The wild mood swings experienced among most teenagers are usually a normal part of adolescent behavior, although it can become a nightmare for their parents. However, psychologists have conducted studies and have concluded many teens who do experience ups and downs in their moods are in actuality dealing with teenage depression symptoms.

Although a main list of depression symptoms in teens are still not agreed upon by all medical experts, there are some psychiatrists who believe a small percentage of teenagers do have mood disorders, which are displayed by certain symptoms. And teens that do suffer from depression many times tend to carry their mental illness into adulthood.

Understanding Depression Symptoms in Teens

The number one factor that separates teenage depression symptoms from adult symptoms is that teens have more events and activities to attend that require challenging social interactions, which unfortunately leads to self-esteem issues and symptoms that run rampant during teen years. also, teens experiencing depression related symptoms usually have increased suicidal thoughts that they act upon.

Teens dealing with depression many times choose to cut themselves off from friendships and social relationships. Other teenage depression symptoms may encompass excessive feelings of boredom, continual lack of interest in day to day life, difficulty concentrating, feelings of anger and sadness, being bothered by small disturbances, problems handling rejection, headaches, trouble sleeping, and eating issues.

Causes of Depression in Teens

Experts are not able to identify one point of origin that they feel is responsible for depression symptoms in teenagers. However, medical experts do believe that a combination of genetic, environmental, and mental factors all tie together to bring about depression faced by today's youth. also, teens who have strong family histories of depression are more likely to experience depression themselves.

Other factors that may contribute to teenage depression are the lack of ability to create and build friendships as well as the feeling of needing to suppress their sexuality, which is why teenage homosexuals tend to have a higher rate of depression. this is why the distraction of participating in sports and other extracurricular activities helps decrease the rates of teen depression nationwide.

Finally, the personal relationship a teen has with their mother and father can directly relate to their depression symptoms or lack thereof.

Treating and Handling Teens with Depression

Unfortunately, depression symptoms are the leading cause of suicide in teenagers; this is why it is critical for parents, caregivers, and guardians to understand depression symptoms in teenagers as well as to know how to seek help and treatment for their teens. it is the job of these adults to ensure teenagers suffering from depression are cared for and treated in a prompt, efficient manner.

Thankfully, there are quite a few community centers throughout the country that help the parents of teens dealing with depression symptoms to recognize these symptoms and learn how to deal with them. no matter the situation, the optimum solution is to seek the help of a therapist, psychologist, counselor, or psychiatrist who specializes in teenage depression.

How to Recognize Depression Symptoms in Your Teen

If you are suffering from depression, you are not alone.

Depression affects many people at some time in their life, with some of us going through periods of depression that can lift after a very short time, while for others, it can be ingoing for many years.

Whichever category you fall into, here are some simple tips to help you manage your depression.

Depression - what is it?

Depression is best identified as feeling in a low mood. It may not stop you leading a normal life, but things may seem less worthwhile.

Most of us will admit to feeling depressed from time to time and this is perfectly normal.

Depression becomes a problem when it interferes with your day to day activities.

What Causes Depression?

Depression may be caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain or can be triggered by significant life events including:-

o A traumatic experience, such as rape or physical attack

o Frequent use of recreational drugs

How Do I know if I am Depressed?

Symptoms of depression may include:-

o Preoccupation with negative thoughts

o Difficulty in concentrating

o Feeling in a low mood most of the time

o Feelings of numbness, emptiness or despair

o Lack of sex drive

o Lack of confidence

o Pessimistic view of the future

This is no a definitive list and you may experience all or some of these symptoms.

You may also notice changes in your sleeping pattern, your eating habits, or there may be a rise in your alcohol or tobacco consumption.

Depression - Helping Yourself

Knowledge is power. the more you learn about depression, the better equipped you will be to deal with it.

Go to the library, do some research on the internet or join a self-help group where you can gather information about depression and the treatments available.

Being aware of the choices available to you will help you to make an informed choice about treatment if you need to seek help from your healthcare provider.

Whereas many of us may experience bouts of mild depression or low mood, clinical depression is a serious medical condition and if you have been experiencing symptoms described above for some time you should seek medical help as soon as possible.

Depression - Don't Suffer in Silence

While clinical depression is a serious illness, it can be treated and you do not need to feel ashamed, embarrassed or suffer in silence.

Some people allow depression to go untreated for years but clinical depression will not disappear by itself.
Professional help may include a course of antidepressants together with some counseling.

Depression - Help Yourself

Helplessness is a feeling often experienced by people with depression.

Together with professional help try and help yourself.

o Stay focused - depression can feed on itself and you can find yourself trapped in a vicious circle of negative thoughts that it seems impossible to get out of. Focus on positive thought and the positive things in your life. If you can't think of any, think of a positive goal you would like to achieve.

o Avoid your own company - depression feeds on loneliness. try and break the hold that depression has on you. Join a club or self-help group where you can talk to people who have successfully overcome depression.

o Do something worthwhile. Keeping yourself busy will give you less time to dwell on pessimistic thoughts. Take up a hobby or why not join a gym. Regular exercise will have a mental and physical impact on your wellbeing.

o Let go of the past. Many of us make the mistake of hanging on to past hurts and this too can cause depression. If there are things in your life that have caused you upset, past grudges, guilt or anger, perhaps it is time to let go.

Depression is not an easy thing to overcome but it can be done, all you have to do is make he decision to make a change.

Depression - Simple Tips to Beat the Blues

DEPRESSION

* What is Depression

* Types of Depression

* Causes of Depression

WHAT IS DEPRESSION: an illness that involves our physical body, inner mind e.g. mood, and thoughts, that affects the way a person act that is the way we eat and sleep, the way one feels about oneself, and the way one thinks about things. a depressive disorder is not the same as a passing blue mood. it is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be wished away. People with a depressive disease cannot merely pull themselves together and get better. without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or years. Appropriate treatment, however, can help most people with depression.

TYPES OF DEPRESSION: Certain types of depression vary in gravity and have links to specific events and individuals. Seasonal affective disorder is due to changes in season and may result from a lack of sunlight. Also, in the area of unfulfillment that is you are not where you are suppose to be as a person. This affects one physically, emotionally etc. Other types of depression are more serious such as major depression, which can affect the body and mind in an often negative way.

Major depression causes a combination of symptoms that interfere with the ability to work, study, sleep, eat, and enjoy once pleasurable activities. such a disabling episode of depression may occur only once but more commonly occurs several times in a lifetime.

SYMPTOMS: Symptoms of depression are not easily recognized. many people can exhibit certain symptoms of depression but are in fact, not depressed. Depression could be noticed when their is a change in your physical body i.e. weight loss. This change occurs because most people that are depress tend to lose their appetite. Other symptoms include, slowed body movement or thinking, fatigue, feelings of hopelessness and guilt. In addition loss of interest in activities that were once interesting or enjoyable, including sex, hanging out, having fun etc.

CAUSES OF DEPRESSION: In most cases causes of depression varies but most seen result is mainly from traumatic events that happens in someone's life. a passing of a loved one can often ignite feelings of despair, loss and sadness that linger and evolve into depression. a major failure in life such as work or an important competition may also cause depression. Other causes of depression may have links to social isolation, non achievement that causes mental pain which promote to major illness and finally graduate to depression.

COMPLICATIONS: Complications of depression occurs when treatment does not prove effective or does not address the underlying issue of the disorder. Depression can cause people to neglect their health and physical appearance and which may lead to malnutrition or other nutritional disorders. when people who become depressed do not eat enough, the immune system may suffer which may make it easier for them to get sick. In my findings a more serious complication of depression includes attempting to commit suicide or having thoughts of not wanting to live. People who are depressed must be monitored for behavior that suggests they may have thought or could be considering suicide mission. furthermore, Clinical depression can complicate serious health conditions such as heart disease or cancer.

TREATMENT: Treatment of depression depends on the severity of the disorder. the best way of treatment for anyone depressed is home remedies (and being unde supervision by a therapist or Doctor) such as getting enough rest, following a healthy diet, exercise and spending more time with loved ones can help treat depression. when you're depressed, it can feel like you'll never get out from under a dark shadow. But take heart. Even the most severe depression is treatable. with the right help and support, you can and will feel better. there are many effective ways to deal with depression, including exercise, talk therapy, medication, natural supplements, and lifestyle changes.

Learning all this treatment options will help you decide the best applicable one to help in any particular situation and needs. there are no quick fixes or instant cures, but if you're willing to work on yourself and stick with treatment, you'll escape from under depression's shadow sooner than you think.

For individuals that become so severely depressed they cannot function, or who feel suicidal and are unable to be safely cared for in their society/community, hospitalization may proves necessary.

Steps to Overcoming Depression

Suffering From Depression when Pregnant

There are hormonal changes taking place that are substantial and can trigger depressive illnesses and in more extreme cases even psychosis can be triggered. Did you know that the time period in a woman's life when she is most likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness is during her pregnancy or during the year following the birth of her baby?

For those With A Previous Diagnosis of Depression or Mental Illness

For those women who have experienced mental illness before pregnancy, even in mild forms, these women are much more likely to have an experience again, but this time the symptoms are likely to be more extreme.

The underlying causes of depression during pregnancy are multi-various. The physical strains of pregnancy, such as sickness, fatigue and, for some, limited mobility can cause a woman's mood to be affected. these physical triggers do not only have a psychological effect but measurable physiological ones too: sickness can lead to imbalances in electrolytes with cascading consequences on hormones which can and do alter mood.

Whether it is due to fatigue, a body changing its shape or a lack of mobility, some women don't feel able to exercise during pregnancy. however numerous studies have shown that regular exercise is a valuable tool in helping to combat mild to moderate depression

Potential Triggers

There are a lot of potential triggers which make is understandable as to why some women will suffer from some level of depression for the first time in their lives during pregnancy. for existing sufferers the symptoms can become worse unfortunately.

Psychological factors will play an important fact as to whether women will be triggered into depression during pregnancy.

Multiple Miscarriages

Some women suffer a number of miscarriages or stillbirths. in these cases as the pregnancy progresses these women's chances of suffering from an increase in the symptoms of depression increases. The reason for this is that the feeling of uncertainty continues to increase.

When you think about the fact that many first time mothers are coping with feelings of fear regarding their own capabilities, then try to imagine how women who have never had a live birth, but have been pregnant must feel. these women deal with an intense fear of another failed pregnancy, which of course can have the catch 22 effect of increasing the symptoms of depression.

Coping

To cope with a pre-existing condition or a newly diagnosed condition, it may help to find a pregnancy buddy, who can help motivate you to take some physical exercise to begin. Even light physical exercise can help and as it does you may feel able to increase the level of exercise.

Talk to someone you can trust. this can either be a close family member or companion, or a suitable organisation.

Try to find something that you enjoyed doing when you were a child and do it for nothing more than amusement and therapy. this could be anything at all, especially anything that we do with our hands, like painting, sewing etc. Once you are working with your hands you will find you should alleviate stress to some degree.

We've heard it thousands of times, but get out into nature, it does work

Depression During Pregnancy - An Examination Of The Underlying Causes

With the progress being made in modern medicine genetically some of the leading causes to depression may be a thing of the past.

These are the 10 leading killers of American men in 2003, the most recent year for which these statistics are available from the CDC:

Rank cause Percentage of male deaths

1 Heart disease 28.0
2 Cancer 24.0
3 Unintentional injuries 5.9
4 Stroke 5.1
5 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) 5.1
6 Diabetes 2.9
7 Influenza and pneumonia 2.4
8 Suicide 2.1
9 Kidney disease 1.7
10 Alzheimer's disease 1.5
Total 78.7

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2003

More than 90 percent of people who die by suicide have suffered from depression, other mental illness or had a substance-abuse disorder, according to the National Institute on Mental Health.

Almost four times as many males as females die by suicide. Firearms are by far the favored method, with 57 percent of men and 32 percent of women using them to commit suicide.

Suicide was the eighth leading cause of death for males and the 16th leading cause of death for females in 2004. it was the third leading cause of death among children and young adults aged 10 to 24.

These studies take advantage of unique flags flying in each neighborhood of the vast genome. Researchers find the flags associated with disease and then conduct an intensive search for genetic miscues just in that neighborhood. This process is a lot more efficient than a dragnet through the entire genome. This year, genome-wide association studies have identified genes associated with type 2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and resistance to HIV infection, to name a few examples.

Sequencing a genome - identifying all the chemical base pairs of someone's genes - is getting a lot faster and cheaper. Scientists can now shatter the DNA of the genome into millions of pieces and simultaneously sequence the letters. Then, computers knit the data into a single sequence. Within a decade, the price of sequencing a genome may drop to $1,000, say some experts. Cheap genome sequencing may soon usher in a new era of personalized medicine, with health advice and medical treatments tailored to each individual's genes.

The evidence has reached critical mass-getting between seven and nine hours of sleep a night is one of the pillars of good health, along with physical activity and eating a healthful diet. Poor sleep has been linked to health problems ranging from diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha blockers, drugs that interfere with a protein that contributes to inflammation, have given doctors and patients an important new treatment choice for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. Daunting price tags and serious side effects make the TNF-alpha blockers less than ideal, but by tackling inflammation at its roots, they may light the way for a new approach to treating many diseases with an inflammatory component - even Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

With health care costs continuing to increase and employers cutting back on coverage, lawmakers are filling in the gaps. Illinois has created the all Kids program to cover children. Massachusetts law mandates that everyone in the state must purchase health insurance, and other states may follow suit. the Medicare Part D program, despite its flaws, has succeeded in extending prescription drug coverage to seniors. Time will tell whether these incremental steps will replace or merely delay more sweeping reform of a system that leaves 47 million Americans without insurance.

Depression Leading Cause

I'm not a famous actress like Patty Duke (Anna Marie in they Call me Anna) or Carrie Fisher (in the Best Awful); or a gifted psychiatrist like Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison (in An Unquiet Mind); or a flamboyant, young journalist like Lizzie Simon (in Detour: my Bipolar Road Trip in 4-D); or a notorious newswoman like Jane Pauley (in Skywriting: A Life Out of the Blue). I'm simply a Web developer for the state of Texas, in my late 50s, and have been diagnosed as bipolar since 1980. However, I have known secretly of my condition since I was seven years old.

I've actually dealt with the bipolar condition all my life. I say dealt with and condition rather than suffered from and disorder because the former presents a sense of being in control; whereas, the latter conveys the image of a helpless victim. Actually, the brilliant psychologist (therapist) whom I see, Dr. William J. Dubin of Austin, Texas, prefers to call it the bipolar trait. His belief is being bipolar merely means a different organization of the mind having its advantages and disadvantages. Again, the emphasis is on self-control of one's thought processes and on insightful encouragement rather than on illness or disease.

With that being said, I shall refer to this condition throughout these pages interchangeably as the bipolar characteristic, bipolar disorder (BPD, not to be confused with Borderline Personality Disorder), the bipolar trait or the bipolar experience. in years past, it was referred to as manic depression because that terminology more adequately depicts the polarity of the condition. that is why Dr. Kay Redfeld Jamison, psychologist and staff member at Johns Hopkins University, and author of An Unquiet Mind, among other texts, prefers to reference the condition as manic depression. It is a disorder in the degree to which one's relationship with oneself is disruptive; when one can dispassionately experience manic depression, one knows there are tremendously positive elements few people are able to achieve.

There have been untold numbers of books written about this disorder that affects one percent of the population, or about two million people. Much research has been done, yet actually very little progress has been made in determining its exact causes and in finding solutions. there is no real cure; the condition is generally life-long and chronic. Many believe it gets worse as one grows older. there is no iron-clad medical test that can be performed to determine whether one has bipolar disorder. the diagnosis generally is based on demonstrated symptoms, all of which can be revealed readily by reading the materials resulting from a Google search on the Internet.

Numerous studies have tried to identify a genetic predisposition to BPD. However, in many cases, one identical twin will have it and the other does not. Environmental factors such as one's upbringing, experiences in school and interpersonal relationships greatly influence the manifestation of this condition. Brain mapping experiments reveal bipolar persons appear to have small pools of water in their brains (An Unquiet Mind by Dr. Kay Redfeld Jamison).

It is widely accepted that a significant contributing factor revolves around three neurotransmitter activities in the brain: serotonin, acetylcholine and dopamine. Additionally, levels of the hormones cortisol and adrenaline play a key role in the anxiety component of the condition. from my own experiences, I believe the disruptive nature of the bipolar existence is based upon energy imbalance. Either the serotonin-neurotransmitter process is intensified to a biochemical excess, which creates the manic, scattered energy; or it is impeded to an abnormal level which creates the depressive, half-of-my-mind-is-dead disillusionment.

This energy imbalance manifests in what I experience as a right-and-left-brain conflict. our left brain tends to be logical, meticulous, organized and responsible. our right brain facilitates creativity, spontaneity and playfulness. I experience depression when I feel as though my creative right brain has not received enough stimulation, or when the serotonin activity has decreased so much I couldn't be creative no matter how hard I try. Conversely, I experience mania when it seems as though my right brain, under the influence of excessive serotonin release rates, takes over in wildly imaginative creativity and activity that can become delusional and psychotic.

Another significant aspect of life as a bipolar individual is hyperthymia, meaning too much emotion, or moods that are too intense. Good things are experienced as intensely energizing boosts to one's morale, beyond what the situation calls for; and likewise, disappointments are registered as major letdowns leading to futility, despair and utter hopelessness.

Perhaps this memoir will provide insights for others who may be struggling to come to grips with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder - manic-depression. I unequivocally state Jimi Hendrix was correct when he sang, Manic-depression's a frustrating mess. As one who has dealt with this frustration, and who has spent thousands of dollars in therapy trying to untangle the mess, my intent is to expose bipolor emotions and experiences. I hope to provide fresh insights and rays of hope to professionals trying to get a better handle on the condition for treating their patients, as well as to those dealing with the condition, be they newcomers to the diagnosis or old hands at it.

The first several chapters of this book are about growing up bipolar. This series of chronological vignettes helps readers develop insights into the roots of the bipolar existence as I have experienced it. It is not meant to be an all-inclusive narrative, but rather a summary of pertinent events and scenarios to enlighten the reader about the bipolar roller coaster. It will illustrate key components leading up to my eventual diagnosis of 296.44 Bipolar I Disorder, Most recent Episode Manic, Severe With Psychotic Features.

In particular, I hope mothers will be able to recognize and understand their bipolar children. It also provides assistive insights for friends, family and coworkers who interact with bipolar individuals.

The remaining few chapters explore methods of dealing with the bipolar condition from a cognitive approach as gleaned from intensive psychotherapy and hypnotherapy with a gifted and compassionate psychotherapist. Medications also are discussed. I consider myself an expert on the subject because I have tried my entire life to understand it and ultimately to view the bipolar condition as a gift from which I can offer understanding to others, rather than to view it as a cross to bear.

Introduction to Soaring & Crashing - My Bipolar Adventures

I'm not a famous actress like Patty Duke (Anna Marie in They Call Me Anna) or Carrie Fisher (in The best Awful); or a gifted psychiatrist like Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison (in An Unquiet Mind); or a flamboyant, young journalist like Lizzie Simon (in Detour: My Bipolar Road Trip in 4-D); or a notorious newswoman like Jane Pauley (in Skywriting: A Life out of the Blue). I'm simply a Web developer for the state of Texas, in my late 50s, and have been diagnosed as bipolar since 1980. however, I have known secretly of my condition since I was seven years old.

I've actually dealt with the bipolar condition all my life. I say dealt with and condition rather than suffered from and disorder because the former presents a sense of being in control; whereas, the latter conveys the image of a helpless victim. actually, the brilliant psychologist (therapist) whom I see, Dr. William J. Dubin of Austin, Texas, prefers to call it the bipolar trait. his belief is being bipolar merely means a different organization of the mind having its advantages and disadvantages. again, the emphasis is on self-control of one's thought processes and on insightful encouragement rather than on illness or disease.

With that being said, I shall refer to this condition throughout these pages interchangeably as the bipolar characteristic, bipolar disorder (BPD, not to be confused with Borderline Personality Disorder), the bipolar trait or the bipolar experience. in years past, it was referred to as manic depression because that terminology more adequately depicts the polarity of the condition. that is why Dr. Kay Redfeld Jamison, psychologist and staff member at Johns Hopkins University, and author of An Unquiet Mind, among other texts, prefers to reference the condition as manic depression. it is a disorder in the degree to which one's relationship with oneself is disruptive; when one can dispassionately experience manic depression, one knows there are tremendously positive elements few people are able to achieve.

There have been untold numbers of books written about this disorder that affects one percent of the population, or about two million people. much research has been done, yet actually very little progress has been made in determining its exact causes and in finding solutions. There is no real cure; the condition is generally life-long and chronic. Many believe it gets worse as one grows older. There is no iron-clad medical test that can be performed to determine whether one has bipolar disorder. The diagnosis generally is based on demonstrated symptoms, all of which can be revealed readily by reading the materials resulting from a Google search on the Internet.

Numerous studies have tried to identify a genetic predisposition to BPD. however, in many cases, one identical twin will have it and the other does not. Environmental factors such as one's upbringing, experiences in school and interpersonal relationships greatly influence the manifestation of this condition. Brain mapping experiments reveal bipolar persons appear to have small pools of water in their brains (An Unquiet Mind by Dr. Kay Redfeld Jamison).

It is widely accepted that a significant contributing factor revolves around three neurotransmitter activities in the brain: serotonin, acetylcholine and dopamine. Additionally, levels of the hormones cortisol and adrenaline play a key role in the anxiety component of the condition. from my own experiences, I believe the disruptive nature of the bipolar existence is based upon energy imbalance. Either the serotonin-neurotransmitter process is intensified to a biochemical excess, which creates the manic, scattered energy; or it is impeded to an abnormal level which creates the depressive, half-of-my-mind-is-dead disillusionment.

This energy imbalance manifests in what I experience as a right-and-left-brain conflict. our left brain tends to be logical, meticulous, organized and responsible. our right brain facilitates creativity, spontaneity and playfulness. I experience depression when I feel as though my creative right brain has not received enough stimulation, or when the serotonin activity has decreased so much I couldn't be creative no matter how hard I try. Conversely, I experience mania when it seems as though my right brain, under the influence of excessive serotonin release rates, takes over in wildly imaginative creativity and activity that can become delusional and psychotic.

Another significant aspect of life as a bipolar individual is hyperthymia, meaning too much emotion, or moods that are too intense. good things are experienced as intensely energizing boosts to one's morale, beyond what the situation calls for; and likewise, disappointments are registered as major letdowns leading to futility, despair and utter hopelessness.

Perhaps this memoir will provide insights for others who may be struggling to come to grips with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder - manic-depression. I unequivocally state Jimi Hendrix was correct when he sang, Manic-depression's a frustrating mess. as one who has dealt with this frustration, and who has spent thousands of dollars in therapy trying to untangle the mess, my intent is to expose bipolor emotions and experiences. I hope to provide fresh insights and rays of hope to professionals trying to get a better handle on the condition for treating their patients, as well as to those dealing with the condition, be they newcomers to the diagnosis or old hands at it.

The first several chapters of this book are about growing up bipolar. This series of chronological vignettes helps readers develop insights into the roots of the bipolar existence as I have experienced it. it is not meant to be an all-inclusive narrative, but rather a summary of pertinent events and scenarios to enlighten the reader about the bipolar roller coaster. it will illustrate key components leading up to my eventual diagnosis of 296.44 Bipolar I Disorder, Most Recent Episode Manic, Severe With Psychotic Features.

In particular, I hope mothers will be able to recognize and understand their bipolar children. it also provides assistive insights for friends, family and coworkers who interact with bipolar individuals.

The remaining few chapters explore methods of dealing with the bipolar condition from a cognitive approach as gleaned from intensive psychotherapy and hypnotherapy with a gifted and compassionate psychotherapist. Medications also are discussed. I consider myself an expert on the subject because I have tried my entire life to understand it and ultimately to view the bipolar condition as a gift from which I can offer understanding to others, rather than to view it as a cross to bear.

Introduction to Soaring & Crashing - My Bipolar Adventures

If you experience Anxiety & Panic Attacks it may very well be a secondary condition to another physical illness.

Of course, the only way to know for sure is to be as open and honest with your doctor about your symptoms and your lifestyle as possible (even if it is embarrassing).

There are so many things that can contribute or have caused your anxiety disorder and panic attacks that the list is just incredibly long.

Here are just a few possible physical causes of anxiety disorder and panic attacks:

High potassium levels

Medications (including the one's that are prescribed for anxiety & panic)

Witnessing or being a part of a traumatic event

If your anxiety & panic attacks have become a disorder then you're not only going to have to treat the primary cause (which could be anything from the list above and more), but also treat the anxiety & panic disorder as you have developed a new response to fear and stress.

Note: never self diagnose. make sure you visit your local GP first. All material provided is for informational or educational purposes only. No content is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult your doctor regarding the applicability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to your symptoms or medical condition.

Physical Causes of Anxiety

Doctor, I have been to four psychiatrist over the past 10 years and have tried everything. they tell me I'm depressed or bipolar. The meds always just make me worse. I was in therapy for six years and figured out that my parents were awful parents, but I still feel the same way. can you help me?

John met with me for the first time due to problems he was having on the job. his financial firm had sent me similar people in the past-you know, those bright and brilliant people who seem like they should be excelling, but never seem to get their act together. A third of the patients they referred ended up having Adult ADHD and had never been diagnosed. two of them got better on medications and one couldn't tolerate medications but found some relief from specialized goal-focused CBT for ADHD as well as coaching.

John is a 46 year-old single man in a relationship with a woman and has been previously married twice. he has 3 children. he says he doesn't know what to do and his girlfriend of 7 months is going to leave him if he doesn't get some help.

ADHD is over-diagnosed, right?

Well, yes, in some places everyone is diagnosed with ADHD. However, more often than not, ADHD is missed and the person is labeled with depression or bipolar disorder.

When someone tells me they are depressed but every type of treatment in the book, including medications and several trials of different therapies haven't worked, I start wondering if something else is going on. many times, symptoms of ADHD can masquerade as other diagnoses. People with ADHD often have mood swings and difficulty with mood regulation. this isn't in the DSM IV criteria, but if you have worked with hundreds of patients with ADHD, you know that ADHD causes mood swings. when someone with ADHD is sad or in a funk, they have a hard time shaking it. and when they are excited, they are really excited. this is one of the gifts and wonderful things about people with ADHD. they are passionate people, passionate about life and passionate about letting other people know about it. If someone isn't careful and doesn't spend the time getting to know the person, then one might think the person has bipolar disorder. Yes, bipolar disorder and ADHD do have a higher rate of occurring together; however, more often that not, people with ADHD who say they have mood swings really mean ADHD swings not manic swings.

Many clinicians were taught that if someone presents with depression and ADHD, first treat the depression and THEN treat the ADHD. well, this is just backward thinking. very often, the patient feels depressed, frustrated, has lost interest in doing very much, but this is because he has experienced one failure after another or has gone from one job to the next. In my experience treating people, when you treat the ADHD, the person begins to acquire the ability to achieve their goals, improve relationships, meet deadlines, remember to pick up the children, avoid accidents on the road, remember their tickets before driving to the airport and feel a lot more competent, confident and happy.

Unfortunately, when patients are treated for depression with antidepressants, or worse, treated with atypical antipsychotics for bipolar disorder and kept on these medications for months or years, their symptoms often do not improve and might worsen. I have never seen this data in the literature, but during my training at Massachusetts General Hospital, I was taught a VERY IMPORTANT PEARL. Never Never Never take away someone's dopamine. Dopamine gives us zest for life, motivation, and enables us to pay attention. it is the piece of the puzzle people with ADHD may be missing that inhibits and blocks them from reaching their potential. Guess what antidepressants and antipsychotics do? Through a feedback loop, these medications can decrease the function of dopamine in the frontal lobes and limbic system. Not good for someone with ADHD.

John says he has never before felt depressed. he has lots of friends and was very popular in high school, college, and at his previous four jobs. he is extremely affable, generous and creative, which is the rule, not the exception, with ADHD people. of course he was popular. he says he was always the life of the party and his teachers and coaches said he was an exuberant and spunky man, yet they were always puzzled that he never quite lived up to his capacity in the classroom or on the soccer field. he seemed to not git the big picture or perform consistently.

More often than one might imagine, adults with ADHD find themselves without a job and without a plan. Losing a job can have many causes, especially in this downward spiraling economy. But being without a plan is easily associated with ADHD. People with ADHD are characterized by difficulty in visualizing the future along with the inability to put the pieces together to get there.

According to Dr. Lew Mills, ADHD people come to a full stop. aside from having difficulty with deciding what to do next, at a full stop they lose all forward momentum. it seems as if they will never find a job. The full stop blocks forward motion.
Paradoxically, an ADHD person may also feel barraged with a torrent of thoughts about where to turn, but each leads to a few weeks of submitting applications, sending a few resumes and then they conclude that something else is more interesting or promising. after a some time at the full stop, it is nearly impossible to move forward again. Paralysis sets in and depression follows.

For a non-ADHD person, with a raft of. successes in their work life, it might make sense to take this opportunity for some serious re-evaluation of one's life priorities.. However, for an ADHD adult, on the brink of depression and perhaps financial ruin, this broader perspective is difficult to achieve and anxiety will soon swamp any view of the big picture.

Once you lose your momentum, you cannot select a career direction. You can easily be overwhelmed by the possibilities or depressed by the lack of possibilities. People with ADHD may find it difficult to make the first move once they reach the full stop.

As for John, he was a great student until the 6th grade, when school became less structured and therefore more challenging. During his early years, his parents helped him structure and plan his studying and schedule. they even quizzed him at night to help him focus and concentrate. he attended a magnet school where the teachers were highly involved and reviewed his homework, calendar, provided a lot of extra help and enjoyed his enthusiasm. his coaches in tennis and soccer also enjoyed helping him and, for a while, didn't mind encouraging him to Focus. Maintain your attention. make sure to stay alive. However, they observed that he often seemed to be out in left field. he couldn't stay focused during the practices or games. he also had difficulty remembering the strategies that were discussed pre-game.

When his classes became more difficult and he was expected to be more adult and autonomous; keeping up became increasingly difficult. he was no longer able to compensate for his lack of organization, foresight and focus, inattention, or inability to plan. his grades began to suffer; he no longer was an A student, and started getting Bs and Cs for the first time in his life. he didn't get what was happening, and his teachers and parents were just as confused. he became frustrated and demoralized, but remained persistent and continued to put all of his energy into doing well.

Since his parents were always involved, he was tutored three times each week. his grades improved a little, but never returned to straight A's.

The You just aren't trying Syndrome:

Hundreds of people I have seen in treatment are smart and very bright. they may have done very well at certain points in their lives and no one would imagine that they have ADHD. Oftentimes, very organized and structured parents or schools can serve as the person's frontal lobes or breaks in the early years. People with ADHD are great with structure. However, once the structure is gone, they have difficulty providing it for themselves. that is why when they get to college or graduate school and have achieved academically their entire lives, psychiatrists and others never entertain the possibility of ADHD. ADHD doesn't start as an adult. it starts during childhood. However, people with ADHD are often poor reporters and historians and may believe they had no trouble with attention or focus when, in reality, they did and their environment helped them compensate.

John did well in school for a while - in the early grades when there was a lot of structure. his high intelligence helped him compensate. as structure diminished and the difficulty of his coursework and material increased, he had more trouble keeping up.

As I dug a little deeper into his history, I began to suspect ADD, inattentive type. I asked him if he daydreamed a lot, even in the years when he was doing well. he said yes. he admitted that he would have been late to school every day had it not been for his super competent and organized mother who ran a tight ship. he said that he often forgot his homework or lunch but his mother would come to the rescue and bring it to him.

His mother not only ran a tight ship for John but also for her husband. she often complained that her husband didn't listen to her. on the weekends, he would leave projects incomplete. At one point, there were four half-finished projects in the garage. John's father sympathized with John because he behaved similarly all of his life. Luckily, he was in a career that allowed him to jump from task to task and he did not need to focus for extended periods of time. he was a trader on Wall Street and thrived on the excitement and the ups and downs. he never finished college, even after 6 years, and went to work at an entry-level position, working his way up to quite a successful position.

ADHD runs in families. Fortunately, John's mother was spared and therefore was able to maintain an organized and structured household. However, John's father had ADHD symptoms but was never diagnosed. The condition didn't seem to impair his ability to achieve success in his career. Fortunately, he chose a career that was a good match for someone with ADHD. At 87, the heritability rate of ADHD in families is one of the highest of any syndromes in psychiatry. Despite this, many people in our culture and in the mental health field continue to feel it is not a real syndrome and shouldn't be addressed as such.

I told John that I highly suspected a diagnosis of ADHD, which is what had been haunting him for most of his life. I was of the opinion that he did not have depression, bipolar or borderline personality disorder and that his symptoms could get a lot better. I also reassured him that he didn't have a learning disability or dementia. People with ADHD can have learning disabilities, but more often than not, they are very talented, gifted, and intelligent. when ADHD is recognized and appropriately treated, people with ADHD are free to express their talents and gifts to the world.

John was very relieved, and looked as though he had been given a new lease on life. we discussed the potential treatments including coaching, cognitive behavioral therapy, and medications.

Treatment for ADHD must be individualized, as each person is unique. But there are some general guidelines that are helpful to remember. People are complex and their lives are complex. Treatment isn't about writing a prescription and seeing the patient once a year. Treatment is about a relationship and helping the person develop a comprehensive game plan to move on with their lives to achieve their full potential.

First and foremost, the relationship between you and the patient is the foundation for helping him improve, whether you are prescribing medications once every three months, doing therapy or coaching.

Second, people with ADHD often have difficulty maintaining and focusing on relationships. many experts believe that connection is one of the primary pillars of helping someone improve. this MUST be a part of the treatment.

Third, I believe that all too often the treatment focus is on deficits or problems. this is how we are all trained-what is the problem? what is wrong and how are we, the treatment provider, going to fix the person?. People come to us with so many gifts, talents and strengths. it is essential to help the person realize their strengths and show them what extraordinary challenges they have overcome. The best gift we can give our patients is showing them their own power, potential and the possibilities of what CAN be.

John returned after two weeks, having started the Adderall. for the first time in his life, he felt like he was out of the fog. he wasn't giddy or anxious; he just felt ok, in the present. he was engaged in our session, where we discussed and wrote down goals for each area of his life for the next three months, year, and five years. we addressed areas of work, community, spirituality, relationships and personal growth. I recommended weekly cognitive therapy with me to work on these goals, as well as meeting with an ADHD coach.

One year later, we touched base on his achievements. he had left his job for a promotion at a competing company and was engaged to his girlfriend. his mood was much better; he was exercising, and we both smiled at the strides he had made. it was not only exciting for him, but it was one of the reasons that I love my work, creating a relationship with people and helping them achieve their potential and share it with the world. There is no greater gift.

Scott Shapiro, MD
Edward Hallowell, MD

Adult Attention Deficit Disorder - Overdiagnosed?

General Background Information About Clinical Depression

It is estimated that clinical depression affects approximately 10 percent of all Americans older than 18 years of age, and a vast majority of those suffering from it do not even know that it is depression.

Commonly, depression is attributed to a simple feeling of sadness or unhappiness, however that is an extremely ignorant oversimplification of clinical depression symptoms. Depression is defined by the Mayo Clinic as a disorder that affects the physical, mental, and emotional state of well-being of humans, and it is not something that is in your head as many would try to make you believe.

Though it can be caused by a recent event that triggers a dose of sadness, clinical depression is caused in most by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain that prevent the successful transmission of endorphins to the nerve receptors where they are needed most. many medications are available to help combat this condition, though there is no singularly effective treatment method or indefinite cure. one of the most defining characteristics of depression is that a sufferer is feeling down during an event or activity that would generally make him or her incredibly happy.

Symptoms and Indicators of Depression

There are many indicators that can determine whether or not a person is suffering from depression, and a couple of these include:

• Decreased ability to focus, especially on tasks and activities that would generally interest the afflicted.
• Decreased energy and motivation.
• Little or no feeling of worth to the world.
• Loss of hope.
• Problems with successful sleep, including insomniac behavior.
• Inability to sit still, overcome with feelings anxiety. Feeling restless for an unknown reason.
• Lessened importance of sexual intercourse or activities that once held your interest.
• Increased or decreased appetite; generally drastic and causes weight problems such as sudden weight loss or excessive weight gain.
• Pain in the abdominal region, headaches, etc.
• Episodes of crying or excessive sadness that can overtake your day.
• Entertaining the idea of committing suicide to escape the pain that often comes with depression.

While there are a great deal of clinical depression symptoms, there are also many treatments available to help you break free of the chains associated with depression and continue your life. if you are feeling any of the side effects listed above, contact a psychiatrist or psychologist as soon as possible to ensure that you are able to get the help you need.

Common Clinical Depression Symptoms