FREE ESSAY ON DEPRESSION

DEPRESSION

There is a disease out there that can be more harmful to families than AIDS, it can cause
more pain and suffering to the individual afflicted with the disease than anything
anybody could dream of, this disease is so rare, that less than one percent of the people
in the nation( National...Ill, 2), the disease is Manic Depression, also known as
Bipolar. Bipolar is a disease that is common, but yet very few people are aware of it and
know its symptoms. I was one of those people who knew about Bipolar, but really done know
its affect on a person and those people around him. Bipolar is a disease that has lot to
be discovered. Although it has been around for a while, it is still relatively new. In an
age where AIDS and STDs rule the front page, a disease as Bipolar does not receive
attention until it is too late.
Manic Depression(bipolar) is a mental illness involving serious episodes of mania and
depression(National...Ill 2). Even though two million people have the disease, doctors
are still baffled by its cause. The most likely explanation is that it is caused by a
single gene, but that has yet to be proven. Over twenty-three percent of adolescents who
have bipolar, also have moms, who has this disease(National...Ill 3). Another cause is
that bipolar might be inherited. During mania and depression there are many chemical
changes that accompany the mood (Sims2). The number one chemical in the brain that change
is sodium. During both depression and mania the sodium levels will rise, while other
brain chemicals will rise during mania and fall during depression(Sims 2). 
It is crucial that teens get diagnosed right away. In my case I was in the middle. The
signs were there, we just did not see them at first, but we still took care of it in the
early stages. If they do not get treated right away the problem will only continue to get
worse and worse. The problem is, many teens have high energy levels and it is tough to
diagnose. Some signs of manic depression can range anywhere from a decreased need for
sleep to an increased sexual drive(National...Ill 4). The thing that caused my parents to
be superstitious was my wild mood swings. One minute I would be acting as if there was
nothing wrong, the next minute, I would be feeling there is no sense in going on. Another
thing bipolar might do is hide behind another problem. A kid might be doing poor in
school, but in reality it could be the early stage of manic depression. This was another
sign that something was wrong with me. I had a 3.0 grade point average, but when my first
quarter report card came out I had 1.5. Bipolar can show its face anywhere it is
important to the family and friends of the person that they find help immediately.
Manic Depression is not curable. There are many different ways to treat it and to deal
with it. Bipolar is a disease, when treated properly will go into remission and has the
possibility of never showing up again. There are three ways that are effective. The first
is mood stabilizers. These drugs help level your mood so, signs of mania and depression
are lessened. The second way is talk therapy. Talk therapy is when a person with bipolar
talks to a psychiatrist or a social worker about their thoughts and/or
feelings(National...Ill 4). This is often used concurrently with the mood stabilizers.
The third way is Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), this is often used in the treatment of
severe depression(National..Ill 4).
Lithium is the most common mood stabilizer and it is the most used to treat patients with
bipolar(National...Ill 4). Lithium is a chemical that stabilizes the chemicals in the
brain and in turn soothes the persons' thoughts. This drug although helps the person
mania and depression, it also lessons their creativity(National...Ill 5). Lithium is
taken in the form of pills. The main thing doctors look for in a person taking lithium is
their "level.(Sims 1)." A level is how much lithium there is per pint of blood. "A good
lithium level, in a normal adolescent is between five tenths and eight tenths," said Dr.
Syed Ali of the Cleveland Clinic. 
"In order to maintain these levels we try to have the person take a dosage at breakfast
and a dosage at dinner," he said, "usually the dosage depends on how the body's enzymes
break down the lithium chemicals." 
I currently take two pills in the morning and three at dinner. The reason you do not take
lithium during lunch is that your body's enzymes do not break down the lithium fast
enough and you start suffering side effects, such as tremors, said Dr. Ali. He(Dr. Ali)
also says that it is critical for a person to maintain his or her level. "If they do
not," he said, " they might notice the effects now, but later down the line they will."
It used to be that only Lithium was the only approved drug to treat bipolar, now studies
have shown that a new drug, Depakote, is effective(National..Ill 4). This drug also acts
as a depressive combatant. Depressive combatants are drugs that take out the depressive
episodes in manic depression(National...Ill 2). Although there is not a lot known about
this drug, it has been proven to be very successful in lab studies (National...Ill 3). 
The next kind of treatment that works well with taking of the pills is talk therapy. Talk
therapy is going to see a psychiatrist or a social worker and talking with them about
their feelings or something that is bugging them. "Often times we are happy if the kid
just comes in says hi," says Ed Becker of the Cleveland Clinic Social Workers. 
"Most times the kids are so scared and they just don't want to talk to you about anything
and even if you do ask them a question, it is a one word response you get back," 
Talk therapy is nothing new to most people. Many of times a person has gone to see a
psychatrist to help a person out. Whether that person was seeing the doctor for marital
problems or to conquer their fear of heights a psychatrist is somebody they could always
talk to. However, a person with bipolar doesn't see a psychatrist or social worker as a
friend, but as a person out to get them(Shriberg 13). "The first thing we tried to do is
to make the person feel comfortable," said Becker. 
"If the person is comfortable he or she will more likely talk," he continued, "In Todd's
case it took us about four sessions before he would open up to me." 
The reason it took me so long to open up along with most other bipolar suffers is that we
do not feel we can trust the guy. We feel everything we say will be told to our parents
and the public(Sims 3). It took me awhile to trust Mr. Becker, but once I started talking
and confiding in him, my medication seemed to really kick in and I have not looked back
since. "Once Todd started opening up to Mr. Becker, we noticed a change in him," says Mr.
John Krepop. 
"He seemed to be smiling more and acting like his old self," he remarked.
The least common method of treating is Electroconvulsive therapy(ECT). This is when they
shock the brain to have it wake up. A course of treatment with ECT usually consists of
six to twelve treatments given three times a week for a month or less. The patient is
given general anesthesia and a muscle relaxant. When these have taken full effect, the
patient's brain is stimulated, using electrodes placed at precise locations on the
patient's head, with a brief controlled series of electrical pulses(National...Ill 6).
This stimulus causes a seizure within the brain which lasts for approximately a
minute(National...Ill 6). Because of the muscle relaxants and anesthesia, the patient's
body does not convulse and the patient feels no pain. The patient awakens after five to
ten minutes, much as he or she would from minor surgery( National...Ill 6). In the book
the Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, Esther goes through the same kind of treatment to help snap
her out of the funk that has been plaguing her. ECT is effective in over eighty percent
of the people that use it. 
When we talk about Manic Depression, it usually only the person who suffers from it that
gets the attention. What most people fail to see is the stress, pain, and suffering
family and friends have to go through. Each day they wake up and wonder what kind of mood
that person will be in. At times these people feel like there is nothing they can do
right for this person. These people sometimes don't realize how important they are to the
recovery of a person suffering from bipolar. There is another way to help a person who
suffers from bipolar and that is the support of his family and friends. Talk therapy
might be the best prescribed medicine, but love is the greatest. "In almost one hundred
percent of my cases, the people who have the support of their family and friends, get
through life with the disease," said Dr. Ali. 
"The people who end up committing suicide are the ones who have no one to turn to, they
feel alone and the longer they go on feeling like this, the closer they are to death. The
twenty percent of people with bipolar who do committ suicide are the ones with no
families and no friends. All they do is sit around all day and feel more depressed until
they wake up and find no point in life anymore," Dr. Ali said. 
Each time a person wakes up with bipolar is tough enough, it is crucial that they have
the loving support of a family and friends. So in this paper, I decide on getting a first
hand account from the people who love me the most. I have asked my parents, Barb and John
Krepop, along with my girlfriend Meghan Patton, various questions about how they feel
about the disease and how they have handled it. 
Both my parents and Meghan agree that they always sit back and wonder if they are
handling the situation properly and if they are helping it at all. Meghan said,
"Sometimes I worry that I am not handling it ok and that I am not helping you. When we
fight, I often worry that it's my fault because you can't help it." 
She continues, "Sometimes I think we shouild break up. Then at other times I see how we
both help each other out and I know that I would miss you."
"At times I wonder, it's hard for me to let go, I want what is best for you and maybe I
do put too much pressure on you, but it's hard for me to step back," said John Krepop. 
"Honestly, I was a bit shocked," said Meghan when asked about her reaction when I told
her I suffered from bipolar.
"I really didn't know what it was, and I especially didn't know how to deal with it. For
a short while I wondered if I should end our relationship, especially before we became to
attached. I was afraid that because you had it we would never have a normal
relationship."
My dad's reaction was more of the same except he felt a little relief. "I felt relief
because it explained a lot of what you were doing and acting.