What is Depression?

It’s part of normal human existence to feel down, depressed and sad at times. We have all said ‘I’m so depressed’ after being dumped or failing an exam, or when your favorite team loses the game. But when a health care provider talks about Depression they’re referring to something different. Clinical depression, medical depression or a Major Depressive Episode is more than being sad or feeling down. Clinical Depression is a condition which can affect your thoughts, feelings, physical health and behaviors. The people who called named the condition Depression must not have been very wise, as naming a clinical condition with the same name as a normal mood feeling creates confusion.

The main symptom of depression includes a sad, hopeless mood that:
•is present most days and lasts most of the day
•lasts for more than two weeks
•interferes with your ability to perform at work, at school or in social relationships.

For some the main symptom of depression is not as much their mood as much as
•a loss of interest or pleasure in things they usually are interested in or enjoy

Other symptoms of major depression may include:
•Changes in appetite or weight loss or gain
•Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or sleeping too much
•Loss of interest in work, hobbies, people or sex
•Withdrawal from family members and friends
•Irritability
•Loss of energy, feeling very tired
•Trouble concentrating, remembering and making decisions-you might fear you’re developing Alzheimer’s disease
•Crying easily, or feeling like crying but being not able to
•Thoughts of suicide (which should always be taken seriously)
•A loss of touch with reality, hearing voices (hallucinations) or having strange ideas (delusions).
•Feeling worthless, helpless or hopeless
•Overwhelming feelings of sadness or grief

Who gets depression?
At any given time, almost three million Canadians have serious depression. It occurs in 10-15% of men and 15-25% of women

What causes depression?
There is no one cause of depression, neither is it fully understood, however several factors may play a part. These include a family history of depression, problems with brain chemistry, or a major stress in a person's life.

Types of depression

Different types of depression have different symptoms. These include:

•Seasonal depression or seasonal affective disorder
Usually affected by the weather and time of the year.

•Postpartum depression
Occurs in women, following the birth of a child. About 13 per cent of women will experience this type of depression.

•Depression with psychosis
Depression may become so severe that a person loses touch with reality and experiences hallucinations (hearing voices or seeing people or objects that are not really there) or delusions (beliefs that have no basis in reality).

•Dysthymia
A chronically low mood with moderate symptoms of depression.
Depression is not a weakness or character flaw. It’s not your fault. It is a clinical condition. If you think you may be suffering from depression, don’t be embarrassed. This is not something you can fix alone, but a health professional can help!

How to treat depression
Depression is the most treatable of mental illnesses. Between 80-90% of all depressed people respond to treatment and nearly all depressed people who receive treatment see at least some relief from their symptoms.
The most commonly used treatments are medication, psychological, lifestyle and relationship counseling and sometimes electroconvulsive therapy. These treatments may be used individually or in combination. Support from family, friends and self-help groups can also make a big difference.

More information

For further information about depression contact a community organization, health care provider or your family doctor to find out about support and resources available in your community.

To see if you might be suffering from clinical Depression try a self test at http://www.checkupfromtheneckup.ca/

Web Sites:

National Institute of Mental Health
http:www//nimh.nih.gov

Depression is a Treatable Illness: A Patient's Guide http://mentalhealth.com/bookah/p44-dp.html

Understanding Depression
http://www.camh.net/about_addiction_mental_health/depression.html

Online Depression Screening
Sponsored by the National Mental Health Association
http://www.depression-screening.org/screeningtest/screeningtest.htm

Mood Disorders Association
http://www.mooddisorders.on.ca/dep.html

Canadian Mental Health Association http://www.cmha.ca/bins/content_page.asp?cid=3-86-87〈=1

Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments
http://www.canmat.org

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What is Anxiety Disorder?

Anxiety is the body’s natural response to a stressful or dangerous situation. In these situations the body reacts by causing the heart to beat faster, the palms to sweat and the mind to race. These are normal responses to stress and danger that we have all experienced when public speaking or walking down a dark alley alone. The physical symptoms are the result of stress hormones like adrenaline activating your body. They’re not generally dangerous but they can be uncomfortable when you don’t know why they’re occurring.

An anxiety disorder is when one's body reacts to a situation as though it is highly stressful but in fact the situation is not at all dangerous. In many cases the person recognizes these fears as irrational, yet they are unable to control how their body is reacting.

If you have broken into a cold sweat with your heart pounding while waiting in line at the supermarket, you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder. Reacting this way is not your fault. These conditions are medical disorders and help is available.
What are the symptoms of an anxiety disorder?
After experiencing such panic attacks, individuals with anxiety disorder often begin to avoid certain things, like road trips and airplanes, only entering situations if there is a chance of escape.

Agoraphobia, a type of anxiety disorder, is the fear of being in places or situations which would be difficult to escape from, or in which it would be difficult to find help, should a person suffer a panic attack. People with agoraphobia often avoid public transport or shopping malls; others refuse to leave their homes, sometimes for years at a time.

Social anxiety disorder, or social phobia is another form of anxiety where people suffer from extreme shyness and fear social interactions like meeting new people, speaking to others or social events. The focus of the fear is on being judged or scrutinized by others about how you look, what you say or what you assume people are thinking about you. It results in avoiding social situations or tolerating them with great distress, or abusing alcohol or substances to try and tolerate the fear.

Generalized anxiety disorder is an ongoing feeling of worry and physical anxiety that is there most all of the time. It may never build up to a panic attack. The worry is usually about normal things like family, finances, health etc.

Many individuals with anxiety disorders have difficulty with relationships, school, work and social activities.

Who gets anxiety disorders?

Anxiety disorders, including phobias and panic disorder, are among the most common of mental health problems. It is estimated that 2 million Canadians suffer from panic disorders. Women are roughly twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with panic disorder.

How can anxiety disorders be treated?

Treatment exists to help people with phobias and panic disorder, and research into new therapies and techniques continues.
Currently, the best evidenced ways to treat an anxiety disorder include medication, cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) or a combination of the two. Treatment choice will depend on the type of anxiety disorder as well as any additional illnesses such as depression or alcohol abuse. Another useful technique includes relaxation training.
More information

For further information about anxiety disorder and agoraphobia contact a community organization or your family doctor to find out about support and resources available in your community.

Web Sites:

Mood Disorders Association of Ontario
http://www.mooddisorders.ca

National Network for Mental Health
http://www.nnmh.ca

Anxieties.com
http://www.anxieties.com/home.htm

NIMH Anxiety Disorders Education Program
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/anxiety

Canadian Mental Health Association
http://www.cmha.ca/bins/index.asp

Anxiety Disorders Association of Ontario
http://www.anxietyontario.com

Psych Direct (McMaster University)
http://www.fhs.mcmaster.ca/direct

Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments
http://www.canmat.org

Social Phobia/social anxiety Association
http://www.socialphobia.org

mentalhealthminute.com

What is Bipolar Disorder?

Everyone has ups and downs; feeling happy, sad and angry is normal. But if you are experiencing extreme mood swings, laughing more than you normally would or crying at the smallest thing, you may be suffering from bipolar disorder. It used to be called Manic Depression.

Bipolar disorder is no one’s fault. It does not come from a “weak” or unstable personality. It’s got nothing to do with being smart or with your intelligence. It is a condition that can be treated.

Bipolar disorder typically consists of three states:
1. a high state, called “mania”, or hypomania when part way high
2. a low state, called “depression”
3. a well state, during which many people feel normal and function well.

Typically a person with Bipolar disorder will have episodes throughout their life in which they’re mood may be high, low or regular. Low mood depressed states are more common than high typically lasting for months. Low periods usually last longer than high periods, which typically last days, weeks or a few months. There are well periods of regular mood as well.

Signs and symptoms of mania include but are not limited to:
•Extreme happiness
•Extreme irritability
•Rapid, unpredictable emotional changes
•Racing thoughts
•Overreacting, misinterpreting events
•Increased interest in activities
•Overspending
•Feeling invincible or all powerful, inflated self-esteem
•Excessve energy
•Decreased need for sleep
•Increased sexual drive, sexual indiscretions
•Poor judgment

Signs and symptoms of depression include but are not limited to:
•Sad mood
•Preoccupation with failures or inadequacies and a loss of self-esteem
•Feelings of uselessness, hopelessness, excessive guilt
•Slowed thinking, forgetfulness, difficulty in concentrating and in making decisions
•Loss of interest in work, hobbies, people
•Social isolation
•Abnormal drowsiness
•Agitation
•Changes in appetite or weight - eating too little or too much
•Oversleeping or insomnia
•Decreased sexual drive
•Suicidal thoughts

Prevalence

You or someone you care about may have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. You may now feel alone in facing the problems of the illness, but you are not alone. About one to two per cent of adults worldwide suffer from bipolar disorder. Men and women are affected equally.

What causes bipolar disorder?
Unfortunately we do not know the answer to this question! However, research shows that genes play a strong role. Stress or difficult family relationships do not cause the illness but these factors may "trigger" an episode in someone who already has the illness. In some women, bipolar disorder may appear during pregnancy or shortly after it. There are medical clues to the brain’s mood regulation system not working as it should and allowing the normal ups and downs to swing too far and for too long.

How can bipolar disorder be treated?
The most common treatments are medication and counselling/psychotherapy. These can be used alone or in combination with other treatments. Approximately one in three people with bipolar disorder will remain completely free of symptoms just by taking mood stabilizing medication. These mood stabilizers return mood to their normal state and try to prevent illness episodes and keep moods in a healthy range. Like other medical disorders such as high blood pressure or diabetes, bipolar disorder can be effectively managed and controlled by combining treatment and a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately people sometimes get so unwell that they require hospitalization for support and to protect them from their illness.

More information

For further information about bipolar disorder contact a community organization or your family doctor to find out about support and resources available in your community.

Websites:
"Bipolar Screening Tool"
http://www.fhma.com/bipolar_02.html

Treatment of Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients and Families, Kahn/Ross/Printz/Sachs, 2000.
http://www.psychguides.com/Bipolar_2000_Guide.pdf

Bipolar Disorder: A Summary of Clinical Issues and Treatment Options, Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments, 1997
http://www.canmat.org/psychs/index.html

Mood Disorders Association
http://www.mooddisorders.on.ca/bipolar.html

Canadian Mental Health Association
http://download.cmha.ab.ca/Edmonton/Bipolar%20Disorder.pdf

National Network for Mental Health
http://www.nnmh.ca

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