Common Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder

By Sean M Reed

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that causes severe mood swings. This disorder is also known as manic-depressive disorder, and can affect men and women of all ages. People who have been diagnosed with this mental health issue often experience extreme shifts in mood, vacillating between periods of depression as and feelings of euphoria. This disorder can be very disruptive and makes it extremely difficult for the sufferer to enjoy a balanced lifestyle. Fortunately, bipolar disorder can be controlled with a combination of prescription medication and psychotherapy.
If you think you or a loved one is experiencing the symptoms of bipolar disorder, set up a consultation with a psychotherapist in your area. A professional and experienced psychotherapist can conduct a comprehensive mental health evaluation and create a treatment plan that will make it easier to get through each day without extreme shifts in mood.
Classifications
Researchers and medical professionals have classified bipolar disorder into several subtypes. Each subtype has its own set of noticeable symptoms, but it can be difficult to tell which type an individual falls in to based on symptoms alone. A psychotherapist will need to analyze the individual's behavior patterns over a certain period of time to determine the specific type of disorder the individual has.
The different types of bipolar disorder are:

• Bipolar I disorder - the individual experiences severe mood swings and has difficulty finding and maintaining a job, keeping up with school and studies, or building and maintaining healthy relationships. Sufferers may also experience cyclical episodes of full-blown mania and severe depression.
• Bipolar II disorder - less severe than Bipolar I but common symptoms include an elevated mood, sudden mood changes and less-severe forms of mania.
• Cyclothymia - a milder form of bipolar disorder where the cycles of hypomania and depression are not as severe

Range of Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder
Since bipolar disorder symptoms can be so extreme, sufferers may experience several different and mood states over the course of a day, a week or a month depending on the severity of their condition. Those who have had it for years without any psychotherapy intervention may experience more intense and consistent mood swings than those who are undergoing counseling or taking certain medications.
Symptoms of depression and hypomania typically occur separately, but some people do experience "mixed episodes" when they have both at the same time.
Symptoms of bipolar disorder on the depressive side include:

• Extreme fatigue
• Loss of interest in daily activities
• Feelings of sadness and hopelessness
• Chronic pain
• Problems concentrating
• Suicidal thoughts
• Low appetite or an increased appetite
• Poor performance at work or at school

Symptoms of bipolar disorder on the euphoric side, or "manic phase" include:

• Inflated self-esteem
• Extreme optimism
• Increased physical activity
• Increased drive to achieve goals
• Spending sprees
• Inability to concentrate
• Delusions
• Frequent absences from work or school
• Risky behavior, including reckless use of drugs or alcohol
• Poor judgment
• Rapid speech

Get in touch with a psychotherapist if you or someone you know is experiencing the symptoms of bipolar disorder. A professional psychotherapist can help to determine the type of disorder you or the individual has, and develop a treatment plan that will keep the disorder under control.

A psychotherapist can help you or a loved one determine what the issue is when suffering from a mental health disorder. To find a doctor near you, go to  http://www.locateadoc.com.

Is Depression Built in Stages?

By Hari Nath

Depression, in simplistic terms, is the situation of being in a state of sadness over a lengthy period of time. Of course, it is already mentioned that this is a simplistic definition, because if it were that simple; the world would have been a happier place to live in for many people with depression! Depression is not something similar to a cold or a headache. It is not something that appears quickly and goes away as quickly.
Symptoms are not exclusive
Depression is a deeply rooted psychological malady that is difficult to understand in simple terms. Of course, people who have depression do exhibit a few common symptoms like sadness, listlessness, anxiety, moroseness, disinterest in matters of daily living and the like; but so do normal people. We all experience what may be called a bad day in office (not literally speaking though, because we should include home too here).
Difficult parameters
So, how is a person who has depression different from the rest if these symptoms and behaviors exist in all kinds of people? It is said that depressed people are in this state of mind over a long period of time. But how long? That should be the defining parameter. The medical profession is not clear if a person who has been through a low for a couple of weeks should be called a depressed person and be bracketed with someone who has been though it for a couple of years. And how does it feel to 'graduate' from the two-week period to the two-year period? Is the behavior the same over this period of time, or it is graded? These are the real challenges psychiatrists encounter while treating people with depression.
Some stages
Based on the pace at which depression builds up in a person's mind; medical science usually classifies depression according to the following stages:
o Major;
o Manic or bipolar;
o Dysthymic;
o Cyclothymic;
o Postpartum;
o Seasonal.
What are these stages for?
These are what may be called the various phases, but we have to be clear about what these stages really mean: These are more of a frame of reference for doctors than something that is irrefutable. This is certainly not a watertight compartmentalization of the condition. There is no reason to believe that one could be less treatable or more severe than another.
For whose benefit?
These gradations are made to give doctors a kind of benchmark with which to approach the problem. To the patient himself, absolutely no difference is made. A person with chronic depression has more things to worry about and feel down than to estimate the stage he is in. For the patient, his family and the lay public alike; there is no serious sense out of these stages. They do serve a limited, academic purpose, which is to help doctors slot the patient and use as an assessment tool, nothing more; nothing less.