Posts Tagged ‘Causes of depression’


  

Will Neurofeedback Help With Bipolar Disorder?

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

According to a recent survey, approximately 5.7 million Americans are living with bipolar disorder, a serious illness that can manifest itself with intense mood swings and bizarre thoughts. A person who has been clinically diagnosed as having this disorder will spend most of their lives vacillating between extreme emotions, from ecstatic highs to devastating lows, which is why this condition is frequently referred to as manic-depressive disorder. Bipolar sufferers spend very little time in the relatively comfortable range of emotions in which most of us live.

Between these episodes of extreme energy and euphoria (mania), which are followed by periods of severe depression, most patients display somewhat normal behavior, but these symptoms tend to occur at random and can present themselves without warning. There are four distinct types of bipolar disorder ranging from cyclothymia, in which the cycles occur over a two year period and are relatively mild, to Bipolar I disorder, where the patient experiences a continuous succession of both depression and mania.

If left untreated, this illness can make living an ordinary life nearly impossible. People with bipolar disorder can find it difficult to keep a job or maintain a relationship. Unable to cope with their disorder, some will commit suicide.

Treating Bipolar Disorder with Neurofeedback Therapy

In recent years, a certain level of success has been achieved using neurofeedback to help stabilize the rapid cycling between moods that plagues bipolar sufferers. Neurofeedback therapy may help bipolar patients to mitigate the two extremes, allowing them to enjoy longer periods functioning within a more comfortable range of emotions.

Neurofeedback therapy is being used successfully in the treatment of other illnesses such as depression and ADD/ADHD in both adults and children. It has even been proven to help dramatically in cases of traumatic brain injury. And some preliminary studies regarding the use of neurofeedback in treating bipolar disorder have had promising results.

Also known as brain biofeedback, this method of treatment makes use of electrodes used in conjunction with an EEG or electroencephalogram machine to monitor your brainwaves. Through several neurofeedback sessions, you may gradually train your brain to function differently. To accomplish this change, you will use your brain waves to control a visual on the monitor.

When your brain is operating with the desired waves, it receives what it considers a reward, such as making a “spaceship” on the screen fly, or playing a DVD. Your brain will seek to stay within these frequencies, and the changes will eventually become longer lasting. These changes will not happen overnight, however, and may very well require more sessions than other disorders require. Keep in mind, though; the possible outcome is full abatement of rapid cycling bipolar disorder.

Currently, neurofeedback is being used in conjunction with the appropriate medications and other more traditional treatments for bipolar disorder. At this time, you should not abandon any treatments that you are using, but rather work with both your neurofeedback therapist and your physician to create a working treatment that incorporates both methods.

Many patients who have had neurofeedback therapy say that they would never choose to go back to the way they felt before the therapy.

For more information about Neurofeedback, go to http://www.NeurofeedbackBook.com Dr. Clare Albright is a psychologist (CA License PSY11660) and a Neurofeedback practitioner and can be reached at (949)454-0996

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clare_Albright

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Recognizing if You Have Depression

Wednesday, March 11th, 2009

Millions of people suffer from Depression each year. Depression is made up of different emotions, most people get feelings of loss, frustration, sadness, and disappointment, just to name a few. Someone who has depression doesn’t have a lot of interest in life and has a hard time focusing on tasks at hand. Sometimes they may not want to get out of bed and they don’t want to partake in normal daily activities like going to work or participating in a hobby of theirs.

Two main categories of depression are situational and clinical. Clinical depression symptoms are having thoughts of suicide, uncontrollable negative thoughts, very easily becomes irritated or angry, feelings of hopelessness, sleeping to much or not at all, and loss of appetite, or overeating. Situational depression is pretty normal feelings of sadness that occur when someone goes though a major loss, or the not so lucky things that just happen in life that nothing can change. So you can see here that there is a huge difference between the two.

Every case of depression is going to vary from case to case, every person is different . Some people who have depression say that they don’t feel sad, they feel worthless, blank, empty, almost like the living dead just lifeless. They are incapable of feeling happiness and enjoying anything.

Suicide is a major factor in Depression. Many people that are depressed end up committing or attempting to commit suicide. Depressed people think that sometimes it’s the only way to end the pain and get rid of the feelings they are experiencing. Suicide is a symptom of severe clinical depression and you can not take it seriously enough if someone you know is talking about suicide. There are many hotlines available for help you or someone you know wants to hurt themselves. Most often suicidal persons will give a clue or warning to theirs feelings and theirs intentions. So if you notice any signs that someone you know might be suicidal speak up! Helping them cope with there depression or even just showing that you care may just save their lives.

Some other types of depression involve Dysthymia, maniac depression, postpartum depression, and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Dysthymia’s symptoms are not as strong as major clinical depression, however, the may last as long as 2 years or more. It has small ups and downs to it. For a few days you may be mildly depressed and then the next few days you may feel better and happier. However, the may last as long as 2 years or more. It has small ups and downs to it. For a few days you may be mildly depressed and then the next few days you may feel better and happier. Maniac depression is another name for bipolar.

A Person with maniac depression usually will have the same symptoms as someone who has severe clinical depression except they have other major mood swings that can last days to weeks and can switch in a matter of days or hours even. Postpartum depression is a very normal depression that happens after a woman has given childbirth. New mothers tend to be very sleep deprived, going through a major lifestyle change and that might be a major cause of it. It can happen up to a year after child birth and sometimes it can get so extreme that a mother may want to hurt her new child or want to ignore and neglect it. Seasonal affective disorder happens in the winter months when the weather is cloudy and gloomy. It is a very normal depression as well.

Depression can actually be very hard to treat. Sometimes, what seems like symptoms of depression are often the same symptoms of something else. It can be hard to tell if the depression is situational or if it really is clinical. In a situational case the treatment can be as easy as changing the situation, but with clinical depression it can be a number of things. Things like a childhood trauma, a social problem loneliness, substance abuse, genetics, a health problems that is very troublesome or a more recent traumatic happening.

But no matter how depressed one person should get, there is always a way to recover. There is so many different treatments and therapies for depression patients the amount of help is endless. There a prescription medications to help, hotlines, therapies, and lots of natural ways to overcome depression. Alternative health supplements some safe and natural products that will help with depression and changing ones mood. The best way to overcome depression is to use a couple methods of treatment together. Talk to a professional to see whether making a life style change would be the answer or try taking a natural herbal supplement. Which ever method may be right for you the first step is to ask for help and know that it is out there and its everywhere.

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What are the causes of depression

Monday, December 1st, 2008

Let there be no doubt that depression is a serious mental illness that requires months and sometimes years of treatment on the path to a cure.  Millions of Americans across the United States are affected by depression each and every year.  To make things worse it is estimated that only a third of those who suffer the disease will ever seek treatment.  Depression has always been classified as a mental affliction.   Therefore, many Americans choose not to be placed into that category.  They would rather deal with the problem on their own than risk being stereotyped should they seek assistance.  Depression is more common- place than you might think and it will not go away on its own.

Click Here to Overcome your Depression

So, what causes depression?  The answer can get very complicated because you have to take many factors into consideration.  There are so many things factored into the cause of this disease.  Lets examine some of the most notorious.  Many medical professionals believe that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain.  This may be the case, but what causes that imbalance?  Typically the causes stem from biological, genetic, physical, mental and environmental implications.  There are those inflicted that never really determine what spurned their depression.  Many become depressed when they are diagnosed with a very serious medical condition.  This is especially the case if the diagnosis presents the possibility of death or impairment.

Another cause of depression can be the emotional pain felt after losing a loved one.  In many cases the loss can be very traumatic.  Some depression is brought on after years of physical, emotional or sexual abuse.  In addition, many cases of depression are given birth by substance abuse, rather it be drugs or alcohol.  The mental state of a human can be very fragile depending on their environment and the life events that they have been exposed too.  In many cases depression is passed on genetically.  Those afflicted have a family history of the disease.  There are even some prescribed medications that can bring on depression.  It has been clinically proven that some high blood pressure medication can cause depression.

One of the major causes of depression is stress.  Stress can derive from many different areas in our life.  Some of that stress can even be related to positive events in our lives such as promotions, graduation or moving into a new house.  People tend to stress when they face the unknown, like a new job or new financial obligations.  In addition, many are stressed from personal conflicts with their loved ones, associates in employment or friends.  There are a great number of people who are stressed from simply trying to perform their jobs to satisfaction and trying to support their families from week to week.  By determining the cause, medical professionals have a much better chance of administering a treatment.  If you or someone you love suffers from depression-please seek medical assistance.

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