Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder

Giving unconditional love for bipolar disorder patients is a tough job. If you do not understand what is happening to your loved one, then you will have difficulty relating to them.

Do not think of the illness as humiliation. If you will feel ashamed of your loved one because he is inflicted with such illness, then you are not helping him restore his good health, instead you are letting him do worse than expected.

Trust is essential to individuals with Bipolar disorder. They need you to trust them, not entrust them to other people or institutions such as the psychiatrists or an asylum. To build up trust, an open and honest communication is needed. Keep the communication line open. An open and honest communication is vital. Encourage your loved one to talk about what he thinks and feels. Let him suggest ways on how you are supposed to relate to him. Read more

The Types of Depression

Depression can take many forms. Seasonal affective disorder, clinical depression, and bipolar depression and postpartum depression are all commonly diagnosed types of depression. Conditions such as substance abuse or an eating disorder may be confused with depression, and can make any form of depression rather hard to diagnose. Other conditions can worsen a case of depression.

The following are some very common forms of depression.

One of the major types of depression is bipolar depression (also known as manic depressive illness). Bipolar depression is commonly recognized as someone experiencing being overly happy, then suddenly becoming horribly depressed.

One of the major types of depression that women are known to suffer from is postpartum depression. This takes place right after giving birth to a baby.

A common subtype of depression is seasonal affective disorder. This form of depression seems to be tied to the way people react to the amount of sunlight that is available to them each day.

A very serious form of the many types of depression is psychotic depression. Those that suffer from psychotic depression very often hallucinate. This is one of the most dangerous types of depression and often there is a need for someone else to jump in and help. Read more

Symptoms of Post-traumatic stress disorder

During World War Two, a strange phenomenon called “Battle Fatigue” affected many veterans after they returned home from combat zones in Europe and the Pacific. Today, we know this condition to be “post-traumatic stress disorder”. Back then, returning veterans didn’t talk about it, because discussing these worrisome symptoms suggested weakness or cowardice.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a medical disorder that can occur to anyone after experiencing an extremely stressful situation. Soldiers aren’t the only ones to suffer from this condition. Natural disaster survivors, as well as those who have experienced and survived attacks and accidents, also suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder. Twice as many women are affected than men.

A victim may experience one of many symptoms: A flashback or nightmare, a feeling of detachment, loss of interest in activities or a lack of positive emotion, avoidance of anything (activities, people or situations) associated with the trauma, difficulty sleeping, irritability and exaggerated responses to being startled. Read more

Men and Depression

Men and women suffer depression almost equally.  Men, however, are taught that any need for help shows weakness.  They are, however, at greater risk for depression-related illnesses and suicide because they hide what is going on from everyone, often even denying it to themselves.

Most men hide their depression by trying to cover their feelings. They most often do this with drugs, alcohol, sex, or work. Depression shows in men not as helpless or hopeless, but as angry, frustrated, and other aggressive feelings. Men are less likely to seek treatment than women and they are less likely to admit that they have a problem.

Depression and men is a silent battle that barely makes a rumble until the battle is over. The drugs and the smiles and the carrying on and acting hide many of the typical signs of depression from others. It’s hard to pick up on the signs of depression if you are close to the person, and it’s even harder if they are trying to cover the feelings up. Read more