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In the world of psychological disorders there are few that are more difficult to deal with than bipolar disease. Although dealing with a bipolar disorder is anything but easy the reasons it is hard to deal with is easy to see when one considers that those who suffer its affects are cycling between two psychological states: Depression and mania. This cycling between these two states can have serious affects on the personality and behavior that its sufferers exhibit.

Within the diagnosis of bipolar disease there are several subtypes of the disorder itself. These include: rapid cycling bipolar, teen bipolar disorder, and types I and II. Being properly diagnosed is important when it comes to deciding on which treatment regimen to follow.

Bipolar disease sufferers exhibit many of the same type of symptoms with each person experiencing these symptoms to varying degrees of severity depending on which cycle of the disorder they are in. When experiencing a manic episode they will usually experience intense feelings of pleasure and/or happiness. Their creativity and motivation are at a high point, which helps explain why many successful writers and musicians show the signs of bipolar disease and are diagnosed with it. During the manic episode those with this disorder will also talk incessantly while feeling that they are not getting their point across to whoever they are talking to. In more severe cases this manic state can cross over into more dangerous territory and include symptoms like hostile behavior, destruction of property and hallucinations and delusions.

At the other extreme of bipolar disorder is depression. When the bipolar sufferer is in this state they will exhibit feelings of despair and hopelessness, lose interest in work and family, show signs of anxiety, lose interest in sex, have trouble getting out of bed and suicidal thoughts. The depression side of bipolar disease can also manifest physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach and digestive issues, weight gain or loss, social withdrawal and for some abuse of drugs and/or alcohol.

Bipolar disease can be treated with a combination of psychotherapy and prescription medications. The first step any one who suffers from this disorder must take is getting a diagnosis from a psychiatrist or psychologist before any medications or therapies can begin. SSRI’s and MAOI’s are the two groups of antidepressant drugs most commonly used to combat the symptoms of bipolar disease, but because of the severity of this condition psychotherapy is also highly recommended in conjunction with any drug therapy.

The battle with bipolar disease can last a lifetime. Bipolar disease can destroy the lives of those who suffer it and can have a profound negative affects on those close to those who have it. Because of this it is important that not only those who suffer with this condition get proper treatment but family and friends are not only supportive but also seek to understand what this disease is doing to their loved one and why they are exhibiting the behaviors they do.

Andrew Bicknell is a writer and the owner of Depression and You. Visit his website for more information about bipolar disease and other depressive disorders at http://depression.health-choices-net.com

Everybody gets down or feels blue from time to time. It’s a natural thing. But others get truly and seriously depressed – unable to cope with day-to-day life or to live their lives in anything resembling a normal fashion.

Depression comes in many forms, and affects more than 18 million American adults each year. Over a million preschoolers have currently been diagnosed as clinically depressed. 15% of most developed countries suffer from severe depression, and 30% of women suffer from depression – and 41% of those won’t seek treatment. In fact, 80% of the people who are now suffering from any form of depression are not currently being treated. Many simply don’t recognize the signs.

Experts report that depression will be the second biggest killer in the United States by the year 2020 and 15% of people with depression currently commit suicide each year.

While the condition of depression has received more awareness and understanding, the treatment for depression hasn’t improved very much. There have been many new drugs introduced to the market place to treat depression, but he side affects are often worse or more serious than the depression! In fact, there seem to be just as many lawsuits against the makers of these drugs as there are drugs!

While everybody agrees that depression must be treated, the method of treatment has not been entirely agreed upon. Only recently has it been acknowledged that depression causes more than mental pain – it also causes physical pain. Some experts believe depression should be treated with medication. Others lean towards therapy and counseling. Some believe that sufferers need both medication and counseling.

In spite of all of this, more and more people are suffering from depression each year. The problem is not going away – it’s getting bigger and there are still no viable solutions in sight.

What many people, including health care professionals, rarely stop to consider is what is causing the depression. Instead of focusing on the cause, they only want to find relief. Unfortunately, finding the cause is often part of finding relief, especially when it comes to depression.

Some depression is caused by life events, and this type of depression usually passes untreated – because it’s natural. For instance, when there is a death in the family, the surviving members of that family may experience a period of depression and grief. When one loses a job, they may be down until they find a new job. Again, this is depression that is perfectly natural and normal, as long as the feelings of depression don’t linger on or become too severe.

Other types of depression are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. Too much or too little production of serotonin in the brain causes one to feel depressed. People who work the graveyard shift often experience depression simply because they are not getting enough sunshine – which produces serotonin.

What many people don’t realize is that toxins in the body can also cause depression. Those toxins make you not feel well – or not feel “quite right.” You obviously aren’t sick, and you have no reason to feel depressed – but you aren’t sleeping well, your energy isn’t what it should be, and you may even have aches and pains. No matter what you do, those feelings persist. Depression is imminent!

Antioxidants, which detoxify the body and cleanse the cells, have proven to also be natural anti-depressants – with no side effects.

Severe depression should be treated by a doctor. Even mild depression may need treatment. But consider using an antioxidant as well to see how you feel, and also get the counseling that should be recommended to see what the underlying cause of your depression is.

Steven Godlewski is a self-made millionaire and is currently working with the staff at PillFreeVitamins.com Has an extensive background in nutrition as well as other health related fields.
For more health-related articles see their website at:

http://www.pillfreevitamins.com

It may surprising to learn that as many as 20 out of 100 people experience clinical depression every year. These aren’t the normal blues most people experience at one time or other in their daily lives, usually related to a specific event or circumstance. The clinically depressed person has symptoms of melancholy on an almost daily basis that occurs independently of extenuating life events.

If a person is believed to be suffering from the symptoms of depression, it’s important to contact a physician immediately since only a medical professional can determine the correct diagnosis. If medical evaluation reveals that the patient is, indeed, suffering from clinical depression, it’s heartening to know there are effective treatment options available to get the depressed person back on his feet and functioning at peak capacity.

What treatment options are available to the depressed person?

1. Lifestyle modifications

Sometimes simple lifestyle changes can benefit the symptoms of clinical depression. Such lifestyle modifications as altering sleeping habits, diet, and a regular exercise routine can have a beneficial effect on mild cases of depression. These changes should be implemented first before proceeding to more intense therapy options since antidepressant medications can have undesirable side effects.

2. Counseling

The depressed patient may be referred to a psychologist, social worker, psychiatrist or other specialist to receive counseling sessions. The current trend is for counseling to be short term, primarily using talk therapy to identify sources of conflict in the depressed persons life. Sometimes just the simple act of talking and sharing feelings can have a pronounced positive impact on depressive symptoms.

3. Medications

Antidepressant medications have become the mainstay of therapy for the depressed person since they’ve been shown to be effective. Unfortunately, medications don’t exert their positive effects immediately. Upon starting an antidepressant medication, most patients will report feeling better after about 3 weeks of treatment with increased energy level, appetite, and a more positive outlook on life. Therapy is usually continued for a period of at least 6 months. If the depressive symptoms recur once medication is discontinued, it may be necessary to take the medication for a prolonged period of time.

Which of the above treatments work best? In most cases, a combination of counseling, medication, and lifestyle changes gives the best results. Lifestyle modifications are essential to prevent the recurrence of symptoms once antidepressant medications are discontinued. Regular sleep habits, daily exercise sessions, and dietary modifications should become standard practice for any patient who suffers from depression.

As you can see, depression can be effectively treated and the depressed person can once again experience a rich and full life.

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of My-Personal-Growth.com, a site that provides information and articles for self improvement and personal growth and development. http://www.my-personal-growth.com

This article about the intense subject of depression anticipates two ways of reaction. The question is: Will it be – in your case – shock or relief?

When you read about depression, you will encounter many passages like the following:

“These brain chemicals – in varying amounts – are responsible for our emotional state. Depression happens, when these chemical messages aren’t delivered correctly between brain cells, disrupting communication.”

What could be probably wrong with that statement?

It is based on the unquestioned belief that human beings are machines. Although this assumption is widespread, it is simply not a fact. Machines are built, operated and cared for by conscious human beings. In an analogous way our body and mind exist because of our existence as conscious beings.

It is not matter, which builds consciousness, but it is consciousness, which forms matter. That is actually our observation everywhere.

The matter of depression must be totally reevaluated from this new perspective. It is not a fact that brain chemicals are responsible for our emotional state, but vice versa. Our emotional state leads to the production of certain chemicals in our brain and body.

Of course there is an interlink between the two planes. Emotional states can definitely be influenced by certain chemical substances. But there is some substantial loss of information, as the “positive” state induced by chemicals cannot be compared with a natural positive state derived from the firm foundation in the conviction that life is wonderful.

Here we have arrived at a crucial point.

Depression is not caused by chemicals in the brain, but rather causes chemicals in the brain. Depression is a state of mind, wherein the affected human being has lost his/her connection to the original quality of life, which is bliss, knowledge and eternity.

Neither will medication help to overcome depression, nor superficial psychological treatment. The only way to help the depression sufferer is by unalloyed love, which is rare in this world. This sort of love will not further push him into the state of a helpless and powerless victim, but will empower him to take his fate into his own hands.

In this way the person suffering with depression will be given the chance to see live from a new perspective. He will learn to love himself despite of any shortcomings, because – by feeling appreciated and loved – he will come to love his real spiritual personality, which is always beyond the polarity of material despair and happiness. When he finds shelter in the ultimate quality of pure consciousness, which is unconditional love, he will feel the natural bliss of life.

Consequently this article ends with a request to doctors and psychologists: Become unconditional lovers! All other cures are temporary, like shifting a hurting heavy weight from one shoulder to the other. If you want to solve the root problem, you have to solve it first and foremost in yourself.

Friedrich Asen has over 20 years of experience as a personal development expert. For more information on depression treatment, including natural remedies and powerful alternative healing methods, go to http://www.personal-development-guide.com/depression.html

Because he didn’t know about anxiety depression, Jim wasn’t sure where or how to seek help.

“I didn’t know if I was anxious because I was depressed or I was depressed because I felt nervous all the time. I couldn’t sleep, I worried constantly and had an overwhelming feeling of sadness that wouldn’t go away. Anxiety depression symptoms were affecting my job performance and my family couldn’t understand why I felt the way I did.”

“Finally my wife convinced me to talk to our doctor and he told me that anxiety with depression is a very common problem. He prescribed medication and therapy and now I feel like a new man. I wish I had sought help years ago.”

Depression is one of the most common secondary conditions associated with anxiety disorder. Surveys show that 60 to 70 percent of those diagnosed with depression also have anxiety. And half of the people diagnosed with anxiety have significant symptoms of depression. Sometimes the resulting depression becomes the primary diagnosis, so that the underlying anxiety disorder either goes untreated or unrecognized.

It makes sense that severe anxiety can lead to depression. If your mind is crippled by fear you are not likely to be happy or have positive thoughts.

Depression hurts us on all levels; physically, it can cause headaches, insomnia, ulcers, and acid reflux disease, just to name a few. Depression can also cause heart conditions and even brain dysfunction.

On an emotional level, depression hurts us because we no longer find a joy in our lives, or can not release the guilt of the past. This depression in the form of regret and guilt can leave us feeling paralyzed, hopeless, and unable to cope with the prospect of the future.

Depression hurts our children when we feel like sleeping instead of spending time with them, it hurts our spouse because they don’t know what to do for us, and well meaning friends who would be our support tend to shy away, letting us have our space when we really need to talk.

Most people do not know how to deal with depression, and give the erroneous but well meaning advice for us to “get over it,” or “pull ourselves out of it.” If you’ve ever had a bout with depression or are feeling it now, you know that it’s easier said than done.

If you have feelings of anxiety, depression or fatigue that severely disrupt your daily life or persist for more than few weeks, you should seek medical attention.

If your feelings seem out of proportion to events that caused them or if there is no specific cause, you should seek help.

Severe anxiety and depression are real illnesses, not signs of weakness, and should be treated by a psychiatrist, psychologist or a licensed counselor.

Millions of people have been successfully treated for anxiety depression. Now it’s your turn to walk out the fog and into the sunshine.

Jonathan Sapling writes extensively on anxiety disorder and related mental health issues.
To read more about anxiety disorder go to: http://www.anxiety-disorder-help.com/anxiety-depression.html
Or visit his blog at: http://www.mental-health-news.org/