Bipolar Depression

Bipolar depression is just what the name implies. It’s a disorder that involves major swings in mood. One day you may be happy and ready to take on the world, and the next day feeling as if you don’t even want to get out of bed. It’s a very difficult disorder which is confusing and fatiguing. The mood swings can even happen in the space of a single day. If you’ve ever had one of those days where you went from feeling happy and successful to feeling like a failure, then you have an idea of what it’s like to have bipolar depression. But imagine the swings happening regularly in your life – maybe even every day.

Bipolar depression is about a lot more than moods though. The highs and lows can be very extreme. In fact, people with bipolar depression have often have euphoric highs which lead them to act irrationally. While feeling euphoria, the person may believe they are invincible. For example, a bipolar person may think they can’t lose at the casino and gamble all the household money. Or the person may decide to go shopping and buys everything in sight without regard to fiscal responsibility.

It’s not too difficult to imagine how a person with bipolar depression can bring about devastation for a family. On the opposite end of the euphoric state is the depressed state. The state of depression can follow quickly and is especially low because of the memory of the short lived euphoria. You go from top of the world to not wanting to even get out of bed. Of course, not everyone has such extreme swings, but even lesser states of euphoria and depression can be difficult and confusing.

When someone is bipolar and holds a job, it’s not hard to imagine the potential consequences. Rash decisions made during the high period can be very harmful to the job. Some people with bipolar depression get hyperactive and think they can do anything whether or not they’re qualified.

Bipolar depression can be brought on by substance abuse. Drug users are commonly diagnosed with bipolar depression and studies are researching whether the propensity for drug use and the manic or bipolar depression are related. Once you are diagnosed with bipolar depression, it will most likely have to be managed the rest of your life. Even children can develop bipolar depression though it’s frequently misdiagnosed as hyperactivity or attention deficit disorder.

Bipolar depression is a complicated medical issue but treatment works well. Treatment usually includes medication to even out the moods and psychotherapy to teach the person how to be aware of the onset of the mood swings. As researchers continue to study the problem, it’s fully expected that new treatments will be developed.

ADHD and the Brain

Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression has been a disorder society has had a hard time accepting. After all, when you have a baby it should only bring great happiness to your life. Yet, being pregnant and having a baby is also a time when the body goes through enormous stress and hormones are produced in excess amounts. In most women this may cause some minor and unpredictable mood changes, but in others it’s quite possible it creates postpartum depression.

Though hormones are the suspect, there’s no definitive proof yet that hormones are the only culprit. Postpartum depression is a very serious disorder that affects women within weeks of giving birth. For some women, the depression begins after only a few days.

Postpartum depression becomes apparent when the new mother has difficulty accepting responsibility for the new infant. There may be lack of interest in the baby or quick irritation when the baby cries. Other symptoms of postpartum depression include the following.

• Unable to sleep
• Feelings of inadequacies
• Exhaustion
• Inability to cope with baby care
• Despondency

The interesting fact is that a woman go complete an entire pregnancy with no signs of anxiety, and then develop postpartum depression after birth. Some cases of postpartum depression are severe and include unexplained and frequent crying and even thoughts of suicide. The new mother has trouble functioning and can’t seem to complete the smallest chores. Also, some women show lack of interest in the infant.

It’s an unpleasant subject, but postpartum depression has been determined to be the cause of a mother injuring the infant or infant siblings. In the severest cases, postpartum depression can develop into a psychosis. A psychosis means the woman is probably hallucinating or has lost a grip on reality. In many of these cases brought to court, the new mother claims she heard voices telling her the baby or her other children must be killed.

The only reason this is discussed is because it’s important to understand that postpartum depression is very real and must be treated. Ignoring the disorder does not make it go away. Fortunately, there are treatments that work well. In most cases, medication is prescribed by the doctor.

If you suspect you, or someone you know has postpartum depression, you should see a doctor immediately. Most women will experience some mild depression after the birth of a baby due to shifting hormones or the realization this child is now a continual responsibility. Before a baby is born, women gets lots of concerned attention from family and friends. Once the baby comes, and the mother is doing fine, the attention stops and the work begins. But postpartum depression is a serious disorder that must be dealt with before symptoms worsen.