Manic Depression

Many patients and their close family are confused over manic depression and major depression. They wanted to know if there is any difference and how they can be completed treated in order for the patients to carry on with a normal life. Actually, there is a big difference between the cause and treatment of these two mental disorders.

Firstly, patients with major depression (also known as major depressive disorder) display psychiatric disorder symptoms such as chronic depressed moods, reduced interest in usually enjoyed activities, and loss of energy, concentration, appetite, and even sexual desires. Some major depressive disorder patients are also prone to feel hopeless and worthless, leading to frequent uncontrollable crying and irritability. If major depression is not detected early or left untreated, the patients will become even more socially withdrawn, develop hallucinations, delusions and psychosis hearing that there are people trying to harm them, which in turn leads to suicidal and homicidal tendencies.

Next, manic depression (also known as bipolar disorder) symptoms consists of those exhibited by major depression as well as outbursts of manic behavior (extreme irritability or euphoria) that can last around a week. It is easy to detect signs of mania which is quite the opposite of clinical depression as described above. Unlike the typical withdrawal manner of major depression patients, manic depression patients can become talkative in one moment and bursting into tears loudly the next. Some manic depression patients become hyperactive and even nocturnal at night. They can go without sleep and still be full of energy in the next morning. Some bi-polar patients become hypersexual instead, desiring sex multiple times a day and in some instance, multiple partners to satisfy their urges.

To differentiate the difference between manic/bipolar depression and major depressions, look for the presence of mania. Major depression treatments involve the prescriptions of anti-depressant drugs like Bupropion and Prozac. On the other hand, manic-depression treatments are based on anticonvulsants and mood stabilizers containing valproic acid and lithium. For suppressing acute mania conditions, new antipsychotics such as Olanzapine, Quetiapine, Risperidone, etc have shown good promise. More importantly, their medicine should not be mixed up. For example, if manic–depressed patients take antidepressants, these bi-polar people may turn manic and worsen their conditions while major depressed people should avoid bi-polar mood stabilizers, or else their depressive moods can intensify.

Close friends and family members should also be educated on the difference between these two types of physcoemotional disorders such that they can provide better care and support to help them recover and gain control of their illnesses. Although both major depression and bi-polar manic depression are still not well understood and permanent cures are not yet invented, current bi-polar manic treatments are very successful and bi-polar people can continue to work and live a normal life.