One of the greatest failures of counselors and caregivers of persons with mental health problems is becoming complacent in attending to the urgency of our clients’ situation. We get used to the depression waxing and waning and the periodic crises. We get desensitized to the constant crises of our patients with borderline traits. We get lax when our depressed patients start to come out of their depression, when in fact, this is when they are most likely to commit suicide. These are all common reasons that patients seemingly commit suicide with no warning. As a clinician and/or guardian of someone who is depressed or has bipolar disorder, there are several things you can do to prevent unnecessary tragedy.
It is simple to increase our effectiveness with the ABC(DEF)s. A is for assessment. A mental health assessment needs to be conducted and documented at each contact. B is for believe. It can be tempting to dismiss emotional upset as “just another passing crisis” but it is this attitude that prevents us from helping people stay alive. C is for consult. When you have a client in crisis, have a colleague you […]
Many will be more familiar with this mental health condition as manic depression, but these days it is commonly referred to as bipolar affective disorder. In the very essence of the term, bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that causes mood swings way beyond what may be categorized as normal. Symptoms will alternate from severe low depression to feelings of being on a tremendous high. Each instance however, commonly changes between individuals.
To date, it is still unclear how bipolar affective disorder is actually come by. Professional’s institutions and the like believe that the condition is down to hormonal and genetic levels but there is still much more to consider when we look at this. The experiences and emotions that are felt with bipolar affective disorder occur daily and frequently this is what sets off the mood swings. Trying to deal with the occurrence of elated feelings and then unpleasant feelings can without doubt put one suffering with bipolar affective disorder in greater jeopardy for manic depressive instances.
A number of instances may set off the mood swings which include: inadequate sleep, drug abuse, not taking medications, illnesses, fall outs with family and friends, bereavements etc. It’s also common to trigger mood […]
Clinical depression refers to a state of unhappiness with and indifference to life which lasts, without interruption, for at least two weeks but more often for several weeks to several months. While almost all people have periods of sadness, ennui, or feeling isolated because of things happening in their lives, the vast majority of them never experience genuine depression.
One of the classic symptoms of depression is that it will interfere with its victim0s capacity to function. True depression will result in alterations in both behavior and personality, and can lead to other emotional and physical disorders, including substance and food abuse, and the inabilities either to sleep or to stay awake.
Many people confuse these symptoms of depression with those of other diseases, and do not seek the proper treatment. Because these symptoms of depression can also confuse doctors, it may take some time before a proper diagnosis is made.
Recurring Depression
One of the more common symptoms of depression is that it often recurs. There are entire families genetically predisposed to depression, and unless they receive proper treatment will continue to suffer episodes of it throughout their lives. The less severe forms of clinical depression, dysthymic […]
