Modern people like to describe their emotional depression with a simple word – “depression.” But only a few of them really know what it is.
If we take into account the description of mental illness, then depression, regardless of its form, is not just a disorder of the emotional state of a person, but a violation of the work of the nervous system. It is dangerous because it can lead to consequences that can be very serious for a person, in some cases even death due to suicide.
The official name is bipolar disorder. The disease is expressed by the presence of two phases in human behavior: Manic state, or affective phase; Depressive phase.
Disease is characterized by their alternation in the right course. However, more often there comes only one phase of the disease – depressive. Between them there may be a certain interval of the normal state of a person, but it also happens that one stage is replaced directly by another. It is here that this alternation without enlightenment of consciousness is an indicator of the serious degree of disease progression buy elavil online.
What is dangerous disease? Manic depression is also dangerous because it affects not only the mental and physical state of a sick person, but also his personal life, work, social status, relationships with loved ones. The person to whom this diagnosis is made, under the condition of constant observation by the attending physician, can receive a certain group of disability.
Symptoms of the disease. Help diagnose “manic depression” symptoms that are typical:
- Anxiety, which is permanent;
- Sadness, sadness;
- Excessive irritability;
- Loss of interest in life, work, nutrition, sexual life;
- In the thoughts of the future there is a hopelessness, a loss of faith in a bright future;
- Constant feeling of fatigue;
- Inability to concentrate;
- Physical manifestations – headaches, heart pain, blood pressure jumps, muscle and joint pain;
- Suicidal thoughts
Despite the seriousness of the disease, it must be remembered that manic depression is a curable disease. However, for this you need to decide to make the first halfway towards recovery, and make it on time.
Who is most often prone to the disease. According to various estimates, the number of people with manic depression ranges from 0.5-0.8% (with a conservative approach) to 7%. The first signs of the disease appear at a young age. People, the age of which is in the range from 25 to 44 years, are most likely to develop the disease, about 46% of all patients. Patients older than 55 years of age are only 20%.
In addition, there is a gender predisposition to manic depression. Women are more prone to disease. It is also women who are characterized by the development of the depressive phase. In most cases (about 75%), manic depression is accompanied by other mental disorders.
The main difference from schizophrenia (two diseases are very similar to each other) is the absence of personality degradation in depression, and the person is clearly aware of the problem and can independently consult a doctor for help.
Features of the course of the disease in children. In childhood, the diagnosis of “manic depression” is rarely set. The difficulty of diagnosing is that all the typical manifestations that are characteristic of seizures may be absent.
There is a certain predisposition of children to the disease if it is present in the parents. Characteristic signs of the disease at this age are:Rapid change of mood, there is no clear distinction between the phase of mania and the phase of depression, which can take place several times a day; During the manic stage, excessive irritability, outbursts of anger, are manifested, but these symptoms can also indicate normal attention deficit, hyperactivity, or other mental disorders.
Regardless of whether you are sure of having this particular disease in your child or not, at the first signs of impaired behavior you need a psychiatrist consultation. In the event that a teenager has any thoughts about suicide or thoughts of death in general, one should take special care in communication, as well as provide qualified assistance to a specialist in psychiatry.
The causes of manic depression. In bipolar disorder of the psyche there is no single-valued reason, since many factors can influence the development of the disease. First of all, the presence of a genetic predisposition, which significantly increases the risk of developing manic depression. However, this reason is not the only one. Manic depression develops only when there is a certain combination of genes, which is combined with a number of factors of individuality of the person and the environment.
Numerous studies of the disease have led to a definite result that indicates the frequent causes of manic depression, in addition to the genetic predisposition:
- Disorders of the endocrine system;
- Period after childbirth, when it is possible to develop postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis;
- Sleep disorders;
- Violations of biorhythms of the body, which directly depend on the change of day and night;
- Severe stress and shock conditions.
Some of them can become not the true cause, but only a trigger mechanism, through which the manic state develops.
You can conduct the diagnostic procedure at the Research Institute of Psychiatry. This procedure consists in detecting periodic mood swings and motor performance. If there are no disorders at the moment, then the diagnosis indicates a remission, which is often the result of the correct choice of treatment tactics. In addition, differential diagnosis is required to exclude schizophrenic disorders, psychopathies, oligophrenia, psychoses and neuroses.