Unipolar depression is also mentioned to as major depressive disorder. Signs and symptoms of this condition include restlessness, irritability, agitation and noteworthy change in appetite often with weight loss or gain. Other symptoms include lack of energy, fatigue, troubles in concentrating and feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness and guilt.
Sleep problems such as insomnia and hypersomnia, inactivity and withdrawal from activities that you previously enjoyed are other signs. Another indicator is ideas of death and suicide. As compared to bipolar, suicide rates and cases of drug abuse are lower in people with this condition. This disorder is diagnosed after you have manifested more than 5 of the above symptoms for a time period of at least 2 weeks.
Unipolar depression is characterized by depressive symptoms while bipolar is qualified through both manic and depressive episodes. One likely cause for this condition is chemical imbalances in the brain. Other likely causes are heredity and stressful situations. This disorder is commonly more responsive to treatment as compared to the bipolar disorder. Available treatments include medications and psychotherapy. A combination of psychotherapy and antidepressants are said to be more effective than when only one is utilized.
In cases where a patient role has failed to answer to both psychotherapy and antidepressants, electroconvulsive therapy or ECT can be used. This treatment uses an electrical current to cause a seizure. ECT is used to improve the mood of severely depressed or self destructive people. Unipolar depression is more common in women than in men and largely affects people aged 40 and above.
Bipolar depression is a mood disorder characterized by the alternation of depressive and manic states. The distinguishing characteristic of bipolar depression is the presence of at least one episode of mania. It is also presumed to be a chronic condition because most of the people having manic episodes are likely to have another episode of it in the future. Every person with bipolar depression has a pattern of mood cycles, combining manic episodes with depression, which is irregular until the path is detected. Bipolar depression commonly starts during the teenage or early adulthood years and continues throughout one's lifetime. It's usually not considered a psychological problem because it happens in episodes, but those who have it might suffer for years without proper treatment.
The precise cause of bipolar depression has not so far been determined. However, most scientists agree that there is no single cause for being bipolar. Scientists believe that stressful factors activate the 1st episodes of mania. One reason why person may be affected with bipolar is that it is genetic. It appears that many different genes act together in conjunction with a person's surroundings which create the symptoms associated with bipolar depression. Another cause of bipolar depression could be from the differences in brain structures. MRI tests have shown that those suffering from bipolar depression might have slightly different brain structures than the people who are not affected by the condition. There is also evidence that bipolar depression may be activated by environmental stresses such as the death of a loved one, the birth of a new baby, or the loss of a job. After a stressful event, a mental cycle of depression and mania develops in the people with bipolar depression.
Some people don't realize that depression could cause a person to be unable to attain simple life decisions. That is why it is crucial that people with bipolar depression educate their friends, family, and colleagues on the signs of their depressive episodes. A few of the warning signs that you should train these people on are:
*Lethargy
*Fatigue
*Insomnia
*Lower activity levels
*Loss of interest in activities.
Training these people puts you in a position to help make sure you take right action at the start of the episode.
The intensity and frequency of mood swings will vary from person to person. Individuals with bipolar depression might get to a different class of bipolar depression that gets worse over time of their sickness. There are 4 categories of bipolar depression:
*Bipolar I
*Bipolar II
*Bipolar NOS
Cyclothemia
The treatment of Bipolar I disorder demands one or more mixed or manic episodes. The former course of the sickness might include depressive episodes and hypomania, but the treatment requires only one mixed episode.
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