Bipolar Central
Devoted to Helping Those Living
with Bipolar Disorder

Unipolar Disorder

Like its sister disorder (Bipolar Disorder) Unipolar Disorder is characterized by severe and debilitating depressive episodes of Clinical Depression or Major Depression. However, where Bipolar Disorder consists of cycles of manic (high) and depressive (low) symptoms, Unipolar Disorder does not. Patients who suffer from Unipolar Disorder are true to its name in that they only have symptoms at one end of the spectrum (the low end). There is a major distinction between a person who is going through a rough patch and may be unhappy and a patient that is clinically depressed. Depressed people are typically unaffected by happy moment. Their mood does not lift in response to the people and the events that surround them. They often remain apathetic and emotionally unresponsive. Unipolar Depression or Unipolar Disorder is sometimes classified as Clinical Depression or Major Depression. But, whatever the name, patients that suffer from this disorder experience significant disruption in their work, social and family life. They no longer enjoy the things they used to do and may become withdrawn, hopeless and overwhelmed.

If severe Unipolar Depression goes untreated, it can result in suicide, lost relationships and lost jobs. Patients may miss work and family events, and lack the motivation to participate in activities they used to find pleasurable. The causes for Unipolar Disorder are not fully understood but they may be varied, and can include disruption in neural circuits and neurochemicals in the brain, genetic predisposition, secondary disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder. See the related articles titled Depressive Disorders and Clinical Depression for more information.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms may vary from patient to patient, depending on the severity of the disorder.

Symptoms can include:

• Inability to concentrate or make decisions
• Apathetic or flat emotional behavior
• Irritability, nervousness, anxiety
• Decreased energy, feeling persistently fatigued
• Sadness, hopelessness, low self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness
• Withdrawal from social and family activities
• Decreased sexual desire and activity
• Suicidal thoughts, talk of suicide or planning for suicide attempt
• Disturbance in eating or sleep habits, trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, or sleeping excessively

How is it diagnosed and treated?

The diagnosis of Unipolar Disorder or Unipolar Depression can be simple, but less severe cases may not be so easy to diagnose. Doctors will perform physical and mental evaluations to rule out other disease or illness and to be sure that there are no coincident mental disorders, like Anxiety Disorders, Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, or Eating Disorder among others.

In a major depressive disorder with incomplete recovery, depressive symptoms can recede and be replaced by chronic hypochondriacal concerns, irritable mood, and secondary relationship problems. In other patients, called masked depressives, complaints may focus on physical illness and the patient may seem outwardly cheerful and deny feelings of depression. Other patients will complain of fatigue, and aches and pains.

To diagnose Unipolar Depression, doctors will look for the symptoms detailed above. These symptoms must occur every day or nearly every day and endure all day or nearly all day. The risk of recurrence after treatment can be as high as 50%.

Treatment(s) can include:

• Psychotherapy
• Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) in severe cases
• Medication as appropriate: Antidepressants (SSRIs, tricclics, MAOIs)
• Hospitalization in severe cases
• Family or Couples Therapy if appropriate

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