Manic Depression And Behavioral Therapiy
It's probably a fact you already knew if you or a loved one suffers with the mental illness of manic depression, often referred to bipolar disorder. Cognitive behavioral therapies are extremely valuable in the treatment of the disease.
That's also the conclusion Dr. Greg Murray an Australian researcher, who presented the findings at a recent conference in that country in April 2008. He is associated with Swinburne University of Technology in Swinburne, Australia.
His conclusions come from various international projects with which he's been involved. All have shown that cognitive behavioral therapy - in conjunction with the administration of proper medications - is more effective in treating manic depression than the medications used alone.
Dr. Murray's work is funded by an Australian project called Beyondblue. The group, among its other activities, supports the use of group therapy programs for individuals with manic depression.
Beyondblue is also creating a version of support group through the internet. The program, called Mood Swings, allows sufferers of manic depression to access online self-help modules and utilize discussion boards. Beyondblue can be accessed on the web through http://www.beyondblue.org.au/index.aspx?.
"There is growing evidence," Dr. Murray explains, "that the addition of these sorts of interventions improve outcomes for people with [manic depression] by improving their symptoms and quality of life."
Dr. Murray worries that increasing health care costs in that country will force insurance providers to stop paying for these services. That would mean that only those who have enough money out-of-pocket to pay for this therapy will benefit from it.
Those individuals who suffer with manic depression cycle through extreme bouts of serious depression and high mania. Their moods may range from an extremely high, eurphoric state accompanied by severe agitation at times to feelings of sadness, hopelessness and even suicide.
These episodes are not constant - nor are they always easily recognizable either to the person experiencing them or to family and friends. Between these acute episodes, moreover, the individual with manic depression functions well. Untreated manic depression can seriously adversely affect one's life. With treatment though many, many people are able to manage - quite effectively - the manic depression - so it doesn't interfere or derail their lives' goals.
