Fully updated and revised, this new edition of Coping with Biploar Disorder draws on the combined expertise of three leading specialists to offer a comprehensive and practical guide to the causes, treatment, and implications of bipolar disorder, or manic depression.

Designed for people with the condition and those close to them, the authors use cognitive behavioral therapy to provide straightforward help with managing and controlling the condition, featuring advice … More >>

Coping with Bipolar Disorder: A CBT-Informed Guide to Living with Manic Depression

Featured Bipolar Disorder:

• The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know
• Break the Bipolar Cycle: A Day-by-Day Guide to Living with Bipolar Disorder
• Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients and Families (2nd Edition)
• Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder
• Bipolar Disorder: The Ultimate Guide
• Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder: A 4-Step Plan for You and Your Loved Ones to Manage the Illness and Create Lasting Stability
• Bipolar Disorder for Dummies
• Sugar and Salt: My Life with Bipolar Disorder
• Living Well with Depression and Bipolar Disorder: What Your Doctor Doesn’t Tell You…That You Need to Know
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Bipolar Disorder, Second Edition

Elderly depression is frequently seen as an amorphous term that may have a host of various conditions fall underneath its umbrella. Thus it is not surprising to find that professionals have chosen to break down elderly depression as basically encompassing two different – albeit related – disorders: bipolar disorders (which was formerly known as manic depression) and major depressive disorder which encompasses everything else.

In spite of the plethora of conditions that might fall under the latter, it is still easier to define and even diagnose. Generally speaking, elderly depression falling into this category is thought to be indicative of a state of being that may be traced back to months of depression which are not interrupted by episodes of mania.

Some psychiatric professionals have chosen to define major depressive disorder as being one that showcases a collection of three or more symptoms of being depressed over a period of time equal to – or greater than – 14 days. The extent to which the symptoms interfere with the day to day activities of everyday life is indicative of the treatment options that may be best serving the individual and will also define the follow up the person will require.  Read more...

Surviving Manic Depression is the most comprehensive, up-to-date book on the disorder that affects more than two million people in the United States alone. Based on the latest research, it provides detailed coverage of every aspect of the disorder.

All aspects of the disease are addressed: symptoms, with many direct descriptions from patients themselves, risk factors, onset and cause, medications (including drugs still in the testing stage), causes, psychotherapy, a… More >>

Surviving Manic Depression: A Manual on Bipolar Disorder for Patients, Families, and Providers

When Marya Hornbacher published her first book, Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia, she did not yet have the piece of shattering knowledge that would finally make sense of the chaos of her life.

At age twenty-four, Hornbacher was diagnosed with Type I rapid-cycle bipolar, the most severe form of bipolar disorderIn Madness, Hornbacher tells her new story. Through scenes of astonishing visceral and emotional power, she takes us inside her own desperate … More >>

Madness: A Bipolar Life

There is no known cause for Asperger’s Syndrome but experts and researchers are still studying the syndrome. There may be multiple causes, but more studies are needed in order to determine what they may be. It may turn out that Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) is associated with other mental disorders like depression and bipolar disorder, or there may be environmental factors that effected the development of the brain, which may be found to have an impact in the development of Asperger’s Syndrome. It has been determined that AS has not been caused by emotional deprivation. AS is not the result of bad parenting. Asperger’s Syndrome is a neurobiological disorder.

As of this date, there is no known cure for Asperger’s Syndrome, but there are effective treatments and medications that can be used to intervene and redirect behavior so that the individual can function better in social situations. Education is paramount to early intervention and understanding when coping with someone with AS. It is important to educate parents and teachers and other adults who come into contact with children and adults with AS so that their behaviors can be understood and modified with help from treatment and therapy. Individuals receiving this assistance can lead functioning lives.  Read more...

premenstrual syndrome and refers to the physical, psychological and emotional symptoms a child-bearing age woman can experience as she goes through the phase of her menstrual cycle that occurs between ovulation and the start of her monthly bleed.

In the loose meaning of the term, PMS, it is interpreted to mean any difficulty a woman experiences during her menses but the true meaning of PMS is that it refers to symptoms experienced only during a two-week period of time between the time her monthly egg is released and the monthly flow begins. The abbreviation PMS is more frequently referred to rather than the term premenstrual syndrome.

Some say that all menstruating women experience at least one symptom of PMS, while others say only a percentage of menstruating women experience true PMS. There are a smaller still percentage of women who experience symptoms so severe that they are incapable of functioning in daily tasks. This small percentage of women experience what is called premenstrual dysphoric disorder or PMDD.  Read more...

Contrary to popular belief, insomnia is a symptom that is experienced by someone who is experiencing other health problems. A doctor will try to find the root cause of the problem that is causing the insomnia, rather than trying to treat the insomnia itself. Insomnia is, by definition, the inability to effectively initiate and maintain regular sleep. Sometimes insomnia can occur when an individual does not get enough sleep or sleep for a long enough period of time.

Sleeplessnes is a very common experience of people in the United States. A study showed that around 64 million people suffered from sleep issues during 2007. Women are much more likely to have sleep disturbances than men at the rate of 1.4 times more occurences.

There are three different kinds of insomnia that are regularly experienced by people all over the world. In each type the symptoms are the same, the only difference being how long the sleeplessness lasts.  Read more...

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a specific psychotherapy that is used to affect emotions and perceptions in a positive manner. It involves talking about how you think and the way your thoughts, feelings and perceptions affect your behavior.

The basic premise behind the therapy is that behavior, feelings and thoughts are based on cognition. And therefore it is believed that if the process of cognition can be modified, the perceptions and feelings can be aligned.

CBT is a natural way of treating depression that does not involve medication. It can also be used in conjunction with medication in severe cases of bipolar disorders and manic episodes. But in most moderate to mild cases CBT is one of the natural remedies for depression that can successfully bypass conventional medications that are beset with dangerous side effects.

CBT is based on psychology. A psychologist evaluates the depressive symptoms on the basis of the study of human perceptions, behavior and emotions. Some of the premises that CBT works on are:  Read more...

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

What are the Symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and how is it diagnosed?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an Anxiety Disorder which has as its main characteristics obsessive thoughts and ideas, which are sometimes accompanied by compulsive behaviors and actions, often designed to ward off the obsessive thoughts.

There are currently no medical tests which can diagnose OCD. Diagnosis is usually based on information about symptoms as well as clinical observation. Diagnosis of OCD can be made by Psychiatrists, Clinical Psychologists, medical Doctors, Pediatricians or by a multi-disciplinary team .

In order to make a formal diagnosis of OCD, the following symptoms must be present (DSM lV-TR)

Obsessions

* Recurring and persistent ideas, thoughts or images that are often experienced as senseless, intrusive and difficult to control
* Attempts to ignore or suppress these thoughts or to neutralize them with another thought or action
* The person realizes that these thoughts, images or ideas are the product of his or her own mind, yet finds them almost impossible to resist.  Read more...