People have normal moods and are affected by what has happened in their lives, but what if your moods and general behavior has changed or seems to be out of whack with whets going on in your life. It’s possible that you suffer from some form of a depressive disorder. One depression diagnosis could be a condition called bi-polar disorder; People need to be aware of the warning signs for this illness. Below are the top 5 warning signs for bi-polar disorder.

The ignitibility to concentrate, where your mind races from one thing to another occurs to the manic stage of Bi-polar disorder. The person is unaware that they are acting in that manner. They tend to make un realistic goals and then quickly abandon them. The inability to sleep because of thoughts racing in their head is another symptom of bi-polar disorder. Another common trait in a bi-polar person is the constant chatter and non stop talking about different subjects rarely make any sense, or having any pattern. All of these conditions fall into one category or warning sign. Concentration problems

Hearing sounds that no one else hears are another symptom of a person who may be suffering from bi-polar disorder. Although it doesn’t occur in everyone, it does happen to some people. Sometime sufferers say they hear instructions from voices in their head that instruct them to do crazy things. This can be very dangerous, and people need to see this as a serious situation and the person needs professional help right away. In some cases the victim of this depressive disorder may not even remember their own identity. Hospitalization will be required,

During the manic stage of a bi-polar sufferer is another warning sign. The person will seem euphoric, Everything is perfect and wonderful and life is great. Sometimes this delusion leads to impulsive behavior such as spending sprees, or sexual adventures with strangers. The person may feel he loves everyone and everything. And life is all good, and there is no sadness. There are in a continuous great mood, smiling and extremely happy.

All the preceding warning signs happen during the manic stage. Then all of a sudden the party is over. In very quick fashion the euphoric stage disappears and the suffering person feels alone in the world and helpless. Darkness, like the shades was closed and a feeling of complete uselessness is possible. A loss of self esteem and despair are also very real to the suffering person. The person may feel guilty, and may cry uncontrollably and without reason. In many cases a bi-polar person will abuse alcohol and drugs, during this depressive state. It’s not uncommon for sufferers to become alcoholics or addicted to drugs onset by the bi-polar disorder. Sometimes its then when the person is diagnosed with a depression disorder such as bi-polar. Because bi-polar people have 2 very different personality traits it’s more difficult to recognize the warning signs. But with time the illness becomes more prevalent and noticeable

Fatigue in the elderly is normal to a point. However if someone who is normally very active suddenly becomes tired and uninterested in normal activities, this may be a sign of a depressive disorder.

A loss of appetite is another sign of depression in the elderly .They may skip meals or just have a loss of appetite for no medical reason

the lack of personal hygiene is another possible sign of a depressive disorder. Not bothering to clean or change your clothes is a sign of a lack of self esteem which is a classic sign of depression.

Elderly people tend to be on a lot of prescription medication. If a senior all the sudden stops, taking their medication, it may be a sign that they are giving up, and don’t find it necessary to keep taking it.

Sleeping habits change dramatically. They may stop sleeping at night; therefore have a difficult time staying awake during the day. People who suffer from depression use a lot of energy just dealing with their condition, and tend to have many sleeping issues. They may feel tired all the time and yet be unable to actually sleep.

It’s very common for elderly people to experience aches and pains and they should be examined by a doctor to determine the cause. It’s expected for them to have pain at their age but unexplained pain may be a sign of a depressive disorder. If a doctor cant explain the pain its possible the senior citizen is depressed causing them pains that cant be explained, except for possible depression

Like in all depressed people, alcohol and drug abuse is a major sign of depression. The Person may be trying to mask his depression by self medicating themselves, only making their possible mental depression, worse. Seniors who rarely drink and all the sudden start drinking a lot more often, should be watched. This is not a normal thing to do after this long of living. This may well be a depressive disorder causing this behavior,

A lack of interest in normal activities they usually like is another sign of a depressed senior. Non depressed people tend to keep their same hobbies for a lifetime. But when someone develops a depressive disorder, they sometimes lose interest in things they normally like to do. This is true with senior citizens as well. They may tire easier but they shouldn’t lose interest, so depression may be a possibility.

If an elderly person appears to be basically sad all the time with no reason, this may also be a sign of a depressive disorder.

one harder sign to detect is the lack of optimism in life. A senior citizen, who is usually optimistic but suddenly seems the opposite, may be suffering forma form of depression.

As time goes on after the death, one normally suffers unbearable pain and guilt. If you are grieving for a loved one, it is important to express what you are feeling, rather than keeping it inside. The feelings of guilt are usually unfounded. You might feel guilty for not going to visit “Aunt Jane” just one more time, or you might feel guilty because you and a loved one had a disagreement that never was resolved. It’s important to talk about any feelings of remorse, or internal pain and suffering. To stuff these feelings can and often does lead to prolonged grieving and depression.

The third stage of grieving is anger and bargaining. People often feel the need to blame someone with the death of a loved one. Usually the person to get blamed for a loved one dying is the one or ones that didn’t spend very much time with the decedent. Sometimes, if there are sibling rivalries, the family members will harbor hurt feelings toward each other, and may even lay responsibility for the death on each other. Sometimes there is no anger, but there is bargaining. There are individuals who will ask God to bring their loved one back. The person may promise God, or his/her higher power, anything to get the loved one back. When the bargaining doesn’t work, there may be despair and anguish. There may also be a deepening of depression symptoms.

The next stage is loneliness, depression and reflection. Grief starts taking its toll for awhile. This profound sadness is a very real part of the grieving process, and it needs to be experienced. You may have friends and family telling you that your loved one is “in a better place,” or “in peace.” This kind of help isn’t helpful at this stage. At this stage, your thoughts are not so much about where your loved one is, but that your loved one is missing from your life. At this stage you mourn the loss, and feel the emptiness. This stage will pass; however, some people stay stuck in this stage much longer than most, which makes for longer periods of depression.

As you pass into the fifth stage of grieving, you begin to cope with the loss of the loved one. Your life is beginning to feel normal again. The depression that hung around you like a dark cloud is lifting. Your life begins to make sense again. The fifth stage blends into the sixth stage of grieving. If you are a wife who has lost a husband or partner, you have to eventually accept the loss and move on. You begin to find normalcy in life again. You work through the issues that have resulted from the loss of your loved one.

Finally, the last stage is acceptance of the loss and hope for the future. You come to terms with reality and move on to a happier way of life. You may not find joy and happiness right away, but little by little you will notice your present reality is getting brighter. You may notice a sunset for the first time and find yourself in awe of the beauty.

As depression sets in over the first stages of grief chemical messengers, called neurotransmitters, get out of balance. The neurotransmitters change your thinking, your sleep patterns, and your moods. When you begin to accept and look forward everyday life, your mood begins to lighten, and the depression lifts as the brain’s neurotransmitters begin to come into balance.

Stressful events such as the deaths of loved ones, serious personal illness, relationship or marital problems, work related pressures or any other of the numerous stressors we face can and can create serious stress problems. The elevation or continuance of this stress can lead to mild and in some cases severe depression. Ironically it is not only the negative events or traumas in our lives that can be major causes of stress. Such supposedly happy events as getting married, job promotions and buying a new home can also be major stressors. So it is determined that both negative and positive stress conditions can lead to clinical depression.

Can a single stressful event or trauma cause clinical depression?

There is no definitive proof that a single stress event or trauma can precipitate the onset of clinical depression. It is believed that in most cases when a person must deal with a painful, upsetting or worrisome event that they deal with them manage the stress and it seldom leads to clinical depression. There are also many incidences of people who although they live a stress free lifestyle still end up developing clinical depression. It is also believed that a single traumatic event in one person’s life may cause enough stress in one person’s life to lead to depression but not in another’s .

In dealing with stress there are often other factors involved in a person’s case history that when combined with a stressful situation or event could noticeably increase the chances of stress advancing to clinical depression. A prime example of this would be a father who loses a child suddenly, who had a previous family history of depression. The resulting depression he incurs would not be from the loss of the child so much as from a genetic disposition to clinical depression. This combination would then make the father more vulnerable or susceptible to becoming clinically depressed.

Chronic Depression and Stress and Chronic Stress and Depression

For a person who suffers from chronic depression the added effects of stress can be devastating. A first episode of such as the death of a loved one may bring on clinical depression but it may be treated and presumed cured. However when future stress episodes arise and the person continues to be affected it then becomes diagnosed as chronic depression and further episodes of depression may occur almost spontaneously.

Chronic Stress and Depression

Depression can also be affected or come into play causing more complications when there is a factor known as chronic stress. A few good examples of chronic stress factors or causes would be: A mother trying to juggle multiple roles such as parenting, employment, wife, volunteer and any many other obligations and responsibilities. This can be the cause of chronic or ongoing stress. Major life or age changes such as adolescence, middle age, or even old age. Retirement. Moving from apartment to house or from house to apartment. Empty nest syndrome

Things like the above samples have a tendency to be ongoing for a long period of time which often will also contribute to possibility of clinical depression.

Depression is a serious disease that is often caused by drops in hormones found in the brain such as serotonin. Depression symptoms such as feelings of sadness, hopelessness and melancholy occur and last for a period longer than two weeks. Effects of such depression could include physical ailments, isolation and in extreme cases suicide.

Depression Related to Menopause

Menopause or perimenopause (the weeks leading up to menopause) often are responsible for creating sadness leading to depression during this period of a woman’s life. In fact between 8 and 10% of woman develop this type of depression just before or during menopause.

There are several theories that attempt to explain the reason for this one of them asserts that the many stressors that coincide with the symptoms of menopause trigger the depression. Women already overburdened with family, work, finances, friends and social commitments suddenly forced to deal with all the symptoms and unpleasant affects of menopause…just one straw too many.
A second theory for menopause related depression links menopause depression with the fluctuations of hormones in a woman’s body. Levels of estrogen, progesterone and androgen, all linked to mood disorders are likely to drop at this time triggering the sadness and possible depression.

Risk Factors for Menopause Related Depression

Several risk factors should be considered and kept in mind during menopause as it relates to depression:

• History of mood disorders- woman who have had past history of depression especially in their twenties should be aware that it is more likely to reoccur during menopause
• Surgical menopause-Surgery and especially menopause surgery can cause the drop of levels of estrogen. The stress and anxiety of the actual operation can contribute to the risk factor as well
• Other factors may include women who smoke, have young children or are already under stress
• Recommended Treatments for Women Experiencing Depression Relate to Menopause

Like any other type of depression menopause depression should not be lightly dismissed. If a woman is feeling depressed during menopause and experiencing the symptoms of depression they should seek help and treatment immediately. It is not something you have to go through alone.

Estrogen Therapy: This fairly new therapy involves taking oral doses of estrogen supplements. Studies have shown that 80% of woman using estrogen supplements have found a marked positive change in their moods. This treatment may be combined with antidepressants

Antidepressants: There are a variety of antidepressants on the market today and one of the most commonly used and very effective is selected serotonin reuptake inhibitors which increase the amount of mood controlling serotonin hormones in the body

Psychotherapy: when administered by psychiatrists, psychologists or trained social workers and counselors this has also proven an effective means of treatment and can also be combined with estrogen treatments and antidepressants.

Patients suffering from major depressive disorder tend to lapse into perpetual periods of sadness and often digress to a feeling of low self esteem or worthlessness. They often find it difficult or almost impossible to enjoy most of life’s pleasurable experiences and activities. Major depressive disorders affect not only the patient but also all too often affect their families, friends and co-workers. Employment or student habits are often disrupted from symptoms of sleeplessness, lack of appetite and overall health well being.

To properly diagnose major depressive disorders physicians use several things to base their judgments on. They must listen to their patients own description of symptoms, experiences and feelings, speak with friends and relatives of the patient, when possible, to discern what changes or patterns they may have witnessed and finally the doctor would then do a “Mental Status Exam”. The physicians would also normally do a full physical workup to discern that there is no other illness or disease with similar symptoms or characteristics that may be the cause. To date medical science has no exact test to diagnose major depression disorder.

When it comes to major depressive disorders there are no givens as to what age groups it affects but the most common onset seems to appear between the ages of 30 to 40 years with a tendency to peak between 50 and 60 years of age. One of the most startling statistics recorded is that at least 3.4 percent of people who have major depressive disorders in the United States are prone apt to commit suicide and 60 per cent of them will have either depression or mood disorders. It is also known that women are more prone to depressive disorders then men but that being said it is also documented that more men who have it commit suicide.

Symptoms

The symptoms and signs of major depression will vary from patient to patient but besides the ones noted in the earlier paragraph such as the inability to function at work or school and the lack of happiness in day to day pleasurable activities there are other signs that a physician will look for. Someone with depression tends to dwell and let feelings of low self worth, guilt over past mistakes, self hatred and inward turned anger disrupt their day to day feelings of well being. Concentration in even simple tasks is often a challenge and often they suffer from memory loss. They prefer to be alone more than socializing and tend to withdraw more and more from society. Insomnia often plagues them with waking early and keeping them mentally aroused so they cannot return to sleep. Sex drives are diminished which also just adds to feelings of inadequacy. Weight loss is common all though in some rare cases overeating can also become a problem as well.

Treatments

Treatments for major depression usually include psychotherapy, medications and electro convulsive therapy or a combination of any of the three.

Psychotherapy has proven moderately successful when applied by psychiatrists, psychotherapists, psycho lists, clinical social workers, counselors and even psychiatric nurses. It is the preferred method of treatment for any patients under 18 and is often used in conjunction with varied medications on an outpatient service.

The list and variety of medications used to treat depression is as long, varied and complicated as the multitude of side affects that physicians and patients must be aware of. They must be monitored and adjusted to coincide with the patients symptoms and often for chronic cases of depression they may need to be taken indefinitely.

Electro convulsive therapy (once know as shock treatment) is the use of electrical impulse being pulsed through two electrodes on the patients temples directly into the brain. This is usually used in only the most severe cases of depression such as when patients are in a catatonic state for example.

Well, what is Depression? To be diagnosed with clinical depression, you must have at least 5 of the 9 symptoms listed in the DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition). If you are feeling sadness most of the time, feel tired or fatigued, feel a sense of helplessness or hopelessness you may have some of the signs of depression. Other depression symptoms listed in the DSM IV are feeling guilty or have a feeling of unworthiness, trouble sleeping or sleeping too much, diminished interest in doing anything pleasurable, agitation or lethargy, and unexplained weight loss or weight gain.

You may ask, what is depression in the clinical sense of the word. Doctors consider you clinically depressed if you have had depression symptoms for a period of 2 weeks or more. Just feeling in a depressed mood isn’t enough to be diagnosed with clinical depression. Some manifestations of the depression effects are mood changes from elation to inactivity.

Depression symptoms can happen to children, teens, and adults. Child depression and teen depression are characterized by a feeling of sadness, disruptive behavior, and lack of interest in activities that once gave them pleasure. If you have a child who has become sad or has become disruptive in school or at home for a period of 2 weeks or more, your child may be having depression symptoms. If your teenager appears to be unhappy for a period of two weeks or more, he or she may have signs of depression.

What is depression, anyway? Are there different forms of clinical depression?

There are several different types of clinical depression, which include major depression, chronic depression (dysthemia), postpartum depression, bipolar depression, psychotic depression, SAD depression (seasonal affective disorder), double depression, chronic treatment resistant depression, masked depression and secondary depression. Most everyone has heard of the first four types of depression, because they are quite common. The less heard about forms clinical depression are the remaining ones on the list.

Double depression is a mixture of chronic depression and major depression disorders. The people who suffer from double depression often feel isolated, though they isolate themselves. If you have been diagnosed with double depression, you might feel that you are all alone, even though you are among people. You may have a feeling of hopelessness or helplessness. The major symptom of double depression is the sense of hopelessness.

Psychotic depression is characterized by depression symptoms and hallucinations. The hallucinations may be visual and auditory in nature. SAD depression is characterized by depression symptoms at certain parts of the year. For instance, men and women may become depressed in the wintertime, which is thought to be related to a decreased exposure to sunlight in the wintertime.

If you feel you or someone in your family might have depression symptoms, consult a physician. It is important to see a physician if you have depression symptoms. People who are depressed are more likely to talk about death and dying. There is also a high risk of suicide in people with clinical depression. Another outward sign of depression is that the person suffering from clinical depression thinks about self-harm. Sometimes depressed people act out on the impulse to hurt themselves. If you have depression symptoms, seek depression help from a mental health professional right away.

Depression is a physical disorder caused by an imbalance of brain chemicals, serotonin and norepinephrine. Sometimes depression does physically hurt, because the imbalance of chemicals can cause back pain, joint pain, and gastrointestinal disturbances. If you, family or friends are having depression symptoms seek depression help from a health care provider. If necessary, the health care profession will refer you to a mental health professional for treatment.

Symptoms include:

• Feelings of sadness
• Loss of interest in activities of daily living
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Feelings of worthlessness
• Feelings of guilt for no reason
• Insomnia
• Sleeping too much
• Crying without cause
• Difficulty concentrating
• Indecisive
• Unexplained weight loss or weight gain
• Feeling irritable
• Easily annoyed with everyone around you
• Feeling tired and out of energy
• Experiencing headaches, back aches, and body aches
• Lack of or decrease in libido
• Suicidal thoughts and attempts

Depression symptoms may vary from person to person. One person may feel sad, and feeling a sense of hopelessness. This person may overeat and have suicidal thoughts. Another person may feel tired, and get annoyed easily at people, and snap at them without really meaning to. Another person may lose interest in food and in all the things he or she used to find enjoyment in. An older person may be preoccupied with death and dying.

If you feel you are depressed, see your health care professional. Your doctor will ask you questions about your moods, your appetite, and your thoughts. Your physician may do blood tests and a physical exam on you to rule out any obvious causes for your symptoms. Your blood tests may include a complete blood count (CBC), and you may also have a thyroid test done. The blood tests may also include a toxicology screen done to check for drug usage.

It is important that you don’t diagnose yourself; you need to see your physician to be properly diagnosed and treated. All too often people don’t consult with their health care professional about their depression symptoms, because they feel the symptoms will go away in time. If you see your health care professional, your doctor will be able to ascertain if you are clinically depressed, and what type of depression you have. Some types of depression are more debilitating than others. The treatment for one type of depression, such as major depression is like to be different that the treatment for psychotic depression. The treatment for SAD (seasonal affective disorder) is likely to be different than schizoaffective disorder.

Your doctor may ask you to talk about what is going on in your life. You may be asked how long you have been feeling depressed. You might also be asked to talk about what is going on in your life that might be causing you stress. After an evaluation, your doctor may prescribe antidepressants for you, or you might be referred to a mental health practitioner for further evaluation and treatment. I f you are clinically depressed, it is not likely that the condition will go away on its own, because depression is caused by chemical imbalances of serotonin and norepinephrine.

Many people still believe that the way a person thinks and how a person behaves are the major triggers for depression. Someone may have told you to just change the way you think, or to just brush off whatever is making you feel depressed. Depression used to be thought of as a weakness of the mind. It is only in fairly recent years that researchers have found some possible causes of clinical depression and bringing them to light.

Researchers are looking for a genetic link to depression. It is believed that family history is one of the major causes of depression. For instance, if you have bipolar disorder, and a parent and or grandparent also has bipolar disorder, there may be a genetic marker for bipolar depression. Everyone has a different gene makeup, so no two people are going to be the same; however, under the right conditions, certain people seem to be genetically programmed to be predisposed to depression disorders.

Your environment and the events taking place around you play a role in depression. Your thoughts and emotions are transmitted through your brain by the neurotransmitters. The more stressful a situation is, the more your brain chemistry may be stimulated to react, which may cause an imbalance of brain chemistry, which in turn brings on depression.

Though the causes of depression are not entirely known, there is much information being discovered through research. Research on the different types of clinical depression has brought about medical treatment in the form of medications that help to put the brain chemistry back into balance. Most people who suffer from clinical depression begin to feel better in a few weeks. People who were suffering with profound sadness and feelings of helplessness can begin to feel joy in their lives again. Depressed people, who had no interest in the activities of daily living, can get back to their lives, and feel well again.

Because depression is thought to be an imbalance of brain chemistry, most people who are depressed must stay on depression drugs in order to feel well. Medications, such as Wellbutrin, Zoloft, and prescribed to patients to take on a daily basis. People diagnosed with depression, who are taking medication for it, need to be as faithful to take their antidepressant as they are to take their blood pressure pills, and other important medications. Most people who take their medications, and live a healthy lifestyle often begin to feel better in just a few weeks. Those who can get a little bit of exercise each day can also help improve how they feel, because exercise, such as walking stimulates endorphins, which help you feel better.

Suicides and attempted suicides have increased 300 percent in the last 30 years Experts believe its because of broken families on the rise ,and expectations of children are greater. The pressures on our youth may be a contributing factor to these numbers.

Teen. Youth suicide has tripled since 1970. Again, because of the break down of families, and the pressure on our youth could be the main reasons for these numbers to jump so high, and so dramatic.

90 percent of teen suicides take place in their home. Part of the reasons for this is because of convenience but it may be to send a message to family members as well.

For every suicide there is between 30 and 50 attempted suicide. Sometimes an attempt may be a cry for help, and other times it was just a failed attempt

Most teen suicides occur between 3pm, and Midnight. (70 percent). What’s alarming about this is this is time most likely they could have been saved. Most people are at home and awake during these hours but for reasons unknown the suicide happen during these hours the most often.

Male teens and youth commit suicide 4 times more often then females. This may be because males internalize more, and expectations are usually greater on males then females.

Female teens and youth account for 75 percent of attempted suicides, usually by drug overdoses, The unsuccessful attempts may be because drug overdoses take longer to complete and the victims are rescued before they can be successful. Or they may not have given themselves a lethal dose, so they survive the attempt

About 1/3 of teens who die by suicide has attempted suicide in the past.

Male teens use more violent means to commit suicide, then females. Guns and hanging are 2 popular forms of suicide from male teens

Less then half of teenagers were diagnosed with a depressive disorder, at the time of their suicide, and only 15 percent were actually being treated for depression. So obviously 50 percent of the teens committing suicide suffered from a depressive disorder, and major depression, and it went unnoticed,

Spring and Fall months have the highest rate of teen suicide

An estimated 80 percent of teens mentioned suicidal thoughts to a friend or family member , or gave some warning sign that they were have depression symptoms. Its very important that you listen to teens because they are obviously hurting when they talk about their depression symptoms and we cant take fro granted that its just talk. Most teens talk because something is really bothering them.

For every 2 homicides in the USA, there are 3 suicides

Having a firearm in the house greatly increases the risk of suicide in teen’s mainly male teens. 64 percent of males between the ages of 10 and 24 use a firearm to complete the act of suicide.