Depression and Manic Depression

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Manic Depression

So, What's the Difference?

Manic Depression is also known as Bipolar Illness.

Like depression, people with this disorder go through stages of depression, but Mania or Manic adds a cycle.
Mania is a very "up" mood, over elated, over happy. Too much of anything is no good, and because of these cycles, people experiencing Manic Depression visit the two extremes of depression and elation.
Sure, sounds great to be able to be really happy and energetic all the time. However, with the elated mood, the sufferer will often talk rapidly, and become disjointed.

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There are three types of cycles that people may go through during mania. These are Rapid Cycle, Ultra-Rapid cycle and Ultradian cycles. All of these show how many episodes of mania the person goes through a year.

Rapid Cycles are most common, and this means 3 or 4 cycles of mania per year.

Ultra Rapid Cycles mean that the person goes through episodes that are shorter than a week, a bit more often.

Ultradian cyclers go through distinct, dramatic mood changes withing a 24 hour block.

Manic Depression Symptoms:

-persistant sad, or empty mood
-fellings of hopelessness, or pessimism
-fellings of guilt, worthlessness or helplessness
-loss of interest in ordinary activities
-decreased energy, a felling of fatigue or of being "slowed down"
-difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
-restlessness or irritablility
-sleep disturbances
-loss of appetite and weight, or weight gain
-chronic pain or other persistent bodily symptoms that are NOT cause by physical disease
-thought of death or suicide; suicide attempts

*If you or anyone you know experiences a large portion of these symptoms on a regular basis, you may need to talk to a proffesional.*

Mania is recurrant, and in order to prevent it, the majority of people are put on preventitive medication. However, the natural reaction when you recover from an illness is to stop taking the medication. This is not a good thing for preventing mania.
In order for the person to prevent it, they must continue medication and develop healthy self care stratagies, including developing an optomistic attitude.
With proper treatment and medication the sufferer can prevent another cycle, and improve their quality of life.