Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is characterized by dramatically high moods that are clinically termed as manias and low moods that are known as depressions. Many people with bipolar disorder are not aware of it. Bipolar disorder commonly begins in adolescents at the same time their behaviors are already being masked with the highs and lows of changing hormones and excessive brain growth... Read more >
Feeling sad or depressed about negative events is a normal human reaction. Everyone gets the blues now and then, and an emotionally healthy person can work through these emotions and continue with his life. However, for some people, feeling depressed is more than just a passing feeling that lasts a few days. When feelings of sadness affect a person's entire life, including anything from his relationships to his... Read more >
Many people feel a little blue when the days get longer and colder. It's quite common for people to eat more, sleep more and stay indoors more than normal during the winter months. Some people, however, experience drastic changes in mood and behavior when the seasons change. These people suffer from seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.
Seasonal affective disorder is a form of depression that can... Read more >
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that affects 7 percent to 8 percent of the population in the United States. It develops after a person experiences a traumatic event or witnesses something traumatic happening to someone else.
Our articles cover all aspects of PTSD, including symptoms, treatment options, common PTSD sufferers, related anxiety disorders and more.
What is... Read more >
More than just mood swings, bipolar disorder symptoms range from elation or irritability to sadness and hopelessness, and back again. The periods of highs and lows are called episodes, with each rotation from one extreme to the other called a cycle.
Cycles can be widely spaced, with long episodes of depression followed by long episodes of mania. Or each cycle can be very short. Cycles can include long or short... Read more >
Often, people feel "blue" during the winter months. While it's common to feel a little low when the days become short and the weather is cold, severe depression and mood changes could be a sign of seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.
Symptoms of Winter-Onset SAD
There are two different types of seasonal affective disorder, and each has its own unique set of symptoms. The most well-known form of... Read more >
As with heart disease and other medical conditions, bipolar disorder treatment focuses on taking the right medications and making lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of episodes. In most cases, symptoms can be managed with the right combination of medication, psychotherapy and social/emotional support. If left untreated, bipolar disorder tends to worsen, and the person experiences episodes of full-fledged mania... Read more >
Because studies are still investigating the exact causes of SAD, also referred to as
winter depression, current treatment options, such as antidepressants and light therapy, focus on minimizing the symptoms of this condition. In general, doctors only prescribe antidepressants to their SAD patients after other, non-invasive treatment courses, such as light therapy and ionized air reception, have... Read more >