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Archive for the ‘Depression’


The Pain of Bipolar Depression Disorder

Bipolar depression disorder generally occurs before the age of 30 years and may first develop during adolescence, but most commonly presents its symptoms in the late teens and early 20s. It is a type of mood disorder that exhibits marked changes in mood between extreme elation or happiness and severe depression. Bipolar disorder used to be referred to as manic depression.

Like other mental illnesses, bipolar disorder cannot yet be identified physiologically; for example, through a blood test or a brain scan. Therefore, a diagnosis of bipolar disorder is made on the basis of symptoms, course of illness, and, when available, family history. The diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder are described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV).

A person with bipolar depression disorder experiences cycling moods that usually swing from being overly elated or irritable (mania) to sad and hopeless (depression) and then back again, with periods of normal moods in between. There are statistics that say that one in five people will suffer from depression at least once during their life.

Symptoms of depression include: loss of interest in usual activities, prolonged sad or irritable mood, loss of energy or fatigue, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, sleeping too much or inability to sleep, drop in grades and inability to concentrate, inability to experience pleasure, appetite loss or overeating, anger, worry, and anxiety, thoughts of death or suicide.

Symptoms of manic states are varied and include restlessness, increased energy, euphoric mood, racing thoughts, poor judgment, intrusive or provocative behavior, difficulty concentrating, and a decreased need for sleep.

The exact causes of bipolar disorder aren’t known, but stressful life events, un-resolvable problems, or emotional damage in childhood, possibly combined with genetic factors may play a role. Scientists are also studying about the possible causes of bipolar disorder through several kinds of studies. As the causes are more clearly identified and defined through research, scientists will gain a better understanding of the underlying causes of the illness, and eventually may be able to predict which types of treatment will work most effectively. As it stands now it is thought that bipolar depression disorder is caused by electrical and chemical processes in the brain not functioning correctly.

Unfortunately, for most individuals, lifelong treatment may be required to prevent recurrent manic and depressive episodes. They should try to identify the features of the illness that are distinct to that individual, including the warning signs of recurrent manic or depressive episodes, so that someone in treatment can get immediate help to ward off those symptoms. Failure to seek help can lead to suicide so the most important factor in any treatment is the sufferer’s acceptance of some form of counseling and/ or medication.

Bipolar depression disorder is a serious mental illness that can be successfully treated with proper psychological counseling and medication. It is important that anyone exhibiting the signs or symptoms of this disease seek help so they can properly manage this condition.

Andrew Bicknell is a writer, Webmaster and the owner of Depression and You. Visit his website for more information about bipolar depression disorder and other depressive disorders.

Divorce and Child Depression : Are They Related

Divorce and child depression may very well go hand in hand as parental separation and divorce can be totally devastating for children and teenagers.

Major life changing events are usually the cause of depression, with divorce topping the scale for children and teen depression. Imagine how hard it is to watch the two people you love the most no longer living and guiding you together as it was. With the family unit broken, lives turned upside down you may have to watch for the onset of child depression.

Children and teens often feel stuck in the middle of their parents divorce and not understanding the new rules to which apply to their new lives. They have a very hard time excepting the realism of divorce and finality that comes with the termination of a marriage.

Every persons reaction and coping mechanisms are different. While many children will handle this new situation with relatively few problems or permanent negative effects while for others, the act of divorce can be very traumatic and long-lived.

The trauma created by divorce is determined by the child’s experience of the event, not simply the event itself. Every child in the family could have a dramatically different emotional reaction to the changes related to divorce. Some children believe that they caused the breakdown of the marriage.

Your attitude and coping skills will shape your children’s attitude. The words and actions you choose can either expose your children to unnecessary emotional pain or help them develop in positive ways.

Depression and anxiety may start at the separation by my occur for years after the divorce. It may also reoccur during special events, weekends, holidays, birthdays or any time your child misses the complete family unit.

Here are some steps to decrease the chance of your divorce and child depression

1. Honesty is the best policy: Be honest with yourself about the potential for emotional trauma in your individual children.

2. Communication: Allow your children to communicate openly with each parent.

3. Choices: By offering your children choices, whenever possible, will increase their sense of control over their lives.

4. Support: Get the proper support for yourself and your children, It may differ for each individual.

5. Normal Activities: By keeping life as normal as you can with the same routine, same activities.

There is nothing more agonizing in divorce than seeing the effect it has on your child? Even though the marriage ending may be a good thing the result it has on children can still be devastating. Learning ways to help your children cope with the negative long and short term effects of separation and divorce can help to prevent depression and decrease the effects of divorce and child depression.

Faye B. Roberts is an independent researcher and author on depression and divorce and is assisting others in their quest to understand the chain reaction this can cause. Discover a new way of thinking and coping with divorce and depression that will change the way you look, feel and live your life. Visit
Facts On Depression For more information on divorce visit
Divorce and your Family

What is Psychological Depression?

It is one of the most common and most serious mental health problems facing people today. Psychological depression can interfere with a person’s ability to function effectively throughout the day or even to have the motivation to get out of bed in the morning and it is in fact so common that over 1 in 5 Americans can expect to get some form of depression in their lifetime.

The causes behind depression are complex and not yet fully understood but we are able to treat it much more effectively because we have a better understanding of the causes of clinical depression.

The first step in fighting depression is to understand what it is, how it affects you, and what causes it. Unfortunately, many people do not recognize that depression is a treatable illness. Most people with a depressive illness do not seek treatment; although the great majority, even those whose depression is extremely severe can be helped. This condition is so common that over 1 in 5 Americans can expect to get some form of depression in their lifetime.

Symptoms of major depression include at least five of the following symptoms (at least one must include the first and second listed below) and they must be present nearly every day, all day, for 2 weeks: Persistent depressed mood, including feelings of emptiness or sadness, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, feelings of hopelessness or pessimism, feelings of guilt, worthlessness and helplessness, insomnia, early morning awakening or oversleeping, change in eating (either loss or increased appetite), decreased energy, fatigue or feeling slowed down, restlessness and irritability, difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions, thoughts of suicide or death, persistent physical symptoms, such as headaches, digestive disorders or chronic pain. A less severe type of depression, Dysthymia, involves long-term, chronic symptoms that do not disable, but keep one from functioning well or from feeling good.

The most important thing anyone can do for the depressed person is to help him or her get an appropriate diagnosis and treatment. The guidelines for diagnosis of major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder are found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM IV). The depressed mood must persist for greater than two weeks in order to warrant this diagnosis.

The first step to getting appropriate treatment for depression is a physical examination by a physician. Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or years. Appropriate treatment, however, can help most people who suffer from depression. If a diagnosis of depression is made, treatment with medication and/or psychotherapy will help the depressed person return to a happier, more fulfilling life. Most do best with combined treatment: medication to gain relatively quick symptom relief and psychotherapy to learn more effective ways to deal with life’s problems, including depression.

Psychological depression is not something you can just “snap out of”, it is a serious medical condition that affects the chemistry of the brain. With the appropriate medical treatment the vast majority of people of suffer from its effects can live depression free lives.

Andrew Bicknell is a writer, webmaster, and the owner of Depression and You. Visit his website for more information about psychological depression and other depressive disorders

Does Depression Cause Divorce?

The break up of a marriage happens for many different reasons with chronic depression being one of the leading causes of divorce around the world. A depressed person will be very moody and down in the dumps and hard to be around and relate to. Depression often goes undiagnosed and the depressed person’s behavior is often more than a spouse can bear. Can depression cause divorce? You bet it can!

Depression is ugly and puts tremendous strains on a marriage, especially if you are not sure the condition exists or even how severe it is. Depressed moods and symptoms can have a way of hiding at times and then being full blown the next instant, especially at the initial stages.

Often the depressed spouse pulls back from the relationship, not wanting to do the same things that were always done as a couple. Their belief that nothing will be fun is so strong that they even start missing family events. Sometimes the simplest life tasks go for days without being completed. Even personal hygiene can become an issue as the depressed person pulls away from the world and spends most of their time in a dark room alone.

Many times it’s the depressed person pushing all the right buttons to set a divorce in motion because they have no self worth and feel they are very undeserving. They may be the first one to bring up the subject of divorce. Living with depression is a very scary place to be. The depressed person may think that everything is a waste of time and this may start to create problems for the non-depressed spouse.

Life is still the same for the non-depressed spouse and frequently they do not understand what could be causing the changes. Communication at this point is at an all time low, with niceties being a thing of the past. This may be when the first thoughts of divorce are being contemplated and considered a solution.

If this is you and you are living with a depressed person you need to do a few things to save your marriage. Even more important is saving both of you a lot of unnecessary grief. Understand depression by doing some research. There is a massive amount of information all around you, both on the internet and speaking with your doctor. Living with a depressed person is very difficult, but with the right information and medication depression can be treated.

Does depression cause divorce? The answer: Only if you let it. If depression has struck the one you love, there are many things that you can do – but first and foremost understand that depression is a disease, a disease that can be treated. But many times, these marriages do end in divorce because they become too unbearable.

Faye B. Roberts is an independent researcher and author on depression and divorce and is assisting others in their quest to understand the chain reaction this can cause. Visit:

Facts On Depression
For more information on divorce visit:

Divorce and your Family

Treating Depression with Magnetic Therapy

Man has been dependent on traditional medicine for a long time. However, as time passes by, researchers and even medical experts see that even the most efficient of drugs can bring unsatisfactory results. Even with months or years of continuous use of drugs, a patient may still not show the desired improvements or worse, may even develop the tendency to become immune to the drugs. This is when people tend to look for other methods of alternative treatment. This is true in cases of depression. For instance, where thirty percent of sufferers seem to become resistant to standard treatments, they have an alternative that may be helpful and effective. One of the newest, “non traditional” methods of treatment for people undergoing depression is magnetic therapy whose leading mode is called “transcranial magnetic stimulation.”

Transcranial magnetic simulation (TMS) is one of the methods that have produced fairly positive results. When a patient undergoes TMS, a device is run over his or her head. This device sends electrical currents into certain parts of the brain. It is a powerful device that the magnetic pulses can even penetrate right through the skin and bone of the skull and can reach the brain’s nerve cells. The pulses have to be magnetic since mere electrical ones cannot do the same penetration. According to research findings, these magnetic pulses can specifically target certain areas in the brain where the centers of depression can be found. These centers are accordingly the same centers that traditional drugs target.

Research shows that treating someone daily with TMS for a period of two weeks can result in significant improvements. For one, the patient’s symptoms will be reduced by thirty percent. This is already a substantial change, especially for someone who is suffering severe depression.

Historically, magnetic therapy can be traced back to the times of the Tibetan monks. The monks are said to be huge followers and practitioners of this type of therapy.

Initially, studies on the use of magnets did not have favorable results. In order to contradict this, believers conducted small trial studies. The results showed that men felt reduced depression, however for women did not.

TMS may be a relatively “new kid on the block” and may still be classified as experimental, but there are already quite a number of clinics and medical experts that suggest this type of treatment especially for patients who have developed an immunity with regard to traditional drugs. Nowadays, researchers are even confident in saying that within ten years time, TMS may even become one of the common methods of treatment for depression.

Scott Meyers is a staff writer for Its Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Depression.