Bipolar Central
Devoted to Helping Those Living
with Bipolar Disorder

Clinical (Severe) Depression

People who suffer from depression describe it in a number of different ways. Some say it feels like a dark curtain has come down over their life. Some describe the overwhelming feelings of fatigue, lack of focus and inability to function. Others say they feel edgy and cranky all the time. With such diverse descriptions, it is no wonder depression often goes undiagnosed. Depression is not a "state of mind." It is a chemical imbalance in the brain. This imbalance can be hereditary, or it can come from traumatic or stressful experiences, or from a serious physical illness, to name a few sources. If you feel down and find it hard to concentrate; if you don’t have the energy to do the things you normally do, and this goes on for more than two weeks; if the symptoms interfere with your life, you may be clinically depressed.

If you have had one episode of depression, it is likely you will suffer from another at some point in your life. Once you learn the symptoms, you can work with your doctor to keep your depression under control. Though many people never seek treatment, of those who do, 80% report significant improvement.

What are the symptoms?

Clinical, or severe, depression usually manifests itself with a number of symptoms.

From person to person, the number and severity of these symptoms will vary, and can include some or all of the following:

• Sad or anxious mood that lasts for more than a few days
• Significant weight loss or gain, decrease or increase in appetite, or overeating that lasts for more than two weeks
• Inability to focus or concentrate on a task, difficulty remembering things, or making a simple decision
• Feeling restless, on edge or irritable frequently or every day Fatigue or low energy on a frequent or daily basis
• Feeling depressed or low most days or every day
• Thoughts of death or suicide or a plan for or attempt at suicide
• Physical symptoms that do not respond to therapy or treatment (headaches, stomach problems, chronic pain)
• Inability to sleep, or excessive sleep habits, early morning waking, or oversleeping on a frequent or daily basis
• Decreased interest and pleasure in most, if not all activities, including sex, on a frequent or daily basis
• Feeling negative, hopeless, pessimistic, inappropriately guilty, worthless or helpless
• A feeling of emptiness

How is it diagnosed and treated?

Many people who suffer from depression don’t ask for help, even though nearly everyone who seeks treatment has some measure of success. Sometimes your family or doctor will not recognize the symptoms as depression. And often people are ashamed to seek help because they feel depression is a weakness or they are so affected by the illness that they can’t reach out and ask for help. Depression is often missed, because the symptoms can masquerade as physical ailments. To treat depression, your doctor must first recognize the symptoms.

You should first have a physical exam to determine if medication, infection or other physical problems may be causing your symptoms. Diagnosing depression will include an interview to discover what symptoms you have, how long you’ve had the symptoms, whether you have a family history of depression, and whether you use alcohol or drugs. An exam to review thought patterns, behavior and memory problems is also common. Treatment choices depend on the results of these examinations. Treatment options include:

• Antidepressant medications like serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI).
• Psychotherapy
• Anti-anxiety medication in combination with antidepressants
• Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) in the most severe cases modern methods of ECT have been used with good results
• Cognitive therapy to recognize problems as small or large and to problem solve areas that create stress
• Amphetamines for medically ill, severely depressed patients

Index of Articles

If you are in a crisis please call: 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433) or 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Search Bipolar Central

This Week's Bipolar News

Rare Deletions Or Duplications Of DNA Tied To Bipolar Disorder
Medical News Today
New research led by University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, finds that rare copy number variants (CNVs) where sections of DNA are either duplicated or missing, seem to play a key role in the risk for early onset bipolar disorder, which appears in childhood or early adulthood. The researchers write about their findings in a paper published online on 22 December in the ...

Where Does My Mental Illness End, And Where Do I Begin?
About - News & Issues
By Marcia Purse, About.com Guide December 22, 2011 From my friend Andy "Electroboy" Behrman comes a thoughtful and thought-provoking essay on the journey through life with bipolar disorder. Is there truly such a thing, he's been asked, as "recovery" ...

Mind over Mood
PsychCentral.com (blog)
She has a Mood Disorder NOS and has been married to her college sweetheart, who has Rapid-Cycling Bipolar Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder, for 10 years. They are happily married, have three kids, and live in the Midwest, USA.

Click here for all Bipolar News.

Featured Article:

Difficulty Getting Good Information on Bipolar

The greatest difficulty with getting good information on bipolar disorder is not knowing where to get it. When your loved one is first diagnosed with bipolar disorder, their doctor or psychiatrist may give them a brochure or pamphlet that describes bipolar disorder in general. Usually that’s all they will get, unless he/she gives them samples of medication and, in that case, they might receive an additional brochure or pamphlet put out by the drug company that makes that particular medication. Generally speaking, however, that’s it. You are on your own after that, to try to understand this new and confusing diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

So where can you turn for good information on bipolar disorder? There are four places: 1) Brochures/Pamphlets; 2) Books/Reference Material; 3) Support Groups; and 4) the Internet. However, as you begin your search, you will very quickly become frustrated as you encounter the difficulties outlined below:

Click here to read the entire article

Terms of Service | Privacy Policy

Copyright 2004- 2012 , BipolarCentral.com