This infographic lists facts, symptoms, and treatments for Bipolar Disorder.
Published byHealthline
Designed by Cristina gambaccini
Friday, June 21, 2013
Friday, June 14, 2013
Zeta-Jones may help dispel stigma of bipolar disorder
By Rebecca Dube
TODAY
updated 4/14/2011 10:53:57 AM ET
Oscar-winning
actress Catherine Zeta-Jones suffers from bipolar disorder, and checked herself
into a mental health facility earlier this month, her publicist has confirmed.
The
news may be shocking to fans who associate the actress and wife of Michael
Douglas with her image of polished glamour. But bipolar disorder – which used
to be called manic depression – can take many different forms, psychiatrist
Gail Saltz told TODAY.
"It can look like a very
high-functioning person who is just super 'up,' " Saltz said.
Zeta-Jones is diagnosed with
bipolar II disorder, which is less severe than bipolar I. People with her
condition swing between major depression and what’s called hypomania, which can
include intense irritability, sleeplessness, relentless optimism or grandiose
elation.
Zeta-Jones’s
publicist, CeCe Yorke, blamed stress for the actress’s recent hospital stay. In
the past year, her husband was diagnosed with advanced throat cancer; he’s also
been battling a lawsuit from his ex-wife seeking half of his recent movie
earnings. Zeta-Jones and Douglas have two children, ages 7 and 10.
Stress can indeed be a trigger
for bipolar episodes, Dr. Nancy Snyderman, NBC’s chief medical editor, told
TODAY. And
a brief stay in a hospital would not be uncommon, either to bring a manic
episode under control, or to tune-up medications for more effective treatment,
Snyderman and Saltz noted. Bipolar
disorder can usually be controlled with a combination of medication and
therapy. Lithium is one of the most common treatments.
Researchers aren’t quite sure
what causes bipolar disorder -- a combination of genetic and environmental
factors seem to come into play. They do know the disorder is associated with an
imbalance in the brain chemicals called neurotransmitters.
Bipolar
disorder affects about 2.5 percent of the U.S. population, around 6 million
people. Mental-health advocates hope
Zeta-Jones’s public struggle will help dispel some of the myths and fears about
mental illness.
"There is a ridiculous
stigma in this country about this," Snyderman said. "We have to get
over it. People get sick, our job as doctors is to get them well."
Saltz
applauded Zeta-Jones for announcing that she has bipolar disorder after the
National Enquirer reported that she had checked in to a psychiatric hospital.
"I
think it’s tremendously brave of her to come forward and I’m delighted that
she’s doing that," Saltz said. "There
are many people getting a new diagnosis, and we want them to know they have
every hope, if they get treatment, of having wonderfully productive
lives."
Yorke,
Zeta-Jones’s publicist, said the 41-year-old actress is "feeling great and
looking forward to starting work this week on her two upcoming films."
http://www.today.com/id/42589427/ns/today-today_health/t/zeta-jones-may-help-dispel-stigma-bipolar-disorder/#.UbsCHZzhfNg
Bipolar disorder made marriage stronger: Catherine Zeta-Jones
Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones believes her bipolar disorder brought her closer to husband Michael Douglas.
The Welsh actress said she got to know herself and her 68-year-old actor husband, with whom she shares daughter Carys, 9, and son Dylan, 12, better during the tough period, a media report said.
"It's been an intense time, in good ways and bad. You find out who you really are and who you're married to. You find things inside yourself you never imagined were there.
"You can't escape what people say, and if you're human it can be painful. The smartest thing I did was to stop going online. I'm the sort of person who will just look for the negative," she said.
The 43-year-old actress is now hoping to remove the stigma attached to mental illness by going public with her diagnosis.
"I'm not the kind of person who likes to shout out my personal issues from the rooftops, but with my bipolar becoming public, I hope fellow suffers will know it is completely controllable.
"I hope I can help remove any stigma attached to it, and that those who didn't have it under control will seek help with all that is available to treat it."
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bipolar-disorder-made-marriage-stronger-catherine-zetajones/1031031/
How to Understand the Difference Between Borderline and Bipolar
When it comes to navigating the mental health
system, there is so much terminology and so many overlapping symptoms that it
can be hard to understand what is what. This is especially the case with
borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder (formerly known as
manic-depression). In this article, I will address the differences and
similarities between borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder, from
similar symptoms to different symptoms to the differences in treatment.
Hopefully you'll be able to understand them a little bit better!
Instructions
- 1
One of the primary reasons
borderline personality is commonly
confused with bipolar disorder is because
both mental health issues share similar symptoms. One of the symptoms both disorders has is an unstable sense
of self. When a person has an unstable sense of self, she lacks a solid,
coherent view of what she is like as a person. At any given moment, the person
may see herself as either "all good" or "all bad". She may
place far more worth on what others think of her than her own view.
Intense anger, irritability, and anxiety are all common symptoms of
both disorders. Many borderline and bipolar patients also suffer other mental
health problems, particularly anxiety issues, such as social anxiety.
Impulsivity is another common
symptom- such impulsiveness may involve sex, substance abuse, or self-harm. It
is a common belief that self-harm is only a symptom of borderline personality
disorder, but that is not true.
Those with bipolar and borderline are also much more likely than the
general population to idealize suicide, and also to attempt it.
One other commonality between
the two is that of "affective instability": borderline and bipolar
patients may experience erratic and inappropriate responses to daily
experiences. They can be extremely
sensitive to criticisms.
- 2
A major difference between borderline and bipolar is the speed with
which the moods of the patient change. In someone with borderline, mood changes
can be very fast. They may have an angry emotional outburst one minute, and a
few moments later be extremely joyous. In someone with bipolar, these emotional
changes can last days, weeks, or even months.
A second major difference
between borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder is that the
borderline personality is more often fraught with feelings of loneliness,
emptiness, and fear of abandonment. Bipolar people tend to not have these
feelings, or not to the same extent as borderlines.
Bipolar people, on the other
hand, are more likely to have psychosis, particularly paranoid psychosis or
delusions of grandeur. Thus, while both are commonly admitted to psychiatric
hospitals, the reasons either are likely to be admitted for are different.
Bipolar patients are more likely to suffer more extreme psychosis, and are thus
more likely to be admitted for this. Borderline patients are more likely to be
"admitted for outbursts of rage and anger.
- 3
The major difference between borderline and bipolar treatment is
that bipolar treatment is first and foremost medication, while borderline
personality is treated foremost with psychotherapy. Borderline can sometimes be
treated only with psychotherapy. In bipolar, therapy alone is almost never used
unless the patient refuses medication.
Bipolar disorder patients tend
to respond best with traditional therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
or psychoanalysis. Borderline, however, has a specific type of therapy that
works well: Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
http://www.ehow.com/how_5051371_understand-difference-between-borderline-bipolar.html
Monday, May 27, 2013
5 Coping Strategies for loving someone experiencing depression
The
rejection is heart-breaking. Feeling like your presence (doing anything in your
ability to help) makes your partner worse or doesn’t matter at all really
hurts.
In
this blog we will explore strategies that will support you during the difficult
times caused by depression.
Strategy #1: Do not take it personally
Nothing
that is expressed or takes place during your loved one’s depression is
personal.
When
they reject you, and they will, IT IS NOT PERSONAL.
Rejection
has nothing to do with you. Isolation is an instinctive response to suffering
and depression.
Rejection
can also be seen as an act of protection. Your loved one does not want to
hurt you. The only thing depression can do is hurt you. Everything that
is said is a reflection of the depression – the fear, the anxiety, the panic
and the pain. It’s a very heavy load, if you take it personally, the load
will become yours.
When
someone is experiencing depression they experience the inability to be
themselves and it feels permanent. When they can’t be themselves with you
(ie. be loving with you) it hurts them more and makes the depression feel
worse.
People
often share with me that their loved one experiencing depression is able to
talk with casual friends and acquaintances and that those people are helpful
and it hurts.
My
response to that is that partners, parents, children and best friends are
different from casual friends, colleagues and acquaintances. Partners etc
get to actually see the depression.
Casual
friends, colleagues and acquaintances get to see your loved one’s
“representative”. They get to see your loved one pretend to not be
depressed. They get to distract your loved one. If your loved one
does talk with them about their feelings, they’re not dragging them through the
mud the way they do with you. Instead, they give their friends the “I’m
struggling, but look how well I’m handling it” story.
Casual
friends don’t know that when you’re loved one gets home that they can’t get off
the couch and wish they were dead. Of course your loved one feels better when
they get to pretend that they are okay.
Strategy #2: Accept that you cannot make your loved one be “not depressed” or feel good
This
is a really hard thing for anyone to accept. Depression hurts not only the one
experiencing it, but it also hurts the people who love them the most. Here is a
metaphor that I share that has helped people develop acceptance of this
statement:
When we come into life we are all given two things: a shovel and a bucket
of shit.
It doesn’t matter in life that we have a bucket of shit. We all have
it. We always will. It never goes away and no matter what you do
the shit will always be there.
What matters is what we do with our shovel.
Some will use their shovel to take their own shit and put it in other
people’s buckets. They never actually can get rid of their shit, they
simply make other people feel like crap.
Some will use their shovel to stick in other people’s shit and then put
other people’s shit in their own bucket.
Others will first use their shovel to cover their bucket from giving
others shit and receiving other people’s shit and then figure out what they can
grow with the shit that they have.
If
you stick your shovel in your loved one’s shit who is experiencing depression,
it doesn’t make the depression go away. It just puts the depression in your own
bucket and adds to your shit.
You cannot make flowers grow in a bucket of shit that is not your own.
Instead of “making it better” take the pressure off yourself to fix it by:
Simply being with the person you love.
Sitting beside them.
Holding their hand.
Rubbing their head and their feet.
Validating their feelings. What they are
experiencing is horrible.
Reminding them that what they are experiencing is
temporary.
This won’t make the depression go away, but it will
help them get through the suffering.
Strategy #3: Perspective: Depression is in a relationship with the person you love, not the person you love
Your
loved one is not depressed. Depression is NOT who they are. Your
loved one is experiencing depression.
They
are in a relationship with depression that has them captured or held
hostage. Its a bad relationship. A relationship that isn’t easy to
get out of. However, depression affects them and when they have the
strength they can affect depression.
It
can help your loved one to hear that you know that this is not who they are and
that you love them. It is also important for your loved one to know that
you love them even though they are not themselves.
Of
course they won’t respond the way you want them to…with love, affection and
appreciation. However, deep down beneath all of the numbness, pain, anxiety,
fear etc…your loved one is still there and need to be loved.
Strategy #4: Interpreting Rejection
When
your loved one is in a depression rejecting you and pushing you away as best
they can. They’re not saying, “I need you and want more of you.” It would
be easy to allow their rejection to cause you to dive into a depression
yourself and feel heart-broken.
Here’s
an alternative interpretation to their rejection:
“I need to be alone.”
Interpretation:
“I need to escape this by sleeping as much as possible. I can’t escape it as
easily if you’re here talking with me about it. Why don’t you go do something
you need to do for yourself.”
“I’d rather be with my friends [than you].”
Interpretation:
“When I’m with my friends, it distracts me from how horrible I feel. My
friends don’t ask me how I’m feeling. They don’t ask me if anything is wrong.
If they see something is wrong, they wait until I share. If I don’t
share, they don’t ask…they just keep talking about themselves.”
“I don’t know if I want our relationship.”
Interpretation:
If your relationship was in good standing when your loved when went into the
depression…”I’m not myself. I don’t like who I am being. This is not who I want
to be. I don’t want to treat you this way. This feels permanent. If this
is how I will always treat you. I don’t want to be with you.”
“You don’t make me feel better.”
Interpretation:
“You can’t make me feel better even though you really try to. When I am with
you, I still feel so depressed because I don’t get to pretend to be okay when
I’m with you. When I’m with you I’m stuck feeling whatever I feel and there is
nothing you can do to make me feel better.”
Strategy #5: Your Own Self-Care
When
your loved one is experiencing depression, it is not your responsibility to
make them feel better. You can’t. It is your responsibility to take care of
yourself.
It
is incredibly difficult to not be sucked in by the depression of your loved one
because of how much you care. It is your responsibility to not be sucked
in. It is your responsibility to take care of yourself.
Think
about what soothes you, brings you joy, and nurtures you.
Here
are some areas of self-care to explore:
Exercise / Movement
Being in nature / Being outside
Attitude of gratitude and appreciation
Forgiveness
Connection with others
Being Creative / Artistic
Self-Expression / Journaling
Therapy
Games / Playing
Cooking / Eating healthy
Conscious breathing
Meditation / Guided meditation / Yoga
Depression
is incredibly hard on everyone involved. When you are loving someone with
depression it is so important that you make the time to love yourself, to
nurture yourself, and receive support in a way that is fulfilling to you.
From
Thrive With Bipolar Disorder
- Ideas, information & stories for people affected by bipolar disorder
Article Link :
http://thrivewithbipolardisorder.wordpress.com/2010/08/16/5-coping-strategies-for-loving-someone-experiencing-depression/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)