Read on to know more about the various signs and symptoms of depression…

Life is filled with ups and downs. Often we experience sadness because of the seemingly endless struggles of life or due to certain losses, setbacks or disappointments. However, in the normal course of life, we get back on track and get on with our lives. But, if these feelings of sadness and despair just don’t go away, or if these feelings become so intense that they begin to interfere with our enjoyment of our daily life, ability to work, study, eat and sleep - then it can be said that one is suffering from Depression.

There are several signs of depression. With the help of this list of depression symptoms, one can identify if one is suffering from depression and seek professional help. Let us have a look at the various symptoms of depression.

Postpartum Depression can be Prevented without Drugs
Like actress Brooke Shields…

In This Depression, Everyone Has An Opinion
In This Depression…

Dieting and Depression
Deficiencies in the B-complex…

• A depressed person normally feels quite dull, listless and apathetic about life. He feels sad and hopeless and often goes through all the daily aspects of life as if he is going through the motions.
• Another sign of depression is that he finds that he cannot enjoy all the various aspects of his life like he did before. He can’t seem to enjoy his hobbies and social life like he used to.
• One of the depression symptoms is change in appetite patterns - some depressed people tend to overeat and cause weight gain, while some depressed people tend to lose interest in food and lose weight.
• Just like eating, depression can be seen in the change in sleeping patterns as well - some depressed people tend to lose sleep and suffer from insomnia, while others seem to sleep more than usual and suffer from hypersomnia.
• Sometimes depressed people seem to yo-yo between two ends - either they are all keyed up and anxious, or they feel totally sluggish and lack responsiveness to any activity.
• One of the signs of depression is fatigue. Depression causes one to feel tired and drained of energy at all times.
• And here is one of the important symptoms of depression - one is full of self-loathing and guilt. Even small things seem too big and matter a lot. This may even manifest into feeling suicidal.
• Depressed people find it hard to concentrate. They cannot focus or take decisions. Often, they cannot remember simple things.
• Depression also causes irritability. Depressed people get angry easily, and are grouchy and get frustrated by small things.
• Depression can also manifest into physical pain in the form of headaches, backaches, diarrhea, constipation, aching joints or even abdominal pain.
• People going through depression often have distorted thoughts. Everything looks bleak to them. They tend to obsess over small things and blow things out of proportion.

If you are suffering from any of these symptoms, it is best to consult a doctor immediately.

Technorati Tags: signs of depression, symptoms of depression, teenage, teens

Bipolar disorder, or manic-depressive illness (MDI), is one of the most common, severe, and persistent mental illnesses.

Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric condition defined as recurrent episodes of significant disturbance in mood.

These disturbances can occur on a spectrum that ranges from debilitating depression to unbridled mania. Individuals suffering from bipolar disorder typically experience fluid states of mania, hypomania or what is referred to as a mixed state in conjunction with depressive episodes.

These clinical states typically alternate with a normal range of mood.

While dealing with bipolar disorder isn’t always easy, it doesn’t have to run your life. With proper treatment and a solid support system, people with bipolar disorder are capable of leading rich and fulfilling lives. They can hold jobs, sustain loving marriages, raise children, and be productive members of society. But in order to successfully manage bipolar disorder, it is essential to fully understand the condition and its challenges.

Seasonal Depression | The Tyra Banks Show
Do you ever feel down and d…

The Misnomer of Postpartum Depression « Sharing the Journey
Posted in advocate, baby, post…

Health and Fitness News: Depressed About Breaking Up And Don’t …
Depressed about breakin…

What Causes Bipolar Disorder?

Doctors and scientists don’t know the exact cause of bipolar disorder, but they think that biochemical, genetic, and environmental factors may all be involved. It’s believed this condition is caused by imbalances in certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. If the neurotransmitters aren’t in balance, the brain’s mood-regulating system won’t work the way it should.

Symptoms

In adults, mania is usually episodic with an elevation of mood and increased energy and activity. In children, mania is commonly chronic rather than episodic, and usually presents in mixed states with irritability, anxiety and depression. In adults and children, during depression there is lowering of mood and decreased energy and activity. During a mixed episode both mania and depression can occur on the same day.

How is bipolar disorder treated?

In bipolar disorder treatment, the leading thought may be the use of medications. They are, in actuality, a potent medium in the management of the disorder. One just needs study at the massive group of medications that is accessible to see that medicine has been broadly used in bipolar disorder management. Lithium carbonate was the premier significant breakthrough in the medications for bipolar disorder treatment. It belongs to a lineage of medications called “attitude stabilizers”. These medications assist to arrest or ease manic episodes. They also aid to ward off the extremes of depression, such as suiciide. bipolar disorder management may also embody the use of alternate attitude stabilizers that were originally used as anticonvulsants . These have been shown to maintain a tremendous result on mood. Some of these, such as valproic acid and carbamazepine, are tried and true.

Lamotrigine, gabapentin, and topiramate have also been used for this purpose but not conclusively prov-en noticeable. Caution must be taken in the use of antidepressant treatment as a portion of bipolar disorder treatment. Attitude stabilizers are mainly tried first, because antidepressants can trigger manic episodes or rapid-cycling. If an antidepressant must be used, there are reliable ones which are less likely to cause these problems. One of these is bupropion . The management of psychotic symptoms has evolved rapidly in modern times. At first, there were potent anti-psychotics. The first of these were said to put the mind in a “cerebral straight jacket”. They essentially stopped all thought. They also had an extreme side effects known as tardive dyskinesia . This causes everlasting neurological damages.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

Doctors use this form of treatment mainly in people who have episodes of major depression associated with suicidal tendencies or in people whose medication has proved to be ineffective. In this treatment, electrodes are taped to your head. Then, while you’re anesthetized and after you’ve received a muscle relaxant, a small amount of electrical current is passed through your brain for less than a second. This current produces a brain seizure, but because of the muscle relaxant, your body remains calm.

ECT profoundly affects brain metabolism and blood flow to various areas of the brain. How that correlates to easing depression remains unknown, but this therapy is often highly effective.

Read out Plastic surgery. Also check out for medical doctor

Technorati Tags: causes treatment, depression, manic

Technorati Tags: Testimonials