How does manic dperession “work”?
I know that it makes a person happy and sad at extreme levels, but what is it about manic depression that causes those feelings? Hormone imbalance? Chemical reactors? Events? Ect? Please could someone help explain how it works?

Chosen Answer:

People confuse “mood” with “emotion”. If someone goes from happy to sad (emotions), they think they have had a mood swing. Wrong, they had an emotion. Bipolar is not about having having emotions like anger, sadness….. nor is it about changing from one emotion to another really fast. It is about slowly changing moods….. A mood affects everything from your energy level, emotional response (which emotions you experience), sexuality, thought process, self esteem, appetite, whether or not you enjoy activities, etc……. Bipolar is about moving between a really high mood (mania) and a really low mood (depression) every couple of weeks or months.

It is a chemical imbalance in the brain…. like diabetes is a chemical imbalance in the body. It is inherited but needs a trigger to become active. Triggers can be anything from abuse, trauma, or a virus like the flu.
Here are some of my personal examples of the extremes. My moods generally last for a couple of months then there is a short period of being normal before I start to swing the other way

The low – Do not care about anything, stop showering, stop cleaning house, crying a lot, sleeping 14 hours a day, want to die but don’t have the energy to plan it, hating yourself for every little bad thing you have ever done….. feeling guilty about everything you have done while manic, knowing that everyone else hates you too. I feel like my mind has stopped working, thoughts are dulled, can’t read….. just lay there like a dead lump of nothing.

The High – these are symptoms as listed online followed by my examples

* FEELING EXTREMELY HAPPY OR IRITABLE* Like you just won the lottery or like your boss just cut your pay in half so he could give his daughter a raise but the feelings go on and on for weeks or months.

*INFLATED SELF ESTEEM* Believe that everyone loves you, everyone knows how smart, funny, pretty, sexy, you are. Think you are so good you can do anything.

* REDUCED NEED FOR SLEEP* 2 to 3 hours of sleep a night for weeks or months and you are never tired.

* TALK FASTER AND MORE THAN USUAL* Ramble on and on but the talk may be disjointed because thoughts are going by so fast you can’t get them out fast enough. It’s called pressured speech.

* BE MORE ACTIVE THAN USUAL* Needing to run 10 miles a day when you never used to even jog. Taking up 5 new hobbies.

* RACING THOUGHTS* Can be seen as confusion. It’s very confusing because your thought go by so fast and you have no control over them it’s like having 10 people all shouting at you at the same time.

* BE EASILY DISTRACTED BY SIGHTS AND SOUNDS* Ohhhh bright and shiny things. Because you have ceased to even try to listen to your own thoughts.

* ACT IMPULSIVELY, DO RECKLESS THINGS, REDUCED INHIBITION, SPENDING SPREES* Spending the mortgage money on furniture, buying 25 books about penguins because wouldn’t it be cute if they could be a colony,* DRIVE RECKLESSLY* 120 mph down back roads with the radio blaring and not really paying attention to the road because of all the bright shiny things, *GET INTO FOOLISH BUSINESS VENTURES* cashing out your 401k to invest in a worm farm or going deep into debt so you can gamble because you know you will win, *HAVE FREQUENT, INDISCRIMINATE, OR UNSAFE SEX* like sex with strangers (without a condom) or with your sisters husband or your husbands sister. Suddenly decide you are bisexual because the opportunity for twice as much sex is there…… Oh my I didn’t know I was into BDSM before… tie me up and flog me baby.

I am Bipolar 1 and while the other types of bipolar may not be as bad they are still much more extreme than the online symptoms portray. The above are things I have one while manic and that’s just a few of them.
by: Ms Cat
on: 22nd April 09

Sunday – Woke up in a state of sleep paralysis
Monday – Woke up 4 hours early in sleep paralysis (early as in my body woke up before it normally does). And couldn’t get back to sleep
Tuesday – Went to bed at midnight, woke up at 3 and cannot get back to sleep.

I’m on 100mg of Trazadone for insomnia Been on it over a year.

Any ideas what might be going on?

Chosen Answer:

Something is missing here -that is my take on what is going on. Trazodone is primary an antidepressant. However it can be used to help sleep insomnia sufferers.

Again, this long time insomnia sufferer feels something is missing from the question. You mention sleep paralysis as your problem – not insomnia.
Here is my surface take – did something change before your symptoms change? If so what are they? It takes a while for most drugs including those in the insomnia treatment field to work. After a year maybe the effectiveness is wearing off. Suddenly? Unlikely.
Clarification is needed here.
I suggest you look at the site on insomnia below to get a clear, basic, understanding about sleep insomnia.
by: JT1998
on: 25th February 10

My sister told me that if it wasn’t for all the help from the government, we would be going into another great depression. I don’t really know what that means and she couldn’t really explain it. What is the government doing to keep up from going into another great depression? Also I was thinking, if the government during the great depression had helped like our government is doing now, would there have ever been a great depression at all? Or is my sister wrong and just repeating something she just heard somebody else say?

Full detail and sources would be very helpful.

Chosen Answer:

It’s funny- your sister is so sure about it, but can’t explain it. Typical. Yes, she’s repeating what she’s heard from others. It is a widespread MYTH that the government, especially FDR, got us out of the depression. In fact, he caused it with his interventionist policies. The so-called “New Deal” turned a recession (which is nothing but a market correction) into a depression, and dragged it out for over a decade. Currently, government intervention is what led up to this situation, and further intervention will only make it worse. The government pressured banks into writing mortgages to people who were not qualified to get them, under the guise of helping “less fortunate people”. Many loans were given to people who weren’t even required to show proof of income (or that they even HAD jobs). What did they THINK would happen? On top of that, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (which are government sponsored companies) were buying up all these bad mortgages, so that you and I were responsible for the debt if the people defaulted. Many did. The people who were responsible for overseeing the operations of “Fannie and Freddie” were House FSC chairman Barney Frank and Senate Banking Committee chairman Chris Dodd. While Fannie and Freddie were “cooking the books”, Frank and Dodd both claimed the operations were in good shape, when in fact, they were far from it. Barney had a lover for years who was a high ranking executive at Fannie Mae , which was a conflict of interest. Dodd got special mortgages from Countrywide Financial. He claimed the company was doing great when they, too, were cooking the books. Both have very dirty hands in this mess. It was like having a fox guard the hen house. Or perhaps like having the convicts guarding the prison gates.
Remember, any time the government claims there is a crisis, they usually created it in the first place. When they say they are going to “fix” the crisis, they will only make it worse.
by: Chris S
on: 7th February 09

My girlfriend has recently stopped eating, every time she thinks or goes to eat she feels sick. I don’t know what to do I thought she was just going through a phase but now she is became really withdrawn and cries at random. I’ve asked her what’s wrong and she has replied with she does not know.
I am really worried and i have looked up on a few sites and depression has came up. Is this depression and if so how can i help her.

Thanks

Chosen Answer:

Eating problems are becoming increasingly common in today’s world. She may have a virus or just be run down. Tell her to see a doctor.
by: Ginny Jin
on: 6th September 10

I’m going to ask my dr to refer me to a psychologist or someone similar but nit councillor to see if I have social anxiety disorder. How do they test you ? All the tests online have said I have it and I’ve read symptoms and researched many times and Im pretty sure I have it but how would a psychologist test and determine what’s wrong? What big clues would there be? Should I write down symptoms before I go?

Chosen Answer:

Well a psychiatrists tests begin as soon as you walk in the door, they will look at things such as your posture, tone of voice, and what your hands are doing. When you sit down they will look at things like tapping your legs, constantly moving, and sitting with your arms crossed or open. They will not make a decision based of this but its a good tell straight from the start because normally someone with anxiety will be constantly moving, walking with their shoulders slouched, sitting with arms and legs crossed, constantly touching their face, clenching their fists, having a quiety voice, having an abnormally high or low pitched voice, sweating, and looking very uncomfortable. As for the actual examination they will ask you if you think you have anxiety and ask you to give examples of when you feel anxious and why they make you anxious. THE BIGGEST QUESTION IS “Does anxiety interfere with your life” I guarantee you they will ask you that question because for anything to be a disorder it must interfere with your normal every-day life so if its a no they probably wont think it too bad, but if its a yes then it definitely poses a problem. Just tell your doctor what you feel and they will decide what they think is best.
by:
on: 24th June 11

I believe I have an anxiety disorder because I am constantly worrying, constant headaches, stomach pain from nerves sometimes, and I constantly think about everything I do wrong. I don’t want my dad to know or for him to worry so I don’t want to tell him. Please, how can I overcome this?

Chosen Answer:

There are many self-help books on the subject, most dealing with CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). If your condition is relatively mild, facing the sources of your anxiety head on and jumping into situations that normally cause hesitation and fearful obsessive thoughts may be enough to allow you to overcome them. Good luck.
by:
on: 27th March 12

Is there really any distinction? I am trying to figure out if there is something wrong with me, or if I am just overreacting? But I have suicidal thoughts often, and have for over the past 10 years. I have tried to commit suicide a few times, but it just doesn’t seem to be working. I hate this feeling, and I want it to go away. But no matter how positive I try to be, I always find myself back in the same place. The same lonely state. Is that depression, or do I just need to “get over it”!

Chosen Answer:

Depression can be a chemical imbalance that has nothing to do with how you choose to feel about yourself.

People get depressed when a loved one dies, has nothing to do with hating yourself, it could I suppose, but doesn’t have to.

But hating yourself would probably lead to depression.

And depression could lead to hating yourself since you are not at your best and you will prolly screw up more while depressed.

And you could develop a self-hatred just because you are depressed all the time, which is why you should see a therapist, or just ask your doc for some Prozac or whatever.
by: Yeh
on: 8th December 09

These past few days I’ve been trying to figure out whats wrong with me.
But i still can’t even figure out if i even have a problem, I guess I’m just trying to find something to do. But the only thing is, I cant do anything that use to interest me anymore. Which brings me back to my question (what is the difference between depression and boredom?). If anyone can can tell me what they think please don’t hesitate or hold back on commenting.

Chosen Answer:

umm well from my experience

when im bored i useally just walk around the house..looking 4 something to do..watch tv moap..lol n sometimes just overeat cause there’s nothing to do.

when i get depressed though .,somehow i think up of all the things wrong with my life n how much of aloser i am,n how im non-social n my life’s shit..

lol..

boredem is when you wanna do something fun.

n depression is when the little emo inside everyone decides to come out n play

hopefully it’s not that full on depression 4 ya though..

xo
by: FaCk <> (0_0)
on: 12th September 08

Hello,

I can’t sleep, and I’d rather continuously refresh the yahoo answers page than stare blankly at the ceiling..you’re probably the wrong people to ask at this time, but how can I beat this insomnia?

I’m considering staying up all night and all today tomorrow, to reset my body clock. Will this work, perhaps?
ps. i dont like the effects of sleeping pills
thanks everyone

Chosen Answer:

to reset your body clock you must choose a partiular time to go to sleep and keep it constant for always. prepare for this time by having a hot bath (makes you sleepy) don’t eat heavy but don’t go to sleep on an empty stomach.. switch off the lights after your set time, so that your brian knows its time to sleep. It will start to work only after some time, but when it does, it sticks. I’ve done it and it works, my eyes start becoming heavy when my bedtime approaches (even if i don’t consciously know what the time is!) good luck
by: Eevaya
on: 21st March 07

I know that I am very depressed and that I have adhd, but lately I feel like if something or someone makes me mad then they are like having the conversation with me until I just actually blow up… I then start talking to the person and saying how I feel.. What is wrong with me???? I start arguments with my husband for no reason and just go off… I know I need help But where do I begin.. is this more like depression and I need counseling or all in my head I need to go to a brain doctor.. I already go to a nuerologist for migraines and counselor for ADHD and anxiety/depression, But where to begin???
I am being treated for ADHD with a form of Ritalin… I was using Adderall. I am also using Zoloft for depression. I also take Topamax for Headaches and mood. I just feel like a walking time bomb.. One minute I am fine and the next I am stressing.

Chosen Answer:

sweetie, stop worrying about what is wrong with you. you’re okay. now, the next time you go to see you adhd counselor ask his advice on who to see. my thought is that you need to see a good psychiatrist and let him diagnose you. there are so many new therapies and drugs out there for the problem you described. you will find help and your life will get better. so, chin up and get out there and find help. you deserve to have the help you need. don’t let anyone discourage you. God Bless you and the best of luclk to you
by: justme
on: 13th March 07