Unipolar depression, also known as major depressive disorder, afflicts approximately 14.8 million American adults each year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Per the criteria of the American Psychiatric Association, its...
Unipolar depression, also known as major depression, is one of the disorders in the depression spectrum. Dr. Arthur Schoenstadt, author of the article "Depression Statistics," states that 17.1 million adults in the United States (8 percent of the...
"Unipolar" and "bipolar" are terms describing mood disorders. Someone with a unipolar mood disorder has only one type of mood disturbance, such as depression or mania. Bipolar means having two alternating mood disturbances. For example, a...
Bipolar II is a psychological disorder that involves periods of hypomania, which is a less severe form of mania, and depression. The distinction of bipolar II as a separate disorder is relatively new, but the distinction from bipolar I is very...
Affective disorders involve a single group of mental disorders that are characterized by disturbances of emotion, thought and behavior. According to the International Society for Affective Disorders, affective disorders include mood and anxiety...
Depression is a mental disorder characterized by sadness, lack of motivation, sleep changes, appetite disturbance, difficulty with normal functioning and sometimes suicidal thoughts. When depressive symptoms occur on their own, they are known as...
Depression, with its many types and causes, is a complex subject. While most discussion focuses on either bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder (MDD), which is sometimes called "unipolar" depression, clinical references are also made to...
Depression is a serious condition that may become disabling if untreated. There are several forms of depression, including unipolar and bipolar depression, chronic or recurrent depression, depression occurring as a result of pregnancy and...
Major depression (unipolar depression) and bipolar disorder (manic depression) are two mood disorders that can run in families, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Both disorders have different symptoms and treatment considerations.
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...
Manic depression, or bipolar disorder, is a mood disorder where patients have both depression and mania symptoms. Mania and depression are on opposite sides of the mood spectrum: depression is categorized by sadness and hopelessness, while mania...
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...
A mood disorder characterized by sadness, depression affects a patient's emotional state and behavior. Depression can cause poor concentration, which can affect memory and thinking. There are a variety of treatment options available for...
Lamictal is the brand name for a medication called lamotrigine. Lamotrigine is an anti-convulsant, which means it is often prescribed as a treatment for epilepsy. However, Lamictal can also be used to treat depression. It is most commonly used to...
Clinical depression, which is also known as major depression or unipolar depression, is a condition that causes prolonged episodes of severe sadness. In some cases, this condition can lead to suicide or self mutilation. When properly diagnosed...
Medication is the treatment of choice and the primary resource for coping with manic depression, a type of mood disorder characterized by severe mood swings which alternate between mania and depression. Manic depression is the popular name for a...
People with bipolar disorder experience intense mood swings from mania to depression. Unfortunately, nearly 70 percent of bipolar people get misdiagnosed, according to a 2000 study by Robert Hirschfeld, M.D and colleagues at the University of...
Medication is the treatment of choice and the primary resource for coping with bipolar disorder, a type of mood disorder usually characterized by mood swings which alternate between mania or hypomania and depression or dysthymia. It is imperative...
Bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic depression, affects millions of Americans. While medication interventions have improved the prognosis for bipolar disorder, most continue to suffer disability and dysfunction, ranging from poor...
Depression is a serious medical problem that can make it difficult for you to go about your life in a normal manner. Many factors affect your risk for depression, including family history, recent stressful events and early childhood trauma. What...
Lexapro belongs to a newer class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. Serotonin, a chemical secreted throughout the brain, contributes to a general sense of well being and regulates energy levels, sleep...
L-tryptophan is one of the eight essential amino acids obtained through food. In the brain, L-tryptophan is converted to an important neurotransmitter called serotonin, which is involved in regulation of mood, appetite, sleep and behavior....
Bipolar II disorder is the second type of bipolar disorder, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Patients diagnosed with bipolar II disorder have depression and hypomania symptoms; hypomania is a lesser form of mania, which is...
Cortisol, also known as hydrocortisone, is a primary glucocorticoid, produced in the adrenal gland in the brain, according to Thinkmuscle.com. Neurotransmitter.net states that every disturbance on the body induces a stress response that results in...
Zinc is an essential trace element. While your body only needs a small amount to function properly, zinc deficiency can lead to a variety of health problems, including slow wound healing and diarrhea. Researchers also continue to investigate the...
The first and most important way to cope with depression is to get an accurate diagnosis from a qualified professional. Qualified professionals are those who specialize in mental health, such as psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and...
Omega-3 is a type of fatty acid, which is a molecule with a long chain of hydrogen and carbon atoms. Specifically, it is known as a polyunsaturated fat, meaning that there are multiple double bonds between the carbon atoms in its structure. The...
Omega-3 and CoQ10 are the first and third most common dietary supplements used in the U.S. today, according to the independent test results site ConsumerLab.com. They are often consumed in order to improve brain or heart health. Recent research...
Catecholamines play an important role in your mental health. They are substances composed of small molecules that act as both a hormone and neurotransmitter. Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that mediate communication between neurons across...