Mental Health Disorders

[BlueEyes01]

BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER:



WHAT IS BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER:
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental illness characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image, and behavior. This instability often disrupts family and work life, long-term planning, and the individual's sense of self-identity. Originally thought to be at the "borderline" of psychosis, people with BPD suffer from a disorder of emotion regulation. While less well known than schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness), BPD is more common, affecting 2 percent of adults, mostly young women.1 There is a high rate of self-injury without suicide intent, as well as a significant rate of suicide attempts and completed suicide in severe cases.2,3 Patients often need extensive mental health services, and account for 20 percent of psychiatric hospitalizations.4 Yet, with help, many improve over time and are eventually able to lead productive lives

SYMPTOMS:
While a person with depression or bipolar disorder typically endures the same mood for weeks, a person with BPD may experience intense bouts of anger, depression, and anxiety that may last only hours, or at most a day.5 These may be associated with episodes of impulsive aggression, self-injury, and drug or alcohol abuse. Distortions in cognition and sense of self can lead to frequent changes in long-term goals, career plans, jobs, friendships, gender identity, and values. Sometimes people with BPD view themselves as fundamentally bad, or unworthy. They may feel unfairly misunderstood or mistreated, bored, empty, and have little idea who they are. Such symptoms are most acute when people with BPD feel isolated and lacking in social support, and may result in frantic efforts to avoid being alone.

People with BPD often have highly unstable patterns of social relationships. While they can develop intense but stormy attachments, their attitudes towards family, friends, and loved ones may suddenly shift from idealization (great admiration and love) to devaluation (intense anger and dislike). Thus, they may form an immediate attachment and idealize the other person, but when a slight separation or conflict occurs, they switch unexpectedly to the other extreme and angrily accuse the other person of not caring for them at all. Even with family members, individuals with BPD are highly sensitive to rejection, reacting with anger and distress to such mild separations as a vacation, a business trip, or a sudden change in plans. These fears of abandonment seem to be related to difficulties feeling emotionally connected to important persons when they are physically absent, leaving the individual with BPD feeling lost and perhaps worthless. Suicide threats and attempts may occur along with anger at perceived abandonment and disappointments.

People with BPD exhibit other impulsive behaviors, such as excessive spending, binge eating and risky sex. BPD often occurs together with other psychiatric problems, particularly bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and other personality disorders


MEDICATIONS USED TO TREAT BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER:
Antidepressants, anticonvulsants, & short-term use of neuroleptics are common for BPD. Decisions about medication use should be made cooperatively between the individual & the therapist. Issues to be considered include the person's willingness to take the medication as prescribed, & the possible benefits, risks, & side effects of the meds, particularly the risk of overdose



FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/bpd.cfm

[Sunnie]

SCHIZOPHRENIA

WHAT IS IT:
Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that affects about 1 percent of people all over the world. People with schizophrenia sometimes hear voices others don’t hear, believe that others are broadcasting their thoughts to the world, or become convinced that others are plotting to harm them. These experiences can make them fearful and withdrawn and cause difficulties when they try to have relationships with others.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
Distorted Perceptions of Reality
Hallucinations and Illusions
Disordered Thinking
may not show the signs of normal emotion

BEHAVIOR IN A SCHIZOPHRENIC
a newly developed sleeping disturbance, or unusual awakenings
the development of a new social avoidance, and/or new problems/difficulties in social relations
a new hyper-activity or an unusual tiredness
a new hostility towards relatives, friends and/ or colleagues
unusual emotions, affects, or bizarre behaviours
strange and pervasive thoughts and perceptions (including delusions and hallucinations)
the use of a strange/unusual language
strange disappearances or get always from home or workplace
any new fear, suspiciousness or compulsive behaviour

MEDICATION USED TO TREAT SYMPTOMS SCHIZOPHRENIA INCLUDE:
ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATIONS:
The older antipsychotic medications include chlorpromazine (Thorazine®), haloperidol (Haldol®), perphenazine (Etrafon, Trilafon®), and fluphenzine (Prolixin®). The older medications can cause extrapyramidal side effects, such as rigidity, persistent muscle spasms, tremors, and restlessness

In the 1990s, new drugs, called atypical antipsychotics, were developed that rarely produced these side effects. The first of these new drugs was clozapine. Clozapine (Clozaril®) was introduced in 1990. It treats psychotic symptoms effectively even in people who do not respond to other medications, but can produce a serious problem called agranulocytosis, a loss of the white blood cells that fight infection. Therefore, patients who take clozapine must have their white blood cell counts monitored every week or two. The inconvenience and cost of both the blood tests and the medication itself has made treatment with clozapine difficult for many people, but it is the drug of choice for those whose symptoms do not respond to the other antipsychotic medications, old or new.

Some of the drugs that were developed after clozapine was introduced — such as risperidone (Risperdal®), olanzapine (Zyprexa®), quietiapine (Seroquel®), sertindole (Serdolect®), and ziprasidone (Geodon®) — are effective and don't produce extrapyramidal symptoms or agranulocytosis; but they can cause weight gain, which increases the risk of diabetes and high cholesterol, together called metabolic syndrome.



FOR MORE INFORMATION :
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/nimhhome/index.cfm


USED AT SCHIZOPHRENIC MEDICATIONS:


Older Antipsychotic Medications before 1990 were:


Clorpromazine (Thorazine):

Haloperidol (Haldol):

Perphenazine
(Etrafon)
(Trilafon)

Fluphenzine (Prolixin)

[Sunnie]

GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER


WHAT IS GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder, GAD, is an anxiety disorder characterized by chronic anxiety, exaggerated worry and tension, even when there is little or nothing to provoke it.

SYMPTOMS OF GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER:
People with generalized anxiety disorder can't seem to shake their concerns.
Their worries are accompanied by physical symptoms
fatigue
headaches,
muscle tension,
muscle aches,
difficulty swallowing,
trembling, twitching,
irritability,
sweating,
hot flashes


MEDICATIONS USED TO TREAT DISORDER:
Some of the newest antidepressants are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. These medications act in the brain on a chemical messenger called serotonin. SSRIs tend to have fewer side effects than older antidepressants. People do sometimes report feeling slightly nauseated or jittery when they first start taking SSRIs, but that usually disappears with time.

Fluoxetine, sertraline, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, and citalopram are among the SSRIs commonly prescribed for panic disorder, OCD, PTSD, and social phobia. SSRIs are often used to treat people who have panic disorder in combination with OCD, social phobia, or depression. Venlafaxine, a drug closely related to the SSRIs, is useful for treating GAD. Other newer antidepressants are under study in anxiety disorders, although one, bupropion, does not appear effective for these conditions. These medications are started at a low dose and gradually increased until they reach a therapeutic level.

Similarly, antidepressant medications called tricyclics are started at low doses and gradually increased. Tricyclics have been around longer than SSRIs and have been more widely studied for treating anxiety disorders. For anxiety disorders other than OCD, they are as effective as the SSRIs, but many physicians and patients prefer the newer drugs because the tricyclics sometimes cause dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, and weight gain. When these problems persist or are bothersome, a change in dosage or a switch in medications may be needed.

High-potency benzodiazepines relieve symptoms quickly and have few side effects, although drowsiness can be a problem. Because people can develop a tolerance to them—and would have to continue increasing the dosage to get the same effect—benzodiazepines are generally prescribed for short periods of time. One exception is panic disorder, for which they may be used for 6 months to a year. People who have had problems with drug or alcohol abuse are not usually good candidates for these medications because they may become dependent on them


FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/nimhhome/index.cfm

[Sunnie]

SCHIZOAFFECTIVE DISORDER


WHAT IT IS:
Schizoaffective disorder symptoms look like a mixture of two kinds of major mental illnesses that are usually thought to run in different families, involve different brain mechanisms, develop in different ways, and respond to different treatments: mood (affective) disorders and schizophrenia

SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOAFFECTIVE DISORDER:
The two major mood disorders are unipolar depression and bipolar or manic-depressive illness.

DIFFICULTY IN DISTINGUISHING ILLNESSES:
People with:

• affective disorders usually appear normal between episodes of illness and do not become more seriously disabled with time.
• schizophrenia rarely seem normal, and their condition tends to deteriorate, at least in the early years of the illness.

This distinction is not always as obvious as the description suggests. Emotion and behavior are more fluid and less easy to classify than physical symptoms. Seriously depressed and manic people often have hallucinations and delusions. Mania can be impossible to distinguish from an acute schizophrenic reaction, and psychotic or delusional depression is important enough to rate its own classification by some psychiatrists. Mood changes occur both as symptoms of schizophrenia and as reactions to its devastating effects; for example, depression after a schizophrenic episode (post-psychotic depression) is common and often severe, and it is during this time that a person suffering from schizophrenia is most likely to commit suicide
Schizophrenic apathy and an incapacity for pleasure can also be mistaken for depression. Often a diagnosis has to be changed from one kind of major mental disorder to the other. In a recent study of more than 936 people with a severe psychiatric disorder who were hospitalized at least four times in a seven-year period, investigators found that about 25% of those originally given other diagnoses (including bipolar disorder) and 33% of those originally given other diagnoses (including bipolar disorder) had a final diagnosis of schizophrenia.

SIGNS THAT MAY HELP DIAGNOSE SCHIZOAFFECTIVE DISORDER:

• The illness usually begins in early adulthood.
• It is more common in women.
• A person has difficulty in following a moving object with their eyes.
• A person’s rapid eye movement (dreaming) begins unusually early in the night.

However, the research is inadequate and the results have been confused by varying definitions.

CHOICE OF THERAPIES:
If a person is in a psychotic state, a neuroleptic (antipsychotic) drug is most often used, since antidepressants and lithium (used for bipolar disorder) take several weeks to start working. Antipsychotic drugs may cause tardive dyskinesia, a serious and sometimes irreversible disorder of body movement, so people are asked to take them for long periods only when there is no other alternative. After the psychosis has ended, the mood symptoms may be treated with antidepressants, lithium, anticonvulsants, or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Sometimes a neuroleptic is combined with lithium or an antidepressant and then gradually withdrawn, to be restored if necessary. The few studies on drug treatment of this disorder suggest that antipsychotic drugs are most effective. The greater effectiveness of these new drugs may be partly due to their activity at receptors for the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is not influenced as strongly by standard antipsychotic drugs.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.nmha.org/infoctr/factsheets/52.cfm

[Sunnie]

PANIC DISORDER ~A REAL ILLNESS



WHAT IS PANIC DISORDER:
Panic disorder is a real illness. It can be treated with medicine or therapy.

If you have panic disorder, you feel suddenly terrified for no reason. These frequent bursts of terror are called panic attacks. During a panic attack, you also have scary physical feelings like a fast heartbeat, trouble breathing, or dizziness.

Panic attacks can happen at any time and any place without warning. They often happen in grocery stores, malls, crowds, or while traveling.

You may live in constant fear of another attack and may stay away from places where you have had an attack. For some people, fear takes over their lives and they are unable to leave their homes.

Panic attacks don't last long, but they are so scary they feel like they go on forever.

When does panic disorder start and how long does it last?

It usually starts when people are young adults, around 18 to 24 years old. Sometimes it starts when a person is under a lot of stress, for example after the death of a loved one or after having a baby.

Anyone can have panic disorder, but more women than men have the illness. It sometimes runs in families.

Panic disorder can last for a few months or for many years.



SIGNS & SYMPTOMS:
Have chest pains or a racing heart.
Have a hard time breathing.
Have a choking feeling.
Feel dizzy.
Sweat a lot.
Have stomach problems or feel like I need to throw up.
Shake, tremble, or tingle.
Feel out of control.
Feel unreal.
Are excessively afraid of dying or going crazy.

MEDICATION TO TREAT PANIC DISORDER:
Paroxetine (brand name: Paxil) and sertraline (brand name: Zoloft) are antidepressant medicines that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat panic disorder. Antidepressants are very effective in preventing anxiety and panic attacks. Often they completely stop the attacks. You don't have to be depressed for them to help. Side effects are usually mild. Antidepressants will not make you lose control or change your personality. These medicines can be used for as long as necessary, even for years.


Alprazolam (brand name: Xanax) and clonazepam (brand name: Klonopin) are also medicines approved by the FDA to treat panic disorder. These medicines give relief from fear and anxiety. They should be used only for a short period of time (a few weeks to a few months), unless you absolutely can't function without them. Never suddenly stop taking one of these medicines. If you need to stop, these medicines should be slowly tapered off over several weeks under your doctor's supervision.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/nimhhome/index.cfm

[Sunnie]

BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER:


WHAT IS BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER:
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental illness characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image, and behavior. This instability often disrupts family and work life, long-term planning, and the individual's sense of self-identity. Originally thought to be at the "borderline" of psychosis, people with BPD suffer from a disorder of emotion regulation. While less well known than schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness), BPD is more common, affecting 2 percent of adults, mostly young women.1 There is a high rate of self-injury without suicide intent, as well as a significant rate of suicide attempts and completed suicide in severe cases.2,3 Patients often need extensive mental health services, and account for 20 percent of psychiatric hospitalizations.4 Yet, with help, many improve over time and are eventually able to lead productive lives

SYMPTOMS:
While a person with depression or bipolar disorder typically endures the same mood for weeks, a person with BPD may experience intense bouts of anger, depression, and anxiety that may last only hours, or at most a day.5 These may be associated with episodes of impulsive aggression, self-injury, and drug or alcohol abuse. Distortions in cognition and sense of self can lead to frequent changes in long-term goals, career plans, jobs, friendships, gender identity, and values. Sometimes people with BPD view themselves as fundamentally bad, or unworthy. They may feel unfairly misunderstood or mistreated, bored, empty, and have little idea who they are. Such symptoms are most acute when people with BPD feel isolated and lacking in social support, and may result in frantic efforts to avoid being alone.

People with BPD often have highly unstable patterns of social relationships. While they can develop intense but stormy attachments, their attitudes towards family, friends, and loved ones may suddenly shift from idealization (great admiration and love) to devaluation (intense anger and dislike). Thus, they may form an immediate attachment and idealize the other person, but when a slight separation or conflict occurs, they switch unexpectedly to the other extreme and angrily accuse the other person of not caring for them at all. Even with family members, individuals with BPD are highly sensitive to rejection, reacting with anger and distress to such mild separations as a vacation, a business trip, or a sudden change in plans. These fears of abandonment seem to be related to difficulties feeling emotionally connected to important persons when they are physically absent, leaving the individual with BPD feeling lost and perhaps worthless. Suicide threats and attempts may occur along with anger at perceived abandonment and disappointments.

People with BPD exhibit other impulsive behaviors, such as excessive spending, binge eating and risky sex. BPD often occurs together with other psychiatric problems, particularly bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and other personality disorders


MEDICATIONS USED TO TREAT BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER:
Antidepressants, anticonvulsants, & short-term use of neuroleptics are common for BPD. Decisions about medication use should be made cooperatively between the individual & the therapist. Issues to be considered include the person's willingness to take the medication as prescribed, & the possible benefits, risks, & side effects of the meds, particularly the risk of overdose



FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/bpd.cfm

[BlueEyes01]

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

What Is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

Worries, doubts, superstitious beliefs all are common in everyday life. However, when they become so excessive such as hours of hand washing or make no sense at all such as driving around and around the block to check that an accident didn't occur then a diagnosis of OCD is made. In OCD, it is as though the brain gets stuck on a particular thought or urge and just can't let go. People with OCD often say the symptoms feel like a case of mental hiccups that won't go away. OCD is a medical brain disorder that causes problems in information processing. It is not your fault or the result of a "weak" or unstable personality.

Symptoms:


Contamination fears of germs dirt, etc.
Washing
Imagining having harmed self or others
Repeating
Imagining losing control or aggressive urges Checking
Intrusive sexual thoughts or urges Touching
Excessive religious or moral doubt Counting
Forbidden thoughts Ordering/arranging
A need to have things "just so" Hoarding or saving
A need to tell, ask, confess Praying



Medications That Treat OCD?

The six drugs that have been shown to be effective in such studies include: fluvoxamine (Luvox), fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), citalopram (Celexa), and clomipramine (Anafranil). Anafranil has been around the longest and is the best studied throughout the world, but there is growing evidence that the other drugs are as effective. In addition to these carefully studied drugs, there are hundreds of case reports of other drugs occasionally being helpful. There are reports of small number of patients that suggest that venlafaxine (Effexor) may also be somewhat effective; but there have been no large scale controlled trials done yet.



More Information:

http://ocfoundation.org/

[BlueEyes01]

Dependent Personality Disorder

What is Dependent Personality Disorder?
Dependent personality disorder is characterized by a need to be taken care of. People with this disorder tend to cling to people and fear losing them. They may become suicidal when a break-up is imminent. They tend to let others make important decisions for them and often jump from relationship to relationship. Dependents often remain in abusive relationships. Over-sensitivity to disapproval is common. Dependents often feel helpless and depressed.

Symptoms of Dependent Personality Disorder:

Difficulty making decisions
Feelings of helplessness when alone
Suicidal thoughts upon rejection
Submissiveness
Deeply hurt by mild criticism or disapproval
Unable to meet ordinary demands of life

Treatment:

There is no specific treatment for this disorder. Psychotherapy may be useful in gradually helping a person with this disorder make more independent choices in life. Medication may also be helpful to treat any other underlying conditions


More Information:

http://www.4degreez.com/disorder/dependent.html

[BlueEyes01]

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

What is Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

Narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by self-centeredness. Like histrionic disorder, people with this disorder seek attention and praise. They exaggerate their achievements, expecting others to recongize them as being superior. They tend to be choosy about picking friends, since they believe that not just anyone is worthy of being their friend. Narcissists tend to make good first impressions, yet have difficulty maintaining long-lasting relationships. They are generally uninterested in the feelings of others and may take advantage of them.

Symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder:
Requires excessive praise and admiration
Takes advantage of others
Grandiose sense of self-importance
Lack of empathy
Lying, to self and others
Obsessed with fantasies of fame, power, or beauty

Medication Treating Narcissisic:

No specific pharmacological intervention for NPD has been found. Underlying symptoms of Axis I diagnoses are usually treated with antidepressants or other drugs.
Long-term psychodynamic therapy has been found to be the most effective in working with this disorder. The therapist must create an accepting environment, thus allowing the patient to develop an idealizing transference toward the therapist. An active confrontation of the patient's anger, envy of others, specific need to be self-sufficient, and exploitation of other difficulties can inflict a narcissistic injury. If this occurs then the patient will in all likelihood terminate therapy.



More Information:
http://www.4degreez.com/disorder/narcissistic.html

[BlueEyes01]

Antisocial Personality Disorder

What is Antisocial Personality Disorder?

A common misconception is that antisocial personality disorder refers to people who have poor social skills. The opposite is often the case. Instead, antisocial personality disorder is characterized by a lack of conscience. People with this disorder are prone to criminal behavior, believing that their victims are weak and deserving of being taken advantage of. Antisocials tend to lie and steal. Often, they are careless with money and take action without thinking about consequences. They are often agressive and are much more concerned with their own needs than the needs of others.

Symptoms of Antisocial Personality Disorder:

Disregard for the feelings of others
Impulsive and irresponsible decision-making
Lack of remorse for harm done to others
Lying, stealing, other criminal behaviors
Disregard for the safety of self and others

Additional Information:
A majority of criminals in prison have some degree of antisocial personality disorder. Treatment is highly difficult, although the symptoms often diminish with age.



Treatment

Antisocial personality disorder is considered one of the most difficult of all personality disorders to treat. Individuals rarely seek treatment on their own and may only initiate therapy when mandated by a court. The efficacy of treatment for antisocial personality disorder is largely unknown.



More Info:

http://www.4degreez.com/disorder/antisocial.htm

[BlueEyes01]

Paranoid Personality Disorder

What is Paranoid Personality Disorder?

Paranoid personality disorder is characterized by a distrust of others and a constant suspicion that people around you have sinister motives. People with this disorder tend to have excessive trust in their own knowledge and abilities and usually avoid close relationships. They search for hidden meanings in everything and read hostile intentions into the actions of others. They are quick to challenge the loyalties of friends and loved ones and often appear cold and distant. They usually shift blame to other people and tend to carry long grudges.

Symptoms of Paranoid Personality Disorder:

Unwillingness to forgive perceived insults
Excessive sensitivity to setbacks
Distrustfulness and excessive self-reliance
Projection of blame onto others
Consumed by anticipation of betrayal
Combative and tenacious adherence to personal rights
Relentlessly suspicious


Treatment For Paranoia Personality Disorder:

Treatment is difficult because people with this condition are often extremely suspicious of doctors. If accepted, medications and talk therapy can both be effective.

More Information:

http://www.4degreez.com/disorder/paranoid.html

[BlueEyes01]

Avoidant Personality Disorder

What is Avoidant Personality Disorder?

Avoidant personality disorder is characterized by extreme social anxiety. People with this disorder often feel inadequate, avoid social situations, and seek out jobs with little contact with others. Avoidants are fearful of being rejected and worry about embarassing themselves in front of others. They exaggerate the potential difficulties of new situations to rationalize avoiding them. Often, they will create fantasy worlds to substitute for the real one. Unlike schizoid personality disorder, avoidants yearn for social relations yet feel they are unable to obtain them. They are frequently depressed and have low self-confidence.

Symptoms of Avoidant Personality Disorder:

Social inhibition; retreating from others in anticipation of rejection
Preoccupation with being rejected or criticized in social situations
Fear of embarrassment results in avoidance of new activities
Poor self-image; feelings of social ineptitude
Desire for improved social relations
Appear to others as self-involved and unfriendly
Creation of elaborate fantasy lives

Medication For Avoidant personality Disorder:

Antidepressant medications can often reduce sensitivity to rejection. Psychotherapy, particularly cognitive-behavioral approaches, may be helpful. A combination of medication and talk therapy may be more effective than either treatment alone.

More Information:

http://www.4degreez.com/disorder/avoidant.html

[Sunnie]

HISTRIONIC PERSONALITY DISORDER


WHAT IS HISTRIONIC PERSONALITY DISORDER?
People with histrionic personality disorder are constant attention seekers. They need to be the center of attention all the time, often interrupting others in order to dominate the conversation. They use grandiose language to discribe everyday events and seek constant praise. They may dress provacatively or exaggerate illnesses in order to gain attention. Histrionics also tend to exaggerate friendships and relationships, believing that everyone loves them. They are often manipulative.

SYMPTOMS OF HISTRIONIC PERSONALITY DISORDER:
Needs to be the center of attention
Dresses or acts provocatively
Rapidly-shifting and shallow emotions
Exaggerates friendships
Overly-dramatic, occassionally theatrical speech
easily influenced; highly suggestible

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.4degreez.com/disorder/histrionic.html

[Sunnie]

BIPOLAR DISORDER ALSO KNOWN AS MANIC DEPRESSION

WHAT IS IT:
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. Different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe. They can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even suicide. But there is good news: bipolar disorder can be treated, and people with this illness can lead full and productive lives.

"Manic-depression distorts moods and thoughts, incites dreadful behaviors, destroys the basis of rational thought, and too often erodes the desire and will to live. It is an illness that is biological in its origins, yet one that feels psychological in the experience of it; an illness that is unique in conferring advantage and pleasure, yet one that brings in its wake almost unendurable suffering and, not infrequently, suicide."

SYMPTOMS INCLUDE:
Bipolar disorder causes dramatic mood swings—from overly "high" and/or irritable to sad and hopeless, and then back again, often with periods of normal mood in between. Severe changes in energy and behavior go along with these changes in mood. The periods of highs and lows are called EPISODES of mania and depression.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF A MANIC EPISODE INCLUDE:

• Increased energy, activity, and restlessness
• Excessively "high," overly good, euphoric mood
• Extreme irritability
• Racing thoughts and talking very fast, jumping from one idea to another
• Distractibility, can't concentrate well
• Little sleep needed
• Unrealistic beliefs in one's abilities and powers
• Poor judgment
• Spending sprees
• A lasting period of behavior that is different from usual
• Increased sexual drive
• Abuse of drugs, particularly cocaine, alcohol, and sleeping medications
• Provocative, intrusive, or aggressive behavior
• Denial that anything is wrong

A manic episode is diagnosed if elevated mood occurs with three or more of the other symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, for 1 week or longer. If the mood is irritable, four additional symptoms must be present.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF A DEPRESSED MOOD INCLUDE:

• Lasting sad, anxious, or empty mood
• Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
• Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed, including sex
• Decreased energy, a feeling of fatigue or of being "slowed down"
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
• Restlessness or irritability
• Sleeping too much, or can't sleep
• Change in appetite and/or unintended weight loss or gain
• Chronic pain or other persistent bodily symptoms that are not caused by physical illness or injury
• Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts

A depressive episode is diagnosed if five or more of these symptoms last most of the day, nearly every day, for a period of 2 weeks or longer.

DIAGNOSIS OF BIPOLAR DISRODER

MEDICATIONS USED TO TREAT BIPOLAR DISORDER INLUDE:
Lithium, the first mood-stabilizing medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of mania, is often very effective in controlling mania and preventing the recurrence of both manic and depressive episodes.
Anticonvulsant medications, such as valproate (Depakote®) or carbamazepine (Tegretol®), also can have mood-stabilizing effects and may be especially useful for difficult-to-treat bipolar episodes. Valproate was FDA-approved in 1995 for treatment of mania.
Newer anticonvulsant medications, including lamotrigine (Lamictal®), gabapentin (Neurontin®), and topiramate (Topamax®), are being studied to determine how well they work in stabilizing mood cycles.
Anticonvulsant medications may be combined with lithium, or with each other, for maximum effect.

FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING BIPOLAR DISORDER ARE LOCATED HERE:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/bipolar.cfm

Used as A Bipolar medecine

ABILIFY® (aripiprazole) Tablets

ABILIFY® (aripiprazole) Oral Solution

ABILIFY® (aripiprazole) is a psychotropic drug that is available as tablets and in solution for oral administration.Bipolar Mania

ABILIFY is indicated for the treatment of acute manic and mixed episodes associated with Bipolar Disorder.

SIDE EFFECTS
Aripiprazole has been evaluated for safety in 7951 patients who participated in multipledose, premarketing trials in schizophrenia, bipolar mania, and dementia of the Alzheimer’s type, and who had approximately 5235 patient-years of exposure. A total of 2280 aripiprazole-treated patients were treated for at least 180 days and 1558 aripiprazole-treated patients had at least 1 year of exposure.


The conditions and duration of treatment with aripiprazole included (in overlapping categories) double-blind, comparative and noncomparative open-label studies, inpatient and outpatient studies, fixed- and flexible-dose studies, and short- and longer-term exposure.

More Information On Drug And Dosage

http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/abilify_ad.ht
================================================== ==========

ANTIPSYCHOTIC DRUGS
Antipsychotic drugs, such as haloperidol (Haldol), may be given to patients with paranoid personality disorder if they are having brief psychotic episodes. Patients with borderline or schizotypal personality disorder are sometimes given antipsychotic drugs in low doses; however, the efficacy of these drugs in treating personality disorder is less clear than in schizophrenia.

MOOD STABILIZERS

Carbamazepine (Tegretol) is a drug that is commonly used to treat seizures, but is also helpful for borderline patients with rage outbursts and similar behavioral problems. Lithium and valproate may also be used as mood stabilizers, especially among people with borderline personality disorder.

ANTIDEPRESSANTS AND ANTI-ANXIETY MEDICATIONS

Medications in these categories are sometimes prescribed for patients with schizoid personality disorder to help them manage anxiety symptoms while they are in psychotherapy. Antidepressants are also commonly used to treat people with borderline personality disorder.

Treatment with medications is not recommended for patients with avoidant, histrionic, dependent, or narcissistic personality disorders. The use of potentially addictive medications should be avoided in people with borderline or antisocial personality disorders. However, some avoidant patients who also have social phobia may benefit from monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO inhibitors), a particular class of antidepressant.

http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz..._disorders.jsp

Lithium Used With Bi Polar Disorder

LITHIUM - ORAL

USAGE:
This medication is used to treat manic-depressive disorder (bipolar disorder). It works to stabilize the mood and reduces extremes in behavior.


HOW TO USE
Take with food or milk or immediately after meals to prevent stomach upset.

This medication works best if the amount of the drug in your body is kept at a constant level. Do this by taking the medication at evenly spaced intervals throughout the day and night.

Drink 8-12 glasses of water or other fluid each day and maintain a regular diet while taking this medication. Do not change the amount of salt in your diet unless your doctor tells you to do so.

This medication must be taken as prescribed. Do not stop taking this drug suddenly without consulting your doctor. Some conditions may worsen if the medication is suddenly stopped.
Learn more

SIDE EFFECTS:
May cause drowsiness, tiredness, increased thirst, increased frequency of urination, weight gain, and trembling of the hands. These should subside as your body adjusts to the medication. If these symptoms persist or become bothersome, inform your doctor.

Notify your doctor if you develop: diarrhea, vomiting, fever, unsteady walking, fainting, confusion, slurred speech, rapid heart rate, severe trembling of the hands.

If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
Learn more

For More Information On Drug And Dosage:

http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-5887-Lithium+Carbonate+Oral.aspx?drugid=5887&drugname=L ithium%20Carbonate%20Oral

Valproate Sodium Oral may also be used to treat:

Manic Phase of Manic-Depression, Bipolar Depression, Bipolar Disorder in Remission, Manic-Depression

WARNING:
This medication has rarely caused serious (sometimes fatal) liver problems. Children less than 2 years old are more likely to develop severe liver problems, especially if they have metabolic problems, severe seizures with mental retardation, brain disease (organic) or if they take more than one drug for seizures. If valproate sodium is being used in patients with these conditions, then it should not be taken with additional anti-seizure medications. Liver function tests should be performed before and during treatment.

Early signs of serious liver problems include vomiting, unusual tiredness, swelling of the face or loss of seizure control in patients with seizure disorder. Tell your doctor immediately if you develop any of these symptoms.

This medication has rarely caused severe (sometimes fatal) disease of the pancreas (pancreatitis). This problem may occur at any time during therapy and may worsen quickly. Tell your doctor immediately if you experience stomach/abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite while taking this medication.

This medication can cause birth defects.

OTHER USES: This drug may also be used for the prevention of migraine headaches and treatment of certain psychiatric conditions (e.g., manic phase of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia).

SIDE EFFECTS:


Diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness, hair loss, blurred/double vision, change in menstrual periods, ringing in the ears, shakiness (tremor), unsteadiness, weight changes may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, notify your doctor or pharmacist promptly.

Tell your doctor immediately if any of these serious side effects occur: mental/mood changes, signs of infection (e.g., fever, persistent sore throat).

For More Information please see:
http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-14398-Valproate+Sodium+Oral.aspx?drugid=14398&drugname=V alproate%20Sodium%20Ora

Carbamazepine Oral



Carbamazepine Oral may also be used to treat:

Schizophrenia, Manic Phase of Manic-Depression, Bipolar Disorder in Remission, Manic-Depression, Mental Disorder with Loss of Normal Personality & Reality, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity

SIDE EFFECTS:


Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness, or unsteadiness may occur as your body adjusts to this medication. If any of these effects persist or worsen, notify your doctor or pharmacist promptly.
Tell your doctor immediately if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur: chest pain, swelling of the ankles/feet, trouble breathing, fatigue, fast/slow/irregular heartbeat, persistent or severe headache, fainting, trouble urinating, change in the amount of urine, decreased sexual ability, unusual eye movements (nystagmus), vision changes, hearing problems, mental/mood changes, pain/redness/swelling of the arms or legs, numbness/tingling of the hands/feet, sun sensitivity, joint pain, hair loss.

For More Information On Drug & Dosage :

http://www.webmd.com/drugs/mono-5-CARBAMAZEPINE+-+ORAL.aspx?drugid=1493&drugname=Carbamazepine+Oral

Lamotrigine

What conditions does this medication treat?

Lamotrigine Oral is used to treat the following:
Bipolar Disorder in Remission, Manic-Depression,
Lamotrigine Oral may also be used to treat:
Bipolar Depression

Common side effects:
Double Vision Severe
Blurred Vision Severe
Problems with Eyesight Severe
Voluntary Movement Difficulty Severe
Rash Severe
Disorder of the Digestive System Less Severe
Drowsiness Less Severe
Dizzy Less Severe
Head Pain Less Severe
Feel Like Throwing Up Less Severe
Throwing Up Less Severe


Infrequent side effects:
Depression Severe
Lower Seizure Threshold Severe
Toxic Effect on Brain or Spinal Cord Function Severe
Involuntary Eye Movement Severe
Easily Angered or Annoyed Severe
Confused Severe
Mood Changes Severe
Anxious Severe
Change in Mental State Severe


Rare side effects:
Erythema Multiforme Severe
Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis Severe
Stevens-Johnson Syndrome Severe
Fever Severe
Small Reddish-Purplish Pin-Point Sized Spots on the Skin Severe
Giant Hives Severe
Reaction due to an Allergy Severe
Anemia Severe
Decreased Blood Platelets Severe
Decreased White Blood Cells Severe
Increased Eosinophils in the Blood Severe
Blood Disorder Severe
Inflammation of the Nose Less Severe
Conditions of Excess Fluids or Stomach Acid Secretion Less Severe
Abnormal Trouble Sleeping Less Severe
Involuntary Quivering Less Severe
Difficulty Speaking Less Severe
Feeling Weak Less Severe


More Information On Drug & Dosage:

http://www.webmd.com/drugs/mono-7217-LAMOTRIGINE+-+ORAL.aspx?drugid=4582&drugname=Lamotrigine+Oral&p agenumber=4