Depression There Is a Stark and Medical

Depression

There is a stark and medical difference between feelings of sadness and clinical mood disorders such as unipolar depression and bipolar disorders. Both disorders can have a profound on the quality of life of an individual. Often times the two disorders are precipitated by specific events and sometimes they just are, in any event effective diagnostic tools and treatments exist. It is not a hopeless situation in the least. In this paper, I summarize and defined the depression, and bipolar mood disorders. I then go through the symptoms, causes, and treatments of the two disorders by reviewing some of the literature. Finally, I compare and contrast the two disorders and conclude with a review of emerging ideas about the two mood disorders.

Depression is a mood disorder characterized by prolonged feelings of sadness which make everyday interactions and tasks difficult, if not impossible to complete (Mood Disorders, 193). In its most severe forms suicide contemplation is present (Mood Disorders, 195). Contrary to popular belief many adults suffer from clinical depression at least once in their lives. Id. Although there are no one size fits all rubrics for determining whether an individual is depressed there are some common symptoms. If a person is experiencing depression they are likely to experience some of the following: extreme and prolonged sadness; an inability to live their everyday lives in work, school, or family life; a loss of interest in activity and an increase in sleep; and finally extremely negative perceptions about themselves and their worth as persons (Mood Disorders, 195).

One of the obstacles to diagnosing depression or bipolar mood disorders are the silence around mental health disorders in general. This silence means that many individuals are unaware that their internal monologues are problematic and fail to seek the help that they need. For instance, among the cases in the Lickey & Gordon Study of 1991, is the case of a man named Derek (Mood Disorders, 195). Derek's internal monologue is so incredibly negative, it includes fixations on passed failures and an exaggeration of their impact on his career, lots of thoughts about violent deaths, and beliefs of sever inadequacy in both his professional life and his personal life (Mood Disorders, 195).

Societal beliefs about the appropriateness of depression or the positive correlation of the mania state can also play a role. Individuals, such as mothers with new born infants, often express feelings of shame associated with their post-partum depression, and cite this feeling of shame as a reason for failing to seek treatment earlier (Mood Disorders, 196). Individuals experiencing both depression and states of mania, the two states characterized by the Bipolar disorder, are faced with even more societal condemnation.

Since diagnosing is the critical first step in treatment, it is vital that the stigma against mental disorders be addressed and reduced. In order for feelings of prolonged sadness to be considered "a severe depressive episode is a period marked by at least 5 symptoms of depression and lasting for two weeks or longer" (Mood Disorders, 197). Many of the symptoms are around all day feelings of sadness, lack of motivation, significant weight changes in either direction…etc. (Mood Disorders, 198). The causes of depression can be precipitated by external events such as grief over a loved one, or can be recurring states due to hormonal imbalances.

Once depression is diagnosed, depending on the severity of the depression than treatment options may include talk-therapy, anti-depressants, and electric convulsive therapy. The treatment will depend in large part on the patient's wishes, the specialty of the physician they elect to see. Everything from the way that a person thinks about the world, to the way they stand, or what they do for fun, may be cause for alteration in the treatment of depression. Depression can manifest itself in many ways and the treatments are just as varied (Keena, 2009).

Whereas individuals who experience unipolar depression are plagued primarily by lows, and feelings of despondency, those who suffer from bipolar disorders are plagued by both depressing lows, and very high states characterized by mania. The bipolar disorder is defined by the dramatic rises in moods during the states of mania. They often experience periods of high productivity, notions of grandeur, and operate on very little sleep (Mood Disorders, 217-218). Their behavior is very erratic, tense, and they move, speak, and act at a very quick pace.

In order for an episode to be considered a bona fide state of mania, the DSMV states that symptoms such as lack of sleep, excessive talking, flights of fancy, elevated moods, and impairment" lasting up to one week. The combination of the elevated moods and the presence of at least three of the symptoms are sufficient to diagnose an individual as experiencing "a full manic episode" (Mood Disorders, 218). There are various types of bipolar disorders, with the two most common ones, Bipolar I and Bipolar II being characterized by both manic and depressive states, and only mild manic states and major depression respectively (Mood Disorders, 218).