Bipolar Disorder Darlington SC

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Bipolar disorder, also known by its older name “manic depression,” is a mental disorder that is characterized by constantly changing moods. The following articles will help you learn about signs, symptoms, and treatment options for bipolar disorder.

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8 Ways to Help Your Bipolar Loved One Cope

Depression and bipolar disorder are often family diseases. Depression has a much greater impact on marital life than rheumatoid arthritis or cardiac illness. What can you do if you loved one gets bipolor disorder? Here are some tips.

Parents Dealing with Kids and Depression

It is not uncommon for teenagers to get angry when asked if they are depressed, as if depression is a sign of weakness. But a child may be more receptive if a parent says, “I notice you are pissed off (or angry) a lot of the time and I am not sure how to make things easier. It might be helpful for us to talk with a doctor to figure out what is making things so difficult and try to make things easier for you.”

Five Things a Loved One Should Know about Bipolar Disorder

what are the five most important things a loved one should know about bipolar disorder? Getting educated is good advice. Here are five important things everyone dealing with bipolar disorder should know.

Drug Use & Bipolar Disorder

My question is, is it possible that the bipolar is caused by early drug use? Pre 1980 he experimented with mushrooms, cocaine, etc and always pot. Although he was not totally into the hard drugs but had done them a few times. He was smoking pot on daily basics. Always held a steady job through out all this.

Bipolar Disorder & Medication

I have been taking meds for bi-polar d/o for years. Sometimes, I will stop taking my meds because I’m feeling pretty good and have some stupid false sense of being able to beat it. Anyway–last time I got outof control manic (I actually like the manic stage unitl it gets out of hand), but I knew it was coming, yet I did nothing about it. Any help?

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8 Ways to Help Your Bipolar Loved One Cope

9 Myths of Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder has been the focus of attention in recent years, as a new slew of psychiatric medications have been developed to help treat it. But many myths surround bipolar disorder — what it is, what it means, and how it’s treated. Here’s to busting a few of the most common ones.

Alternative Treatments for Bipolar Disorder

Many people have tried at least one form of alternative medical treatment for one ailment or another, such as saw palmetto extract for prostate problems or avoiding wheat products to ease the pain of celiac disease.

An Overview of Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is the modern term for mood swings that used to be called manic depression. It is a fairly common yet serious mental illness, affecting between one and five per cent of Americans of all ages. Unfortunately there is usually a delay of several years before the diagnosis is made.

An Overview of Treatments for Bipolar Disorder

Medical and therapeutic treatments for bipolar disorder include antidepressants, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, psychotherapy and, in worse-case scenarios, ECT.

Atypical Antipsychotics for Bipolar Disorder

The most recent medications typically prescribed for bipolar disorder include a class of drugs called “atypical antipsychotics .” Atypical means they work in a manner that is significantly different than the previous class of antipsychotic medications. There are seven commonly prescribed atypical antipsychotic medications for bipolar disorder. Please read on for more detailed information in the following article.

Bipolar Disorder & Medication

Bipolar Disorder Can Be Mistaken for ADHD

When a child's day brings tantrums, panicked mania or dark spells, he or she could be suffering from something much deeper than an attention-deficit problem. It could be juvenile-onset bipolar disorder, also called childhood bipolar disorder (or pediatric bipolar disorder), a relatively new psychological condition that may cause recurring mood swings between depression and hyperactivity.

Bipolar Disorder Fact Sheet

Bipolar disorder can be effectively treated with medication and psychotherapy. With proper treatment, individuals with bipolar can lead fulfilling, productive lives. This is why it’s so important to recognize the symptoms and see a mental health professional for an evaluation.

Bipolar Disorder vs. Depression

What’s the difference between bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression ) and plain old depression ? It’s a simple question to answer, because depression can either be a stand-alone diagnosis, or a part of another disorder, like bipolar.

Bipolar Disorder with Psychotic Features

Psychotic features are often present during the manic phase of bipolar I disorder. Aspects of psychosis may also manifest during extreme episodes of depression.

Bipolar Gene Discovered

As an organic brain disorder, bipolar has long been suspected of a genetic link. A family history of bipolar disorder is one of the first things a doctor asks about to help diagnose it. With advances in the genome project and in neuroimaging, several genes have been indicated as likely contributing but research was somewhat inconclusive.

Bipolar in the Workplace

Bipolar disorder is the sixth leading cause of disability in the world, according to the World Health Organization, and depression will soon be the leading cause of sick leave in the workplace. Awareness and accommodation from employers is crucial and yet stigma prevails.

Bipolar Recovery Guides

Though there is no cure for bipolar disorders, recovery is possible in the sense of learning to prevent and minimize symptoms, and successfully cope with its effects on mood, career, and social life.

Challenges for Caregivers of Bipolar Disorder

Caregivers of people with bipolar disorder face different challenges than with other illnesses. The caregiver will be affected by cultural and social attitudes to the illness, and these have important effects on the level of burden experienced.

Children and Bipolar Disorder

EI service offerings vary widely according to where you live. They should, however, be determined by the child’s needs, not just what happens to be available or customary in your area. Evaluation is the first, and sometimes the most important, service provided through EI programs.

Coping with Work Issues and Bipolar Disorder

Most Western and Asian countries offer employees at least some protection from disability discrimination on the job. In the US, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) makes it illegal to refuse to hire a person simply because she has, or appears to have, a disability-as long as that disability will not prevent her from doing the job.

Cyclothymic Disorder

Cyclothymic disorder, as it is sometimes known, is a milder cousin of bipolar disorder. Like bipolar disorder, cyclothymia has high and low phases, though the highs are not as high and the lows not as low.

Diagnosing Bipolar Disorder

A diagnosis of bipolar disorder is made on the basis of symptoms, course of illness, and, when available, family history. Like most mental disorders, it is usually best to receive a reliable diagnosis from a mental health professional, not your family physician or general practitioner. While such general practice doctors can help spot and refer such problems, they are not experts in the area of mental disorders (which often have their own challenging diagnostics issues).

Diagnosing Bipolar Disorder Can be Challenging

The bipolar disorder is also known as manic depression. Toss an antidepressant at a person with bipolar – with no mood stabilizing medication to hold the antidepressant action at bay – and watch them flip out – totally manic.

Drug Use & Bipolar Disorder

Extreme Thinking and Moods are the Death of Creativity

Bipolar disorder is characterized by mood swings, sleep disruption, and extreme behaviors. These mood swings can include irritability, energetic happiness, impulsive and erratic behavior, deep depression, anger, or even agitated confusion. None of these states is healthy over the long term, yet this is the world of a person with bipolar disorder.

Family-Focused Therapy: Involving Families in Treatment Aids Bipolar Patients

Family-focused therapy has been found slightly more effective in treating bipolar disorder than other types of psychotherapy in clinical trials. Read on.

Five Things a Loved One Should Know about Bipolar Disorder

Frequently Asked Questions about Bipolar Disorder

People often have common questions about the basics of manic depression . These are some of the most commonly asked questions — and their answers — about manic depression (also known as bipolar disorder). Please read on for more detailed information in the following article.

Getting Help for Bipolar Disorder

People with bipolar disorder often need help to get help. Often people with this disorder do not recognize how impaired they are or blame their problems on some cause other than mental illness.

Herbs for Bipolar Disorder

There are a number of herbal remedies you can try for bipolar disorder (manic depression). Although the glossy, new veneer of today's supplements may make them look attractive, it’s just as important to be a smart consumer in this area as it is with traditional medicine.

How to Handle Someone with Bipolar Disorder

My brother was diagnosed with bipolar disorder about a year ago (4-20-04). He was undergoing his “ manic ” episode for about 2 months and then everything got back to normal. My family and I, we even had to hospitalize him because things were really getting out of hand. We were started to fear his presence and the unpredictability of his actions. They (psychiatrists) gave him medications and sent him back home. Any suggestion?

Identifying Irrational Thoughts

One of the most common components of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy (CBT) is identifying and answering irrational thoughts. Once you can label and dissect an irrational thought, you take away some of its power. The longer these patterns are allowed to continue, however, the more likely they are to become ingrained, lifelong habits. These habits of thought contribute to development of the hard-to-treat personality disorders that often bedevil bipolar adults.

Intermittent Explosive Disorder

The essential feature of Intermittent Explosive Disorder (312.34) is the occurrence of discrete episodes of failure to resist aggressive impulses that result in serious assaultive acts or destruction of property (Criterion A). The degree of aggressiveness expressed during an episode is grossly out of proportion to any provocation or precipitating psychosocial stressor (Criterion B).

Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy Proven to Be an Effective Treatment for Bipolar Disorder

Interpersonal and social rhythm therapy proven to be an effective treatment for bipolar disorder. A treatment program that stresses maintaining a regular schedule of daily activities and stability in personal relationships is an effective therapy for bipolar disorder, report University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers in September’s Archives of General Psychiatry.

Irritability May Be a Part of Pediatric Bipolar Disorder

A small percentage of children with bipolar disorder may experience manic episodes without extreme elation — one of the primary characteristics of the disorder — and can be diagnosed based on an irritable mood alone. Read on to know the relationships between these two.

Lifestyles of People with Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder can be influenced by alternative treatments and lifestyle choices — including diet, exercise, sleep , and religious/spiritual practice, coping skills and suicide prevention.

Living with Bipolar Disorder

With a combination of medication, psychotherapy and self-management strategies, individuals with bipolar disorder can lead productive, successful lives. Here’s how.

Manic Episodes

Manic Episode is defined by a distinct period during which there is an abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood. This period of abnormal mood must last at least 1 week (or less if hospitalization is required).

Minerals for Bipolar Disorder

Minerals, along with vitamins, are naturally occurring substances that are basic building blocks for the chemical processes that keep our bodies running. Most of them are needed in relatively small amounts that are usually taken care of through the consumption of a normal, everyday diet. Sometimes a regular multivitamin with minerals may supplement a normal diet to ensure you’re getting the minerals your body needs.

Mood Stabilizers for Bipolar Disorder

Mood stabilizers, described below, are highly effective in stabilizing and maintaining a remission of manic symptoms. Please read on for more detailed information in the following article.

Nutritional Supplements for Bipolar Disorder

Nutritional supplements are not drugs, nor do they need U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. They are often marketed as having certain benefits, but since they aren’t required to meet the rigorous requirements of a drug approval, usually those benefits don’t need to have scientific proof. So such supplements do not offer any cure for a condition like bipolar disorder, and often provide few benefits.

Parents Dealing with Kids and Depression

Psychotherapy and Bipolar Disorder

This article describes the types of psychotherapy that appear to be most useful for people with bipolar disorders, and mentions which kinds of patients are most likely to benefit from each. As mentioned previously in this chapter, many good therapists use techniques and concepts from several of these disciplines.

Self-Help Strategies for Bipolar Disorder

There are a variety of methods you can use to help yourself with bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression). Individuals should take an active role in their own treatment and self-care because feeling better and getting better is an active, daily process. While medications and psychotherapy are usually recommended to treat bipolar disorder, there are additional steps a person can take to improve their condition.

Symptoms of Childhood Bipolar Disorder

Childhood bipolar disorder, also known as pediatric bipolar disorder, is a form of bipolar disorder that occurs in children. While its existence is still a matter of some academic debate and disagreement, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests that bipolar disorder can exist in children.

Talking to a Professional about Bipolar Disorder

You have a unique medical history. Therefore, it is essential to talk with your doctor or health care provider about your personal risk factors and/or experience with bipolar disorder. By talking openly and regularly with your health care provider, you can take an active role in your care.

Testing Adolescents at Risk for Bipolar Disorder

Child and adolescent onset bipolar disorders often go undetected or misdiagnosed; it takes years for many people to get the correct diagnosis with the correct treatments. Often it’s misdiagnosed as depression, but it’s important to differentiate bipolar and unipolar depression because treatments are different – antidepressants taken without a mood stabilizer can trigger mania. Early detection may save a lot of trouble for the individual.

The Link Between Bipolar Disorder and Creativity

Bipolar disorder has been slightly romanticized by its association with creative types, but many sufferers’ experience of the illness is far from glamourous. Patients report getting to the point where they can’t function and sometimes need to be hospitalized, especially if they don’t take their medication as prescribed.

The Two Types of Bipolar Disorder

Raging bipolar (I) is characterized by at least one full-blown manic episode lasting at least one week or any duration if hospitalization is required. This may include inflated self-esteem or grandiosity, decreased need for sleep, being more talkative than usual, flight of ideas, distractibility, increase in goal-oriented activity and excessive involvement in risky activities.

Very Early Diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder

Children are naturally undergoing constant developmental changes largely determined by their environment that makes a diagnosis of a mental disorder challenging. A child that is “acting out” is often just exhibiting age-appropriate behavior for their age.

Vitamins for Bipolar Disorder

Vitamins have not been proven effective in the treatment of bipolar disorder. They can, however, help treat certain symptoms related to bipolar disorder and help in your overall health and well-being.

Why Bipolar Kids Can’t Get Up and Get Going

Sleep inertia is a transitional state of lowered arousal occurring immediately after awakening from sleep and producing a temporary decrement in any subsequent performance. Studies show that sleep inertia can last from a few minutes to four hours. Youngsters with bipolar disorder are far closer to the latter than the former.