Manic Depressive Illness Manic Depressive Illness example essay topic

Manic Depressive Illness Manic-Depressive illness is one of the two major types of depressive illnesses, also known as mood disorders, because they primarily affect a person's mood. The basic two types of manic-depressives are unipolar and bipolar. Bipolar is a much more sever case in which moods can change drastically faster. Going from a perfect high to the lowest that one can go, even to the point of suicide. These illnesses can come from genetics, biochemical (chemical imbalance), and environmental factors. While depressives suffer occasional highs and lows extreme intensity and duration in moods torture a manic-depressive.

Even in some of the most intense cases depression has often been mistaken for other medical problems and is simply dismissed. Research shows that only out of three with major depression or manic depression will get proper treatment. These facts show the unpredictability of this illness and the need for a private counselor. It is estimated that over 17.4 million adults in the United States suffer from depression each year. That is one out of every seven people. Chances are that sometime in your life you or someone around you will suffer from this illness.

Manic depressives in the United States that are miss treated or not treated have a suicide rate of 20 percent. In fact the number one cause of suicide in the U.S. is untreated depression. However, if given the proper care approximately 80 percent of patients with Manic-depressive illness can lead productive lives. Some of the symptoms of manic depressive illness are: Heighten mood, exaggerated optimism and self-confidence Decreased need for sleep without experiencing fatigue Grandiose delusions, inflated sense of self-importance Excessive irritability, aggressive behavior Increased physical and mental activity Racing speech, flight of ideas, impulsiveness Poor judgement, easily distracted Reckless behavior such as spending sprees, rash business decisions and erratic driving In most severe cases, hallucinations On a personel note, my mom, brother and sister have manic depressive illness. I have watched the past twelve years as I have seen my mom go from extrem highs to attempting suicide in a matter of days. As a family we have come to recognize the signs of when the extreme lows are coming.

These consist of: wanting to be left alone, feeling as though we would be better with out her, not sleeping for several weeks on end, and severe anxiety. My mom has attempted suicide as many as 6 times that I know of and every time she has some how pulled through. However, those of you that have met my mom know that she is just like a normal person and she is. Sometimes a manic-depressive is not able to control their actions or thoughts and often may do something that they would normally not do. Just as an example, Jade Brower was also a Manic depressive.

Jade commited suicide well over a year ago. People that knew Jade were shocked at why he would do something like this. My mom simply explained that being a manic-depressive is just like having cancer, it is uncontrolible and but it does not make you crazy.