Nami

The Use of Antidepressants in Treating Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder where patients have both depression and mania symptoms. Depression symptoms include sadness, difficulty sleeping and fatigue, while mania symptoms include euphoria, decreased need for sleep and excessive...

How to Tell Someone About Depression

Many people think of depression as just an intense sadness. They know very little about the full experience. It's not uncommon for people to tell someone who's depressed to snap out of it, to get busy or to stop being preoccupied with her own...

Definition of Manic Depression

Manic depression is also known as bipolar disorder. Mondofacto.com defines it as alternating moods of abnormal highs (mania) and lows (depression). According to the National Institute of Mental Health, it causes "unusual shifts in mood, energy,...

Autism Childhood Symptoms

Autism is a mental health disorder that usually becomes apparent in childhood and can have a good prognosis if treatment is begun early. According to 2010 information from KidsHealth.org, autism usually affects one out of every 110 people and...

About Bipolar Disease

Bipolar disease is also known as bipolar disorder or manic depression. According to the National institute of Mental Health, it causes "unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks." Symptoms of...

Adderall Health Risks

Adderall, known generically as dextroamphetamine saccharate, is a central nervous system stimulant. It is used to treat attention deficit disorder--ADD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder--ADHD and narcolepsy, a sleep disorder says the...

Resources on Bipolar Disorder

Considered a lifelong condition, bipolar disorder affects more than 10 million people in the United States, according to National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI). Bipolar disorder symptoms include shifts in energy levels, extreme mood swings and...

Natural Medicines for Bipolar Disorder

Although effective at controlling symptoms, traditional medications for bipolar disorder can have significant side effects. While the idea of natural medicines may provide hope, exercise caution in how you approach their use, because bipolar...

Side Effects of Bipolar Disorder Medication

Patients with bipolar disorder cycle between mood extremes--- extreme lows (depression) and highs (mania). Medication is used to minimize mood swings, the severity of symptoms and help patients maintain a normal mood. Lithium, anticonvulsants and...

List of Symptoms of Major Depression

A person who has at least five signs of depression for at least two weeks may be diagnosed with major depression. Major depression, which the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) says affects approximately 15 million American adults, is...

Common Side Effects of Lithium

Lithium (lithium carbonate) is a drug used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. This medication is available in both tablet and liquid form. It may take up to three weeks before you see any improvement in your symptoms, reports PDR Health....

What Are the Causes of Adolescent Suicide?

Suicide is a serious concern among adolescents; it is the third-leading cause of death for this age group, according to the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT). The organization adds that the highest rate of adolescent...

What Are Some Effects of Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that comprises both the lows of depression and the highs of mania. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, over 10 million Americans have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It is a...

Resources for Bipolar Disease

Bipolar disorder, also called manic depression, affects more than 10 million people in America, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Bipolar symptoms include extreme mood swings, shifts in energy levels and behavioral...

Anorexics & Weight Loss

Individuals with anorexia have not simply gone overboard with dieting; anorexia is a serious medical condition. According to the Mayo Clinic, approximately 1.2 million Americans have anorexia, and 6 to 20 percent of those individuals eventually...

How to Treat Teenage Depression

Depression plagues more than 15 million Americans per year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Everyone has highs and lows. Depression takes it a step further, when the lows last for much longer than the highs, and it...

What Are the Causes of Depressive Disorder?

"Depressive disorder" is a generalized term. As the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) explains, there are a variety of depressive disorders, the most common being major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder. While these disorders...

Background on Major Depression

Major depression affects 15 million American adults per year and remains the leading cause of disability in the U.S., according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Major depression is persistent and can seriously impair daily living...

Warning Signs for Autism

Autism is a mental health disorder that can be displayed in children as early as a few months old, but usually is diagnosed about the age of 3. A child with autism will not display the developmental patterns common in children their age, and they...

ADHD & Drug Abuse

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or ADHD is a disorder that inflicts about two million children in America, notes the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. ADHD can be a persistent mental health disorder that if it goes untreated...

Bipolar Medications That Are Safe for Pregnancy

Bipolar disorders, brain disorders associated with mood swings that can be severe, are common in women of childbearing age. Medications are required to keep symptoms of bipolar disorders at bay, but many bipolar medications have side effects...

Negative Side Effects of Effexor ER

Effexor ER, also known as extended-release venlafaxine, is an antidepressant classified as a serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, or SNRI. Effexor is approved to treat major depressive disorder, or MDD, generalized anxiety disorder, or...

Characteristics of Autism in Toddlers

Autism generally appears before the age of three, characterized by communication and social challenges. This neurodevelopmental disorder affects one in 110 children in America, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)....

How to Overcome Depression & Find Happiness

Depression is a mood disorder that affects 15 million American adults, reports the National Alliance on Mental Illness. According to MayoClinic.com, untreated depression can lead to emotional and behavioral problems such as alcohol abuse,...

Negative Side Effects of Antipsychotic Medicines

There are currently two categories of psychiatric medications available to treat symptoms of psychosis. Older, or typical antipsychotics, include chlorpromazine, also called Thorazine, and other major tranquilizers. Newer, or atypical...

The Major Causes of Depression

HealthyPlace.com explains that the world of medicine has contributed a lot of its time to understanding depression. While no single cause has been found as of 2010, researchers have developed a number of theories which offer a better understanding...

How to Talk to Family About Your Depression

Depression is a mental health illness that is more than just feeling sad or overwhelmed. It occurs when a person experiences feelings of sadness, worthlessness, hopeless and fearfulness on a severe level every day for no valid reason. Depression...

Bipolar Disorder & the Risks of Pregnancy

Bipolar disorder, a disease characterized by mood swings and cyclic manic behavior, affects between 0.5 percent and 1.5 percent of people in the United States, according to Dr. Kimberly Yonkers of Yale University of Connecticut and lead author of...

Alternative Cures for Depression

Depression is a mental illness that millions of Americans are diagnosed with every year. For these people, the usual course of treatment begins with a prescription for an antidepressant. An article published by "USA Today" reports that 27 million...