Posts Tagged ‘Depression’

Manic Episodes

Sunday, August 2nd, 2009

The symptoms of manic episodes are described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) which is used for diagnosing mental illnesses. If a person has a manic episode as described by the DSM, the person is likely to be diagnosed with bipolar I disorder.

Manic episodes cause either an elevated mood or an irritable mood. In order to be considered a true manic episode, the abnormally elevated or irritable mood of manic episodes must either be present for at least one week or be severe enough to require hospitalization.

An elevated mood requires three other manic symptoms during the mood disturbance to be considered a manic episode. The presence of irritability needs to have four other manic symptoms to constitute a manic episode.

A common symptom of manic episodes is grandiosity or inflated self-esteem. Another symptom is a decreased need for sleep. Often, three hours seems like enough sleep during a manic episode.

Someone having a manic episode is often more talkative than usual. Another symptom of mania is racing thoughts or a flight of ideas. This symptom is often noticeable to other people.

Distractibility is another common symptom of mania. A person having a manic episode may have difficulty remaining focused on an activity or conversation. Involvement in goals and goal-related activities are often increased during a manic episode.

Many problems that a person has during a manic episode are associated with the last symptom of mania which is an increased involvement of pleasurable activities without considering the consequences. Someone in a manic episode may spend money excessively or become promiscuous due to that symptom.

Hallucinations and delusions can be caused by mania. The hallucinations and delusions reflect grandiosity. The person may believe they have a superpower or are chosen by a higher authority.

For these symptoms to be called a manic episode, they must be severe enough to interfere with the persons ability to function. Symptoms are not considered manic episodes if they are caused by drug use, medication, or caused by a medical condition.

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Top Schizophrenia Guide!

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

It is very important for people suffering from Schizophrenia or those who know someone suffering from it to know what is Schizophrenia, since it is an acute mental illness.

Warning Signs

Symptoms of the disease can vary, but most often schizophrenia is easily recognized because of the severity of the symptoms. Common symptoms include:

* Illusions

* Hallucinations

* Odd behavior

* Confused speech

* Not have any motivation

* Drop off in overall cognitive function

* Short of emotions

Very often people who are suffering from Schizophrenia and are not being treated will not be able to finish any job, communicate with people or even function correctly on a daily basis without any assistance.

Someone with schizophrenia will appear very abnormal and different from others. It is usually not difficult to recognize what is schizophrenia after it has reached full blow status.

Treatment

The handling for Schizophrenia will be depended upon the symptoms as well as how they respond to different methods of therapy. Some methods Schizophrenia is treated include:

* Medicine

* Instruction

* Therapy

* Stay in the hospital

* Special programs

Most people have troubles accepting therapy or working with other people to get through treatment. Because Schizophrenia never goes away, so it is very important for a person who has Schizophrenia to accept treatment and stick with it.

Medicine is given on a trial and error basis so, of course, it will take time to find out what works, and during this period of treatment and other therapy may be important.

It is really not easy for anyone to alter to how much his or her life changes once Schizophrenia begins to present itself, and knowing what Schizophrenia is can really help people as well as their loved ones to recognize how to get through life as well as deal with the situation.

Someone with Schizophrenia can live a normal live as long as he or she can go through a careful treatment and work. There is no reason why people have to end up homeless or lost in their own mind.

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Understanding Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Friday, June 5th, 2009

Unfortunately, there seems to be a common misconception that GAD is not really condition which needs to be taken seriously. In fact, a vast amount of people even believe that GAD is a condition which only weak minded people experience, but the fact is, this couldn’t be further from the truth. To the contrary, GAD is by no account a minor condition but rather, it’s a condition which results in serious consequences for millions upon millions of people from around the globe.

GAD is a chronic panic form that is focused on worry and nervousness. Paranoia, fear and nervousness are the feelings a person suffering from GAD will deal with on a regular basis. The feelings will involve personal, family and financial matters. To qualify as GAD, the feelings must be of at least a 6 month duration.

Additionally, people suffering from GAD tend to suffer from a variety of symptoms, such as drowsiness, forgetfulness, irritability, lack of energy, insomnia, as well as a host of other issues. Furthermore, with so much anxiety playing on a person’s mind, this psychological problem soon starts to manifest in physical ways. When the condition reaches this stage, the effects make it virtually impossible for a person to lead a normal day to day life.

In some cases, the sufferer of GAD may experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms. This could include flashbacks of traumatic, anxiety inducing events. These intrusive flashbacks can greatly undermine the quality of the person’s life and lead to living a life far less beneficial than one would experience without dealing with GAD. This is why seeking treating for GAD is so important.

An analysis is the number one priority when considering treatment. The psychiatrist will administer a number of standardized tests to start the analysis. Then based on the tests, a diagnosis will be made and treatment will be started. Normally this is a prescribed medicine for the anxiety which should help to alleviate the problem.

This method helps many people to rid themselves of the GAD symptoms. However, there are those who will prefer going the therapist route and receive counseling to combat the symptoms of GAD. There is also the combination of therapy and medication which seems to work great for many people.

It is, however, important not to dismiss engaging in simple lifestyle changes to reduce anxiety. Playing sports, cleaning up one’s diet, taking part in hobbies that burn up excess tension can all have a calming and therapeutic. This is why they are considered so valuable.

Those who think GAD is not a serious condition should be dismissed. The opinions of these people are not based on any professional knowledge and are not going to help. The condition is not going to go away by ignoring it and listening to well meaning advice is not advised. This is a myth and has no value as a cure. Seek help from those who know what they are doing.

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Bi-polar Depression Medications

Saturday, April 4th, 2009

Prolonged feelings of sadness can be an indication of depression but the best thing you can do if you ever experience these feelings is to see a medical professional to have your condition professionally diagnosed. For the unfortunate individuals who do suffer with this problem, they are lucky to have such a range of depression medication and therapies to take advantage of these days.

Although it can be costly, depression, when caught early on, is curable using medication and therapy treatment combined but this may be too expensive for many. It is now understood that cognitive behavioral and interpersonal therapy can be very successful at helping sufferers of depression as they actually attack the root of the problem.

The road to recovery can actually be swift with many patients often in less than twenty weeks so the treatment is very successful. Early diagnosis is the key to a speedy recovery and the obvious need to know exactly what type of depression is being suffered whether it is manic depression, clinical or another type. It’s best that you’re sure what you’re actually dealing with and as there are various depression medications that are available in the market you should make sure that you get the most appropriate one. The number of anti-depressant medications available is a sure indication that this is a large problem and that there is no cure-all drug to beat the problem.

The tricyclics are not as popular as the newer serotonin re-uptake inhibitors or the monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Side effects are the real problem and can be worse than the condition they are treating this is why the tricyclics are not used as much today. Depending on the condition, the doctor may decide to use a number of drugs in combination if he or she believes this will help the patient to a speedy recovery. The doctor might actually prescribe a variety of medications to help cure a person’s depression illness.

Doctors frequently adjust the amount of medication they give their patient depending on the circumstances. Patients taking depression medication are always warned not to try this for themselves as it something only a qualified professional should do. The use of anti-anxiety and sedatives should not be used as the primary medication for a depressed individual. The problem occurs where they are given as part of the treatment with other drugs and may be confused with anti-depressants, which is not the case as the problem they deal with is more defined.

Often confused as part of the depression medication, their real purpose is merely to reduce the stress levels of the patient while he continues to take the other drugs. .There are actually some common side-effects, usually coming from the tricyclic variety. Not everyone is affected in the same way and many are quite happy to put up with them and this is not normally a problem unless it affects the person’s ability to function normally. In any situation like this the first course of action is to report it to your physician as soon as possible.

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