(Diseases, Disorders, Symptoms) Abigail Meisel-Depression and Bipolar Disorder. Examining Chemical Imbalances and Mood Disorders-Enslow Publishers - Jasmine Health (2014)

DEPRESSION AND
BIPOLAR DISORDER
EXAMINING CHEMICAL IMBALANCES
AND MOOD DISORDERS
DISEASES,
DISORDERS,
SYMPTOMS
Abigail Meisel
Copyright 2015 Enslow Publishers, Inc.
Jasmine Health, an imprint of Enslow Publishers, Inc.
Originally published as Investigating Depression and Bipolar Disorder: Real Facts for Real Lives in 2011.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced by any means

without the written permission of the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Meisel, Abigail, author.

Depression and bipolar disorder : examining chemical imbalances and mood disorders /
Abigail Meisel.
pages cm. (Diseases, disorders, symptoms)
Summary: Discusses depression and bipolar disorder, including risk factors, causes,
symptoms, history, diagnosis, treatment, and coping. Provided by publisher.
Audience: Grades 7 to 8.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-62293-060-9
1. Manic-depressive illnessJuvenile literature. 2. Depression, MentalJuvenile literature.
I. Title.
RC516.M425 2015
616.895dc23
2014019135
Future editions:
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-62293-061-6
EPUB ISBN: 978-1-62293-062-3
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Multi-User PDF ISBN: 978-1-62293-064-7
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Asclepius on spine).
CONTENTS
What Are Depression
and Bipolar Disorder? ................................... 5
Introduction........................................................ 8
1 Straight Talk About Depression
and Bipolar Disorder ..................................... 10
2 History of Depressive Disorders ............ 17
3 The Science of Depression
4 Identifying Depression
5 Treatment of Depression
6 Living With Depression
7 When Someone You Love Has
Depression or Bipolar Disorder .............. 67
8 Outlook for the Future ............................... 76
Chapter Notes ........................................................... 83
Glossary ..................................................................... 91
For More Information ............................................. 94
Index .......................................................................... 95
Since the 1960s, doctors have had a better understanding of what causes
depression and bipolar disorder. These conditions are treatable, so those
who suffer should not be afraid to seek help.
WHAT ARE
DEPRESSION
AND B IPOLAR
DISORDER?
D
epression and bipolar disorder are imbalances in brain
chemistry that affect mood, perception, and behavior. They
are often referred to as mood disorders. Years ago, people
born with these imbalances stood little chance of leading productive
and healthy lives. However, since the 1960s, better understanding of
the causes of depression and bipolar disorderand a revolution in
medications for psychiatric illness paired with psychotherapyhas
made both conditions treatable.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION?

Unfortunately, no blood test or brain scan can diagnose depression
and bipolar disorder. Depression can be difficult to diagnose because
it takes so many different forms. Common symptoms include persis-
tent sadness, irritability, feelings of anxiety, loss of interest or pleasure
in life, neglect of personal responsibilities or personal care, changes
in eating habits, changes in sleeping patterns, fatigue, and loss of
energy. Depression is different from bereavement, which is a type of
intense grief caused by a severe loss, such as a death. In teens, symp-
toms of depression may include reckless or self-destructive behavior,
such as using drugs or having multiple sexual partners. If left
untreated, depression can be fatal, leading to suicide.
5
DEPRESSION and BIPOLAR DISORDER
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF BIPOLAR

DISORDER?
Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder just as depression is. Mental
health professionals classify it in the same category of mood
disturbance as depression. However, bipolar disorder combines two
abnormal mood states: major depression and an intense excitement
called mania. Symptoms of the mania can include a range of behav-
iors from wild spending sprees and sexual promiscuity to irritability.
People with this condition cycle back and forth between these two
extremes, often with a calm period or plateau in between. The
cycles can occur as frequently as every two weeks or as rarely as every
few years.
HOW MANY PEOPLE SUFFER FROM DEPRESSION

AND BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Bipolar disorder affects approximately 5.7 million American adults,
or about 2.6 percent of the U.S. population age eighteen and older,
each year. Symptoms of mild, chronic depression, called dysthymic
disorder, affect approximately 1.5 percent of the U.S. population age
eighteen and older in a given year. This figure translates to about 3.3
1
million American adults. The median age of onset of dysthymic
disorder is thirty-one.
More severe and disabling than dysthymic disorder is major
depressive disorder. Major depressive disorder affects approximately
14.8 million American adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. popu-
lation age eighteen and older in a given year. It is the leading cause of
chronic disability in the United States. While major depressive disor-
der can develop at any age, the typical age at which most people
2
develop it is thirty-two.
WHO GETS DEPRESSION AND BIPOLAR

DISORDER?
Depression and bipolar disorder can be passed from one generation
to the next through genes and are present in every race, ethnic, and
social group. For reasons not wholly understood, major depressive
disorder is more common in women than in men.3
6
What Are Depression and Bipolar Disorder?
Until the mid-1990s, only adults over age eighteen were diagnosed
with bipolar disorder. As the twenty-first century neared, pioneers in
psychiatry realized that children and teens, too, can suffer from bipo-
lar disorder and began to treat them for the disease.4
ARE THESE DISORDERS CURABLE?

For the moment, there is no permanent cure for either depression or
bipolar disorder; however, both are quite treatable. Unlike other
medical conditions, though, such as diabetes or epilepsy, depression
and bipolar disorder each bear a heavy stigma in our society, par-
ticularly bipolar disorder. The first steps to successful long-term
treatment are self-acceptance and willingness to participate in coun-
seling sessions. In addition, people with bipolar disorder or major
depressive disorder usually take medication.
ARE THESE DISORDERS PREVENTABLE?

Depression and bipolar disorder are not preventable, but their sever-
ity and duration can be lessened. People with these disorders stand
the best chance of stability if they are diagnosed quickly after the
onset of the disease, if they work with a well-qualified psychiatrist
and receive psychotherapy, and if they are prescribed the correct
medications. Also important are a healthy lifestyle and ample and
ongoing support from friends and family.
7
INTRODUCTION
C
linical depression and bipolar disorder were long thought to
be the result of emotional or even spiritual problems. Once
seen as a personal weakness, a bad attitude, or just being
crazy, depression and bipolar disorder are now understood to be
biologically based physical diseases, just like diabetes or epilepsy.
The more research that is done, the more the science convinces us
that there is simply no reason to separate mental disorders from any
other medical disorder, said Thomas R. Insel, Director of the
National Institute of Mental Health, when he was describing a series
of studies on the connection between depression and the physical
functioning of the brain.1
Like other serious medical problems such as heart disease or
cancer, bipolar disorder and depression affect many women, men,
teens, and children throughout the United States each year. Although
approximately 20 million American adults age eighteen and older
(and 6 million children) are diagnosed with depression and bipolar
disorder, such statistics reflect only a fraction of the true number of
people who endure depression and bipolar disorder.2 The majority of
affected individuals are undiagnosed, because the symptoms of
depression and bipolar disorder often are not clearly identified.
8
Introduction
The word depression refers to many subgroups of mood

disorder. There are more than a dozen categories of depression, rang-
ing from those that are triggered only in winter, when natural
daylight is limited, to suicidal depression. Bipolar disorder, too,
includes several sub-categories of disease. So many variations of
these conditions exist that the impact on individuals also differs
widely.
Some people with depression and bipolar disorder lead happy,
healthy, and productive lives. They are spouses, parents, writers,
musicians, CEOs, and even psychiatrists. Many people with bipolar
disorder, in particular, are outstandingly creative and productive.
With medication, therapy, and support from friends and family, they
thrive.
Yet, depression and bipolar disorder should be taken seriously,
for they can eclipse hope and joy from human life suddenly and
completely. Untreated depression results in 31,000 suicides and 1.4
million attempted suicides in the United States each yearconserva-
tive estimates.3 These statistics are grim, but not hopeless. Scientists
across the nationin research labs at leading medical centershave
taken on the challenge of deciphering the genetic codes of mental
illness and relieving much of the suffering that depression and bipo-
lar disorder now cause.
9
1 Chapter
STRAIGHT TALK
ABOUT DEPRESSION
AND B IPOLAR
DISORDER
THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF A TEEN WITH
BIPOLAR DISORDER
Kyle Sorenson1 (not his real name) pushed himself hard to excel at
his passion, baseball. At six feet tall and 185 pounds, he was the start-
ing pitcher on his Texas high school varsity team. In his sophomore
year, Kyles coaches encouraged him to aim for a college scholarship,
especially because he also excelled academically. Then junior year
arrived.
As the holidays drew near, Kyle felt strangely unenthusiastic,
although he usually looked forward to both Thanksgiving and
Christmas. He was sleeping more, and his fatigue wasnt simple tired-
ness; it was an intense exhaustion that overwhelmed him. The small
irritations of daily life, such as lost homework or a disagreement with
one of his parents or a classmate, made him so mad he could
screamand sometimes he did. The task of studying for his AP
classes was almost too much to bear. Increasingly, he retreated to his
room to watch television and play video games. His appetite van-
ished. Suddenly, his goals and dreams seemed worthless.
Kyles parents noted the sudden change in his behavior. Alarmed,
they called their family doctor, who recommended a consultation
10
Straight Talk About Depression and Bipolar Disorder
with a psychiatrist specializing in adolescents. For two hours the

doctor took a detailed family history, speaking first to the Sorensons
as a family, then just to Kyles parents and, finally, to Kyle alone.
Kyle was surprised by what the doctor told him: Kyles fathers
family was prone to bipolar disorder. Kyles fathers aunt and one of
his older cousins took the medication lithium to control the condi-
tion. Kyles fathers grandfather may well have had bipolar disorder,
too, the doctor said. The family history had revealed that he had been
unable to hold down a job and that he had spent long periods of time
away from his family, only to return home almost penniless.
The doctor explained that bipolar disorder was an imbalance in
brain chemistry, causing alternating cycles of depression and mania,
or highs. She said that the condition often appeared in young adult-
hood and that the down phase generally appeared first.
I dont have enough information yet to make a diagnosis, the
doctor told Kyle. That might take more than a month. But I do
know that mood disorders are treatable, and I promise that you will
feel better once I can prescribe the right medication for you.
If Kyle were suffering simply from depression, his doctor would
recommend an antidepressant medicationbut not in this case.
Antidepressants can trigger manic episodes. I want you to come for
regular appointments so we can track whats going on with you, she
said.
Kyles funk continued for about two months. Then one week-
end while out at a party with friends, his energy increased by tenfold.
After months of feeling like a slug, I was suddenly a soaring
eagle and stayed up and active for thirty-eight hours in a row, he
recalled.
That was the first occurrence of mania for me, Kyle remembered.
In a weird way, it felt kind of good. Like I was invincible.
Kyle reported his abrupt change from agony to ecstasy to his
psychiatrist. She asked him many probing questions: How many
hours of sleep are you getting? Do you find yourself talking more
quickly than usual? Do you feel a pressure to talk constantly? Have
you been more sexually active than usual? Do you feel an urge to
spend money?
11
On and on came the questions, and to each one Kyle answered

yes. Over the weekend, his friends kept telling him to slow down.
At the party he went to, he found himself openly flirting with and
then kissing a girl he barely knew, unusual behavior for him.
Finally, Kyles psychiatrist had enough information to make a
diagnosis. She wrote in her notes that day: Patient is presenting with
depression alternating with hypomania- Bipolar Disorder II. Kyles
doctor recommended the medication Depakote to stabilize his
moods. Depakote is a medication used to treat seizure disorders,
migraines, and bipolar disorder.
Kyles brush with mental illness changed the direction of his
lifeby adding a richer perspective. After an initial struggle, he
accepted his mood disorder and the need for lifelong treatment. His
psychiatrist and family adopted a no shame policy, encouraging
Kyles curiosity about his brain chemistry and his desire to be open
about his condition with friends. When they noticed that Kyle had
put on a few pounds after he began taking Depakote, he told his
friends from school, Im not pigging out. The medication I take
causes some weight gain.
Describing his mood disorder in a college essay, Kyle wrote: If I
had continued without diagnosis and treatment, I might have even-
tually lost my life to this disease. In a strange way I feel more human
now, less invincible. Without the medical advancements of the last
twenty years, my story would be a real tragedy, like that of my great-
grandfather, from whom I inherited this condition. Now, I consider
myself the hero of my tale, with a lot of love to support that success.
WHAT IS DEPRESSION?
Everyone feels sadness, melancholy, and even intense grief at some
point in life because loss is an unavoidable part of the human experi-
ence. A friend or relative dies. A boyfriend and girlfriend break up.
Parents divorce. There are tears, depression, and perhaps some anger,
followed by emotional healing and a return to pleasure. For most
people, this pattern will recur intermittently throughout life: a loss
followed by a drop in mood and then a period of mending. For
people suffering from major depression, moods have a life and a
12
power of their own, separate from reality. They live in a bleak world
in which each day is a struggle and the future holds no hope.
In describing the difference between grief and major depression,
the author Kay Redfield Jamison writes: . . . grief, fortunately, is very
different from depression: it is sad but it is not without hope.2 A
majorly depressed individual lives without hope. He or she can have
every outward appearance of success: a great career, a loving spouse
and children, and financial security, yet still feel totally doomed and
worthless. Depression is cancer of the perspective.
No one knows exactly what triggers major depressive episodes in
people. Scientists do know that there are three main causes of depres-
sion: problems with brain chemistry and an imbalance of brain
chemicals called neurotransmitters; genes for the disorder, which are
passed from one generation to the next; and an environment that is
chronically stressful, such as one marked by extreme poverty or emo-
tional, physical, or sexual abuse. War, too, is a trigger for depression
as well as post-traumatic stress disorder, another emotional disabili-
ty. A recent major study by the Rand Corporation (an organization
devoted to researching and analyzing social trends) estimates that
300,000 veterans who served in either Iraq or Afghanistan are
plagued by major depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.3
Depression is a public health crisis in the United States. The
under-diagnosis and misdiagnoses of this condition are a national
disgrace, according to Lydia Lewis, president of the Depression and
Bipolar Support Alliance, an advocacy group.4 Depressive disorders
affect approximately one in every eight teens and 2.5 percent of chil-
dren below twelve years old.
BIPOLAR DISORDER
Bipolar disorder is a type of depression characterized by moods that
cycle between mania (highs) and depression (lows). Sometimes
the mania of bipolar disorder is extreme, when people sometimes
sleep for as little as three hours a night. Thoughts race through their
mind at hyper-speed and one idea doesnt lead to the next. They can
talk almost nonstop. Sometimes people who are experiencing mania
feel that they are very powerful and important. At other times, they
might feel extremely irritable and can explode into anger.
13
People experiencing what is called a manic episode are usually

unable to continue functioning, either socially or in school or work,
on a daily basis. In a manic state, a person may have a hard time
understanding the difference between reality and fantasy. They can
have hallucinations, hearing and seeing people and things that arent
really there. Sometimes people in a manic state will believe things
that are not true, for example, thinking that they are a champion
athlete or destined for stardom. The state of having hallucinations,
delusions, or both is called psychosis.
In contrast to mania, hypomania (literally, below mania) is a
milder elevation of mood. Daily functioning is not impaired by this
elation, although someone in this state frequently experiences a
heightened sense of self-importance, greater energy and focus, and a
speeded-up thought process. The range of mood between mania and
hypomania is vast. Psychiatrists dont have a special word for every
individual shade of mood, but they do divide the state of mania into
marked (hypomanic), severe (manic), and complete (verging
into psychosis).
There are three main types of bipolar disorder: Bipolar I disor-
der, Bipolar II disorder, and Bipolar disorder with rapid cycling.5 All
three are variations on the high-low mood cycle, with differences in
degree of intensity and regularity of each state of feeling. People suf-
fering from Bipolar I are more likely to experience hypomanias; for
those with Bipolar II, the highs are less extreme and feel more like a
burst of energy; and in Bipolar with rapid cycling, moods swing from
high to low at more frequent intervals.
DEPRESSION AND BIPOLAR DISORDER IN

CHILDREN AND TEENS
Its important to realize that major depression can affect children and
teens as well as adults. Approximately 14 percent of people aged
twelve to seventeen have experienced at least one physician-diag-
6
nosed episode of major depression.
Although both teens and children can suffer from depression
and bipolar disorder, these conditions look different in teenagers and
in children under twelve than they do in adults. In children with
bipolar disorder, there are no defined cycles of highs and lows.
14
Moods ranging from hypomania to irritability to depression ripple

through them, changing even within a single hour. Parents, teachers,
and doctors often find the symptoms difficult to diagnose because
they change so quickly. An estimated 1 million American children
and teens have bipolar disorder.7 The number of teens and children
diagnosed with bipolar disorder has increased 600 percent in the last
ten years as more research and information become available about
the childhood form of the disease. Still, many doctors think that
bipolar disorder, like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
is over-diagnosed in children.8
Teens with bipolar disorder have a particularly rough road.
Adolescence is a time of experimentation, testing boundaries, and
finding an identity. Bipolar disorder can tip the risk-taking that is
normal for adolescents into a high danger zone. For teens with bipo-
lar disorder, the impulsive behavior, lack of sound judgment,
heightened sexual energy, and irritability created by bipolar moods
can be particularly dangerous, especially when they lead to illegal
behavior like illegal drug use. According to the National Mental
Health Association, an advocacy group devoted to promoting mental
health across the United States, 75 to 80 percent of teens receiving
inpatient substance abuse treatment have coexisting mental and
emotional disorders.9
CAN PEOPLE WITH A DEPRESSIVE DISORDER OR

BIPOLAR DISORDER LIVE A NORMAL LIFE?
Before the mid-1960s, there were no effective medications for bipo-
lar disorder, but since then, a biochemical revolution has occurred.
Mood disorders that once were regarded as life sentences can now be
treated. Both depression and bipolar disorder have been considered
manageable conditions since the 1970s. Depression is currently
treated with one or more of a host of different medications to rebal-
ance brain chemistry. Most of these medications fall into one of two
groups: monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and selective sero-
tonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Both of these groups of drugs
10
reverse depression by attacking it at the level of nerve cells.
For people with bipolar disorder, the most commonly prescribed
drug is lithium, which came into use in the United States in the
15
1960s. Since then, other medications for bipolar disorder have been
developed, and medications originally created for other conditions,
such as epilepsy, have been adapted to treat patients with bipolar
disorder successfully.11
Ideally, depression and bipolar disorder are treated with a com-
prehensive plan that is overseen by a mental health professional. A
treatment plan includes medication, therapy, and lifestyle changes,
including exercise and family support. With a successful treatment
plan implemented, people with both these conditions can lead long,
productive, and even outstanding lives.
16
Chapter 2
HISTORY OF
DEPRESSIVE
DISORDERS
P
eople who suffered from major depression in the nineteenth
century faced a very different fate than those who suffer today,
especially when their behavior veered out of control. Regarded
as inferior or flawed, they were frequently confined to institutions, or
restrained in a straitjacket. A mere hundred yearsjust a pinprick on
the time line of humanityseparates people with mental illness who
spent years incarcerated from those who are able to lead productive
lives because of advances in the fields of psychiatry and in the
development of psychiatric medications.
In fact, before about 1950, there was slim chance that a person
with a major mood disorder could live a normal life. Before that
time, mental illnesses were not seen as biologically based conditions.
Instead, afflicted individuals were seen as weak (at best) or evil (at
worst). The mentally ill were branded as lunatics because accord-
ing to popular conception their behavior was ruled by the cycles of
the moon. In fact, the word lunatic is derived from the Latin word for
moon, or luna.
CONFINEMENT
The census of 1840 marked the first attempt to collect data about
mental illness in the United States.1 In the 1870s, many professionals
17
concerned with the fate of the mentally ill, including physicians,

2
social workers, lawyers and public officials, adopted a policy of
removing them from society and placing them in institutions. They
established a model for mental hospitals in the United States, con-
fining anyone who showed an extreme form of behavior. There was
little or no effective treatment available in these institutions, where
living conditions were often terrible, even prison-like. Those slated
for confinement included anyone who was violent, suicidal, or hom-
icidal. In most cases, however, it wasnt a doctor or social worker who
sought the confinement for a person: it was a family member. For
example, between 1846 and 1847, 75 percent of all commitments to
a typical U.S. mental hospital were initiated by family members.3
A Cruel Choice
Today, such practices seem harsh and inhumane. Who would aban-
don a loved one in a house of horrors? But, those were different
times, before the birth of modern psychiatry and medications. Short
of removing the mentally ill from the community, very little could be
done to keep them safe from themselves and to protect others from
their extreme behavior.
In the days before private and federal health insurance, an adult
or teenager who couldnt work was seen as a drain on family resourc-
es. Most families could not afford doctors bills or special treatments,
and they needed every member to be productive in order to survive.
In addition, mentally ill adults were universally rejected. They terri-
fied their relatives and they brought disgrace to the family name.4 No
one understood them. No one wanted them around.
According to the U.S. census of 1880, America had a population
of 50 million, including 91,997 insane persons. This unfortunate
group was 52 percent female, 71 percent native born, and 96 percent
white.5
The Institution
Inside the hospitals for the mentally disabled, often called simply
institutions, male and female inmates were separated by gender,
sorted into like groups according to their symptoms, and herded into
separate wards. There, they lived in subhuman conditions. This is
18
History of Depressive Disorders
why institutions were dubbed snake pits, because they were terrify-
6
ing and dangerous places to be.
Effective psychiatric medications were still decades away, so phy-
sicians dosed the mentally ill patients with concoctions of their own
making to keep them drugged and tranquil. Among the institution
population were not only the mentally ill, but also old people suffer-
7
ing from Alzheimers disease or senility, the homeless, and epileptics.
In 1890 a new law, the State Care Act, shifted the responsibility
8
for the mentally ill of America to the state. Legislators hoped that
this new bill would force states to provide more and better care for
their mentally ill populations. In truth, state-run institutions never
truly improved or became places of healing for the men and women
consigned to their care.
THE EMERGENCE OF PSYCHIATRY

What did progress was the field of psychiatry, which became an
increasingly accepted medical specialty. In 1921, the American
Medical-Psychological Association changed its name to The
American Psychiatric Association (APA), which still exists as the
premiere organization of psychiatrists in the United States.
Using data from the U.S. census and other sources, psychiatrists
began classifying emotional disorders. They were starting to fully
comprehend the frequency and complexity of these problems. They
created work groups to study emotional disorders and to create sci-
entifically based criteria for their diagnoses. The eventual result was
9
the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, known
among clinical professionals at the DSM. It is the bible of psychiatry.
As science superseded superstition in the field of mental health,
doctors redefined their mission. Instead of confining the mentally ill
to institutions, physicians tried to treat them with a variety of tech-
niques, including the earliest method of talk therapy, known as
psychoanalysis.
SIGMUND FREUD
Developed by the eminent Viennese physician Sigmund Freud
(18561939) at the start of the twentieth century, psychoanalysis was
a technique for penetrating the deepest corners of the human mind,
19
by talking. Freud believed that all mental and emotional problems

from those as severe as the brain disorder schizophrenia to milder
ailmentscould be traced to childhood conflicts. His method was
straightforward. Patients reclined on a long couch in his office and
free associated, saying whatever came to mind. Gradually, themes
would emerge from the hours of talk, enabling both doctor and
patient to pinpoint the underlying causes of the psychological prob-
lem. Freud felt that this talking cure would uncover the conflicts at
the root of his patients troubles.10
BIOLOGICALLY BASED THERAPIES AND

TREATMENTS
Freuds method of psychoanalysis became widespread and even fash-
ionable in Europe and in the United States during the early decades
of the twentieth century. Freuds approach of attacking emotional
problems with a talking cure was purely psychological. At the same
time that Freuds theories gained popularity in the United States,
other psychiatrists began exploring a very different approach to the
treatment of emotionally based problems. This group of doctors
argued that disabling emotional disorders were caused by structural
11
or chemical malfunctions within the brain. The idea that mental
illness was essentially physicallike diabetes or heart disease
began to take root within the scientific community in the 1930s.
Biologically based treatments developed during that decade
include insulin shock therapy, chemical convulsive therapy, electro-
convulsive shock therapy, and lobotomy. The theory behind shock
therapies was that they would deliver a radical jolt to the nerve cells
in the brain, stabilizing its chemical imbalance. Lobotomy, a radical
surgical procedure in which a section of the brain is severed, took a
structural rather than chemical approach to the challenge of fixing
a malfunctioning brain.
Insulin Shock Therapy

In the early 1930s, Manfred J. Sakel, a Polish neurophysiologist and
neuropsychiatrist, discovered by accident that he could use the hor-
mone insulin to treat patients suffering from psychosis (a state of
mind characterized by hallucinations and delusions).
20
Insulin regulates blood sugar. Sakel accidentally gave a psychotic

patient on overdose of insulin, causing a temporary coma and con-
vulsions. The patient, who suffered from a mental illness called
schizophrenia, improved for a time. This was the first medical
attempt to treat schizophrenia, a brain disease that is still difficult to
control. It was also the first attempt to treat diseased brains in this
fashion, and shock therapy was also used in treating other disorders,
such as depression.
Sakel continued the use of insulin shock therapy and reported
12
that 70 percent of his patients improved. Later studies showed that
the treatment was not a real cure and that the improvements were
temporary. Still, Sakel singlehandedly destroyed a centuries-old
myth that schizophrenia was a curse rather than a biologically based
disease.
The Chemical Convulsion Cure

Hungarian physician Ladislaus von Meduna, a contemporary of
Sakel, noticed that schizophrenia was rare in epileptics. He also
observed that when epileptics did have seizures, they seemed calmer
afterward. He decided to trigger seizures in schizophrenics with a
powerful drug called metrazol. Meduna was later criticized for
experimenting on people with drugs. Yet his basic premise was
correct: faulty wiring in the brains nerve cells can be improved by
physical means.13
Electroshock Therapy
Another product of the 1930s revolution in medical-psychiatric
breakthroughs, electroshock therapy, produced convulsions in
patients by delivering brief electric shocks to a part of the brain
called the frontal lobe. Italian neurologist Ugo Cerletti revised the
method, and as a result it gained popularity throughout the decade.
Electroshock therapy proved safer and more acceptable to patients
than chemical convulsive therapy. Since its invention and use as a
treatment for schizophrenia, it has also been used as therapy for
severe, drug-resistant depression.14 Electroshock therapy became a
controversial treatment in the 1960s and 1970s, but it is currently
accepted as an effective last resort in the treatment of depression
21
and doctors have improved the way they administer the treatment to
patients.
Lobotomy: The Surgical Treatment

Lobotomy is a surgical procedure on the brain intended to alleviate
extreme mental or emotional problems. Lobotomy targets the frontal
lobe. The procedure calms the behavior of extremely agitated or psy-
chotic patients, making them docile by severing the link between the
frontal lobes and the rest of the brain. The technique was developed
in Europe by Dr. Antonio Egas Moniz, who won a Nobel Prize for his
work in 1949.15 Later, lobotomy was popularized in the United States
by neurologist Walter Freeman and his colleague, a neurosurgeon
named James Watts. First performed in the United States in 1937, the
procedure was soon refined. Many saw it as a godsend and the solu-
tion to overcrowded institutions. Between 1939 and 1951, more than
18,000 lobotomies were performed in the United States.16
Lobotomy had serious consequences and drawbacks because of
its effect on the emotions. To be lobotomized became a synonym
in the popular culture for becoming an emotional robot, capable of
little emotional response. Once again, researchers and physicians
sought a nonsurgical cure to the seemingly insurmountable problem
of mental illness. In 1952, a glimpse of hope appeared in the form of
the drug chlorpromazinea medicine that laid the groundwork for
a revolution in the field of psychiatry.
PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
By 1955, there were 559,000 Americans living in state psychiatric
hospitals.17 The nation desperately needed new ways to cope with the
most extreme symptoms of mental illness, such as psychosis.
Researchers at the American pharmaceutical company Smith Kline
investigated reports that French psychiatrists were treating patients
with a new drug called chlorpromazine. Smith Kline soon marketed
the drug for use in U.S. state-run institutions. The results were spec-
tacular. Patients who had been lost in a haze of psychosis were able
to hold conversations and function with some degree of normalcy. In
1954, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved chlorproma-
22
zine for use.18 Sold under the name Thorazine, it was used by
19
approximately 50 million people worldwide by 1964.
The success of Thorazine had an immediate impact on American
society. In 1955, the number of patients admitted to psychiatric hos-
20
pitals declined for the first time in a hundred years. The government
began to support research for medications to control medical illness.
A new specialty within the field of psychiatry called psychopharma-
cology had been launched. This emerging area was devoted to
researching medications to help mental illness and also to matching
medications to individuals in order to obtain optimum results.
The Brains Mood Centers

Crucial to the new field of psychopharmacology was an increased
understanding of the mood centers of the brain. These mood centers
rely on chemical compounds called neurotransmitters to carry mes-
sages between the brains nerve cells. If there is a problem with
neurotransmittersif there are not enough of them or if they have a
faulty structurethey fail to carry messages between nerve cells
effectively. Mood suffers, and there is an onset of depression. There
are more than a hundred different types of neurotransmitters, but the
three that are most closely linked to depression are serotonin,
norepinephrine, and dopamine. All the medications developed or
discovered for the treatment of depression and bipolar disorder in
the late 1950s through the 1990s work by improving the ability of
neurotransmitters to carry messages successfully between nerve
cells.
Medication Innovations
In the 1950s, researchers discovered two medications in addition to
chlorpromazine that would prove extraordinarily significant. One
was imipramine, later sold as Tofranil, a breakthrough drug in the
treatment of depressive disorder. Tofranil improved the moods of
people with depression and is part of a class of early antidepressants
known as tricyclics.21 This revolutionary medication was the by-
product of an effort to find a new type of nonsedative allergy
medication. Another lucky accident was iproniazid, the first entry in
a new category of antidepressant called monoamine oxidase inhibitors
23
(MAOIs).22 Iproniazid was found during research for drugs to treat

tuberculosis. Both of these drugs increased the amount of the neu-
rotransmitter serotonin in the brain, alleviating depressed moods.
For people with bipolar disorder, called manic depression in the
1950s, the medication that would prove life-changing was a naturally
occurring substance called lithium. Lithium is a metallic element,
listed in the periodic table and used medicinally in the form of a salt
or compound. Lithium was first used in Europe in 1949, but
Americans waited until 1970, when the drug was approved for use in
the United States, to receive the benefit of this medication.23
Taken in pill form, lithium calms the extreme mood swings of
bipolar disorder, making everyday functioning possible. It eliminates
both the high-flying exuberance and black tiredness of the cycle
of bipolar disorder.24 To this day, no one is sure exactly how lithium
works because researchers are still trying to grasp the causes of bipo-
lar disorder. Doctors agree, however, that lithium remains one of
several valuable medications for stabilizing mood swings.
In the 1980s, the next generation of antidepressants, selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), emerged to control depres-
sion. SSRIs were developed to raise levels of the neurotransmitter
serotonin. SSRIs ensure that when the brain releases serotonin, it is
not absorbed too quickly back into the nerve cells (neurons) during
the process called reuptake. Because the SSRIs inhibit, or prevent,
reuptake, they increase serotonin levels, which has been shown to
improve mood.25
With the advent of Thorazine, the tricyclic antidepressants,
MAOIs, SSRIs, and lithium, people suffering from schizophrenia,
psychosis, and major depression could finally lead normal lives. But
not all psychiatrists embraced these advances. With the rise of psy-
chopharmacology, a rift appeared between Freudian psychoanalysts
and a newer breed of psychiatrists, called biopsychiatrists. The old
school of psychiatrists insisted that psychoanalysis was the only
means of a long-term cure for mental illness.26 Biopsychiatrists took
a biologically based approach to treating mental illness. Doctors had
to clear the smoke of mental illness with medications before they
could begin to put out the fire of emotional problems with talk
therapy. The tug of war between Freudian analysts and biopsychiatrists
24
continued throughout the 1980s, but evidence regarding the effec-

tiveness of medication mounted, and the older generation of
psychoanalysts began to agree that medication had a valuable place
in the treatment of numerous mental illnesses.
By the 1970s, the young psychiatrists emerging from medical
schools and hospital residencies treated patients with depressive and
bipolar disorders with a combination of medication and focused
short-term therapy. Their goal was to reach out to patients in need,
stabilize them with medication, and help them to lead independent
lives. This model of carethe result of a hundred years of painstak-
ing research paired with an explosive growth of knowledge in the
field of psychiatryhas given millions of Americans with major
depression and other mental illnesses a chance at leading a successful
life.
25
3 Chapter
THE SCIENCE OF
DEPRESSION AND
BIPOLAR DISORDER
D
epression can have many causes, including environmental
ones: stress, verbal or physical abuse, drug abuse, or poverty.
Researchers now understand that prolonged exposure to
any of these stressors can actually change the way the brain func-
tions, thereby triggering depression. It is also true that someone can
live in a safe and emotionally healthy environment and still become
depressed because of a genetic predisposition to the condition. This
is why four siblings can be raised in the same family and one might
struggle with depression while the others do not. Clearly, those at
highest risk for depression have depression-prone genes and also
live in an environment that triggers a depressive reaction. The inter-
play between the biology of depression and external causes of
depression is complex and still being studied.1 Research of twins
provides compelling data that depression is, indeed, genetically
based. Although scientists have not yet found a single gene that
points to depression, they do know that pairs of identical twins, who
have identical genes, are more likely to both suffer from depression
than sets of other siblings.2
26
The Science of Depression and Bipolar Disorder
BRAIN BASICS
The brain is the control center of the human body. The average brain
weighs about 1,400 grams (three pounds). The human brain is the
3
product of millions of years of evolution. It guides peoples most
primitive acts (suddenly looking over a shoulder when they sense
danger) to their most intellectually sophisticated ones (solving a cal-
culus problem). Basic parts of the brain include the following:
The brain stemAlso called the reptilian brain, the brain
stem dates back 500 million years. It handles primitive func-
tions, such as breathing and heart rate. It also alerts us to
danger, even before the awareness of a threat becomes fully
conscious.
The cerebellumMeaning little brain, the cerebellum is
attached to the brain stem and coordinates balance and the
movement of our muscles. This part of the brain has more
than tripled in size in the last million years.
The limbic systemThis newer region of the brain evolved
approximately 200 million years ago. It is located in the center
of the brain, immediately above the brain stem. In addition to
maintaining heartbeat, body temperature, and blood pressure,
the limbic system contains two major glands that are impor-
tant in regulating mood, the hypothalamus and the pituitary
gland. The limbic system also regulates hunger, thirst, and
other primary functions of the body. The limbic system
responds to messages from senses and thoughts and is an
important emotional processing center of the brain.
The cerebral hemispheresThe brain can be divided into
two halves called the cerebral hemispheres. Each half controls
the opposite side of the body. This is why if someone has a
stroke on the right side of the brain, the left side of the body is
affected. Covering each hemisphere is a layer of nerve cells
called the cortex.
The lobesThe cortex gives humans the unique qualities of
being able to organize, remember, and understand informa-
tion. It is divided into four sections called lobes. The frontal
lobe is involved in planning, decision making, and problem
27
solving.4 In humans, the frontal lobe doesnt develop fully until

early adulthood, about age twenty-four. This is one of the
reasons that adolescence can be a time of impulsive behavior
5
and rocky judgment. The parietal lobe is a perception center
of stimuli related to touch, pressure, temperature, and pain.
The occipital lobe controls many aspects of vision, and the
temporal lobe is linked to hearing and memory.6
A HIVE OF COMMUNICATION
The brain is a center of communication for the entire body.
All day long, rapid-fire chemical messages zip between nerve cells.
The brain has approximately 100 billion of these nerve cells, or neu-
rons.7 With so many nerve cells in the brain, its easy to envision
them packed side by side like sardines, but the opposite is true. The
neurons in the brain do not exactly touch. For one to communicate
with another, one neuron must release a chemical messengerthe
neurotransmitterinto a narrow passageway between the two cells
called a synapse. The receiving nerve cell is like a magnet, attracting
the neurotransmitter onto its surface. The neurotransmitter then
binds with receptors on the outer coating of the receiving nerve cell.
Once the receiving nerve cell gets the message, it sends the neu-
rotransmitter back into the synapse, where it waits for a signal to
reunite with the sending neuron. This reuniting process is called
reuptake. Back in the sending neuron, the neurotransmitter is either
8
stored or broken down by monoamine oxidase enzymes. (These are
the same enzymes that play a role in the action of monoamine oxi-
dase inhibitors, a type of medication used to treat depression.)
NEUROTRANSMITTERS AND MOOD

What does all this activity have to do with mood? Everything.
Physicians and researchers believe that insufficient neurotransmit-
ters or a blip in the process of reuptake can plunge someone into a
major depression. They cannot fully explain why neurotransmitters
are so critical to mood, but the link between the two is indisputable
and has provided one of the keys to understanding why major
depressions emerge in people.9
28
Three types of neurotransmitter that researchers have consistently

linked to mood are serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. A
deficiency in any of these brain chemicals spells trouble for mainte-
nance of mood. Advanced brain imaging studies called positron
emission tomography (PET) scans can show the activity of the nor-
mal brain, the bipolar brain, and the depressed brain. The scan of the
depressed brain looks like a neighborhood at night, with just one or
two street lamps lit. Its a gloomy expanse with one or two bright
spots. The normal brain has entire streets lit up; theres a balance
between light and dark. The manic brain is lit up like Times Square,
10
ablaze with electrical activity.
HORMONES AND MOOD

When people are depressed, neurotransmitters arent the only bio-
logical element involved. Brain areas that are involved in mood
include the thalamus and the hypothalamus. The thyroid and the
adrenal glands (not in the brain) are also involved, all of which
secrete hormones that regulate parts of our lives that are commonly
disturbed during episodes of depression: appetite, sleep, sexual
11
desire, and memory. Depression is a whole-body experience.
The Thyroid
The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland that sits at the base of
the front of the neck. The gland takes iodine from food and converts
it into thyroid hormone. Our bodies need thyroid hormone to con-
trol metabolismthe conversion of oxygen and food into energy for
cells. Every cell depends upon the proper functioning of the thyroid
to survive. When the thyroid is out of balance and working too slug-
12
gishly (hypothyroidism), depression can take over. This is why
people suffering from depression are often tested for a deficiency in
thyroid function.
The Hypothalamus
The thyroid is part of a system of glands that are ultimately controlled
by the hypothalamus, located at the core of the brain. The hypothalamus
regulates the secretion of hormones, including stress hormones.
When you sense a threat, your hypothalamus sends a signal to your
29
adrenal glands to secrete the hormone adrenaline into your blood-

stream to rapidly prepare your body for an emergency situation. This
is known as a fight-or-flight response. Repeated episodes of this
fight-or-flight reaction can trigger depression because continual
release of adrenaline disrupts the natural chemistry of the brain. This
is why repeated exposure to actual and perceived threatswhether
theyre wartime battles or the angry shouts of an alcoholic parent
can tip someone on the way to depression. Psychiatrists link post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is frequently experienced by
soldiers returning home, to continual activation of the fight-or-flight
13
response and also to depression.
Sex Hormones
Sex hormones such as progesterone and estrogen are also undoubtedly
linked to mood. For example, premenstrual women commonly expe-
rience a change in mood, involving depression and irritability. When
the mood change is severe, the condition is called premenstrual dys-
phoric disorder (PMDD). Once thought to be a normal part of the
menstrual cycle, PMDD is now regarded as a psychiatric issue that
affects 3 to 8 percent of all women. Another hormone-related mood
disorder is postpartum depression, also called postpartum blues.
When a woman is pregnant, her levels of estrogen and progester-
onefemale sex hormonesgradually increase. Then, in the
twenty-four hours after birth, the levels of these hormones drop rap-
idly. Plummeting hormone levels can cause feelings from mere
14
irritability to sadness, profound despair, and even suicidal thoughts.
Because hormones are related to moodand because women
experience greater shifts in hormone balance each monthwomen
experience depression more often than men. When boys and girls
enter adolescence, they have the same rate of depression, but by age
fifteen, young women are twice as likely to have a major depressive
15
episode. Most physicians and researchers look to hormones to
explain this gender gap. According to the American Academy of
Family Physicians, this trend extends into adulthood. Women expe-
rience depression twice as often as do men. However, men who are
16
depressed are at greater risk for substance abuse and for suicide.
30
TYPES OF DEPRESSION
The number of variables that can play a role in causing depression is
staggering: neurotransmitters, monoamine oxidase enzymes, the
responses of the limbic system, the thyroid and adrenal glands, and
sex hormonesall have been studied and are considered important
keys to understanding depression. Just as these biological origins of
depression are widely varied, so, too, are the types of depression
people experience. Depression is really an umbrella term for a series
of related mood disorders. Depression has been studied and catego-
rized extensively in order to differentiate one type of the condition
from another. This is important for accurate diagnosis and treat-
ment. Some of the most common subcategories of depression
include:
DysthymiaThe mildest form of depression
Major depressive disorder
Depression during or after pregnancy
Recurrent depression
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)Caused by decline of day-
17
light hours in the fall and winter.
WHO GETS DEPRESSION?

Sometimes people become temporarily depressed because of external
(environmental) circumstances: They are grieving a death, experi-
encing a divorce within a family, or grappling with a big
disappointment. In major depression, there may be no environmental
factor that triggers the depression.
Depression is a cross-class problem. Being more affluent or of a
certain racial or ethnic background doesnt lessen or increase chanc-
es of depression. Heres what does: People who have primary family
members (a parent or sibling) with depression are seven percent
more likely to experience depression. People who have a primary
family member who is an alcoholic are eight percent more likely to
experience depression.18 Other risk factors include: introversion,
insecurity, stress sensitivity, and dependency as personality traits.
Lack of intimate relationships is another common risk factor.19
31
THE UPS AND DOWNS OF BIPOLAR DISORDER

Bipolar disorder is a separate category of depression in which an
elevated mood (either mania or hypomania, a less severe form of
mania) is followed by depression and then by mania once again in
cycles. Symptoms of mania include wildly inflated self-esteem,
pressure to keep talking, sexual promiscuity, and decreased need for
sleep, perhaps only two to three hours a night.
Cycling can occur as often as once every few days and as
infrequently as every few years. In children, bipolar disorder is far
less stable and mood swings can occur several times an hour. As a
result, researchers and psychiatrists are still creating a model of what
bipolar disorder looks like in someone under age twelve.
CAUSES OF BIPOLAR DISORDER

Bipolar disorder is less common than depression. Both men and
women are equally at risk for bipolar disorder, which statistically has
been shown to most commonly first emerge in teens or young adults.
Of approximately 18 million American adults with mood disorders,
approximately 5.7 million have bipolar disorder.20 It is a highly
hereditary disease, meaning that there is a strong genetic component
to the disorder. No one has pinpointed an exact cause of bipolar dis-
order, but researchers are actively targeting areas such as the
endocrine (gland) system, neurotransmitters, disturbances in the
natural rhythm of the body (circadian rhythms), and childhood
stressors. These, in addition to a genetic predisposition to the condi-
tion, may make a person more vulnerable to developing a full-blown
bipolar disorder.
32
Chapter 4
IDENTIFYING
DEPRESSION AND
BIPOLAR DISORDER
D
epression is a condition that takes many forms and can
suddenly appear in people from children to senior citizens.
It is the tenth most common diagnosis made during visits to
family physicians.1 If you took a snapshot of Americas mental health
on a given day, youd see approximately one in four American adults
has been treated for a form of depression from dysthymia (mild
depression) to major depression. One in eight American teenagers
suffers from major depression.2 Major depressive disorder is the
leading cause of disability in the United States for people ages fifteen
to forty-four.3 It affects approximately 14.8 million American adults
or 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age eighteen or older. The aver-
4
age age of onset is thirty-two years old.
Sometimes depression is like a primary color: It is easy to iden-
tify correctly at first glance. In about 45 percent of cases though,
depression is like a subtle blending of two or more colors.5 It is mixed
with anxiety, a drug addiction, or an eating disorder, for example, to
create a more complex variation of mood disorder. Mixed medical
problems, including mood problems, are called comorbidities. They
are harder to diagnose and to treat because they are more complex.
33
Depression not only takes an emotional toll on people and their

families but costs the nation money. According to a study conducted
at Johns Hopkins University in 2000, businesses in the United States
spent $83.1 billion that year for costs associated with depression,
including payment for employee health care, lost wages caused by
missed work, and decreased workplace productivity.6
Depression appears differently in adult males and females.
Depression has traditionally been considered to be twice as common
in females as in males, and technically, that is true. However, doctors
now feel that some of the root causes of depression, such as routine
abuse or exposure to trauma, express themselves differently in men
and women. Women tend to develop depression, while men often
express anger and veer toward antisocial behaviors (such as commit-
ting crimes) or substance abuse.7
TEENS AND DEPRESSION

Depression also looks different in adults compared to teenagers.
Angry and irritable feelings affect 85 percent of adolescents suffering
from depressiona figure far higher than for adults.8 A variety of
other symptoms and behaviors, called depressive equivalents, are
seen in teenagers that are not seen in adults and children. There is
also a higher rate of suicide among teenagers suffering from depres-
sion. In fact, suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens.9
Finally, teens are less likely than adults to follow through with their
treatment plan, putting them at greater risk for harm.
CHILDREN UNDER TWELVE

Children younger than teens can experience a full range of psychiatric
disorders; symptoms have been documented in children as young as
two or three. However, there is a lot of controversy in the field of
child psychiatry not only about what symptoms constitute a proper
diagnosis but also about which treatments are the most appropriate
for children. Psychiatric medications may have side effects for adults.
For children, whose bodies are still developing, these medicines need
to be monitored even more carefully. In addition, parents, teachers,
and even doctors can have a hard time distinguishing between
34
Identifying Depression and Bipolar Disorder
psychiatric and developmental problems. A child might simply be

defiant or stubborn by nature and not mentally ill.10
SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND BIPOLAR

DISORDER
A diagnosis of major depression is contingent on a list of symptoms
that must occur for at least two weeks without stopping (as opposed
to situational depression). These symptoms may include: depressed
mood, loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities, unintentional
weight loss or gain, insomnia or hypersomnia (sleeping too much),
fatigue, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, diminished ability to think
or concentrate, and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.
Bipolar disorder is very difficult to diagnose. Typically eight
years pass between the first episode of depression or manic symptoms
11
and the first medical treatment for the disorder. Why? Milder
phases of mania can seem like high-energy behavior that falls within
the realm of normalcy. It can be hard to differentiate: Is someone
having an incredibly productive or high energy period in his
lifeor is he exhibiting the whirlwind sleeplessness of a manic
phase? Is she dating a lot or is she becoming sexually promiscuous,
another sign of mania? Has she been going on a few shopping
sprees or is she spending money out of control and without regard
to her finances? What is manic and what is normal can be a matter
of a few degrees of intensity.
THE BIPOLAR HIGH

Another difficulty in diagnosing bipolar moods is how these moods
feel to the person experiencing them. The depressive phase can be
incredibly painful, but the manic or hypomanic phase can be plea-
surable and yield tremendously productive periods of creative work.
As a result, the person who is bipolar might not necessarily want this
phase to end. In fact, he or she may even fear that a leveling out of
moods will extinguish creative output.12
Episodes of both the depression and the mania of bipolar illness
can emerge in varying degrees. In the manic or high state, people
feel everything from bursts of great happiness to irritability. They
often need less sleep and have a falsely increased sense of their own
35
abilities and importance, a king of the world feeling. Their thoughts

may race or jump from one idea to another. Doctors trying to find
out if someone is having a true episode of mania often ask questions
such as:
Were you so easily distracted by things around you that you
had trouble concentrating or staying on track?
Have you been feeling so good or so hyper that other people
thought you were not your normal self or were you so hyper
that you got into trouble?
Have you been much more social or outgoing than usual, for
example, calling friends to talk in the middle of the night?
Are you much more interested in sex than usual?
Did you do things that were unusual for you or that other
people might have thought were excessive, foolish, or risky?13
DEPRESSION AND SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AMONG U.S.

MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Researchers have now established a link between depression and
risky sexual behaviors in middle and high school students. Risky
sexual behaviors for both boys and girls included failure to use con-
doms or any form of birth control while having sex, abuse of a
substance at the time of sex, or having multiple sexual partners.
Although sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV, are
often reported in the news and are important public health problems
faced by adolescents, teens dont always take the proper precautions
to prevent acquiring these diseases. Doctors now know that depressed
teens are at an even greater risk of acquiring STDs than other teens.
Researchers currently recommend that teens receive more education
about depression because it affects so many important areas of their
lives. Information can come in the form of screenings by family doc-
tors, the expansion of programs for mental health education in
schools, and the early identification and treatment of depression.
The link between teen girls, cervical cancer, and the human
papilloma virus (HPV) makes the correlation between depression
and sexual promiscuity even more compelling. HPV is a sexually
transmitted infection that is extremely common among sexually
active people and very hard to detect because there are no symptoms.
36
Girls are especially vulnerable, because HPV can have a very serious
health effect for women. Some types of HPV infection are associated
with the development of cervical cancer. Untreated depression can
be associated with promiscuity, which in turn can lead to contracting
HPV and possibly cervical cancer. As a public health issue, depres-
14
sion ranks high among teens in many ways.
BIPOLAR OR HEALTHY?
One way to understand bipolar disorder is by assessing the intensity
and suddenness of the change in normal energy levels and routines
that it causes. All healthy adults eat, sleep, have sex, and interact
socially with others. In bipolar adults, these natural biological drives
are alternately revved up or slowed down during periods of mania
and depression. The fluctuations are outside their control. But
doesnt everyone go through phases during which they feel more
enthusiasm or periods of doldrums? Yes. For people with bipolar
disorder though, these phases last longer, are more intense, and can
disrupt their lives and the lives of those around them. Their mood
swings can lead to decreases in work productivity, trouble with the
law, and other major disruptions. Sometimes these phases also lead
to hospitalization.
BIPOLAR DISORDER OR UNIPOLAR DEPRESSION?

Sometimes bipolar disorder first emerges not as mania but seem-
ingly as a unipolar depression, meaning a depression without the
cycles of high and low. Danger can result if a doctor does not recog-
nize that someone who appears to have depression might actually
have a more complex problem. A person with bipolar disorder who
is given antidepressant medication may be inadvertently launched
into a state of mania. Doctors must try to discern whether a patient
who appears to have a unipolar depression in fact does. One
important piece of data is whether or not the person has had any past
behavioral problems and whether there might have been episodes of
mania that were not properly diagnosed at the time. Another is
15
whether there is a family history of bipolar disorder. Finally, sleep
disturbances are a key symptom of bipolar disorder and often deter-
mine whether a diagnosis will be that of bipolar disorder.
37
VARIATIONS ON BIPOLAR DISORDER

Just as there are different types of depression, there are also varia-
tions on the form and frequency of bipolar disorder. Episodes of
either depression or mania can last from days to months. Some
people do not experience depression and mania alternatively but
rather feel a mixed state of depression with agitation. Mania can
start with the feeling like that of having had too much coffee or cola:
a wired-up sensation. It can end in a state of full-blown psychosis in
which the person has lost touch with reality and experiences halluci-
nations. Another variation on bipolar disorder is rapid cycling.
Sometimes individuals may experience an increased frequency of
episodes. When four or more episodes of illness occur within a
twelve-month period, the individual is said to have bipolar disorder
16
with rapid cycling. Rapid cycling is more common in women.
THE RISK OF SUICIDE

People with bipolar disorder are about fifteen times more
likely than the general population to commit suicide. Up to
50 percent of people with bipolar disorder attempt suicide at least
once in their lives and 15 percent of those with the condition die
from suicide.17 What makes someone with bipolar disorder so vul-
nerable to suicide? According to professor of psychiatry Kay
Redfield Jamison, Profound melancholia is . . . a pitiless, unrelenting
pain that affords no window of hope . . . no respite from the horribly
restless nights of despair. 18 People with major depression seek
escape and relief from suffering. Yet, bipolar disorder is associated
not only with the lows of depression but also with an elevation of
impulsivity (or impulsiveness) that makes people act in rash and
even violent ways. Taken together, the impulsivity and the yearning
to end despair can have tragic consequences. Other risk factors
associated with suicide include being male, withdrawing from
others, gender identity issues, having access to a gun, and having a
family history of suicide.
38
SEEKING EVALUATION AND TREATMENT

Given that depression and bipolar disorder can be life-threatening if
left untreated, finding professional help is a must. But how? First,
seeking out a licensed mental health professional is highly recom-
mended. There are four major types of clinicians who treat people
with mental health problems:
Psychiatrists are physicians who have graduated from medical
school and have specialized in the field of psychiatry, complet-
ing at least four years of specialized training called a residency.
Theyre licensed to practice medicine in the state they work in
and they also are certified by the American Board of Psychiatry
and Neurology.
Psychologists are graduates of doctoral programs who spe-
cialize in either research or in clinical psychology (meaning
that they are licensed to treat patients). Most clinical psycholo-
gists have a PhD. Psychologists administer tests and diagnose
and treat depression, but they cannot prescribe medication
like medical doctors can.
Psychiatric nurses are registered nurses (RNs) with masters
degrees who are certified and licensed to care for psychiatric
patients. Some psychiatric nurses are nurse practitioners, with
an advanced nursing certificate that allows these clinical pro-
fessionals to prescribe medication under supervision of a
physician.
Social workers are graduates of masters degree programs with
a specialty in treating people with psychiatric problems and
helping to integrate them back into family life and into the
community.
Often a psychiatrist will work in tandem with a psychologist,
psychiatric nurse, or social worker to create a regimen of therapy and
medication for a patient.
RESOURCES FOR FINDING PSYCHIATRISTS

Medical centers, whether major research hospitals or community
hospitals, are a good starting place for finding psychiatric help. Most
medical centers have a Web site that lists staff psychiatrists. As in any
39
other medical specialty, however, the field of psychiatry has many

subspecialties, and not all doctors are equally adept at treating the
same types of patients. Some specialize in children and others in
adults. Another resource is the state or county chapter of the
American Psychiatric Association, which lists members by region,
hospital affiliation(s) and areas of specialty. Primary care physicians
(family doctors) can also give referrals to psychiatrists.
The First Visit

During the first visit to a medical center or specialists office, the doc-
tor should spend an hour or so with the patient and his or her
family going over recent history and family medical and psychiatric
history. The doctor may evaluate a family tree and ask the patient to
identify how many immediate and extended family members suffer
from some form of depression, alcoholism, or drug addiction, since
the three are related. The doctor will also want to know if the patient
currently uses any recreational drugs, such as marijuana, meth,
cocaine, or speed. This is important because the drugs can create the
high experienced naturally in the manic phase. The psychiatrist will
want to distinguish between a chemically produced high and one
that the brain is creating on its own.
At this point, unless a patient is dangerous to himself or to
others, the doctor will probably want to watch the patient closely
over a period of a few weeks to see what changes occur in mood. Its
very helpful for doctors to see a meticulous log of moods with dates,
activities, and emotions, so they can try to track a pattern of unipolar
or bipolar depression.
DIAGNOSING TEENS
Recent surveys show an alarming increase in depression among
teens; in fact, as many as one in every five teens suffers from major
depression.19 Depression can be difficult to diagnose in teens because
the model of depression that most doctors learn about in training is
based on adult behavior. In addition, one of the cultural stereotypes
about teens is that they are moody and not communicative. Teens
may not be as self-aware as adults in identifying their moods, so it
40
can be harder for the adults around them to figure out what is
bothering them. Some signs of depression in teens include:
Lack of interest in social activities
Drop in grades
Irritability and angry outbursts
Drug and alcohol abuse
Change in eating and sleeping patterns
Changes in school performance
When teens have their first visit to a psychiatrist, it is helpful if
parents bring along some documentation of their childs mood prob-
lems. This might include records from the school, a letter(s) from
teachers or a guidance counselor, any police reports, and a log that
the parent has kept about the teens outward signs of emotional
change. The more concrete evidence that clinicians can see during
the first visit, the easier it will be for them to make an accurate diag-
nosis. A parent should expect that the doctor will speak with the teen
alone for at least part of the appointment.
RESPONSES OF FAMILY MEMBERS

Whether adults or teens need help, they will be met with varying
responses from those closest to them, depending on the familys atti-
tude toward emotional issues. Some family members need to be
convinced that a husband, wife, son, or daughter really needs the
help of a psychiatrist. They see problems with mood not as
biologically based disorders but as a form of personal weakness
and sometimes assign blame. Its likely that if one family member is
suffering from major depression, he or she isnt alone, since the con-
dition is often genetic. It is very important for the family to educate
themselves about available resources and to work as a unit to get help
as quickly as possible. Once most families realize that depression isnt
moping but is potentially life threatening, they tend to act quickly.20
RESISTANCE TO TREATMENT
Often it is not the family but the depressed person who is resistant to
seeking treatment. There is still a social stigma in our society about
depression, particularly bipolar depression. Doctors recommend
that instead of saying, I think you seem depressed to someone
41
suffering from depression, the family should describe the changes in

behavior they see: I dont see you getting up to run in the morning
like you used to. You seem exhausted all the time. Offer to find a
psychiatrist for a loved one and to accompany him or her to the first
visit. The task of seeking help might seem overwhelming to the
depressed person. If resistance continues despite repeated expressions
of concern, the family member might want to contact a psychiatrist
ahead of time and make a preliminary visit to explain what some of
the issues are. No matter how much resistance he or she finds, a fam-
ily member should stick with it until the depressed person is safely in
treatment. Depression generally does not go away by itself.21
HOSPITALIZATION
Like any biologically based problem, depression can be brought
under control more quickly if it is caught early. Unfortunately, many
people suffer with untreated or misdiagnosed depression or bipolar
disorder for years. In some situations, the condition becomes so
severe or dangerous that hospitalization is required. Problems rang-
ing from denial about having a psychiatric condition, drug or alcohol
abuse, and refusal to comply with a medication regimen can all lead
to hospitalization. Most hospitals have a behavioral health unit,
which includes a mix of patients with varying psychiatric disorders.
Some also have specialized units for patients with particular psychi-
atric problems, such as eating disorders. Inpatient units give a patient
structure, intensive therapy, and round-the-clock observation, which
are especially important while necessary medication levels are being
determined and when patient safety is an issue. Inpatient hospital
stays are the most expensive form of treatment for mental health
problems, and the immediate goal is to stabilize a patient and then
bring him into a day program.22
Until a person can function well in daily routines, a psychiatrist
might recommend that he or she attend a day program at a behav-
ioral health center in a hospital. This is also known as a partial
hospitalization program. Day programs offer individual and group
therapy sessions as well as activities such as art therapy. They might
also include some sort of career counseling and job placement if the
patient has been out of work. Day programs are a safe harbor for
42
people getting used to new medications. They promote positive rela-

tionships between patients and offer the support of mental health
professionals on a daily basis at a critical time in a persons recovery.
Day programs can be costly, and insurance companies differ
widely in what they will pay, which often falls short of the total.
People with bipolar disorder frequently suffer the most from lack of
insurance because the condition emerges when they are in their early
to mid-twenties, when they are too old to be on their parents health
insurance plan and too young to have much savings or even health
insurance of their own.
Whether hospitalization is a twenty-four-hour emergency obser-
vation, a longer in-patient stay, or an outpatient program, its
important for family members to ensure quality care. Each day, a
member of the family should check in with the psychiatrist or head
nurse to inquire about the patients progress. Family members should
be visible and should never hesitate to ask questions about medica-
tion or other aspects of care. People who have deteriorated to the
point that they require hospitalization are in a vulnerable state. They
need to rely on members of their family and their friends to advocate
for them during this time of recovery.
43
5 Chapter
TREATMENT OF
DEPRESSION AND
BIPOLAR DISORDER
L
ike any physical illness, mood disorders require prompt
attention. The first step in the treatment for depression
is talk therapy with a trained professional. The therapista
psychiatrist, psychologist, psychiatric nurse, or clinical social work-
erwill help identify the type and severity of the depression and will
work with a patient to set goals for recovery.
Talk therapy is useful in many ways. It carves out time when an
individual can intensely focus on thoughts and feelings with the
guidance of a skilled and impartial listener. Some goals of talk
therapy are to
Understand a mood disorder
Overcome fears or insecurities
Cope with stress
Make sense of past traumatic experiences
Separate a true personality from the mood swings caused by
illness
Identify triggers that worsen symptoms
Improve relationships with friends and family
Establish a stable, dependable routine
Develop a plan for coping with crisis
44
Treatment of Depression and Bipolar Disorder
End destructive habits, such as drinking, using drugs, and

risky sex
Address symptoms such as changes in eating or sleeping habits
or increased levels of anxiety, anger, or irritability
Develop a relationship with a trusted resource1
TYPES OF TALK THERAPY

There are many types of talk therapy, and the practice has evolved
with increased understanding of mood and human emotions. When
psychotherapy was first practiced by Freud, patients committed years
to the process. It was time-consuming and very expensive, so benefi-
ciaries of the practice were largely limited to the upper classes. Today,
talk therapies are short-term and targeted, with the aim of helping
people achieve independent and productive lives as efficiently as
possible. Two of the most popular forms of goal-oriented therapy are
cognitive behavior therapy and interpersonal therapy.2
Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Cognitive behavior therapy is based on the view that pessimistic
thoughts can significantly contribute to depression. Negative think-
ing is a pattern that can be broken if depressed people can step away
from their pessimistic perspective, according to cognitive therapists.
Negative thought patterns include the following:
CatastrophizingExpecting the worst to happen at all times.
Ive been feeling tired lately so I must be depressed!
OvergeneralizingSeeing one small misstep as the beginning
of a downfall. I hit two foul balls during practice today. Im
never going to play baseball well.
PersonalizingThinking that everything is your own fault or
goes awry because of something you did wrong. My boss is
very quiet today. I wonder if hes mad at me.
All-or-nothing thinkingEither people or things are great or
they are a disaster, with no middle ground. If I cant get
straight As, then Im never going to get into a good college, so
my life will be a failure.
45
EmotionalizingAllowing emotions to cloud judgment. If

Im not invited to this party, it means that no one wants to be
around me.
FilteringHearing only the negatives and not the positives in
a conversation. I got the silver medal in the arts show. Im
second rate.
Cognitive behavior therapists work with patients to break old
thought patterns and replace them with more realistic ones. It is a
short-term and goal-oriented therapy that requires willing participa-
tion by the patient. Cognitive behavior therapy can also be used with
people who are suffering from both milder and major depression.
Interpersonal Therapy and Other Therapies

Interpersonal therapy is another popular talk therapy technique. It
brings to light old conflicts about key occurrences in the patients life,
such as those involving loss or grief, transitions, and conflict. It gives
people tools to work through troubled relationships or events that
may cause or deepen depression. Interpersonal therapy, like cogni-
tive therapy, usually lasts from twelve to twenty sessions3 and is
designed to give a patient a hand during a particularly stressful time
in his or her life.
Other talk therapies include group therapy, couples therapy, and
family therapy. The therapeutic process gives patients a safe outlet for
expressing feelings. It aims to change negative thoughts and behavior
patterns. For those diagnosed with major depression, therapy can
provide a crucial support in monitoring their moods while medica-
tion is being adjusted. It can also be a relief to patients to know that
in times of mood change, which can make anyone feel out of control,
they can depend on a reliable professional to help them cope. This is
one of the reasons why its important for someone who has
been diagnosed with major depression to complete a course of
therapy.
46
REBALANCING BRAIN CHEMISTRY WITH

MEDICATION
For people with mild to moderate depression, talk therapy alone can
facilitate recovery, but those with more serious depression or with
bipolar disorder require medication in addition to therapy. For these
people, a skilled psychiatrist is an indispensable part of the treatment
team. Matching mood disorders to medications is a sophisticated
science, especially at a time when an increasing number of medica-
tions are available for the treatment of depression. The category of
medications used to treat mood disorders is known as psychotropic
drugs.
Psychotropic Drugs
In the 1960s, there were many major milestones in the discovery and
development of psychotropic drugs and the understanding of how
they work in the brain. During this era, scientists also honed their
knowledge of neurotransmitters, chemical messengers between
nerve cells in the brain. They established the relationship between
insufficient levels of neurotransmitters, and depression and were able
to name some of the principal neurotransmitters: norepinephrine,
serotonin, and dopamine.
All major psychotropic drugs, such as antidepressants and anti-
psychotic medications, affect the releasing and re-absorbing of
neurotransmitters among neurons in the brain. Antidepressants
come in three main categories:
Tricyclic antidepressants
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
With all of these medicines, patients must take doses for at least
three to four weeks before they benefit fully from them. Many people
think that being on a psychotropic medication will give them a
high or make them an addict. In reality, this class of medication is
not addictive and simply helps the person taking it from feeling the
crushing effects of major depression. As one person put it: I thought
that medication was going to make me weird or an addict. But after
a few months of taking it I only feel better. There is no high. I just
47
feel a lot less depressed and able to cope with life. I can deal with
4
things that used to make me cry and want to hide.
Tricyclic antidepressants
Tricyclics were the first known group of antidepressants. They
increase the amount of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepi-
nephrine in the brain, lessening depression. Tricyclics were a
breakthrough in psychotropic medications, but they had many unde-
sirable side effects, including blurred vision and weight gain. For
some people with bipolar disorder, tricyclics can trigger a manic
state. In addition, these drugs may pose a risk to patients with heart
disease and can be fatal if overdosed intentionally. Some widely pre-
5
scribed tricyclics are Elavil, Norpramin, and Tofranil.
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)

The MAOIs keep the level of neurotransmitters high within the brain
by inhibiting (preventing) their chemical breakdown. Specifically,
this type of antidepressant works on the neurotransmitters epineph-
rine, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Though they have proven to be
highly effective, MAOIs are infrequently prescribed because of their
serious side effects. Many foods and medications must be avoided by
people taking this drug. One of the chief side effects of the drug is a
6
fatal rise in blood pressure if guidelines arent followed strictly.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

SSRIs are the newest and most popular types of antidepressant
medications because they have fewer side effects than MAOIs or
tricyclic antidepressants. Developed in the 1980s, SSRIs improve
mood by increasing the amount of the chemical messenger sero-
tonin, which travels between nerve cells in the brain. Whereas
tricyclic antidepressants focused on three transmitters associated
with moodserotonin, dopamine, and norepinenephrineSSRIs
concentrate on just one. SSRIs usually take three to six weeks to
become fully effective and to improve depression. One of their chief
benefits is that this class of antidepressants can be safely taken with
most other medications. People who use SSRIs describe feeling more
stable, outgoing, trusting, and less hostile.
48
However, SSRIs do have one unwanted side effect. Many who

take SSRIs find that there are changes in sexual functioning or a loss
of sex drive. In fact, research shows that between 20 and 45 percent
of people experience a decline in their ability to enjoy sex when they
take SSRIs. Those who find this particular aspect of SSRIs intolerable
frequently chose to take the non-SSRI medication Wellbutrin, which
has little or no effect on sexual function or performance.7
Teens and SSRIs When SSRIs were first introduced to the pub-
lic, many physicians saw the drugs as an important new tool in the
struggle against teen suicide. From 2002 to 2003, antidepressant pre-
scriptions for teens rose by 36 percent. However, public awareness
about the use of SSRIs in teens increased not because the medication
was linked to suicide prevention, but because it was linked to actual
suicide in several widely reported cases. By October 2004, the Food
and Drug Administration established its strongest warninga
black box warningabout SSRIs. (Such warnings are called black
box warnings because they are printed within strong black lines.)
Since then, teen SSRI antidepressant use has dropped about 10 per-
cent a year. There is still controversy about use of SSRIs and teens
among public health experts. Many felt that the FDA was justified,
but others say that the federal agency buckled unnecessarily to
unfounded public opinion and that teens are the losers in this debate.
Most practitioners who care for teens still consider SSRIs a critical
and valuable medication responsible for saving many lives.8
Finding the Right Antidepressant Medication

Since 2005, advances in medical science have produced new medica-
tions that can relieve unnecessary emotional distress and allow many
people to be much more productive with an improved mood.
Recurrent stresses and distress produce depression by depletion of
neurotransmitter chemicals in the brain.
After a few months of stresses and distress, it is sometimes very
difficult for a person to make sufficient changes on his own in order
to relieve the depletion of neurotransmitters. Many people react by
numbing their feelings and emotional distress with alcohol or mari-
juana. Others use stimulants like speed as a short-term fix, which
actually further deplete the neurotransmitters. One useful mecha-
49
nism to improve neurotransmitters is very frequent exercise. Many

people over fifty years old already have relative depletion of neu-
rotransmitters, and they usually find that appropriate medication is
9
a great benefit.
The outward signs of depression differ by age and gender. One
commonly repeated saying is that Women often get sad, but men get
mad. Men show anger and frustration, and may be easily upset.
Women may experience worry, fear, and little joy in life.
So, what are the downsides of such antidepressant medications?
There are about a half dozen common ones that have been used with
many years of clinical success. Most doctors would agree that there
is nothing to loseand everything to gainby prescribing them and
seeing which one is best for an individual. Doctor visits are required,
but this necessary investment in time is more than worth the
improvement in quality of life. Of the most commonly prescribed
antidepressants, it is likely that only one or two would optimally
benefit a person with minimal side effects. So, it is often necessary to
try a few different ones before finding the one with no side effects
and its best dose for the individual. It usually takes a few days to be
sure side effects are absent, and a few weeks to know if the medicine
helps the person. Sometimes the doctor needs to increase the dose
for better results, or prescribes another antidepressant.
It is important that during treatment with such antidepressant
medication, which may last a few months or years, the patient
reports to the prescribing doctor if he or she has suicidal thoughts or
more suicidal thoughts than usual. After taking such medication for
a while, some patients no longer feel its necessary to continue taking
their medication. However, such patients should not simply stop tak-
ing it without first talking to their physician.
Most individuals who have found the right medicine and their
best dose can expect to feel more joy in life and spend less time feel-
ing angry, discontented, distressed, sad, and easily upset. After a few
weeks they may feel more comfortable, at ease, tolerant, and may be
more flexible; they might also feel easygoing and have a more posi-
tive attitude. With a brighter outlook, they can have more coping
ability, overall effectiveness, and employability.
50
The physician may start with Prozac (fluoxetine), then try other
drugs like Wellbutrin or Paxil (paroxetine). A trial of each may be
given as a half dose for a few days (watching for unacceptable side
effects), a full dose for a month, then if no effect, a higher dose for
another month. Obviously it may take time to find the best medica-
tion and the right dose.10, 11
MEDICATION FOR BIPOLAR DISORDER

Just as antidepressant medications changed the lives of people suffer-
ing from major depression, the drug lithium enabled people with
bipolar disorder to regain control over their moods. It was first pre-
scribed for widespread use in the United States in the early 1970s. In
fact, the ancient Roman physician Soranus of Ephesus noticed that
when patients with emotional problems drank water from the alka-
line springs in the area, their state of mind improved. Today, those
springs, located in Italy and other places in southern Europe, are
known for their lithium content.12
Lithium
Lithium is effective at controlling mood swings in all types of bipolar
disorder (Bipolar I, Bipolar II, rapid cycling), and has proven effec-
tive in 60 to 70 percent of the people who take it. People who take
lithium must get regular blood tests. If it is too concentrated in the
blood, lithium can become toxic and even deadlyand if the dose
isnt high enough, it is ineffective.
Lithium begins to ease the symptoms of bipolar disorder about a
week after people first take it. Because it flushes easily out of the body
with urination, it must be taken regularly, generally several times a
day. No one knows exactly why this naturally occurring element is so
effective at controlling cycles of mania and depression. Most people
with bipolar disorder tolerate prescription lithiums potential side
effects well. These can include thirst, weight gain, some muscular
tremors, and feeling in a fog.
Anticonvulsant Medications
Those people with bipolar disorder who find that the side effects of
lithium outweigh its benefits are often prescribed various forms of
51
valproic acid for relief of their symptoms. Valproate, also known as

valproic acid, is an anticonvulsant medication that was originally
13
used to treat seizure disorders such as epilepsy. Valproic acid,
known in its most popular commercial form as Depakote, has also
come into use as a mood stabilizer. Side effects of valproic acid can
include hair thinning and significant weight gain. This medication
can also irritate the liver, a more dangerous consequence of its use.
Depakote levels in the blood must be regularly monitored, as with
14
lithium, so people who take it should have regular blood tests.
Newer types of anticonvulsant medications include lamotrigine, sold
as Lamictal, and topiramate, sold as Topamax.
Another frequently prescribed mood stabilizer for bipolar disor-
der is a class of drug called carbamazepine and manufactured
15
by pharmaceutical companies as Tegretol, Carbatrol, or Atretol.
Regarded chiefly as backup medications for those who cant tolerate
either lithium or valproic acid, these medications can bring unwant-
16
ed side effects, specifically nausea and mild problems with memory.
Antipsychotics
During the manic phase of bipolar disorder, people can experience
profoundly disordered thinking, such as delusions or hallucinations.
This type of skewed thinking is called psychosis. During an episode
of psychosis people who are delusional might imagine that they have
great creative powers and will become a rock star or a famous paint-
er. People with hallucinations see or hear things that arent really
present. A group of medications called antipsychotics brings this
thinking under control. Clozaril (marketed as Clozapine), risperi-
done (sold as Risperdal) and Olanzapine (brand name Zyprexa) are
17
all antipsychotic medications that are currently in use. Doctors
generally prescribe this class of drugs as a temporary measure to
calm a patient enough to create a treatment plan. Unlike lithium or
anticonvulsant medications, the antipsychotics are generally not part
of a lifetime care regimen.
Electroconvulsive Therapy: If All Else Fails

What happens when patients with depression or bipolar disorder
dont respond to medication? If people are at the point of being
52
suicidal or hospitalized because medication fails to control their

depression, physicians may recommend a course of electroconvul-
sive therapy (ECT) sessions. Patients receiving ECT are administered
general anesthesia to relax their muscles and prevent a full seizure. A
physician then uses an ECT machine to artificially produce a seizure
in the brain, sparking the production of neurotransmitters and mod-
erating mood. Because ECT was often overused and misused when
it was first introduced in the 1950s, many people still consider it
barbaric. But modern use of ECT is much safer and more targeted
because the medical devices used to implement it have been refined
and deliver a much milder electrical charge. While the procedure
does cause some temporary loss of short-term memory, it can also
save lives.
CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS
Once medication or other therapy has stabilized mood, its important
to establish a regular schedule of sleeping and waking to help regu-
late the natural rhythms of the body, called the circadian rhythms. As
daytime (diurnal) creatures, humans have evolved to be awake and
active during the day and asleep at night when it is dark out.
Reversing that pattern can sometimes produce the symptoms of
depression even if people have no history of family depression.
Circadian rhythms are established by a clock in the brain.
Every morning when people wake up, light enters their eyes. The
light sends a signal to the brain, letting the brain know where it is in
a twenty-four-hour day. That first cue of light is essential for estab-
lishing the proper timing of melatonin hormone release in the
human body.
Waking up and exposing oneself to daylight also sets a clock in
the body that gives people a full days worth of mental alertness and
energy. As light fades, people begin to slow down until at night,
about sixteen hours after they first awoke, peoples brains begin to
produce the hormones, such as melatonin, that lull them to sleep.
They sleep for a consolidated period of about eight hours, and the
process begins again in the morning.
When circadian rhythms are shifted, people dont function as
well. One example of this is jet lag. Flying from one time zone into
53
another causes loss of sleep and, more critically, it confuses the brain.
Suddenly, day is moved forward or back three to twelve hours, dis-
turbing circadian rhythms and the hormone release cycle. People
with jet lag often feel exhausted, irritable, and even a bit depressed
all responses to shifting circadian rhythms. Since fluctuating sleep
patterns are associated with bipolar disorder, its important for
patients with bipolar disorder to stick to a regular sleep-wake sched-
ule and for their daylight hours to be active ones that include exercise
18
and nutritious food.
SOCIAL RHYTHM THERAPY

Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT) is a treatment
program that stresses maintaining a regular schedule of daily
activities and stability in personal relationships as an effective
therapy for bipolar disorder. One study conducted by researchers at
the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that IPSRT
helped prevent symptoms over a two-year period.
Therapists who use IPSRT recommend it because theyve found
that disruptions in daily routines and problems in interpersonal rela-
tionships can trigger manic and depressive episodes in people with
bipolar disorder. During the treatment, therapists help patients
understand how changes in daily routines and the quality of their
relationships with friends and family can sometimes worsen or
improve their symptoms. Awareness of the stress that certain situa-
tions can bring helps people manage their relationships better.
Our study shows that this form of psychotherapy is helpful to
many people with bipolar disorder, said Ellen Frank, PhD, professor
of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, and principal investigator
of the study. Second, it shows that the type of psychotherapy we
choose for a patient should depend on the individuals circumstanc-
es. Treatment for bipolar is not one-size-fits-all. We have shown that
19
IPSRT is a powerful tool in the prevention of illness recurrence.
EXERCISE AND MOOD

One way to help sleep and improve mood is to exercise daily. People
who exercise have more consolidated sleep, meaning that they
54
experience fewer awakenings throughout the night. Aerobic exercise,

which gets the heart beating quickly, triggers the release of hormones
called endorphins that make people feel good and lift their mood.
Exercise such as running, brisk walking, biking, playing basketball,
dancing, or swimming all boost mood by releasing not only endor-
phins but also the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine.
One study in Canada demonstrated that aerobic exercise three to five
times a week was as effective as an SSRI medication. Together with
talk therapy, SSRIs and exercise are the mainstay of treatment. A
good combination of activities is an aerobic exercise followed by a
few minutes of yoga, stretching, or gentle breathing so that the body
can fully relax and benefit from the activity.20
FOOD AND MOOD

For several decades, researchers have been exploring connections
between what people eat and their state of mind. Eating a variety of
nutritious foods, such as whole grains, low-fat dairy products, fresh
fruits, and leafy green vegetables is beneficial for anyone, but espe-
cially for people facing the challenges of a mood disorder.
People with major depression often struggle with unwanted
weight loss, especially if anxiety accompanies the depression. The
loss of appetite can take a toll on energy and cause enough of a
weight drop to make someone appear ill or frail. Nutritionists recom-
mend eating protein to rebuild cells and gain strength while also
increasing fat content. For someone dropping body fat, leafy green
vegetables and fresh fruits should be supplemented with high-fat
foods such as cheeseburgers and fries.21
One nutrient that is especially important for treating depressives
is vitamin C. Investigators in India gave people with the brain disease
schizophrenia large amounts of vitamin C. These researchers found
significant improvement in the mood of the patients. They also
found success with vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids, found in cold-
water fish. Other scientists have recreated their findings, especially
those involving omega-3 fatty acids.22
Vitamin supplements and healthy eating are not a substitute for
medications. They lay the groundwork for overall health, which
improves mood and quality of life for anyone. As important as
55
healthy eating is the elimination of drugs that can complicate mood

disorders. Replacing caffeine and alcohol with healthier drinks, such
as fruit juice or water is a good place to begin. Alcohol contains many
calories and no nutrients; moreover, it is a mood depressant, and
anyone on psychotropic medication should consult with a doctor
before using any alcoholeven in small quantities. Because anticon-
vulsant medications often cause weight gain, people taking them
should make an extra effort to exercise and eat a low-fat, high-fiber
diet.
56
Chapter 6
LIVING WITH
DEPRESSION AND
BIPOLAR DISORDER
A
fter an episode of depression or mania has passed and people
are stabilized on medication, they find themselves not at the
end but at the beginning of a long road. Managing major
depression or bipolar disorder is a lifetime commitment. Once some-
one has been properly diagnosed and treated, the mood disorder
does not vanish. People with depression and bipolar disorder are
particularly vulnerable in the first months after diagnosis, when they
are getting used to new medications and adjusting to a different life-
style, and that vulnerability includes increased risk of suicide.
So, what is necessary to turn the corner and live a healthy and
balanced life, even in the face of a lifetime mood disorder? Studies
show that people who can accept their genetic blueprint and do all
they can to take care of themselves do the best. The most successful
make lifestyle changes to minimize the impact of their condition.
These adjustments include taking medication faithfully, maintaining
contact with a therapist, sticking to a regular schedule, paying atten-
tion to diet and exercise, and being vigilant about keeping stress to a
minimum. Many make the mistake of going off their medicines
1
when they feel better.
57
THE MOOD CHART

Self-awareness is one important part of maintaining a healthy
mood. A mood chart is an indispensable tool for keeping track of
the highs and lows of daily energy levels and feelings. It also encour-
ages reflection on mood, turning the thought, Life is exhausting, and
Ill never keep up into I can see that my mood is down today and so is
my energy. Thats why Im having negative thoughts.
A useful mood chart will include a place to check off medications
taken, a section to record hours of sleep each night, and an area
where significant or stressful events can be briefly noted (i.e.,
Argument with friend today). The largest section of the chart, how-
ever, should include a place to write in daily notations about
moodspecifically, mania, depression, and anxietyand to describe
the intensity of each mood, from mild to severe. In a well-maintained
mood chart, patterns of mood quickly emerge. For example, if it
becomes clear that a female patients moods are shifting during her
menstrual cycles, a physician will want to know that information to
2
be able to evaluate how well her medication is working.
THE IMPORTANCE OF ROUTINES

When peoples moods shift continually, its often hard to establish
routines, so people with depression and bipolar disorder, especially
the latter, frequently lack consistency in their lives. Routines benefit
all people, but especially those with depression, for several reasons:
They create a sense of external order and stability, they enable
greater productivity, and theyre energy savers. If people establish a
routine for taking their medication (for example, placing daily doses
in a special medication container, labeled with the days of the week),
they increase the likelihood of actually taking their pills.
Routines can be a challenge. They go against the grain of a life
with bipolar disorder, which is characterized by shifts and swings of
high energy, spontaneity, and manic sociability followed by a period
of sluggish inactivity. People with bipolar disorder can perceive rou-
tines as boring after the drama of manic highs and crashes.
Nevertheless, people with bipolar disorder can benefit from routines
perhaps more than any other group because, as mood shifts, routine
58
Living With Depression and Bipolar Disorder
can bring order to lives that would otherwise feel out of control.
Helpful routines might include:
Eating dinner with family, or at least having one weekend fam-
ily dinner when everyone can get together.
Taking a walk every day, either in the morning or at night.
Reading every night before bed (and perhaps having a
subscription to a favorite magazine with which to relax).
Packing a lunch for work or school to boost nutrition and
eliminate excess calories.
Choosing all outfits for the week on a Sunday and making sure
your clothing is clean and ready to go in order to make morn-
ingsthe most difficult time of the day for people with
depressionmore manageable.3
SLEEP
Sleep problems are one of the symptoms of depression and bipolar
disorder. Sleep and mood are intertwined, and people who live with
depression and bipolar disorder experience irregular sleep patterns
and disturbed circadian rhythms. Insomnia, especially, is very com-
mon among depressed patients, but so is hypersomnia, which is
oversleeping. According to the National Sleep Foundation, not only
do people with depression experience insomnia, but people who
dont get the correct amount of high-quality sleep in the right time-
frame can become depressed; in fact, they run a ten-fold risk of
doing so.4
Many people with chronic depression know well the feeling of
lying in bed, waiting to fall asleep (sleep onset insomnia). Many also
know firsthand the frustration of the most common sleep disturbance
that accompanies depression, early morning waking (sleep mainte-
nance insomnia). Typically, people with this problem fall asleep but
find themselves suddenly awake at about 3:00 a.m., often feeling anx-
ious.
Many psychiatrists hesitate to add prescription sleep aids to the
mix of medications that their patients with depression or bipolar
disorder are already taking. However, people need not rely on sleep-
ing pills. Good sleep habits can help ensure a restful nights sleep.
59
Like dental hygiene, sleep hygiene must be learned and practiced

regularly to be beneficial, but just a few weeks practice can yield
impressive improvement. Sleep hygiene rules suggested by the
National Sleep Foundation include the following:
Create a restful sanctuary in the bedroom, saving it for sleep
only. Do not bring work into the bedroom or watch TV there.
Remove anything that projects artificial light, including televi-
sions. A clock with illuminated numbers should be turned
toward the wall. The most restful color for a bedroom is blue.
Invest in a good set of curtains or blinds to totally block out all
light. Humans have evolved to be in total darkness at night, so
keep the bedroom free from street lights.
Establish a restful bedtime routine. Your brain needs about an
hour to wind down before bed and start releasing sleep-induc-
ing hormones. Turn off the computer and television, which are
too stimulating, sixty minutes before bed. Take a bath, read, or
drink some herbal tea while listening to soothing music.
If you cant sleep in the middle of the night, dont toss and
turn in bed. Get up and sit in another room. If something
is bothering you, write in a journal, ending with the words, I
will deal with this tomorrow when Im rested. Then, distract
yourself with a calm activity. Reading is best because the back-
and-forth movement of the eyes during reading mimics the
motion of eyes during REM sleep, the stage in which dreaming
occurs.
Exercise is a fantastic aid to sleep. Exercising at least two to
three hours before sleep encourages a deeper sleep with fewer
awakenings.5 Exercising vigorously too close to bedtime can
prove overly stimulating and disruptive to sleep, however.
STRESS
Stress is intertwined with mood disorders in complex ways. Many of
the changes in brain chemistry that can be seen in a depressed per-
son actually are caused by an increase in the hormone cortisol,
released in response to stress. In fact, recent data shows that nearly
70 percent of depressive episodes are somehow connected to a
60
stressful experience. Researchers also know that repeated stress in

childhood can predispose a person to be especially vulnerable to
depression for the rest of their lives.6
What exactly is stress? Stress is the fight-or-flight reaction that
spurs our bodies to go on hyper alert and produce adrenaline, a hor-
mone the body produces in response to stress. Stress is a physical
response that occurs because of a perceived threat. Thousands of
years ago, the threat was something you could see or feel: wild ani-
mals or another tangible challenge to survival.
Today, stress is more likely to be activated by people or situations
that cause feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, or insecurity. Common
sources of stress include work; conflict with family members, roman-
tic partners, or within other relationships; and thought patterns that
include unreasonably high expectations of oneself or perfectionism.
One reason that stress is so powerful is that the body cant distinguish
between what is real and what is merely perceived. Each day, as we
encounter stress, the body triggers adrenalin release. If this process is
repeated enough, it is bad for mood, the heart, and other organ sys-
7
tems.
Yet, stress is a natural part of life and cannot be avoided. One key
to coping with stress is to recognize which specific situations act as
stress triggers. If you cant steer clear of them altogether, you might
need to do a lot of silent self-talk to get through them. According
to psychologists and psychiatrists, its always important to live one
day at a time and to work one task at a time. Dont try to multitask,
in itself a stressful activity.
Try to be as flexible as possible when dealing with other people
throughout the day. If plans change or someone suddenly has a con-
flict, and youre irritated, ask yourself how much it really matters to
shift gears. Try not to be overly critical of yourself or others.
Compassion, self-acceptance, and optimism can go a long way
toward reducing the stress that one feels throughout the day.8 For
people recovering from any form of depression, controlling stress is
the key to getting better. Stress leads to negative thinking and depres-
sion, all counter to a positive outlook. The following tips for coping
with stress are from the nonprofit organization Mental Health
America:
61
Share your feelings with a friend if you feel stressed, anxious,

or threatened.
Visualize a very positive or peaceful scene while closing your
eyes and breathing deeply. Really imagine every aspect of your
surroundings from imagery to smells and sounds. Relax com-
pletely before opening your eyes again.
If you are having a stressful day, take a break and find a quiet
spot where you can meditate for a few minutes until you clear
your mind.
Remember that your doctor is a resource for you. If a stressful
occurrence seems to be triggering an episode, contact him or
9
her immediately and make an appointment.
THE CONTINUING DANGER OF SUICIDE

Surprisingly, the beginning of recovery from depression may be an
increased time for risk of suicide. This seems contradictory. Why
would alleviation of the worst symptoms of depression be a time for
suicide? When depression lifts, people often experience a new surge
of energy and sometimes use it to act out their suicidal thoughts and
feelings. Anyone with a mood disorder is at a far greater lifetime risk
for suicide, even if they have been treated for depression by a mental
health professional and prescribed medication. In fact, 90 percent of
people who commit suicide have a mental illness. Of that number,
those who use alcohol or other drugs or exhibit disruptive or aggres-
10
sive behavior are at the most risk.
Suicide is a public health problem that claims 31,000 lives a year
in the United States, with an additional 1.4 million people attempting
suicide. This means that one person takes his or her own life every
sixteen minutes. Suicide is not limited to adults. According to a 2004
study, an estimated 712,000 Americans between the ages of twelve
and seventeen tried to kill themselves in that year. This number
equals 2.9 percent of all Americans in that age range. Suicide rates
have spiked in the last several decades. Between 1952 and 1996 the
rate of suicide climbed by 14 percent for people in this same age
group. Among African-American males aged fifteen to nineteen, the
11
rate skyrocketed by 105 percent.
62
An increase in suicide rates in the United States can be seen, too,

in people in midlife. A 2008 analysis by the federal Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention reported that the suicide rate among
forty-five- to fifty-four-year-olds increased almost 20 percent from
1999 to 2004, the latest year studied. Although women have far lower
suicide rates than men, their suicide rate increased dramaticallyby
31 percentaccording to the federal study. Experts seeking answers
about the increase speculate that increased abuse of prescription
drugsand drug overdosesis one possible explanation. Other pos-
sible causes include the growing pressures of life and the fraying of
12
families and social networks.
Causes of Suicide
Another reason that so many people with depression and bipolar
disorder are at continual risk for suicide is medication holidays, or
lack of compliance with taking prescription medication. Some
patients do not even fill their initial prescriptions, while others may
not be able to afford the medications or might have trouble with side
effects. The compliance ratethe amount that people stick with their
medication regimenis typically between 65 and 80 percent for
patients who take antidepressant medication. It drops to 59 percent
13
for lithium and 48 percent for valproic acid (Depakote).
Working with a therapist is very helpful in encouraging people to
stay on their medication. Also helpful are support groups or home
visits (or follow-up phone calls) from mental health workers. Having
an ongoing relationship with a mental health professional keeps
awareness of mental illness and its hazards and complications top of
mind with people. Equally important is teaching patients to recog-
nize when their condition is worsening and what they can do to
14
prevent a re-hospitalization or suicide attempt. Again, this is why
charting mood and promoting self-awareness of mood is so impor-
tant.
Precautions Against Suicide

When someone seems to be in danger of committing suicide, all
dangerous objects should be removed from their home, and their
medications should be prescribed and dispensed to them in limited
63
doses. Lithium, for example, can be fatal if taken in great quantities.

Family and friends need to remember that the suicidal persons judg-
ment is marred and they need others to act rationally and think for
them during this difficult time. If someone has already had a suicide
attempt or is given to suicidal depression, its important to have an
emergency plan in place detailing who will stay with the suicidal
person, what hospital he or she will be taken to, which doctor will be
contacted, who will care for any dependent children involved, and
other details that would apply to a medical emergency.
Some warning signs for suicide are suicidal threats, withdrawing
from others, moodiness, personality changes, uncharacteristically
risky behavior, a personal crisis (such as a divorce, death, job loss, or
other major setback), giving away possessions, and being at the
beginning stage of recovery from a depressive episode.15
Family members and friends who believe that someone they
know is in danger of committing suicide can implement the following
precautions, recommended by The National Depressive and Manic-
Depressive Association:
Take talk of suicide seriously. Never say, Youll feel better
soon.
Stay calm, but dont underreact.
Involve other people. Dont handle the crisis on your own.
Contact the persons psychiatrist or therapist and give concrete
examples about why you feel your friend or family member is
close to suicide.
When talking to someone who is suicidal, engage them.
Maintain eye contact and move close to them, even holding a
hand if that is appropriate.
Ask direct questions. Find out if your friend or family member
has a specific plan for suicide.
Acknowledge the persons feelings and never judge them.
Reassure them they are not alone and tell them suicide is a
permanent solution for a temporary problem.
Dont promise confidentiality because you cannot provide
that, and it would endanger the persons life.
64
If possible, dont leave the person alone until he or she is in the

hands of a professional(s).16
NEGATIVE THINKING AND ANGER

Suicidal depression is the most dramatic and dire outcome of con-
tinually negative thoughts and feelings. Self-loathing, worry, shame,
and, especially, anger all contribute to negative thinking and depres-
sion. Not only can anger be psychologically destructive, it can wreak
havoc on the body: The cardiovascular system, the endocrine sys-
tem, and certainly human neurology all suffer when pent-up anger
exists. Researchers have found that anger is concentrated in the
region of the brain called the hypothalamus. But that insight doesnt
really give someone either relief from anger or day-to-day guidance
in how to handle it.17
One of the most important tools in coping with anger is learning
how to make it less intensequickly. First, identify what exactly is
making you angry. Slow down and reflect. Having done this, allow a
limited period of time, about two days, to feel upset and angry. Dont
try to swallow the anger, which will only make it explode later on.
During these two days, vent your anger to a sympathetic ear. After
that, begin releasing the anger by writing in a journal, exercising, or
doing some deep breathing.
Finally, and only after the anger is lessened, find a brief and non-
abusive way to express your anger to the person who made you
angry. I statements work well, such as I felt angry when you said
(or did) . . . and then fill it in. If the person argues back, just say, I
guess well have to disagree about this and walk away. Learning to
release anger without being impulsive, destructive, or self-destruc-
18
tive is a priceless tool in balancing mood.
BALANCING WORK, PLAY, AND REST

Feeling depressed can drain the joy from once pleasurable activities.
The state of feeling that life lacks pleasure is called anhedonia. This
is a feeling that leaves someone asking, Why bother to live? Once a
patient is stabilized on medication, its important for him or her to
create opportunities for pleasure. In fact, its dire. Medication alone
cannot balance the brain chemistry of depression and bipolar disor-
65
der. If someone who develops depression or bipolar disorder takes

medication but lives in depressing circumstances or is isolated, she
might have a relapse. Medication, sleep, food, and exercise must be
supplemented with experiences that generate pleasure chemicals,
such as serotonin, in the brain. These activities can be simple and
free: a walk in the park, a book club, a community theater group, or
a bike rideall are critical in fighting depression.19
In times of stress or conflict, a wellness tool kit can come in
handy. This is a simple box, a drawer, or a chest that contains items
to help someone relax, reflect, and regain composure. A wellness tool
kit might include an array of items for the body, mind, and spirit: an
iPod with favorite music; a card from friends; pictures of best friends
and family; a journal to reflect on the stresses of the day; a pair of
sneakers for running or playing a sport; a DVD with a movie that
makes you laugh; or a reminder of a special pet.20
If someones days seem like an endless cycle of work, food, and
sleep, then depression can loom large. The activities someone choos-
es should complement their new lifestyle and must exclude irregular
hours, drinking alcohol, or illegal drug use. People should begin by
scheduling pleasurable events once a week and then increasing the
number to three or more if time permits.21
Of all the ways to spend free time, exercise ranks highest on the
list. Researchers have proven that major depressive disorder improves
with regular exercise and is helpful in the long-term management of
the problem. Exercise improves self-perception, sleep, and physical
discomforts, such as aches and pains. In one study, participants
enrolled in an exercise program for two sixty-minute sessions a week
that included a warm-up and a stretching, cool-down. There were
twenty different types of exercise undertaken, for muscles through-
out the body. Participants reported a more elevated mood, which
researchers attributed to increased levels of the neurotransmitter
serotonin.22
66
Chapter 7
WHEN SOMEONE
YOU LOVE HAS
DEPRESSION OR
BIPOLAR DISORDER
K
ay Redfield Jamison is the author of a textbook on bipolar
disorder, a clinical psychologist and professor at a medical
schooland someone who suffers from bipolar disorder. In
her memoir, An Unquiet Mind, she recounts how her manic spend-
ing sprees became so uncontrollable that her brother had to
intervene. Even he, with his PhD in economics from Harvard, found
her piles of bills, bounced checks, letters from collection agencies,
and late notices overwhelming. As Jamison recollects, it took her
brother days to sort out the mess. After that, he took out a personal
loan to pay Jamisons debt and relieve her of her financial troubles.
Even after he flew home to Boston, across the country from Jamisons
house in southern California, he called her continually to make sure
she was okay, and frequently flew her to Boston to join him for week-
ends. An adult with a doctoral degree of her own, Jamison had
become, in part, her brothers responsibility.1
The relationship between these two siblings illustrates one way
that mental illness impacts a family: The needs of one person can
spill over into other family members lives. When mental illness
affects one person in a family, no one stands untouched. Families
divert resources such as time, physical energy, emotional energy, and
67
money into the task of caring for the sick family member. Often they
repeat these efforts over the course of years, continually coping with
emergencies, doctors, hospitalizations, and insurance companies.
Family members, too, must survive the illness.
COPING WITH MOODS

Both depression and bipolar disorder pose challenges to relationships.
It is painful and stressful to witness loved ones out of control or find
them emotionally absent because of their illness. Seeing someone in
a manic state is frightening because he or she can become abusive
and even violent.
2
Miranda, a teenager, has a father who has bipolar disorder.
I grew up with three fathers in the same person, she recalls. The
first was a very responsible and loving dad, really, a kind of perfect
dad. He taught art at a local college and was very creative, so he
would paint great murals on our bedroom walls or spend hours
building a tree house that looked like a medieval castle in our back
yard. She remembers her second dad as a scary person. He was
wound up and irritable, she says. He stayed up all night and then
when we were getting ready to go to school, he would go berserk if
one of my brothers or I did the tiniest thing to annoy him. I remem-
ber he once screamed at my younger brother because he spilled a
drop of orange juice on the counter when he was getting some
breakfast. We had to be very careful around him, and we always felt
afraid of him then. Mirandas third dad was her depressed dad.
He always managed to get himself to work, but as soon as he came
home, he crawled into my parents bedroom and didnt come out.
Sometimes I wondered if he was still alive in there, she remembers.
My mother did her best to cope, but the behavior took a toll on all
of us. Mom loved him and didnt want to leave him. Sometimes Im
glad and other times I wonder why she subjected me to that.
Miranda feels that one key to coping with her fathers illness is
realizing that he doesnt want to experience these changes in his
mood. Being out of control and knowing that he is inflicting harm on
his children is painful for him, too. Yet when he is experiencing
mania, no amount of reasoning can bring him out of that state. This
68
When Someone You Love Has Depression or Bipolar Disorder
can be hard for the families of patients with bipolar disorder to

accept.
People with mood disorders cannot pull themselves out of a
given mental state any more easily than someone can overcome an
epileptic seizure or a heart attack by will. Dismissing the feelings of
someone with a mood disorder, telling them to snap out of it or to
pull yourself together is futile and will only make matters worse.
Family and friends of people with depression and bipolar disorder
can only gain perspective on these diseases once they begin to
understand and accept what their loved one is struggling with.
DENIAL
When mental illness first emerges, family members often want to
blame the problems on individuals or external events: a bad breakup
with a boyfriend or girlfriend, unfair teachers who are grading too
harshly, police who too readily bust a kid for speeding or drug use.
Some families know very little about mental illness, while others
know a lot in theory but have difficulty applying their knowledge to
3
one of their own. Hillary suffered from depression in high school
and remembers well how her parents denial almost cost her her life.
I had been the classic good girl in high school, Hillary says. I
had straight As, was the captain of the field hockey team, and in my
parents eyes I was heading for a top college, she recalls. I have an
older sister who was working two hours away in New York City, and
I started calling her and telling her that I was crying all the time and
felt so sad. I know she called my parents and tried to get me help, but
my dad kept saying, Its just the pressure of junior year. Shell snap
out of it. Its like he thinks he would be a total failure if his kid went
to see a psychiatrist. My sister came home for Thanksgiving and
flipped out when she saw me, Hillary remembers. Id lost about
fifteen or twenty pounds that fall because I just didnt feel like eating
anything, and I was a stick. I remember her standing in the kitchen
and really going at it with my dad and screaming at him for not
getting me help. Then, she packed me into the car and drove me to
the emergency room at the nearest medical center. My sister saved
me.
69
Many families think that if stressors, like a demanding junior

year of high school, can be removed, then the problem will always go
away. Explanations like this serve two purposes: They direct the
cause of the illness away from the family, and they make major
depression seem temporary when, in fact, it is a genetic and lifelong
4
health issue.
STIGMA
One reason that families often deny the existence or severity of men-
tal illness among them is stigma. People feel that if one family
member is identified as having a mental disorder, the family is
marked and its shameful secret will be revealed. The word stig-
ma literally means to be branded. Unfortunately, many myths and
misconceptions about mental illness persist. People who are depressed
or have bipolar disorder may be seen as unreliable or somehow
flawed by friends and neighbors who have little knowledge or sophis-
tication about mental illness. Keeping the reality of the family a
secret can result in isolation.
Miranda, whose father has bipolar disorder, remembers that as a
child she didnt want to invite friends over in case her father spun out
of control. She later learned that many of her school friends parents
had known about her fathers condition and forbade their children
from coming to her house. Miranda stopped receiving invitations to
play with other kids because she was seen as somehow tainted by
her fathers illnesseveryone kept their distance, isolating her and
her siblings even more.
Isolation is ruinous to families with a mentally ill family mem-
ber. These families need support, understanding, and extra help
from friends, relatives, and neighborsboth emotional buttressing
and aid with daily tasks such as shopping for food and cooking
meals, keeping a household in order, and even filling out health
insurance forms. A familys needs peak during times of crisis. If a
parent is ill, who is going to take the kids to school and cook them
dinner while the other parent copes? If a sibling is ill and needs the
attention of both parents, who will comfort and care for the remain-
ing children?
70
When someone they love is ill, families require extra support.

Sadly, while communities often provide an outpouring of support for
families coping with cancer or another chronic disease, they often
back away from families impacted by mental illness because of the
5
social stigma attached to emotional disorders.
PROBLEMS WITHIN THE FAMILY

Living with someone who has depression or bipolar disorder creates
serious challenges for all members of the family and can alter rela-
tionships between family members. The siblings of a teen with
depression or bipolar disorder can suddenly find themselves side-
lined as the parents turn all their attention to getting help for the ill
6
child. This can mean anything from spending nights with friends
and neighbors to coping with the anger of feeling abandoned by par-
ents. Other children in a family may feel jealous of the ill child
because he or she is the star for the moment, receiving the bulk of
the parents attention.
A LIFE ON HOLD: CODEPENDENCY

Stolen years and a life on hold: These are frequently the price of liv-
ing with a mentally ill person and coping with their ups and downs.
Sometimes the burden can be too much to bear. Caregivers and fam-
ily members may become angry, anxious, depressed, and exhausted.
They can experience sleeplessness, irritability, lack of concentration,
and even health problems as a result of the cumulative strain. The
depression of one family member can be an engulfing force that is
difficult to keep at bay.
Codependency is one of the most treacherous aspects of living
with a mentally ill person, a drug addict, or an alcoholic (and these
problems often coincide). People who are codependent have an over-
developed and even inappropriate sense of responsibility for those
around them. Its easier for them to become perpetual caretakers and
to be concerned with others feelings rather than their own. They
arent truly selfless, just numb to their own needs and automatically
focused on those of others. Codependent people often confuse love
with rescue or pity, which leads them down the road of ill-fated
7
relationships.
71
Casey grew up with a clinically depressed mother who self-

treated her depression with alcohol. A current college student, she
identifies herself as being a codependent person in her mothers
recovery.
No matter what I did growing up, my mom didnt get well, and
I blamed myself on some level, Casey says. I loved her and I hated
herand I always felt guilty about this. She was often drunk, and she
was very dysfunctional. Thank God my father was a lawyer who
earned a good living because he hired a great housekeeper who was
there 24/7 to take care of me and my brother and make sure that
Mom didnt burn down the house. Casey remembers being filled
with so many confusing and powerful emotions that she was too
young to handle and coping by feeling nothing. I also latched onto
every loser guy I could find trying to help him or make him happy.
Thats what I thought I deserved. I didnt even realize I was pretty.
When I was voted Prettiest eyes in high school, I almost fell over.
Casey and her father both joined an Al-Anon group run by
Alcoholics Anonymous. They found support and understanding
thereand realized that depression, drug addiction, and alcoholism
often co-exist as problems in families.8
Casey identifies herself as codependent but says that her father
was notand that saved her and her brother from even more emo-
tional damage.
After Mom began drinking heavily, Dad knew that if he stayed
in the house, hed be so worn out from dealing with her that he
wouldnt have been able to take care of us, Casey remembers. So he
moved out and divorced her. He didnt want to drag my brother and
me through a custody battle, so he bought a house down the block
and set up another household there. We had his place, and Moms
place with her housekeeper/caretaker. If it werent for my dad, my
brother and I would have suffered much more.
SELF-CARE
Caregivers cannot fulfill their obligations to their families or to the
mentally ill person unless they first take care of themselves. But how?
In the middle of continual emotional, physical, and financial strain,
it is still possible to maintain ones own physical and mental health
72
with a concerted effort and creative trouble-shooting. Positive steps

toward self-care include:
Enlisting help. Caregivers should learn to rely on others. Get
people to share in the responsibilities. By hiring a housekeeper,
Caseys father brought in another adult to help care for his ex-
wife and raise his children.
Accept your feelings. Mental illness is stressful and unpleasant.
It produces feelings of anger and frustration in loved ones and
can create rifts in families and even within a single person.
Half of that person may want to flee while the other half wants
to stay and help. Sitting on feelings only makes them explode.
Caseys father accepted the fact that he could no longer live
with her mother and survive, so he crafted an imaginative
solution by moving just down the block. If he had forced him-
self to remain in the house, his anger and frustration might
have made the home environment even more toxic.
Seek advice and support. Support groups and well-qualified
therapists abound. A good place to start is with a well-known
national or local support group with a good reputation.
Medical centers often provide support groups for families of
behavioral health patients. They also provide referrals to psy-
chiatrists, psychologists, and mental health workers.
Take time for yourself. When a family is coping with a men-
tally ill person, they can set aside basic needs such as healthy
eating, sleep, exercise, and positive socializing. In fact, self-
care is most important during times of intense stress. Even a
half-hour walk a day, a fruit or vegetable with every meal, and
lots of water can do wonders for increasing stamina and
9
improving mood.
READINESS
Once a family has taken initiative to cope with depression or bipolar
disorder (or other mental illness), there are some concrete steps that
will enable everyone involved to feel more prepared to handle the
ongoing situation, which may include moments of crisis. Neatly
write or type key contact numbers and post them on the refrigerator
73
or bulletin board. These numbers should include a physician, a local

hospital, trusted neighbors, friends and family, and a pharmacy.
Locating a twenty-four-hour pharmacy is always helpful in case a
psychiatrist needs to phone in a prescription.
Keep a written record of all the medications and dosages your
loved one is receiving. On the same sheet, note any special dietary
instructions. For example, lithium should be taken with food or it
will produce nausea.
The ability to identify your loved ones moods before they peak
is very helpful. On a small notepad, write down the warning signs of
depression or mania, including any special words or behaviors. The
onset of mania can be signaled by irritability, rapid speech, new proj-
10
ects, late hours, and grand dreams and schemes.
People heading into mania often use more profanity or sexually
explicit language while those nose-diving into depression might
experience a bout of hypersomnia, sleeping unusually long hours.
Writing down your loved ones behaviors will help you recognize
these signs and symptoms more easily when they reappear.
You should also keep a list of day-to-day chores that you can pass
off to a willing volunteer. If someone says, What can I do to help?
just read from your list and let him or her choose a task like making
11
a dinner, walking the dog, babysitting a child, or mowing a lawn.
YOUNG ADULTS WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER

Because the onset of bipolar disorder is frequently during late ado-
lescence or early twenties, special issues arise. This is normally a time
of increased independence. Most people of this age are moving away
from home and attending college, working, sharing an apartment,
working their way through school, or making other strides toward
independence. Bipolar disorder disrupts these steps toward autono-
my because parents are suddenly thrown into the role of caretaker
once more. The new twist on the relationship raises many questions.
Should young adults with bipolar disorders be supported financially
by their parents? Should they live with them or is it better if a parent
helps fund an apartment for the child? Should a parent be the one to
remind a young adult who has bipolar disorder to take medication?
74
There is no single answer to these questions because family

finances, the severity of the childs illness, and the parents emotional
resources all help determine what arrangement works best for each
family. Remembering that a young adult with bipolar disorder must
be treated as a young adult and not as a child is important. So, too, is
preserving the home as a haven. If the young adult with bipolar dis-
order is abusing drugs, behaving erratically, or refusing to take
medication, it might be better for him or her to be in a more profes-
sionally therapeutic setting, such as a psychiatric hospital or a day
program.12
75
8 Chapter
OUTLOOK FOR
THE F UTURE
T
oday, psychiatrists continue to explore the human mind.
Research into depression, bipolar disorder, and other mental
illnesses is one of the most dynamic fields of medicine. In
laboratories across the world, scientists delve into the structure of the
brain, the specific genes that carry markers for mental illness, and
the relationship between addiction and mental illness.
However, intellectual discovery inside a research facility or uni-
versity-sponsored clinic is only the beginning of developing the
treatment a patient typically receives in a doctors office. At research
centers, experiments and long-term studies abound. Not all the dis-
coveries issuing from them are adopted by physicians as part of a
standard of care, but new hope for better lives begins in research
facilities at major universities across the globe. Eventually, some of
these advances are incorporated into standard psychiatric practice.
Then, individuals suffering from various types of depression benefit
from the research and find relief.
RESEARCH ABOUT DEPRESSION AND BIPOLAR

DISORDER
World-renowned McLean Hospital is a Harvard-affiliated institution
that has earned a global reputation for research into and treatment of
76
Outlook for the Future
mental illness. Its purpose and activities have changed dramatically

since its founding as the McLean Insane Asylum in the nineteenth
century, mirroring the revolution in treatment of mental and mood
disorders. The wide variety of studies undertaken there today is
among the most impressive in the world. The projects at McLean
give a glimpse into cutting-edge research by the top physicians and
scientists in the field of psychiatric disorders.1
One team of researchers at McLean Hospital is working to pin-
point the specific genes that are expressed as bipolar disorder in
genetically susceptible individuals. The goal of the research is to find
drug treatments that are more effective than current drugs. To
accomplish this, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia must be better
understood on the level of genes, cells, and molecules.
One research team explored an area of the brain called the hip-
pocampus, which is responsible for learning and memory. They
found that people with bipolar disorder have defects in the function-
ing of certain cells within the hippocampus that release an amino
acid known as aminobutyric acid or GABA. This amino acid (a pro-
tein) helps control the flow of information in the brain and it plays
an important role in regulating excitability throughout the cells in
the nervous system. This type of research sheds light on why a brain
with bipolar disorder produces different behavior than that of a
2
normal brain.
Another Harvard-sponsored project researches new treatments
for patients who suffer from both bipolar disorder and alcohol
dependence or substance abuse. The study specifically focuses on
women in order to determine whether or not there are gender differ-
ences that are significant in the recovery from both conditions.
Researchers for this project are especially interested in which combi-
nations of medication and psychotherapy work best for women
grappling with both mental illness and drug addiction. Research is
still ongoing.3
The start of the twenty-first century began a new era in child
psychiatry. Before that, most physicians thought that mental illness
never emerged before adolescence and young adulthood. Later, the
idea of childhood mental illness was reevaluated. Its now understood
that children as young as four years old can display the symptoms of
77
bipolar disorder. In fact, studies to explore mental illness have been

known to include patients in preschool through those in college.
One such study that began in 2004 looked at the overlap between
ADHD and bipolar disorder in children and young adults. The study
looked at why these conditions often occur in the same child.
Researchers wondered if there was an underlying problem with the
structure of the brain that in some way contributed to these co-
existing problems. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the
researchers were able to see inside the brains structures and discov-
ered that the brains of children with ADHD and bipolar disorder
actually appear to be different from the brains of children without
4
these symptoms or any family history of these illnesses.
Old age was the focus of a 2006 study conducted at Mount Sinai
School of Medicine in New York. There, researchers found that a his-
tory of depression was associated with an increase in Alzheimers
disease and rapid decline in the ability to think and reason in old age.
Researchers looked carefully at pathways in the neurons and con-
cluded that both major depressive disorder and Alzheimers disease
5
were likely to affect the brains memory-related temporal lobes.
To advance the field of psychiatry, researchers have studied
many categories of people affected by mental illness: the very young,
the very old, women, men, drug addicts, those with family histories
of bipolar disorder/depression, and those without. Scientists have
explored the biological triggers that turn on a depressive state.
They have looked at biological markers on individual genes. Theyve
also tried to assess the genetic transmission of risk factors and peered
into the brain to identify how depression changes the appearance of
the brain through neuroimaging. Scientists have studied animal
models and they have tried to narrow down the reasons why the
depressed brain responds better to some drugs than to others. This
exhaustive exploration of mood and the brain is one of the most
exciting and hopeful avenues in science today. Research into depres-
sion and bipolar disorder is critical for the continued well-being of
our society because mental illness is so widespread.
78
DEPRESSION AND SOCIETY

Without mental health, there can be no society. Families, communities,
schools, hospitals, and workplaces all rely on people who are clear-
thinking, energetic, productive, and responsible. Without medication
to combat symptoms, both depression and bipolar disorder impair
consistent functioning. These conditions can make a daily routine
and the realization of goals nearly impossible to achieve. Untreated,
they constitute a threat to our well-being as a community, as well as
individually.
Unfortunately, mental illness is common both in the United
States and around the world. Each year, physicians diagnose one in
four Americans with a recognized mental illness, or about 57.7 mil-
lion people, according to the 2004 U.S. census. Nearly half of that
number suffers from more than one mental illness at a time.
According to major international healthcare groups, including the
World Health Organization, the economic impact of mental illness
across the globe is greater than that of cancer.6
WHO IS MOST VULNERABLE?

People living amid racism, discrimination, violence, and poverty
have the highest rates of mental illness, according to a report issued
by the surgeon general of the United States in 2000. In fact, those
living with the lowest amount of income and education are two to
three times more likely to suffer from mental illness than those at the
7
top of the society. Why? Living in poverty produces stress and
repeated stress can worsen or even cause mental illness. At the same
time, people in poorer neighborhoods often lack access to high-quality
health care of any type, including mental health care.
Several groups suffer most from the lack of adequate health care.
Mental health services are not always available in their community.
In some cases, language barriers make communication with profes-
sionals too difficult. For many groups, mental illness is still a
shameful occurrence. Individuals feel embarrassed to address the
problems theyre having. The people most lacking critical mental
health services include: African Americans, American Indians and
79
Alaska Natives, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanic

8
Americans.
A BRIGHTER FUTURE
Currently, there are large and unfair differences between the mental
health services available to the underprivileged and those available to
Americans with more resources. Yet, change and improvement are
possible with adequate government support. To dramatically reduce
depression in the U.S., researchers have to conduct large-scale inves-
tigations into the needs of various communities. Treatments and
services that would be most effective for Asians, for example, might
not work as well with Latinos because culture shapes each groups
response to mental illness. Research studies need to determine the
best way for mental health professionals from outside a group to
work with an ethnic community and have a positive result for their
9
efforts rather than being viewed as outsiders.
In addition to determining needs, mental health professionals
can improve access to treatment and delivery of services. One way of
doing this is to make mental health care an overall part of health and
not segregate it into a separate category. For example, when a mother
takes an infant to a clinic for a checkup or shots, she can also be
evaluated for postpartum depression continually. Another important
step might be to identify which patients are most vulnerable to men-
tal illness and begin delivery of care before a problem develops. This
could involve identifying children in foster care or those whose par-
ents are in drug treatment programs, and then supporting them with
individual or group therapy as a preventative measure.
Two other important steps to significantly reduce mental illness
in the U.S. include reducing the cost of care and the stigma attached
to mental illness. Uninsured Americans have virtually no way of
receiving quality health care of any sort, especially mental health
care, unless they enter a hospital through the emergency room. This
is an expensive and wasteful route to mental health care. Satellite
mental health programs, established by major medical centers and
community hospitals in surrounding neighborhoods, could provide
higher-quality care and also raise the profile of mental health. In
80
addition, satellite programs could offer educational programs to

10
schools, religious groups, and families.
VETERANS AND MENTAL HEALTH

Veterans returning from combat face some of the toughest mental
health problems. Fighting in hostile terrain for monthsand even
yearsat a time can make even the most mentally stable person
stressed and depressed. Major depression, anxiety, and post-trau-
matic stress disorder (PTSD) are among the most common mental
health problems suffered by U.S. soldiers. A 2008 article in Time
magazine reported on the new use of Prozac and other antidepres-
sants by American soldiers during combat. The medication was
prescribed by military physicians to help soldiers cope with the stress
of battle. The article concluded that because tours of duty are often
extended, soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have had insuffi-
cient time to recover from their experiences in war before returning
home. The leaves of soldiers are too brief for them to be able to
bounce back from the stress of wartime and there is a significant
risk of mental health problems in these soldiers and that risk was
caused by both poor access to medical care and by the reluctance of
11
soldiers to seek it because of the stigma involved.
The article noted that untreated PTSD in returning solders has
immediate implications for the society, meaning that as solders
return home their state of mental health will impact U.S. society at
12
once.
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

Each day, researchers around the country make new discoveries
about the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of depression and bipolar
disorder. These findings are released to the nations approximately
38,000 psychiatrists through articles in professional journals, lec-
tures, and at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric
Association. Often the road from lab to patient is a long one, because
new ideas need to be refined over time. Since the 1970s, there has
been huge growth in the number of research labs in the United States
studying mental illness. During the same period, society has become
more accepting of depression and bipolar disorder as physically
81
based diseases. Recently, the government has mandated that insur-

ance companies, too, treat these problems as medical conditions and
not place them in a separate category. Yet, despite significant advanc-
es in the field of psychiatry, people with depression and bipolar
disorder have treatable, but not curable conditions. The medications
they take alleviate their symptoms, but do not change the root cause.
Like those living with diabetes, epilepsy, or many other illnesses,
people who have depression and bipolar disorder must work on liv-
ing a life that attends to their body, mind, and spirit in order to
achieve balance and stability.
82
CHAPTER NOTES
What Are Depression and Bipolar Disorder?
1. National Institute of Mental Health, The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in
America, August 10, 2009, <http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-
numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml> (September 30,
2009).
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Mayo Clinic on
Depression: Answers to Help You Understand, Recognize and Manage Depression,
1st ed., ed. Keith Kramlinger, MD, (Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Clinic Health
Information, 2001), Vol. 1, p. 18.
Introduction
1. Sara Kershaw, The Murky Politics of Mind-Body, The New York Times, March
30, 2008, <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/weekinreview/30kers.html>
(September 30, 2009).
numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml> (September 30,
2009).
3. Ibid.
Chapter 1. Straight Talk About Depression and Bipolar Disorder

1. Patient composite is drawn from interviews with psychiatrists who are attending
physicians at medical centers in New Jersey and New York (MarchJuly 2008).
2. Kay Redfield Jamison, An Unquiet Mind (New York: Vintage Books, 1995), p.
150.
3. Rand Corporation, One in Five Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Suffer From
PTSD or Major Depression, April 17, 2008, <http://www.rand.org/news/
press/2008/04/17/> (September 30, 2009).
4. Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, Rising Toll of Depression Measured
in Disability, Death and Dollars, Landmark Mental Health Report Finds, April
17, 2008, <http://www.dbsalliance.org/pdfs/wppressrelease.pdf> (September
30, 2009).
5. Mayo Foundation for Medical Research and Education, Mayo Clinic on
1st ed., ed. Keith Kramlinger, MD, (Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Clinic Health
6. The Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) Report,
Suicidal Thoughts among Youths Aged 12 to 17 with Major Depressive
Episodes, September 9, 2005, <http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k5/suicide>
7. Ibid.
83
8. National Institute of Mental Health, Rates of Bipolar Diagnosis in Youth

Rapidly Climbing, Treatment Patterns Similar to Adults, 2007, <http://www.
nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2007/rates-of-bipolar-diagnosis-in-youth-rapidly-
climbing-treatment-patterns-similar-to-adults.shtml> (September 30, 2009).
9. National Institute of Mental Health, Bipolar Spectrum Disorder May be Under-
recognized and Improperly Treated, 2007, <http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-
news/2007> (September 30, 2009).
10. Jerrold F. Rosenbaum, MD, New Clinical Advances in Depression, May 15,
2001, <http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/420245> (September 30, 2009).
11. Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, The State of Depression in America,
April 17, 2008, <http://www.dbsalliance.org/pdfs/wplowres.pdf> (September
30, 2009).
Chapter 2. History of Depressive Disorders

1. U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Population and Housing: 1840 Census,
n.d., <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/decennial/1840.htm> (September
30, 2009).
2. Ann Palmer, 20th Century History of the Treatment of Mental Illness:
A Review, December 14, 2008 <http://www.mnpsychsoc.org/history%
20appendix.pdf> (September 30, 2009).
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Renato M.E. Sabbatini, PhD, The History of Shock Therapy in Psychiatry, n.d.,
<http://www.cerebromente.org.br/n04/historia/shock_i.htm> (September 30,
2009).
8. Palmer.
9. American Psychiatric Association, DSM-IV (Arlington, Va.: American
Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., 2000), pp. 124138.
10. Sabbatini.
11. Ibid.
12. Joel Braslow, Psychiatric Treatment in the first Half of the 21st Century: Mental Ills
and Bodily Cures, (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press,
1995), p. 94.
13. Bengt Jansson, Controversial Psychosurgery Resulted in a Nobel Prize,
October 29, 1998, <http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/articles/
moniz/index.html> (September 30, 2009).
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. Pete Earley, Living with Mental Illness, USA Today, May 1, 2006, <http://www.
usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2006-05-01-mental-illness_x.htm>
84
Chapter Notes
18. John Crilly, MD, The history of clozapine and its emergence in the U.S.
market, History of Psychiatry, Vol. 18, no. 1, (2007), pp. 3960.
19. Ibid.
20. The Treatment Advocacy Center, Resources: Quick Facts, 2009, <http://www.
treatmentadvocacycenter.org/GeneralResources/index.php?option=com_conte
nt&task=view&id=100&Itemid=123> (September 30, 2009).
21. Ronald R. Fieve, MD, Moodswing, 2nd ed., rev., (New York: Bantam Books
1997), pp. 6062.
22. Ibid.
23. Kay Redfield Jamison, An Unquiet Mind, (New York: Vintage Books, 1995), p.
80.
24. Ibid.
25. The Mayo Clinic: Depression: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs),
December 10, 2008 <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ssris/MH00066>
26. Fieve, p. 65.
Chapter 3. The Science of Depression and Bipolar Disorder

1. Tara W. Strine, et al., Depression and anxiety in the United States: Findings
from the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Psychiatric Services,
December 2008, Vol. 59, pp. 13831390.
2. Ibid.
3. Robert Ornstein and Richard F. Thompson, The Amazing Brain (Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1976), pp. 2141.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
8. Frank I. Tarazi and John A. Schetz, Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders
From Bench to Bedside, Current Clinical Neurology, November 17, 2007,
<http://springerlink.com/content/m6n2451l5mmg1653/?p =ac2dae197120450a
bbd955d77f07133d&pi=9> (September 30, 2009).
9. Mayo Foundation for Medical Research and Education, Mayo Clinic on
1st ed., ed. Keith Kramlinger, MD (Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Clinic Health
10. Ibid.
11. Ibid.
12. Endocrineweb.com, How your Thyroid Works, May 21, 2009, <http://www.
endocrineweb.com/thyfunction.html> (September 30, 2009).
13. Ibid.
14. The National Womens Health Information Center, Depression During and
After Pregnancy, March 6, 2009, <http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/
postpartum.htm#2> (September 30, 2009).
15. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, pp. 129131.
85
16. Ibid.
17. Michael H. Elbert, Peter T. Loosen, and Barry Nurcomb, Current Diagnosis and
Treatment in Psychiatry (New York: Lange Medical Books/McGraw-Hill, 2000),
p. 291.
18. Jen C. Wang, et al., Human Molecular Genetics, September 1, 2004, Vol. 13, pp.
19031911.
numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml#Mood> (September
30, 2009).
Chapter 4. Identifying Depression and Bipolar Disorder

numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml#Mood> (September
30, 2009).
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Alan Langlieb, MD, Mental Illness Exacts Enormous Toll on U.S. Businesses
and Institutions, Hopkins Psychiatrist Finds, November 10, 2000, <http://www.
hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2005/11_10_05.html> (September 30,
2009).
7. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Mayo Clinic On
Depression: Answers to Help You Understand, Recognize, and Manage Depression,
1st ed., ed. Keith Kramlinger, MD (Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Clinic Health
Information, 2001), p. 18.
8. Harvard Health Publications, Depression in Children and Teenagers, May 3,
2008, <http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Depression_in_Children_
and_Teenagers.htm> (September 30, 2009).
9. National Institute of Mental Health, Suicide In the U.S.: Statistics and
Prevention, July 27, 2009, <http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/
suicide-in-the-us-statistics-and-prevention/index.shtml> (September 30, 2009).
10. David J. Milkowitz, The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide (New York: The
Guilford Press, 2002), p. 47.
11. Kay Redfield Jamison, An Unquiet Mind (New York: Vintage Books, 1995), p. 80.
12. Milkowitz, p. 47.
13. National Alliance on Mental Illness, Mental Illnesses: Bipolar Disorder,
October 2006, <http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&
Te m p l a t e = / Ta g g e d P a g e / Ta g g e d P a g e D i s p l a y. c f m & T P L I D = 5 4 &
ContentID=23037> (September 30, 2009).
86
Chapter Notes
14. Joseph A. Lehrer, et al., Depressive Symptoms as a Longitudinal Predictor of

Sexual Risk Behaviors Among U.S. Middle and High School Students,
Pediatrics, July 2006, Vol. 118, pp. 189200.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. Hillary Smith, Bipolar Disorder Risk Factors for Suicide: Which Factors
Increase A Bipolar Patients Risk of Suicide, June 17, 2009, <http://suicide.
suite101.com/article.cfm/bipolar_disorder_risk_factors_for_
suicide#ixzz0QwUJZLOF> (September 30, 2009).
18. Jamison, p. 80.
19. Mental Health America, Factsheet: Depression and Teens, n.d., <http://www.
mentalhealthamerica.net/go/information/get-info/depression/depression-in-
teens> (September 30, 2009).
21. Ibid.
22. Ibid.
Chapter 5. Treatment of Depression and Bipolar Disorder

1. Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, Youve Just Been Diagnosed...
November 26, 2007, <http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename
=about_publications_justdiag> (September 30, 2009).
2. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Mayo Clinic On
Depression: Answers to Help You Understand, Recognize, and Manage Depression,
1st ed., ed. Keith Kramlinger, MD, (Rochester, Minn.: MayoClinic Health
Information, 2001), pp. 8891.
4. Ibid.
5. Michael H. Ebert, MD, Peter T. Loosen, MD, Barry Nurcombe, MD, Current
Diagnosis and Treatment in Psychiatry (New York: Lange Medical Books/
McGraw-Hill, 2000), pp. 3336.
6. Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance.
7. Ibid.
8. Bruce Bower, Prescription for controversy: medications for depressed kids
spark scientific dispute, Science News, March 2006, <http://www.thefreelibrary.
com/Pres cr ipt ion+for+cont roversy :+medicat ions+for+depress ed
+kids+spark...-a0144764150> (September 30, 2009).
9. Personal correspondence with David M.N. Paperny, FAAP, FSAM, December
2008.
10. Ibid.
11. National Institute of Mental Health, Mental Health Medications, September
17, 2009, <http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/mental-health-
medications/complete-index.shtml> (September 30, 2009).
12. Ronald R. Fieve, MD, Moodswing, 2nd ed., rev. (New York: Bantam Books,
1989), pp. 235236.
87
13. MedHelp, All About Lithium, n.d., <http://www.medhelp.org/lib/lithium.

htm> (September 30, 2009).
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. Ibid.
Guilford Press, 2002) pp. 104110.
19. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center News Bureau, University of Pittsburgh
Study Results Published in Archives of General Psychiatry,September 6, 2005,
<http://www.pendulum.org/bpnews/archive/001769.html> (September 30,
2009).
20. Roger Granet, MD and Elizabeth Ferber, Why Am I Up, Why Am I Down:
Understanding Bipolar Disorder, (New York: Dell Books, 1999), p. 195.
21. Ibid.
22. Paul Forsyth, Orthomolecular Medicine: Can Vitamins Help Those that
Medication has Failed? National Alliance on Mental Illness, Spring 2008,<http://
w w w.nami.org/Template.cf m?S ec tion=S chizophrenia&template=/
ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=60920> (September 30,
2009).
Chapter 6. Living With Depression and Bipolar Disorder

Guilford Press, 2002), p. 226.
2. Ibid.
3. Mental Health America, 10 Tips for Improving Family Mental Health,
November 8, 2006, <http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/information/get-
info/ten-tips/10-tips-for-improving-family-mental-health> (September 30,
2009).
4. The National Sleep Foundation, Depression and Sleep, n.d., <http://
sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-topics/depression-and-sleep> (September 30,
2009).
5. Ibid.
6. Francis Mark Mondimore, MD, Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients and
Families (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999), p. 240.
7. Ibid.
8. Herbert Benson, MD, Eileen M. Stuart, RN, The Wellness Book (New York:
Simon & Schuster, 1992), p. 137.
9. Mental Health America, Factsheet: Coping With Stress Checklist, n.d., <http://
www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/information/get-info/stress/coping-with-
stress-checklist/coping-with-stress-checklist> (October 20, 2009).
America, 2008, <http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-
count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml> (September 30, 2009).
11. Ibid.
88
Chapter Notes
12. Patricia Cohen, Midlife Suicide Rate Rises, Puzzling Researchers, The New
York Times, February 19, 2008, <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/
us/19suicide.html?_r=1day2008> (September 30, 2009).
13. National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association, Suicide and Depressive
Illness (Chicago: NDMDA, 1996), p. 17.
14. National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association, p. 17.
15. Depression is Real Coalition, podcast, The Up and Down Show, Show #16:
Suicide Prevention, March 16, 2008, <http://www.depressionisreal.org>
16. National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association, p. 26.
17. Ibid.
18. Milkowitz, pp. 104110.
19. Brightfutures.org, Bright Futures in Practice: Mental HealthVolume II, Tool
Kit, Bright Futuresat Georgetown, January 22, 2007, <http://www.
brightfutures.org/mentalhealth/pdf/tools.html> (September 30, 2009).
20. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, The Mayo Clinic on
Depression, ed., Keith Kramlinger, MD, (Rochester: Mayo Clinic Health
21. Ibid.
22. Mauro Geovanni Carta, Improving physical quality of life with group physical
adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder, Clinical Practices of
Epidemiological Mental Health, Vol. 4, 2008.
Chapter 7. When Someone You Love Has Depression or Bipolar

Disorder
1. Kay Redfield Jamison, An Unquiet Mind (New York: Vintage Books, 1995), p. 75.
2. Patient composite is drawn from interviews with psychiatrists who are attending
physicians at medical centers in New Jersey and New York (MarchJuly 2008).
3. Ibid.
4. Pathwayst2promise.org, Impact of Mental Illness on Families, n.d.,
<http://www.pathways2promise.org/family/impact.htm> (September 30, 2009).
5. Charles Atkins, MD, The Bipolar Disorder Answer Book: Answers to More than
275 of Your Most Pressing Questions, (Naperville, Ill.: Sourcebooks, 2007), p. 260.
6. Francis Mark Mondimore, MD, Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients and
Families (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999), p. 240.
7. Atkins, p. 260.
8. Pathways2promise.org.
9. Atkins, p. 260.
10. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, The Mayo Clinic on
Depression, 1st ed., ed. Keith Kramlinger, MD (Rochester: Mayo Clinic Health
11. Atkins, p. 260.
12. Ibid.
89
Chapter 8. Outlook for the Future

1. McLean Hospital, Identification of Genes Provides New Clues into the Causes
of Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder, June 4, 2007, <http://www.mclean.
harvard.edu/news/press/current.php?id=109> (September 30, 2009).
2. Ibid.
3. Harvard Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge Hospital Bipolar Disorder
Research Program, n.d., <http://medapps.med.harvard.edu/psych/redbook/
redbook-affectivedisorders-04.htm> (September 30, 2009).
4. Jean Frazier, MD, et al., Brain Anatomic Magnetic Resonance Imaging in
Childhood Bipolar Disorder, July 1996, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
pubmed/8660128> (September 30, 2009).
5. Sciencedaily.com, History Of Depression Linked To More Brain Plaques And
Tangles, Rapid Decline In Alzheimers Disease, February 8, 2006, <http://www.
sciencedaily.com/ releases/2006/02/060206232204.htm> (September 30, 2009).
6. National Institute of Mental Health, Statistics: The Impact of Mental Illness on
Society, August 6, 2009, <http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/statistics/
index.shtml> (September 30, 2009).
7. U.S. Public Health Service, Overview of Cultural Diversity and Mental Health
Services, n.d., <http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter2/
sec8.html> (September 30, 3009).
8. Ibid.
9. Norma Ware, PhD, et al., Connectedness and Citizenship: Redefining Social
Integration, Psychiatric Services, April 2007, Vol. 58, no. 4, pp. 469473.
10. U.S. Public Health Service.
11. Mark Thompson, Americas Medicated Army, Time, June 16, 2008, pp. 3842.
12. Ibid.
90
GLOSSARY
affective disordersSustained, disturbing emotional states; mood disorders.
anticonvulsantsDrugs prescribed primarily for seizure disorders that also can
stabilize the mood swings of bipolar disorder.
antidepressant medicationsTerm for several categories of drugs in use since the
1970s to improve the symptoms of depression.
antipsychotic medicationsDrugs typically prescribed for psychotic disorders, but
also used for major cases of depression or bipolar disorder that are accompa-
nied by hallucinations or delusions; in use since the early 1950s.
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)A condition of irritability,
impulsivity, and distractibility, with symptoms that frequently overlap with
those of bipolar disorder, making accurate diagnosis difficult, especially at a
young age.
bipolar disorderA diagnostic term to describe patterns of abnormal and severe
mood swings.
cognitive behavior therapyTalk therapy that identifies unhealthy, negative beliefs
and behaviors that contribute to depression, replacing them with healthy, posi-
tive ones.
delusionsFalse beliefs, such as the belief that one is God or Superman; a symptom
of psychosis.
depressionA state of sustained, unhappy mood that persists for at least two weeks
and typically includes lack of energy, problems with sleeping, loss of pleasure
in hobbies and other activities, loss of concentration, and loss of appetite.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)A reference text
for psychiatrists that groups observable behaviors into diagnostic categories for
the purpose of treating mental illness.
dysthymiaA consistent depressed state that lasts for years, but does not meet the
diagnostic criteria of major depression.
electroconvulsive therapyTreatment that involves the administration of electric-
ity to cause seizures, or convulsions, which can relieve the symptoms of major
depression.
endorphinsBrain chemicals that produce feelings of satisfaction and well-being.
estrogenA female hormone that is linked to mood and depression, among its
other functions.
griefA normal and necessary response to a significant loss, as opposed to major
depression, which is long-lasting and can arise independent of any external
event.
group therapyTherapy involving a group of unrelated people and a mental health
professional who work together toward the common goal of moving toward
greater insight.
91
hallucinationsOften accompanying a state of psychosis, hallucinations are the

perception of things that dont exist through one of the five senses; for example,
an auditory hallucination involves hearing the voices of people who arent
there.
hypomaniaA less intense form of mania.
hypothalamusThe part of the brain that regulates the bodys response to stress.
inpatient hospitalizationTreatment that involves placing patients in the hospital
as residents. They often stay in special wards or on floors where they can be
observed and treated twenty-four hours a day.
insomniaThe inability to sleep normally; often a symptom of depression.
Lamictal (lamotrigine)A mood stabilizer prescribed for bipolar disorder.
limbic systemThe part of the brain that processes and responds to messages from
the senses and is involved in the regulation of mood and emotion.
lithiumA naturally occurring element (a salt) that is used as a mood stabilizer in
the treatment of manic depression.
major depressionA mood change that lasts for more than two weeks and
includes overwhelming feelings of sadness or grief and loss of interest in usu-
ally pleasurable activities.
manic depressionAn older term for bipolar disorder.
manic episodeA sustained period of abnormally elevated mood.
MedicareA U.S. government health care plan that pays for certain medical
expenses for people over age sixty-five.
melancholiaDepression, usually not severe but sometimes repetitive.
mixed episodeA type of bipolar mood state in which symptoms of both mania
and depression are present at the same time.
monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)A type of antidepressant medication
that is highly effective, but is rarely prescribed because of its side effects.
mood chartsJournals that follow the course of mood and include mood state,
medications taken, energy level, and (for women) menstrual cycles.
mood stabilizersMedications that even out the highs and lows of bipolar
disorder.
negative thinkingA pattern of unhealthy thought in which someone always
expects the worst to happen.
neurotransmittersChemical messengers that transfer information between nerve
cells.
norepinephrineA type of neurotransmitter.
outpatient treatmentHospital and clinic-based programs for psychiatric patient
that offer daytime therapy, support groups, training programs, and other ser-
vices to integrate patients back into a productive and healthy life.
postpartum depressionA major depression caused by the sudden hormonal
changes that follow the birth of a child.
92
Glossary
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)A psychological and emotional condition

that affects people who have lived through a terrible event such as war, a rape,
or a natural disaster.
psychiatristA medical doctor specializing in mental, emotional or behavioral
disorders.
psychoanalysisAn intense psychological evaluation and treatment regimen devel-
oped by Sigmund Freud, based on the idea that talking about conflicts helps to
heal them and bring insight to patients.
psychologistA professional with a PhD who specializes in the treatment of emo-
tional disorders, research about them, or both.
psychosisA state of mind characterized by delusions, hallucinations, and nonsen-
sical thoughts.
schizophreniaA condition characterized by psychotic symptoms such as delu-
sions, hallucinations, and disorganized thoughts.
seasonal affective disorder (SAD)A form of depression caused by the shortening
days of fall/winter and the lessening of sunlight, both of which affect chemical
changes in the brain.
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)A type of antidepressant medica-
tion that came into widespread use in the 1980s and is considered the most
effective category of antidepressants with the fewest side effects.
suicideThe taking of ones own life, often caused by untreated or inadequately
treated depression.
tricyclic antidepressantsThe first generation of antidepressant medication, in
widespread use in the 1970s.
unipolar depressionDepression characterized by one feeling statesadnessas
opposed to bipolar depression, which is characterized by a cycle of moods.
valproic acidA category of medication originally developed to treat epilepsy and
now used as a mood stabilizer to control the mood shifts of bipolar disorder.
93
FOR MORE INFORMATION
FURTHER READING
Atkins, Charles, MD. The Bipolar Disorder Answer Book: Answers to
More Than 275 of Your Most Pressing Questions. Naperville, Ill.:
Sourcebooks, Inc., 2007.
Cobain, Bev. When Nothing Matters Anymore: A Survival Guide for
Depressed Teens. Minneapolis, Minn.: Free Spirit Publishing,
2007.
Jamieson, Patrick E., and Moira A. Rynn. Mind Race: A Firsthand
Account of One Teenagers Experience With Bipolar Disorder.
Oxford, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 2006.
Miller, Allen R. Living With Depression. New York: Facts on File,
2007.
Monaque, Mathilde. Trouble in My Head: A Young Girls Fight with
Depression. New York: Random House, 2007.
ORGANIZATIONS
American Academy of Child Depression and Bipolar
and Adolescent Psychiatry Support Alliance
3615 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W. 730 North Franklin Street
Washington, DC 20016 Suite 501
(202) 966-7300 Chicago, IL 60654
(800) 826-3632
American Foundation for
Suicide Prevention Mental Health America
2000 N. Beauregard Street
120 Wall Street, 29th Floor
6th Floor
New York, NY 10005
Alexandria, VA 22311
(888) 333-2377 (800) 969-6642
American Psychiatric National Institute of Mental
Association Health
1000 Wilson Boulevard 6001 Executive Blvd.
Suite 1825 Room 6200, MSC 9663
Arlington, VA 22209 Bethesda, MD 20892
(888) 357-7924 (866) 615-6464
94
INDEX
A chlorpromazine, 2223 frontal lobe(s), 2122, 2728
abuse circadian rhythms, 32, 5354, 59
drug, 26 Clozapine, 52 G
clozaril, 52 genes, 6, 9, 13, 26, 32, 41, 57, 70,
physical, 26
codependency, 21 7678
sexual, 13
cognitive behavior therapy, grief, 5, 1213, 46
substance, 15, 30, 34, 77 4546
verbal, 26 group therapy, 42, 46, 80
comorbidities, 33
adolescence, 11, 15, 28, 30, 34, confinement, 1718
36, 74, 77 convulsions, 21 H
adrenal glands, 2930 cortex, 27 hallucinations, 14, 20, 38, 52
adrenaline, 30, 61 cortisol, 60 health insurance, 18, 43, 70
alcoholism, 40, 72 counseling, 7, 42 heart disease, 8, 20, 48
Alzheimer's disease, 19, 78 couples therapy, 46 hippocampus, 77
American Indians, 79 cycling, 14, 32, 38, 51 hormones, 20, 2931, 5355,
American Medical-Psychological 6061
Association, 19 hospitals, 18, 2223, 25, 37,
American Psychiatric
D 3940, 4243, 53, 6364,
delusions, 14, 20, 52
Association (APA), 19, 22 68, 7475, 7677, 7980
Depakote, 12, 52, 63
amino acid, 77 hypersomnia, 35, 59, 74
depression
anhedonia, 65 hypomania, 12, 1415, 32
bipolar, 4041
anticonvulsant, 5152, 56 hypothalamus, 27, 29, 65
antidepressants, 11, 2324, 37, manic, 24
hypothyroidism, 29
4751, 63, 81 unipolar, 3740
anxiety, 5, 33, 45, 55, 58, 61 Depression and Bipolar Support
appetite, 10, 29, 55 Alliance, 13
I
imbalance(s), 5, 11, 13, 20
Atretol, 52 diabetes, 7, 8, 20, 82
Diagnostic and Statistical imipramine, 23
attention deficit hyperactivity
Manual of Mental insecurity, 31, 44, 61
disorder (ADHD), 15, 78
Disorders (DSM), 19 insomnia, 35, 59
diet, 56, 57, 74 insulin, 2021
B disability, 6, 13, 33 Interpersonal and Social
biopsychiatrists, 24 Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT),
bipolar disorder, 57, 89, discrimination, 79
dopamine, 23, 29, 4748 54
1016, 2325, 29, 32, 35, irritability, 56, 13, 15, 30,
3743, 4748, 5152, 54, dysthymia, 31, 33
3435, 41, 45, 54
5759, 63, 6566, 6771, isolation, 66, 70
7375, 7679, 8182 E
birth control, 36 educational programs, 81
black box warning, 49 Elavil, 48 L
blood pressure, 27, 48 electroshock therapy, 21 Lamictal, 52
emotional disorders, 15, 1920, lamotrigine, 52
lifestyle, 7, 16, 57, 66
C 71
emotions, 22, 40, 4546, 72 limbic system, 27, 31
cancer, 8, 13, 3637, 71, 79
endorphins, 55 lithium, 11, 15, 24, 5152,
carbamazepine, 52
epilepsy, 7, 8, 16, 52, 82 6364, 74
Carbatrol, 52
estrogen, 30 lobotomy, 20, 22
caregivers, 7173
catastrophizing, 45 loss, 5, 12, 35, 46, 49, 5355, 64
Centers for Disease Control and F lunatic(s), 17
Prevention, 63 fatigue, 5, 10, 35
cerebellum, 27 fluoxetine, 51 M
cerebral hemispheres, 27 Food and Drug Administration, magnetic resonance imaging
Cerletti, Ugo, 21 22, 49 (MRI), 78
chemical convulsive therapy, Freeman, Walter, 22 major depressive disorder, 67,
2021 Freud, Sigmund, 1920, 24, 45 31, 33, 66, 78
95
mania, 6, 11, 1314, 32, 3538, post-traumatic stress disorder sleep, 5, 1011, 13, 29, 32, 35, 37,
51, 5758, 68, 74 (PTSD), 30, 81 41, 45, 5354, 5860, 66,
marijuana, 40, 49 poverty, 13, 26, 79 71, 7374
Meduna, Ladislaus von, 21 pregnancy, 3031 Smith Kline, 22
melatonin, 53 premenstrual dysphoric disorder social workers, 18, 39, 44
memory, 2829, 5253, 7778 (PMDD), 30 soldiers, 30, 81
menstrual cycle(s), 30, 58 prescription drugs, 63 State Care Act, 19
mental disorder(s), 8, 19, 70 prevention, 7, 24, 36, 4849, stigma, 7, 41, 7071, 8081
metrazol, 21 5354, 63, 80 stimulants, 49
Moniz, Antonio Egas, 22 progesterone, 30 stress, 13, 26, 2932, 44, 46, 49,
monoamine oxidase inhibitors Prozac, 51, 81 54, 5758, 6062, 66, 68,
(MAOIs), 15, 24, 4748 psychiatry, 5, 7, 9, 1112, 14, 70, 73, 79, 81
mood disorders, 56, 9, 1112, 1725, 30, 32, 3435, students, 6, 72
15, 17, 3032, 33, 44, 47, 3843, 44, 47, 54, 59, 61, suicide(s), 5, 9, 30, 3435, 38, 49,
5556, 57, 60, 62, 69, 77 64, 69, 7375, 7678, 57, 6264
muscle(s), 27, 53, 66 8182 supplements, 55, 66
psychoanalysis, 1920, 24 symptom(s), 56, 8, 15, 18, 22,
N psychologists, 39, 44, 61, 67, 73 32, 3437, 4445, 5154,
National Institute of Mental psychopharmacology, 2224
59, 62
Health, 8 psychosis, 14, 20, 22, 24, 38, 52
synapse, 28
National Sleep Foundation, psychotherapy, 5, 7, 45, 54, 77
5960 public health, 13, 3637, 49, 62
natural rhythm(s), 32, 53 T
talk therapy, 19, 24, 4447, 55
nausea, 52, 74
nerve cells, 15, 2021, 2324,
R Tegretol, 52
racism,79
2728, 4748 thalamus, 29
reading, 5960
nervous system, 77 thirst, 27, 51
resistance, 4142
neuroimaging, 78 Thorazine, 2324
reuptake, 15, 24, 28, 4748
neurotransmitters, 13, 2324, thyroid, 29, 31
risk factor, 31, 38, 78
2829, 3132, 4750, 53, Tofranil, 23, 48
Risperdal, 52
55, 66 Topamax, 52
risperidone, 52
norepinephrine, 23, 29, 4748, topiramate, 52
55 treatment, 7, 10, 12, 1516, 18,
Norpramin, 48 S 2023, 25, 31, 3436, 39,
sadness, 5, 12, 30
4142, 44, 47, 50, 52,
Sakel, Manfred J., 2021
O schizophrenia, 2021, 24, 55, 77
5455, 7677, 8081
occipital lobe, 28 tuberculosis, 24
seasonal affective disorder, 31
olanzapine, 52
seizure(s), 12, 21, 5253, 69
omega-3 fatty acids, 55
selective serotonin reuptake V
inhibitors (SSRIs), 15, 24, valproate, 52
P 4749, 55 valproic acid, 52, 63
pain, 28, 35, 38, 66, 68 self veterans, 13, 81
parietal lobe, 28 acceptance, 7, 61 violence, 18, 38, 68, 79
paroxetine, 51 vitamins, 55
awareness, 58, 63
Paxil, 51
care, 7273
perception, 5, 28, 66
personality, 31, 44, 64 esteem, 32 W
personalizing, 45 perception, 66 Watts, James, 22
pituitary gland, 27 serotonin, 15, 2324, 29, 4748, weight gain, 12, 48, 5152, 56
pleasure, 5, 12, 35, 6566 55, 66 Wellbutrin, 49, 51
positron emission tomography sexual behavior, 36
(PET), 29 sexually transmitted diseases, 36 Z
postpartum depression, 30, 80 shock therapy, 2021 Zyprexa, 52
96

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DEPRESSION AND

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Cover Illustration: rangizzz/Shutterstock.com; Stefanina Hill/Shutterstock.com (Rod of

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION?

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF BIPOLAR

HOW MANY PEOPLE SUFFER FROM DEPRESSION

WHO GETS DEPRESSION AND BIPOLAR

ARE THESE DISORDERS CURABLE?

ARE THESE DISORDERS PREVENTABLE?

The word depression refers to many subgroups of mood

with a psychiatrist specializing in adolescents. For two hours the

On and on came the questions, and to each one Kyle answered

People experiencing what is called a manic episode are usually

DEPRESSION AND BIPOLAR DISORDER IN

Moods ranging from hypomania to irritability to depression ripple

CAN PEOPLE WITH A DEPRESSIVE DISORDER OR

concerned with the fate of the mentally ill, including physicians,

THE EMERGENCE OF PSYCHIATRY

by talking. Freud believed that all mental and emotional problems

BIOLOGICALLY BASED THERAPIES AND

Insulin Shock Therapy

Insulin regulates blood sugar. Sakel accidentally gave a psychotic

The Chemical Convulsion Cure

Lobotomy: The Surgical Treatment

The Brains Mood Centers

(MAOIs).22 Iproniazid was found during research for drugs to treat

continued throughout the 1980s, but evidence regarding the effec-

solving.4 In humans, the frontal lobe doesnt develop fully until

NEUROTRANSMITTERS AND MOOD

Three types of neurotransmitter that researchers have consistently

HORMONES AND MOOD

adrenal glands to secrete the hormone adrenaline into your blood-

WHO GETS DEPRESSION?

THE UPS AND DOWNS OF BIPOLAR DISORDER

CAUSES OF BIPOLAR DISORDER

Depression not only takes an emotional toll on people and their

TEENS AND DEPRESSION

CHILDREN UNDER TWELVE

psychiatric and developmental problems. A child might simply be

SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND BIPOLAR

THE BIPOLAR HIGH

abilities and importance, a king of the world feeling. Their thoughts

DEPRESSION AND SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AMONG U.S.

BIPOLAR DISORDER OR UNIPOLAR DEPRESSION?

VARIATIONS ON BIPOLAR DISORDER

THE RISK OF SUICIDE

SEEKING EVALUATION AND TREATMENT

RESOURCES FOR FINDING PSYCHIATRISTS

other medical specialty, however, the field of psychiatry has many

The First Visit

RESPONSES OF FAMILY MEMBERS

suffering from depression, the family should describe the changes in

people getting used to new medications. They promote positive rela-