Manic depression is not Schizophrenia; though in its extreme severity does mimic many of the symptoms. And can be just as alarming. I know that this unpopular stigmatised serious subject has been a long time coming, and in my opinion, well overdue. Exactly why I haven’t up to now trusted myself to fully give this subject the honesty, sensitivity, time, description respect and insight so deserving of those who suffer isn’t a fact I’m proud of.

Here I want to redress the balance a bit, warts and all, and speak totally openly. Hopefully stimulate discussion, offer insights, open the door of communication dispel myths and pre conceived ideas; offer hope, encouragement of our own experiences; perhaps answer questions that no one else wants to, or can.

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE RANGE OF SYMPTOMS ?

Before I launch in I must emphasise that the following range of symptoms are not to be taken for gospel according to Chrissie! Nor is it an individual, professional diagnosis - just my own frank account from the view of the carer of what I have seen and experienced Ok?

Everyone’s case is different. I am just the mediator to give a generalised view as a carer for the past 12 years. You may want to add or take away what I cover; it’s entirely up to you.

Firstly I’m going to cover some of the complex symptoms and characteristics of the bipolar manic depressive (which, remember, is a baffling complex mixture of two opposite depressive behaviours).

THE LOWS:

Often slow in speech thought and movement
Inability to concentrate
Lack of appetite/over eating
Inattention to wash /dress
Feelings of despair, gloominess, helplessness
A crippling sensation of impending doom
Irritability
Feelings of inadequacy/unexplainable fatigue, aches pains in the body
Withdrawal from others
Exhaustion
Anxiety
Apathy
Indifference
Exaggerated thoughts of a no way out situation
Argumentative
Aggressive
No energy
Over sleeping/not sleeping
Psychotic (i.e. suspicious thinking that the whole world is against them)
The perceptive thoughts impressions are distorted
Suspicious
Lack of confidence
Isolation
Feelings of low self worth
Panic
Zombie like
Crying,snapping
Mumbling, slurring of the words - or no speech at all
No emotions or/& exaggerated emotion.
Disturbed sleep
Strange dreaming
Relationship breakdown
Sporadic employment

In extreme cases:

Suicide/attempted suicide - death

THE HIGHS:

A false yet very real euphoric feeling
An exaggerated sense of grandiosity (sometimes a complete exaggerated and switch of identity crisis that is convinced of ideas quite beyond reason that they are, say, a king/queen/prolific famous person yes, it sounds hilarious doesn’t it?!)
Ego driven
Inpatient
Intolerant
Self absorbed
Fast speed of thoughts, racing through the brain
Disturbed sleep pattern
Spending sprees/running up debt - insolvency
Sexual Libido very very high
Extra marital affairs

Happy (Yey!)
Risk taker
Broken relationships
Confrontational
Aggressive
Belligerent
Manipulative
Fast talking
Incoherent speech
Inappropriate giggling
Laughing, shouting swearing, screaming
High energy
Restlessness
Pacing up and down
Not eating
Extreme Boredom
Hyper activity
Losing money
Not sleeping (this, long term, brings its own problems; hallucination, agitation extreme irritability, violence aggression headaches dizziness)
Confusion
Bewilderment
Nervous exhaustion
Hyper Mania - a serious condition of a euphoric type, and nature causing emotional and irrational behaviour characterised by high nervousness, extreme energy, extreme mood swings, thirst, hunger cravings
The inability to reason properly
The potential to cause harm to yourself &/or others.
Everything “on the run”
Starting projects and never finishing them
Chaotic mood swings and violence towards others
Short attention span.
Eccentric clothing - e.g. summer clothing in the height of winter and vice versa
Clashes with authority/law/social etiquette -another embarrassing experience!
Eventual physical as well as mental breakdown/exhaustion
An unusually high number of sufferers can also suffer with vertigo causing extreme dizziness, stumbling, giddy, fainting
Panic attacks
Inability to control emotion
Loss of inhibitions,including multiple affairs / an addiction to sex
Fights/punches/confrontations
Reduction in the work front with the inability to live in the real world
Unemployment

WHAT MEDICATION IS OFFERED?

Depending on your severity if you are having what’s called a high mood disorder interspersed with anxiety you will probably be given a therapeutic dose of “Hyperperidol” - a common anti psychotic drug to combat psychosis, bring down any irrational fears and to tranquilize (with varying degrees of success) the effects of mania, bringing the heightened mania side of things to a safer more manageable level.

This is the thing - trial and error.

Lithium Carbonate one of the commonest prescribed drugs to even out mood disorder has had much success in stabilising conditions. Some people are resistant to treatment, where higher doses need to be maintained to have any benefit. Also it can take up to a year or so before any benefits are noticeable. And Lithium can be toxic

Lithium is found naturally in healthy brain chemical balances, and doctors are keen to mimic this so what they discovered was that the Manic depressive has very low levels of this compound in the brain. By raising Lithium levels this can often stabilise the condition. However not without a cautionary price. Over time it can have a toxic effect on the kidneys and strict monitoring by way of bi-annual blood tests are carried out to safe guard against kidneys failure.

Trial and error is the name of the game which can be frustrating difficult and occasionally cause more harm than good.

Today, 11 years on. the person to whom I care for is considered a moderately stabilised fortunate man. His psychiatrist whom he is currently consulting once every 2 months at the moment has classified his patient as a low risk, to himself and others and wants to start him on the drug Valproate - apparently a relatively new mood stabilising drug.

There are so many different drugs to try and they are changing all the time. But no one has come up with a cure/treatment that doesn’t bring with both initial and long term use; its own batch of side effects. Please rest assured that the majority of suffers will NOT necessarily experience all of the above alarming list of symptoms at once, and I have painted the very worse scenario so that you can know what you’re dealing with here and what you’re up against. The ability to empower yourself with some indication of success – in what to do should you need help, or know someone close who would benefit from a mood stabilising prescription cannot be overestimated.

If this is the case, then I can only stress and repeat to you,

Please see your doctor and get a referral if you or someone you know suffers from at least 4 of the above listed symptoms. With any luck it wont be bipolar but if it is there is someone and somewhere to turn to and at least you’ll know.

Visit us or share your opinions at the worlds best homepage or free content resource Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_Hartwell

Manic-Depression and How To Beat It

By Solomon Waters

I started to have problems when in my teens, feeling upset about growing up without a father. I self-harmed, then attempted suicide when 16. After getting in trouble with the police at 16, I was isolated and felt my life to be futile. Although I was seeing a psychiatrist, he stopped the treatment, and feeling betrayed as well as cut off from my old friends and family, aged 18, I stood in front of a fast train.

However, when I saw the driver’s screaming face as the train neared me, I changed my mind and moved to the side, as I did not want to cause him trauma. The train, however, struck me and hurled me through the air and I landed on the platform. My pelvis was badly fractured and I had received substantial injuries but after extensive emergency surgery, I survived.

A slow and painful recovery lay ahead, with hope but also setbacks, until I finally left hospital after extensive reconstructive surgery. When I left, I soon decided a change of place might do me good and went to Devon to live and work in a cultural centre. Whilst there, I had problems with the people there, who it turned out were something of a cult, and they called the police to have me removed. I was placed in a psychiatric hospital but my brothers rescued me and brought me back to London.

However, I was homeless and suffering the stress of isolation, despite my brother having allowed me to stay with him. One night, I was admitted to hospital and whilst there, a doctor told me I was manic-depressive. I thought this to be false and hated the idea. When I was prescribed Lithium, mood stabilisers and anti-depressants, I refused them and was sectioned under The Mental Health Act.

Finally, I was discharged from the unit and vowed to stop taking the medication, which was destroying my future as a writer by preventing me from reading and writing, due to making my eyes water continuously. This I did, with the support of all my friends and family. Even though it was a rollercoaster—I went up and down whilst trying to come off the stuff—I did it and eventually even told my psychiatrist. As I told him I would fight him every inch of the way if he sectioned me or tried to force me to take the drugs, he let things stand.

I moved from a halfway house to a privately rented room in a house and started going to a weekly meditation group that helped a lot. I read self-help books and developed self-esteem, published poems and began to write my memoir. I trained as a therapist finally, in order to give back and help others; I am now a master of hypnotherapy, Time Line Therapy® and NLP.

In the year 2000, I was advised by several people to try Eat Right For Your Blood Type to help alleviate a stomach problem I had been having. I found out I was blood type O and a non-secretor, and that Type O non-secretors have a high risk factor for developing manic depression. Although, highly sceptical at first, my symptoms were so severe, I was willing to give anything a try.

I began a diet and lifestyle plan for my specific blood type and am on it to this day. I was brought up as a vegetarian but the advice for type O is to eat a high protein diet and I do, with spectacularly good results. Having spent the last seven years researching more about the link between our genetics, our blood type and health conditions, I am 100% convinced of it’s scientific validity and importance.

I eat a diet that minimises my risk of having dopamine dips or spikes and thus my moods are very stable and even my friends who have been sceptical have now started following the plan, with the same excellent results. I have also noted the correlation between the health conditions many thousands of people I meet have and their blood types and find that the accuracy of the complete blood type literature by Doctor Peter J. D’Adamo (Eat Right For Your Type, Live Right For Your Type, Cook Right For Your Type and The Complete Blood Type Encyclopaedia) is proven to my satisfaction every single time.

My conclusion is that manic-depression was falsely applied to me and that labelling someone is never a useful exercise; neither is medicating without fully exploring other options. Had I been offered the blood type literature from the start of my problems, I am certain all of them would have been helped dramatically, if not averted entirely. Diet plays a key role in mental illness yet how often do psychiatrists or medical doctors even ask or advise about someone’s diet?

The idea of people being different and thus needing different diets may be easy to dismiss by those who have not the scientific-minded curiosity to read the literature by Dr D’Adamo, and nevertheless, we are different and some swear by vegetarianism whereas others swear by meat being healthy, yet both are right, depending on your blood type.

I hope this article sparks debate and interest on the difficulties those diagnosed with manic depression face and provide hope to those open enough to try the diet.

I am Solomon Blue Waters and am a writer, having completed a compelling memoir recently, called Off The Rails. I write a daily blog at http://countdowntopublication.blogspot.com I am also both a master practitioner of hypnotherapy and NLP. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Solomon_Waters