Bipolar Disease

William Styron – Major Depression Disease

William Styron – Major Depression Disease

William Styron - Major Depression Disease  by Paul Golden                        William Styron’s book Darkness Visible – A Memoir of Madness, (1990, Vintage) has become a Third Testament for the afflicted…
Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson was a veritable recluse in her home in Amherst the town of her birth. In 1870 a family friend, Thomas Higginson asked her if she ever desired to…
Prodrome of Schizophrenia

Prodrome of Schizophrenia

It is commonly accepted that schizophrenia and bipolar disease are diagnosed in the third decade of life. But, what about early symptoms as far back as grade school that may…
Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Before getting into the subject of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) a review of the light spectrum is in order. The light we see is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) going through space.…
Abraham Lincoln and Major Depression

Abraham Lincoln and Major Depression

Abraham Lincoln and Major Depression During the Civil War: For over fifty years historians and psychiatrists have accepted the fact that Abraham Lincoln had major depression disorder. Also indicative of…

My First Depression

My First Depression A foreboding of things to come occurred in the summer of 1973. I was 25 years old and in my third year of medical school. To say…
Laura’s Law

Laura’s Law

Laura’s Law (Also Called Assisted Outpatient Treatment or AOT) How do we prevent a seriously mentally ill (SMI) person from ending in the morass that is County mental facilities? The…
How Pets Help Bipolar Disease

How Pets Help Bipolar Disease

How Pets Help Bipolar Disease Pets and Mindfulness   I grew up in an apartment in Arlington, Virginia across the Potomac from D.C. Pets were not allowed and my father being…

What is Rapid Cycling?

What is Rapid Cycling? Most people with bipolar disorder will have between 0.7 and 0.9 episodes of depression or mania per year lasting three to six months. Between episodes euthymia…
Bipolar Dictionary

Bipolar Dictionary

Bipolar Dictionary of Psychiatric Terms This is a bipolar dictionary of common psychiatric terms. Agoraphobia: one of the anxiety disorders characterized by feelings the environment to be unsafe, usually include…
How Does Bipolar Feel?

How Does Bipolar Feel?

How Does Bipolar Feel? While having bipolar disease does not mean a person is always either feeling depressed (depressing) or feeling high (mania), people often ask, "How does bipolar feel?"…
Mental Health and Mass Shootings

Mental Health and Mass Shootings

Mental Health and Mass Shootings How is mental health related to the epidemic of mass shootings in recent years? Mass shooting, stabbing, clubbing, etc. is defined as victims of three…
How is Bipolar Diagnosed?

How is Bipolar Diagnosed?

How is bipolar diagnosed? Bipolar disease is a clinical diagnosis made on the basis of a series of diagnostic criteria, psychiatric evaluation, self-questionnaires, mood charts and individual retrospective evaluation at…

Famous People with Bipolar Disease

Famous People with Bipolar Disease People with bipolar disease and major depression can take some solace in the highly intelligent, creative artists, leaders, philosophers, writers and politicians who have been…
Bipolar Mania

Bipolar Mania

Bipolar Mania: Manic versus Enthusiastic For individuals who suffer with bipolar mania the onset of the first manic or hypomanic episode is very difficult to recognize. Sometimes even after multiple…

What is Bipolar?

What is Bipolar? Bipolar disease is a mood disorder and was previously referred to as manic-depressive disease. The mood disorders are major depression and bipolar disease. What is Bipolar Depression?…
What is Depression?

What is Depression?

What is Depression? Depression versus the Blues—In a nutshell: What is the difference between major depression and the blues? Everyone feels blue or sad many times. These feelings are usually…