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MANIC DEPRESSION

Ever experience mood swings from real highs to extreme lows? One in 100 people experience manic depression, also known as bipolar. Find out more about its causes and what can be done to help.

What is manic depression?

Manic depression is a mental health problem that can cause you to have extreme mood swings. You may find that you experience periods of deep depression then your mood can change to one of overactive, excitable behaviour known as mania. Everyone has changes in mood, we all have ups and downs in our daily life, but if you have manic depression these mood swings can be extreme. Manic depression is known as a psychotic illness because, during manic phases, you may be unable to distinguish between your own intense thoughts and reality.

What are the symptoms?

If you experience a manic phase you may feel like you're on an all-time high, excitable and euphoric. You may find you need little sleep, feel very energetic, have thoughts and plans racing wildly through your head and talk very quickly. You may find yourself making ambitious plans, spending extravagantly and losing social inhibitions. In a manic state you could lose touch with reality, be full of a sense of your own importance, believe you are famous, or experience delusions of a religious nature.

If you experience a depressive phase you may feel extremely low and unhappy, everything may feel like a struggle, and perhaps not worth the effort. You might feel unable to see any positives in life and feel hopeless about the future. You may find yourself unable to participate in activities you used to enjoy, feel apathetic, have little energy, and perhaps avoid friends and social activities. In severe depressive phases you might have feelings of such hopelessness, that there is no point in going on with life and even begin to consider suicide.

Who experiences it?

About one in 100 people are diagnosed with manic depression. Symptoms can start at any age, but you are most likely to develop the illness as a young adult between the ages of 20 and 30. It affects men and women equally. Those affected are often intelligent, creative people, and manic phases can sometimes stimulate the production of great art and writing.

What causes it?

No one knows for sure what causes manic depression. It appears to be caused by a combination of factors that can be different from person to person. Suggested causes include: genetics; changes in brain chemistry; stressful life events; or using of street drugs. Overall, it appears likely that some people may be born with a genetic predisposition towards manic depression, but it takes stressful life events or experiences to trigger the onset of symptoms.

What can be done?

The first step towards recovery from any illness is usually to recognise that there is a problem and to seek help. However, people experiencing manic depression often do not have the insight to recognise that they have a problem that can be treated. If this is the case, friends or family may have a role in encouraging the person to seek help. The first point of contact would usually be a GP who may be able to prescribe drug treatment, or refer the person to a psychiatrist or psychologist for more intensive treatment.

Manic depression is usually treated with mood-stabilising drugs such as Lithium or Carbamazepine. These drugs are not a cure, but they can be an effective treatment for the condition. The drugs aim to combat the extreme mood swings that are characteristic of manic depression. Sometimes people are prescribed antipsychotic drugs, which have a sedative effect to control periods of mania. Some people may experience unpleasant or distressing side effects from medication that makes them reluctant to take the drugs. If someone stops taking their medication it can lead to relapse. It is important to discuss with your doctor any problems or side effects you may be having from your prescribed drugs, as they may be able to help.

Other forms of treatment are known as talking treatments; these include counselling, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and psychotherapy. If a person is very distressed, they may be admitted to hospital for treatment. People are usually encouraged to go to hospital as voluntary patients, but sometimes if someone is extremely depressed, or their behaviour is very disturbed, usually during manic episodes, they can be admitted to hospital against their will under the Mental Health Act 1983.

Who can help?

Friends and family can help by encouraging the person to seek treatment and support. They can offer general support and show the person that they are cared for. It can be quite distressing living with someone with manic depression, so friends and family might wish to seek some support for themselves too. Many organisations can provide advice, information and practical or emotional support for people experiencing manic depression, their friends and family. These include mental health and drug charities, helplines, counselling and therapy services, social services, GPs and the health service.

http://www.thesite.org/healthandwellbei ... depression

But what can you do if the 'patient' refuses medication, counselling, visiting a psychiatrist etc. and insists that the best medication is their parents, particularly their mother. What is the use of going to a psychiatrist, as they don't know the patient, but the parents do, and the 'patient' has no idea how much their parents are being worn down by the constant 'ups and downs' in the terrific mood swings ? Even though the 'patient' can see how much it upsets the mother in particular.

Have you spoke to any doctors about it Gill? i suppose you have to keep trying to wear that person down:-3 its not fair to the family if they wont help to aleviate the situation. Saying that if they have a disorder such as this they probably dont realise how selfish they seem:-3 im not much help on this as i havent had any real experience of it, but hpoefully some other fg members have and may be able to give some good advice:) I do hope so:-4

Kaz, thanks for that

RJ - The 'patient' happens to be male and 40 years old, and has been suffering from this for many years. The parents are now pensioners.

Thanks very much for your input though RJ.

That is a very tough thing to deal with, when the bipolar person insists on refusing treatment and whether intentionally or not, makes things hellish for their loved ones. Has the person offered an actual reason why he doesn't want to get outside help? Has he had any counseling or treatment previously? Was he perhaps not treated respectfully by a professional? Ever been on medication? Why exactly does he feel his parents and mom especially are the answer? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to get an idea.

Do you have bipolar, RJ?

My X-Husband was a Manic Depressed person. I married very young (19) and had no knowledge of this. It lead to me living a life of fear for the 5 years until I divorced him. Back then there wasn't much treament for this, or medication so they were on their own.

I remember vividly him being fine one minute then raging the next and gone for weeks at a time (which I didn't mind). He suffered all his life with this, till his death last year.

Now that I know what he was I can look back and I remember him being a tortured soul that truly never had inner peace. Mental Illiness is very hard to understand for us that aren't. Today's medications can help many.

Geeze Gill:-4

Wish I had some advice for you.....just wondering if you could have a doctor come to this person's house and have a heart to heart talk with him. Someone has to convince him that he would be so much happier and his family would be so much happier if he would work with a doctor on a program that would help him to become a healthier person.

Guess he needs tough love now.

Hope all goes well with him:-6

rjwould;894935 wrote: While I agree with the child here, I also understand how difficult it can be to be a proactive parent when the medical community has apparently labeled these conditions and offered synthetic remedies to everything known or made up.

If as a parent, one feels they don't have the capacity to guide a young person through these difficulties to learn how to live with their imperfections, then counseling is the next best step. Unfortunately, today counselors and other people in that profession are so eager to prescribe drugs far too easily. There is no magic pill. Every one of us has some condition to deal with.

I myself have dealt with mood swings my entire life and I've watched my wife and children go through them as well. We all could probably be diagnosed with at lest manic depression or some other disorder, and in fact we all have been at one time or an other by either so called professional practitioners, school officials or someone else just in passing.

What I've learned is life is a roller coaster ride with steep highs and deep lows. When I am having a difficult time, I remind myself to hang on and enjoy the ride. I've done quite a bit of research on this subject because I've had to learn to deal with my tendencies and as a parent I felt I owed it to my children to understand them, and I've come to the conclusion that we all have these difficulties in one form or another. In all the years I've lived and the family and friends I've spoken to, I've yet to meet one whom is free of these demons.


My daughter was labeled this at age 16. It has plagued her for 8 years. Once she got through her teens and got some GOOD counseling she learned how to handle herself as a person and has not had any problems in 6 years.

I don't pretend to denegrate anyone who truly suffers but I agree that "diagnosis" is far too flippantly given and drugs dolled out. As my daughter said...."Mom how could I learn when all the drugs gave me made me sleep 16 hours a day." If she complained about the drugs ---DUH -- they increased her dosage.

Thanks to all of you for your input and advices, I am grateful that you care and I do appreciate your help. Bless you all

I don't have Manic Depression. I have Major depression and Bipolar 2 (I'm 44yrs old). I've been dealing with the depression for about 10yrs and was diagnosed with the Bipolar 2 about a year ago. The Bipolar 2 is a less noticible illness because there are not any of the manic episodes. It is going way down in the depression to coming up to almost feeling "normal". I am VERY medication resistant and my doctors have tried so many different combinations that I've lost track...nothing has helped. Some days I'm barely able to get out of bed(part of it depression and part back pain from spinal arthritis)...other days I can just sleep for 36 hours straight without getting up, that's the depression. I have my general practitioner, a psychiatrist and a counselor...so I'm trying...still.

shelbell;919477 wrote: I don't have Manic Depression. I have Major depression and Bipolar 2 (I'm 44yrs old). I've been dealing with the depression for about 10yrs and was diagnosed with the Bipolar 2 about a year ago. The Bipolar 2 is a less noticible illness because there are not any of the manic episodes. It is going way down in the depression to coming up to almost feeling "normal". I am VERY medication resistant and my doctors have tried so many different combinations that I've lost track...nothing has helped. Some days I'm barely able to get out of bed(part of it depression and part back pain from spinal arthritis)...other days I can just sleep for 36 hours straight without getting up, that's the depression. I have my general practitioner, a psychiatrist and a counselor...so I'm trying...still.


Hi. I've always wondered what BP 1 and 2 were. They diagnosed me years ago as bipolar (didn't mention which one, I never asked) with tendencies toward depression. I do well on Abilify and Lexapro but once in a while the depression breaks through. I just had a month long episode. Bipolar sucks. Unless you have it or know someone close who does, it seems like people tend not to understand what makes you say what you say, do what you do. For me the depression makes my self esteem go into the sh*tcan and I continually apologize to people for myself and all my real or imaginary shortcomings. I hate being this way. It pisses people off and it makes me look bad. And the mania comes out for me as anger usually, some serious debilitating anger. Fortunately between medication and determination, I keep a grip on it. I haven't had an episode in two years. But it's caused me a lot of grief in my past and made me do things that can't be undone.

I'm lucky because I've tried all the SSRI's and most of the other drugs except for scary stuff like Lithium and Depakote which I refused and my doctor said there's nothing left at present for me to try. I can live with the Lexapro because unlike everything else I tried it doesn't make me so sleepy I can't function.

RedGlitter;919485 wrote: Hi. I've always wondered what BP 1 and 2 were. They diagnosed me years ago as bipolar (didn't mention which one, I never asked) with tendencies toward depression. I do well on Abilify and Lexapro but once in a while the depression breaks through. I just had a month long episode. Bipolar sucks. Unless you have it or know someone close who does, it seems like people tend not to understand what makes you say what you say, do what you do. For me the depression makes my self esteem go into the sh*tcan and I continually apologize to people for myself and all my real or imaginary shortcomings. I hate being this way. It pisses people off and it makes me look bad. And the mania comes out for me as anger usually, some serious debilitating anger. Fortunately between medication and determination, I keep a grip on it. I haven't had an episode in two years. But it's caused me a lot of grief in my past and made me do things that can't be undone.

I'm lucky because I've tried all the SSRI's and most of the other drugs except for scary stuff like Lithium and Depakote which I refused and my doctor said there's nothing left at present for me to try. I can live with the Lexapro because unlike everything else I tried it doesn't make me so sleepy I can't function.


I've been on Lexapro for awhile now with no results. I do know what you mean by the anger. I'm the type that will surpress it until it gets to be my breaking point, then watch out for the explosion. I know tho that it's just because I keep everything bottled up and then it all comes out at once. It's good to meet someone that has some of the same feelings about this as I do...I HATE being like this and it pisses me off...and the self esteem is non-existant. I also hate when people tell me to shake it off or, just get over it. They don't have a clue! I'm on about 17 (I've lost track again) different meds a day. 5 or 6 of them are mood stabilizers and antidepressants. Then throw is some problems with panic attacks and it's just a grand ol time.:-5:-5:-5 Since we are both dealing with these problems I'd like to maybe send you a friends request and we can use each other as sounding boards whenever we're having some problems with this. No obligations what-so-ever...I'll just send it and you can always reject it and I won't be hurt by it.

I hate that "snap out of it" stuff too! Or the ones who have never had these chemical disorders and/or don't believe they exist and they insist you don't *need* medication, you just need to get over yourself and take a walk in the sunshine.

I just accepted your friend request- thank you.

RedGlitter;919510 wrote: I hate that "snap out of it" stuff too! Or the ones who have never had these chemical disorders and/or don't believe they exist and they insist you don't *need* medication, you just need to get over yourself and take a walk in the sunshine.

I just accepted your friend request- thank you.


Thanks for being my friend. Oh, and another one that I can't stand is if you are feeling really sad and you have no idea why, yet someone (my hubby) keeps asking what's wrong. I tell him "nothing, I'm just having a really bad day and am feeling really sad"...then comes the tirade of questions. "What's wrong? What's the matter? Something must be wrong." When I say nothings wrong I am just having a really bad day, it's "well, something MUST be wrong." It's so hard for people to grasp what we go thru.:-5

rjwould;895021 wrote: Whats different now as opposed to the past, besides age of course?

Most of the problem with this is that we've been dramatically redefined by the medical community over the past 20 or 25 years. Things we used to understand we had to live with has now been offered synthetic relief. I contend most of what is offered by the pharmaceutical community is either bogus or dangerous in the long term. But now, with so much availability of drugs, its become the easier solution.

Life is work, and for most of us its hard, hard work.


Sometimes the risk that comes with the medications are nothing to the person that is suffering. Sometimes the medication is the difference between life and death. Sometimes, without the meds, people feel so hopeless that they kill themselves. I take meds...I never want to get to that point.

G#Gill;906244 wrote: Thanks to all of you for your input and advices, I am grateful that you care and I do appreciate your help. Bless you all


Thanks for starting this very important thread Gill. So many people don't understand what these conditions do to people and it's VERY important to get this information out. You never know if just by reading thru this thread if it may help someone understand what they are going thru and hopefully reach out for help, or just to educate those that aren't exposed to this and truly don't understand.

shelbell;920448 wrote: Thanks for starting this very important thread Gill. So many people don't understand what these conditions do to people and it's VERY important to get this information out. You never know if just by reading thru this thread if it may help someone understand what they are going thru and hopefully reach out for help, or just to educate those that aren't exposed to this and truly don't understand.


Well thanks for that Shel. You are quite right, there are a lot of people who just don't understand, and maybe just cannot be bothered with trying to understand, which is a shame.

It is my son who is bipolar - he is an adult, he is very intelligent, he is not the sort of person you can bullshti over anything. If you try, he will know and he will fly off the handle. So I don't try.

It isn't just the person who has bipolar who goes through the mill, it is also the people who live with them and try to keep an even keel, with not saying the wrong things. You are walking on egg shells all the time, and trying to think what you are saying before you say it - checking that it won't be antagonistic. The stress is enormous, and sometimes it gets too much to bear. But you have to try to hide this, and it gets more and more difficult. With my son, he only has to catch a headline in the newspaper, or hear a snippet of news on the radio or tv, and he's off, and he just works himself up into a right state. It takes quite a time to soothe him down, to work him round to talking about something totally different, to sit down and have a coffee and talk.

Sometimes I feel so down, that I just cannot come on the forum, I just cannot pretend to be jovial, that nothing has happened. Other times, I'm just so tired, mentally and physically. I feel the need to be cheered up, to lift myself, so I come on the forum and find some friends and gradually I feel a little better and am so thankful I have such friends. But there are times when I need to chill but can't find the ability to talk to my friends - it is not anything they have done ........it's me ......

so I play some games in the arcade.

This thread is for everybody directly or indirectly affected by bipolar. It is to try to get people to understand the illness, that it isn't a case of 'getting a grip of yourself' it is an illness, much misunderstood.

G#Gill;920566 wrote: Well thanks for that Shel. You are quite right, there are a lot of people who just don't understand, and maybe just cannot be bothered with trying to understand, which is a shame.

It is my son who is bipolar - he is an adult, he is very intelligent, he is not the sort of person you can bullshti over anything. If you try, he will know and he will fly off the handle. So I don't try.

It isn't just the person who has bipolar who goes through the mill, it is also the people who live with them and try to keep an even keel, with not saying the wrong things. You are walking on egg shells all the time, and trying to think what you are saying before you say it - checking that it won't be antagonistic. The stress is enormous, and sometimes it gets too much to bear. But you have to try to hide this, and it gets more and more difficult. With my son, he only has to catch a headline in the newspaper, or hear a snippet of news on the radio or tv, and he's off, and he just works himself up into a right state. It takes quite a time to soothe him down, to work him round to talking about something totally different, to sit down and have a coffee and talk.

Sometimes I feel so down, that I just cannot come on the forum, I just cannot pretend to be jovial, that nothing has happened. Other times, I'm just so tired, mentally and physically. I feel the need to be cheered up, to lift myself, so I come on the forum and find some friends and gradually I feel a little better and am so thankful I have such friends. But there are times when I need to chill but can't find the ability to talk to my friends - it is not anything they have done ........it's me ......

so I play some games in the arcade.

This thread is for everybody directly or indirectly affected by bipolar. It is to try to get people to understand the illness, that it isn't a case of 'getting a grip of yourself' it is an illness, much misunderstood.


Is your son on meds and does he take them all the time? I do know that I wouldn't give coffee to someone having episodes like that since it's a stimulant...not unless it was decaf (but that is just my opinion) After suffering with really bad panic attacks for about 2 years, I realized the coffee was doing it. I'm completely off caffeine and now it's rare when I get an attack, they are much milder and I have learned how to get them under control without meds.

If you get really frustated and just need someone to blow off steam at, or if you just need to talk to someone that goes thru it, for any reason, please don't hesitate to send me a PM.

What about when the bipolar person surrounds themself with people who always have, and always will cause drama and stress? As hard as it is being around a person who is bipolar, it has to be frustrating as hell to be the one who is actually bipolar. My loved one gets periods of extreme aggitation. The aggitation aggitates him. He's on lithium and they just keep increasing the dose because blood work says it's low. What's the point when it doesn't seem to help? With each increase of lithium, the shaking hands increases. He works at a hospital and sees so many people again and again going to the psychiatric unit. His theory is that if they have to keep coming back, therapy must be useless. He won't look at the success cases because you just don't see them.

He's on lithium and they just keep increasing the dose because blood work says it's low. What's the point when it doesn't seem to help? With each increase of lithium, the shaking hands increases.


Thats when Id be seeing a new doctor, Peg. They've wanted to put me on lithium for years but I've refused because of all the side effects. The drug scares me plain and simple. Why do they continue to give him more- do they even consider his side effects?? Have they tried other drugs? Lithium is an old drug, there are more modern ones that may work for him. I would snoop out a second opinion, myself.