Sometimes people are confused about the differences between clinical depression and manic depression. And it's no wonder -- they both have the word "depression" in their names. That's one of the reason's manic depression's clinical name changed to "bipolar disorder" many years ago, to more clearly distinguish it from regular depression. The difference is really quite simple, though. Manic depression -- or bipolar disorder -- includes clinical depression as a part of its diagnosis. You can't have bipolar disorder without also having had an episode of clinical depression. That's why the two disorders shared similar names for many years, because they both include the component of clinical depression. Such a depressive episode is characterized by the common signs and symptoms of depression: Feeling sad and unhappy for an ...

The impact of violence against women is too often masked by silence. Its continuation depends on silence. Distance keeps us safe and unless one personally experiences violence or knows someone who has, many of us remain ignorant and complacent. Violence is difficult to study because its manifestations are ambiguous and inconsistent, and the multiple dimensions that converge to create unique causes and consequences make comparisons and replication impossible. There are a number of books written on the issue, primarily from a feminist perspective, but in “Women and Violence,” Barrie Levy concisely and comprehensively provides the big picture as well as the personal picture of violence; its consequences to victims as well as to society. The book explains violence, its forms, its consequences, its controversies, the ...

Depression, like other mental illnesses, is rarely seen as a good thing. While many can articulate positive things about having a mental illness (or knowing someone who does), the illness itself is almost never looked upon as providing an advantage. In The Depression Advantage, Tom Wootton attempts to do just that—to show that depression, despite the challenges and distress it can bring, can also be helpful. Drawing on personal experience with bipolar disorder, the lives of the saints, and feedback received through workshops he has led, Wootton suggests a new paradigm for understanding and coping with mood disorders. The book is directed primarily at mental health consumers, while professionals may become frustrated with the easygoing style and lack of conclusive evidence ...

Bobbe Tyler, author, nonfiction writer and retired communications coordinator for Lucasfilm Ltd, has written a book of the type, and in the style, that has kept her alive all these years. Her book, Searching for Soul – A Survivor’s Guide is an intricate, exquisite and deeply moving account looking backward and examining all the slings and arrows of her life. It is positive, healing, upbeat and uplifting—but with a deep, melancholic twist—for a life lived well, but sometimes not well enough, due to the outrageous fortunes of mental illness, alcoholism, two divorces, financial and emotional despair and not being in charge of her life at the time. She pokes and probes into the essence and meaning of her main relationships, scrutinizing her ...

Rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are higher among military personnel who had mental or physical health problems before combat, a recent study has found. Cynthia LeardMann and colleagues at the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego wanted to see whether there are predisposing factors for PTSD. Most previous studies have used retrospective figures, so the team examined volunteers before military deployment. They write on the website of the British Medical Journal that, "It has not been temporally established if those with poor mental or physical health status are more vulnerable to developing PTSD." But they do refer to one study suggesting that prior trauma and prior psychological adjustment were significant predictors of PTSD. Another study suggests that young adults, aged 20 to 23 years, with ...

When we walk into the doctor’s office, for many of us, the scenario looks like this: We list off our symptoms, the doctor asks a few questions, writes out a prescription and we go on our way. From her work in primary care settings, Risa Weisberg, Ph.D, assistant professor (research) and co-director of the Brown University Program for Anxiety Research at Alpert Medical School, has seen “firsthand how a great many patients accept a prescription from their provider without asking many questions about it, or often, without even knowing for what symptoms/disorder it is being prescribed.” Such a scenario can stall or sabotage your treatment. Confused, you’re likely left with tons of questions, unaware of what you’re taking and how it’s supposed to help. You ...

I’m privileged to teach an upper-level psychology course to juniors and seniors at our state university. Their grades are good to great. They have chosen majors, taken advantage of internship opportunities, and started to build solid resumes of work experiences in their fields. They’ve set their sights on jobs or graduate programs as their next step. These are the kids who are making it. They are by no means a uniform bunch. They come from every possible family configuration; every economic class; and every kind of community and neighborhood. For some, English is their second or third language. Some have learning disabilities. Some have led lives of ease with every advantage. Others have come up through tough circumstances and traumatizing ...

As summer winds down, many parents longingly await school, yet dread the frustration and disappointment they feel regarding their kids and the resulting guilt over these reactions. Parents may have a clear vision of their children’s “potential.” When this differs from the kids’ actual performance, parents may fear for their children’s futures. They often become even more unnerved when kids don’t share these visions or worries. It’s enough to make any parent want to shake them into shape. “Potential,” however, depends on a mix of personality, developmental, and emotional factors. Problems in one or more of those areas can affect kids' resilience and capacity. For example, bright kids may get poor grades when they are unable to withstand pressure, or when energies are consumed by urgent ...

Researchers are investigating whether excluding certain foods from the diet can help treat childhood eczema. Dr. Fiona Bath-Hextall and her team from Nottingham University, UK, explain that allergic eczema is a very common inflammatory skin disease of childhood. Its symptoms include dryness and recurring skin rashes with redness, swelling, itching, crusting, flaking, blistering, cracking, oozing, or bleeding. The experts say that food sensitivities may predate allergic diseases such as atopic eczema in up to 20 percent of cases. Previous research suggests that elimination of specific foods can significantly improve children's eczema. Animal studies also suggest that eczema may be caused by food allergies. "It is important to investigate whether the elimination of dietary triggers could help to alleviate the symptoms of atopic eczema," the team write in the ...

It’s astonishing but true: Many children spend more of their waking hours with their teachers each weekday than they do with their parents. By the time parents get home from work and kids get home from afterschool activities, there are only a few hours left in the day to get dinner, do homework, perhaps go to a kid event, and get everyone to bed. Yes, those are all important activities. Yes, parents can get some quality time in at dinner, while helping with homework, and in the car going to and from whatever is on the schedule. But meanwhile, there’s another adult who is teaching, influencing, and, I certainly hope, having some fun with our kids for 6 hours a day – their teachers. ...

Is compulsive hoarding inherited? People who compulsively acquire and hoard clutter to the extent that it impairs their daily activities are labeled "compulsive hoarders." The condition is classed as a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), present in 30 to 40 percent of individuals affected with OCD. It may damage relationships, cut the individual off from society, and even endanger lives. Compulsive hoarding is distinct from bad planning and disorganization because it is believed to be a pathological brain disorder. It is often a symptom of other disorders, such as impulse control disorder or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Bereavement or another significant life event can trigger excessive hoarding behavior. Hoarding often runs in families, but it is uncertain whether DNA is involved. "People with this problem tend to have a ...

Should parents use baby sign language? Baby sign language—a specialized sign language used to communicate with preverbal infants and toddlers—has become increasingly popular over the last few decades. It is intended to help very young children to express their needs and wishes earlier than they could otherwise. Baby signing experts believe that frustration and tantrums can be avoided by closing the gap between desire to communicate and the ability to do so. Infants from about six months of age can begin to learn the basic signs, which cover such objects and concepts as "thirsty," "milk," "water," "hungry," "sleepy," "pacifier," "more," "hot," "cold," "play," "bath," and "teddy bear." Joseph Garcia, an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, conducted research which showed that babies who are exposed to signs "regularly and ...

I felt like the magazine was yelling at me. As I read the borrowed copy of “Runner’s World,” article after article made me feel like I was not running enough. I identify myself as a runner, but page after page of the magazine made me doubt this identity. Race pace, tempos, fartleks, I don’t do any of that kind of training. I just run. Sometimes it goes well and sometimes it doesn’t. Reading the magazine, I felt like I wasn’t doing enough. That I was a lesser runner. Obviously though, it wasn’t the magazine that was yelling at me, I was yelling at myself. As I was on my run the other day, I realized that I yell ...

I watched "Hawthorne" on TNT tonight. One of the story lines was about a woman who came into the ER with a broken arm and during the examination she was discovered to have many bruises on her body. It was assumed that it was domestic violence visited upon her by her boyfriend. In true Nurse Hawthorne fashion, no, true to real life, she investigated the home situation and discovered it was the woman’s son who was the abuser and that the son was mentally ill. The mother had not wanted intervention because “I am his mother. I should be able to take care of him. I have only wanted him to be happy.” I saw myself in that story line and the pictures were something out ...

Alongside love, food, and perhaps gifts, guilt is usually on the menu when adult children visit their parents on holidays and other occasions -- and we’ve all tasted it. “Why can’t you stay longer? You’re too busy now for me?” mom said to Eli as he kissed her goodbye. And so it goes when guilt is used unconsciously to get loved ones to do what we want. Even though this method doesn’t always produce the intended effects, we may resort to it when feeling helpless in the face of longing and disappointment. This approach to relationships disregards boundaries and mutuality, and implies lack of faith that others would give of their own free will. Emotional manipulation through guilt can be costly - breeding ...