Bipolar Disorder

So I just learned something new this week and that is that depression can be either unipolar or bipolar disorder.I'm sure you all have heard of bipolar disorder but what exactly is it all about, we'll be covering this subject more in depth today.

Bipolar disorder is also known as manic-depressive disorder and it consists of severe alterations in mood, energy, thinking, and behavior. The previous mentioned alternate from one extreme to another between depression and mania.The image below demonstrates the two extremes I just mentioned.

Let's further break things down to get a better understanding of what mania and depression involve.

Signs and Symptoms of Mania include

• Feeling extremely optimistic or extremely irritable
• Unrealistic grandiose beliefs
• Speaking rapidly
• Having no rest, yet feeling energetic
• Highly distractible
• Reckless behavior
• Racing thoughts
• Impaired judgement

Signs and symptoms of bipolar depression include

• Thoughts of death and suicide
• Can't experience pleasure
• Fatigue 
• Loss of energy
• Weight changes
• Sluggishness
• Feelings of worthlessness
• 
  

For those of you who didn't know there are actually two types of bipolar disorder; bipolar I disorder and bipolar II disorder. Bipolar I Disorder consists of full-blown episodes of mania.These episodes can last for days and are so severe that they require hospital intervention. It usually also involves a severe depression state. Bipolar II Disorder involve milder manic phases (Hypomania).Bipolar disorder does run in family but the exact genes that cause it have not yet been identified.

Despite the effort to find a cure to this disorder, researchers have not yet found one.There are treatments for it though, but know that because it is a lifelong disorder, long-term treatments are needed. Treatment includes:

• Mood stabilizing medication
• Antidepressant medication
• Psychotherapy- Cognitive behavioral therapy, Family-focused therapy, Interpersonal and social rythm therapy.
• Electroconvulsive Therapy

Now, I can only imagine how hard it can be to live with a bipolar disorder but let's not forget of their caregivers whose lives have also been dramatically affected by such disorder. It can be very hard to cope with a loved one's bipolar symptoms. For that reason I applaud each and every one of you out there who manage to take care of someone with bipolar disorder.



http://www.helpguide.org/mental/bipolar_disorder_symptoms_treatment.htm
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml

Anxiety Disorders

Have you ever suffered of shortness of breath, followed by a chest pounding feeling with a sense of nervousness before a speech? If the answer is yes, you may have experienced anxiety. This can be normal for many of us. I for example despise public speeches even if there is only an audience of five I will begin to sweat, feel sick to my stomach, and to top it off I stutter like crazy! Unfortunately for more than four million adults, in the U.S. alone, their anxiety experiences can be a lot more severe than mine.


There are actually different types of Anxiety Disorders. Some of these include the following:

• Panic Disorder
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Social anxiety disorder
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Phobia

In the image above you can see just a brief description of the different anxiety attacks I mentioned. Now let's go a bit more in depth regarding the first two types of anxiety disorders I just mentioned.

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder affects 6 million American adults, it may sometimes run in the family, yet there is no known exact cause of it. Signs can include the following:

• Sudden and repeated attacks of fear
• An intense worry of she the next attack will occur
• Physical symptoms such as racing heart, sweating, breathing problems, dizziness, or numb hands during an attack.
• A feeling of being out of control during an attack

Panic disorder is treated with psychotherapy or/and medication.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

People who have PTSD develop it after a traumatic incident such as a mugging, rape, torture, car accidents, and natural disasters. They tend to feel stressed or frightened even when they are not in danger. Scientists are currently focusing on genes and specific brain areas that can can be associated with this disorder.

Signs and symptoms of PTSD can include the following:

• Re-experiencing Symptoms. Such as having flashbacks or bad dreams
• Avoidance Symptoms. An example of this would be staying away from things that remind you of that traumatic event.
• Hyperarousal Symptoms. Being easily startled, feeling tense.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy along with psychotherapy and medications are used to treat PTSD.



http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/panic-disorder/index.shtml
http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/mental-health-anxiety-disorders
http://www.adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cr7IomSy8s
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/05/how-to-overcome-anxiety-starting-now.html