And Depression.com

Depression Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Diagnosis on all types of Depressions…

Depression in Children

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

The last three to four decades witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of children affected by depression. Teenagers girls are more affected by depression than the boys. In childhood the chances of being affected by this health problem is equal among boys and girls. Repeated attacks of depression at this tender age may affect the whole development of the child with an increased chance of being affected by Bipolar Disorder when they grow up.

The symptoms and signs of depression in children are almost similar to that of the symptoms shown by an adult depressed person. Most of the children affected by depression show the symptoms or the feelings they experience through their behavior as they do not have the vocabulary to express these feelings before others. These children are found to be more prone to the problems like phobias, anxieties and somatic complaints. They may also develop behavioral problems as a result of depression.

The earlier symptoms of depression expressed by children at young elementary age include their serious appearance and dispassionate attitude towards others. They may become less bouncy or spontaneous in their reactions to situations. He may start being involved in self destructive activities or say negative things about himself. They may appear unhappy without any reason. These children may also complain about physical problems such as head ache, stomach ache and tiredness. Most of the children affected by depression tend to spend a lot of time in bed but sleeping badly. Major changes in weight and loss of interest in their favorite hobbies can also be an indication of the presence of this health disorder in children of tender ages.

The beginning of the problem in older children can be detected from their disruptive behaviors, academic decline, irritability and suicidal talk. Such children normally find it difficult to get along with his friends and family members.

The causes of childhood depression vary from person to person. The commonly identified causes of childhood depression include inconsistent parenting, bitter or stressful life experiences and negative attitude towards life and the world. It is also related to the family history of the child. Children coming from the family of a strong depression history are at the higher risk of developing this health disorder when compared to the other children.

Children affected with depression are likely to develop psychological disorders such as anxiety and drug abuse. Most of these children start using drugs after the first episode of depression. It can also lead to increased attempts of suicide on the part of the child. If not identified in time, depression will affect all the aspects of their life including their education and family relationships.

What is manic depression?

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Manic depression is a kind of disorder in which a person alternates between extremes of mood swings. He can show extreme highs (mania) and extreme lows (depression). This means that such people suffer from tendencies which lead to great many changes in the energy and ability of performing. This is one disorder which is not gender-bound or age-specific. It can target any person irrespective of his/her ethnicity, age, sex, religion and creed.

The disease is generally linked to heredity. So if mood swing is a pattern being shown by either of your parents, chances are that you too might suffer from it; though this is not always the case. Apart from affecting the person suffering from manic depression, it tends to emotionally gut down even those who provide care to such patients.

Manic depression is characterized by mania as well as depression. This is already being stated. Manic side of it can be diagnosed if a person shows three or more additional symptoms and the symptoms persist for a week or longer than that. Moreover, at the peak of such mania, there might be additional 4 symptoms.

Similarly, when 5 or more symptoms are present, it can be characterized as depressive disorder. Also, there is the mixed bipolar disorder which accentuates both the tendencies. This results in an awkward tendency to be rejuvenated and dejectedly low at the same time.

Traits of depressive disorder and mania

Depressive disorder is marked by anger, guilt, persistent feeling of hopelessness, fear, fatigue, suppressed appetite, loss of sexual craving and self-detestation. Mania is marked by higher energy levels, lack of focus, feeling of irritability and occasional penchant towards delinquency. The manic tendency can be inclined towards extended anxiety and can also be linked to feeling of grandness. The kind of feeling which makes one think too highly of himself.

Hypomania

Hypomania is also a branch of mania, though a far pleasanter one. It can have similar traits but is defined by less vigorous impulses. People suffering from it may show tendencies towards laughing too much at ordinary things. Moreover, he or she might also be attracted to whimsical ideas. Overall, it’s less hurting to others and caregivers do not find it very tough to accommodate to. It is also marked by very clever and imaginative thinking at times. Perhaps, this is the reason why it is also referred as Artistic mania.

Cyclothymia

Cyclothymia is referred to as combination of above-mentioned hypomanic episodes with mildly depressive episodes. This means that neither mania nor depression shall be at its extreme.

Tough diagnosis

Diagnosing a bipolar manic disorder is difficult as most of the times, the symptoms are not linked to any medical tract. Moreover, mental physicians fail to find uniformity or pattern. This might lead to a delayed diagnosis hanging as long as 10 years.

Care above all

Having said this, the patients of manic disorders need to be provided with adequate care even when the symptoms are mild and are not homogenous, we must understand that they are the ones who are suffering each moment and our plight is nothing compared to theirs. If we abide by this simple human reasoning, may be manic disorders would be fought in a more sustained way.

Are you aware of psychotic depression?

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Depression can only break us. It does so in many ways. It takes away the ability to enjoy life and draws a person towards helplessness; While suffering from depression, a person involuntarily selects to go into a withdrawal chamber and gets sucked into a state, sometimes irredeemable, where medicine or other anti-depressants become the only possible more of life.

Types of depression

There are various forms of depression. Depression can be induced from excessive anxiety and overbearing stress. It can also be a result of certain lack in life. It can be induced by a trauma or forced seclusion. At times, it takes shape of manic disorders, characterized by intermittent bouts of highs and lows. Another such depression is the Psychotic depression; it is also extremely affecting and nearly handicaps a patient mentally.

Psychotic depression

Psychotic depression is a kind of disease which takes a person far away from reality. Such people suffer from delusions and hallucinations. Owing to the former, they tend to believe in things that are not there, owing to the later, a person begins to hear or say things which are nowhere close to reality. In fact, both these features are still acceptable as a general deficiency of brain in a later age, but in blossoming years, it is diagnosed as psychotic depression.

Manifestations and diagnosis

The chances of being afflicted with this kind of depression become more exaggerated if one of your family members has suffered from this illness in the upper generation. It can also trigger from some psychotic illness. Psychotic depression has quite clear manifestation. In the initial run, it may be difficult to diagnose but with the passage of time, it becomes very clear. Half the symptoms are of depression and the remaining half is of psychosis. If it’s not tackled in the initial stages successfully, then it transforms into an instrument of self-destruction and imminent harm to others.

When does the trouble ensue?

The trouble actually begins when “Thought Insertion” and “Thought Broadcast” enters the zone of hallucination and delusion. Thought insertion is when a patient begins to believe that his thoughts are actually somebody else’s and he is forced to think those thoughts. Thought Broadcast implies a patient’s belief that others are able to analyze his thoughts. It is here that the disease becomes more disturbing and sparsely irredeemable.

The warps

People with schizophrenia get the notion that the thoughts are true while those suffering from psychotic depression still challenge the disease knowing that the thoughts aren’t true. This brings a whole lot of frustration often leading to other major kind of disturbances; for instance, bipolar depression or manic disorder and suicidal tendencies.

To conclude

Psychotic depression can still be dysthmic. This means that people suffering from it can function rather well between the episodes of such depression. These occur for the first time generally between 30 and 40 years of age and are most likely to subside with time. Usually such patients face the symptoms 4 to 9 times in their lives. At any rate, if the tendencies of suicide are high, it is advisable to get a patient hospitalized.

Getting Help For Depression

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The common symptoms for depression are ignoring and thing almost everything which comes along, always. It is about time a person who is having such symptoms, should consult some psychiatrist for proper medications and treatment. Many times, these little mood swings lead to acute depression stages, which are even hard to cure.

You are advised to get checked by some reputed psychiatrist because he is the one what could help you with your depression concerns. A good psychiatrist is having all the answers to your questions and he is the one who could give you proper treatments. More your psychiatrist will be experienced, better chances you will have for getting right and speedy treatment.

You need to be honest about yourself and you need to find out that what type of depression is giving you problems. There are few types of depressions and with a little bit of knowledge you can easily come to know which type of depression is giving you the problem. The Manic or Bipolar depression is characterized by sudden and acute changes in behavior and the mood, where as in Postpartum depression the new mother might get prolonged sadness and a feeling of emptiness during child birth. This is usually because of the prolonged sense of responsibility which a mother feels towards the new born. In another type of depression called Dysthemia, the patient suffers from lesser acute depression symptoms but needs equally important treatment.

Due to less acute symptoms people often misunderstand this depression as less affective and hence they suffer heaps. You are advised that do take special care of this kind of depression. In another type of depression called Cyclothemia, the symptoms are bit similar to Manic or Bipolar depression but there is a frequent mood swing. In Seasonal Affective Disorder, the patient fells rut during specific seasons like winters, summers autumn or spring etc. Frequent mood changes are noticed all of a sudden if a person is affected by this type of depression. He might get happy to angry or from sad to happy in seconds.

It is not a hard task to get out of depression if you are aware of getting cured. You need proper psychiatric help and treatments and your families support too. A little bit of commitment and proper guidance could easily take you out of the stage of depression. You may take additional help from some corresponding therapies along with the medicines, this will help you recover even faster.

People who are suffering from depression are often advised to set realistic goals concerning depression wherein, to not assume that their depression can be easily treated in a snap. The depression help or depression treatments are not easy things. They could help you if you properly co operate, they will understand you and help you but you got to abide by them. you are not advised to set the goals which you cant fulfill, this might even lead to further depression. Have faith in yourself and attain your goals step by step.

Getting Anxious Over Anxiety Depression?

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Life has gone very hectic nowadays and seldom people tend to relax a bit in this hustle and bustle of life. Almost everyone amongst us is exerting too much and getting exhausted by the end of the day. Mind is a machine too and it needs the relaxation. If we don’t provide it the necessary break, it tends to start showing problems like aches and Migraine. In even acute cases, ailments like nervous breakdowns, anxiety and depression have been noticed. You are fortune because in this article we shall discuss some tips which could be of great help for you in the process of the treatment of anxiety depression.

The most frequent and common symptoms of anxiety depression are, irregularities and erratic behavior from the person who is suffering from it. This is usually triggered by stress and results in jitters etc. Most common victims of anxiety depression are the people who easily get nervous or stressful under crunch situations. If one is having a strong will power, he could easily overcome anxiety depression. It might look hard to overcome it in the first sight but if one persistently keeps on trying to keep himself calm and cool, he could surely overcome it easily.

If you truly want to cure yourself successfully from Anxiety depression, first of all you need to be honest with yourself. You are advised to do a thorough self analysis and conclude that what exactly is your problem, from where it is originating and what is the root cause for that. It is no harm in getting advised by some reputed Psychiatrist to get yourself diagnosed properly and get the right depression treatment for yourself. Below we are mentioning few types of depressions for your help.

Manic or Bipolar Depression: This type of depression is generally characterized by sudden or extreme mood swings within minutes. A patient suffering from this type of depression might be noticed with an elevated state of mind in one minute and within seconds he shifts to another mood as if he is in some personal hell.

Postpartum Depression: This type of depression is usually found in new mothers who have just delivered the baby. The common symptoms of this depression are prolonged sadness and a feeling of emptiness. This usually occurs while giving birth to the child.

Dysthimia: this one is hard to detect but it is less acute depression but this doesn’t reduces its important and it needs equal care too.

Cyclothemia: This one is quite similar to Manic or Bipolar depression but in this mental illness, one might suffer from severe changes in the moods.

Seasonal Affective Disorder: Some patients tend to fell in ruts especially during seasonal changes. The specific season may vary from winters to spring or from summers to fall etc. Most of the patients fall in the rut in winters or fall season. In this the mood swings too, could be from happy to sad or from sad to angry in an instance.

Apart from all these, the most common state of Anxiety depression is characterized by the state of over anxiousness. Anxiety could be a help for you in psyching up towards facing certain crunch situations. It is surely not a bad thing but, Anxiety depression is equally bad. The Anxiety depression is an illness and it should be cured. In few cases, it has been noticed that this is a hereditary problem too.

Like any other illness, Anxiety depression too has a lot of types. Each one of them has its own characteristics, for example, Generalized Anxiety Disorder which is better known as GAD is lot more complicated than the average Anxiety depression. Generalized Anxiety Disorder actually makes the individual quite more paranoid than usual, anxiety attacks are more frequent, even absurd at times. Such patients are even noticed for getting anxious on no good reasons. People suffering from GAD might show a lot of symptoms like the lack of sleep, just being unable to relax, fatigue and lack of concentration etc. You should be well aware of the fact that GAD is curable, you just need proper treatments.

You are advised to consult some reputed Cognitive Behavior for proper medications and behavior treatments.

© 2009 And Depression.com. All Rights Reserved.

This blog is powered by Wordpress and Magatheme by Bryan Helmig.