Free Essays on Manic Depression

Manic Depression Manic Depression is an illness that involves the body, thoughts and a person’s mood. It is not just a bad mood that will pass with time or something a person can just pull themselves together from and â€Å"get over it†. Manic depression is a disorder suffered by many people and affects the way a person eats, sleeps, how they feel about themselves, and how they think. This disorder cannot be cured without a treatment because it has to do with a person’s chemical makeup and things that have happened in their life. Symptoms of depression include persistent sadness, anxiousness, emptiness, feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, guilt, helplessness, and worthlessness. Also a loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed is a common sign a person is depressed. They may be very tired and feel a loss of energy to do everyday routines or could suffer the opposite and not be able to sleep and become extremely restless. Appetite changes and weight loss or weight gain is an example of a physical change along with headaches and chronic pains. Thoughts of death or suicide or suicide attempts are very serious symptoms of depression and the person needs to seek immediate help. Depression is not something you can catch like the cold or the flu. It may run in families, suggesting it is biologically inherited. Additional factors in a person’s life more likely bring on the depression even if it had already been inherited. Stresses in life with work, school, and home are typical causes. In some families depression seems to occur generation after generation and in others a person with no past family history of the disorder could suffer from it. Whether inherited or not, depression is often associated with changes in the brain structure or brain function. Manic depression, which is also known as bipolar disorder, is a certain type of depressi... Free Essays on Manic Depression Free Essays on Manic Depression Manic Depression Manic Depression is an illness that involves the body, thoughts and a person’s mood. It is not just a bad mood that will pass with time or something a person can just pull themselves together from and â€Å"get over it†. Manic depression is a disorder suffered by many people and affects the way a person eats, sleeps, how they feel about themselves, and how they think. This disorder cannot be cured without a treatment because it has to do with a person’s chemical makeup and things that have happened in their life. Symptoms of depression include persistent sadness, anxiousness, emptiness, feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, guilt, helplessness, and worthlessness. Also a loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed is a common sign a person is depressed. They may be very tired and feel a loss of energy to do everyday routines or could suffer the opposite and not be able to sleep and become extremely restless. Appetite changes and weight loss or weight gain is an example of a physical change along with headaches and chronic pains. Thoughts of death or suicide or suicide attempts are very serious symptoms of depression and the person needs to seek immediate help. Depression is not something you can catch like the cold or the flu. It may run in families, suggesting it is biologically inherited. Additional factors in a person’s life more likely bring on the depression even if it had already been inherited. Stresses in life with work, school, and home are typical causes. In some families depression seems to occur generation after generation and in others a person with no past family history of the disorder could suffer from it. Whether inherited or not, depression is often associated with changes in the brain structure or brain function. Manic depression, which is also known as bipolar disorder, is a certain type of depressi... Free Essays on Manic Depression I tried to ignore the large sign. It was black with bold white letters that said â€Å"Family Mental Health Services.† I took my anxiety out on the door and pushed past it with unnecessary force. I walked to the front desk and was greeted by a secretary whose smile seemed to know my discomfort all too well. â€Å"Good morning,† I muttered under my breath, trying not to look her directly in the eyes. I felt she would look into me and formulate a diagnosis even before I spoke. I smiled weakly and sat down in an uncomfortable waiting room chair, trying to avoid her as much as the small room would allow. My stomach clenched as I sat down in the uncomfortable waiting room chair. I looked around me at the others, waiting. The number of children there surprised me. I looked them over, one by one, and found myself attempting to name their dysfunctions, just as I thought the secretary would. I wondered if she made a guessing game out of it. After all, she had the ability to check the files to see if she was correct. â€Å"Do I really need to be here?† I asked myself, almost audibly. Then I thought back to the beginning of it all, the beginning of my depression. It was eighth grade and I sat in my mother’s small apartment, thinking about the formal dance that was to be held that night. I was nervous; I had no talent for dancing back then, nor had I ever been to a dance. I glanced at my beautiful dress and my stomach tightened. It seemed to be mocking me. I was overwhelmed by a sense of hesitation. I didn’t have to go; I could just sit there and watch TV by myself all night. No one would miss me. But I had to go; I wasn’t a coward. Suddenly a thought crossed my mind. Mom takes pills for her depression. I could take them, and then I would feel fine! It would all be okay; I could have fun at the dance and not worry. I waited for my mother to go outside for a cigarette, and I went to the medicine cabinet. I looked through the bottles...