Alternative Treatment For Schizophrenia and Manic Depression

By Robin Brain

Mental health problems are severe when the person becomes out of touch with reality. They may develop false beliefs about who they are or what is happening, feel persecuted by external forces, or believe they have been given special powers. They may hear voices, discussing their thoughts or behavior, or telling them what to do, or they may see things that are not there (hallucinations).

When someone is out of touch with reality in this way, they are called psychotic. Some people have only one episode of psychotic illness in their life, others have several with remission in between, and others have them most of the time. Alternative therapies can be useful for all these people but may not be appropriate in a crisis. Conventional drug medication can usually prevent psychotic episodes, but people who are very distressed or dangerous to themselves or others may need the shelter and protection of a hospital or specialized care unit.

Schizophrenia

Each sufferer’s experience of schizophrenia is unique. Thoughts and feelings are dramatically disturbed and the world is experienced very differently. The person’s behavior may appear bizarre to others. Schizophrenia does not mean “split personality”as is widely believed, but is a word used to describe a wide range of symptoms and conditions.

It is not known what causes schizophrenia: one theory is that a person’s genetic makeup makes him or her vulnerable, and that it is triggered off by stressful events. People diagnosed as schizophrenic are rarely violent, but they are often very frightened and isolated because of their distressing symptoms.

Symptoms of schizophrenia include jumbled, disordered thinking, paranoia, false beliefs, hearing voices, apathy, lack of concentration, and depression.

Treatment

Conventional drug treatment can help control some of the symptoms of schizophrenia (such as hallucinations) but may also create many new symptoms. Alternative therapies can be used alongside conventional treatment for these problems.

Manic Depression

Manic depression involves mood swings: periods of deep depression and over-excited or manic behavior. There may be periods of varying stability in between these extreme highs and lows.

During mania, sufferers are euphoric, feel self­important, excited, and extremely talkative. They may go on spending sprees, be unable to sleep, be irritable, or angry. They have no awareness of changed behavior. During the depressive periods (usually longer) they feel despair, guilt, and worth­lessness.

Music, which can access mood states without recourse to language, may be a helpful therapeutic tool in the treatment of psychotic illness.

Treatment

It is important to avoid stressful situations, and finding the right therapy and therapist is vital.

Relaxation Techniques

Meditation, visualization and relaxation exercises can all help.

Consult a qualified practitioner/therapist for:

Talking Treatments - Taking part in supportive psychotherapy and counseling can help reduce the risk of a relapse by helping sufferers to understand the condition and cope better with problems and stresses. Group or family therapy can help with the communication process. It is thought, however, that psychotherapy, which probes into the past, can be too stressful for people with manic depression or schizophrenia, but some sufferers do find it helpful. Some sufferers may prefer cocounseling.

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How To Live Better With Manic Depression Using A Support System

By Moses Wright

Having diagnosed with bipolar disorder can be one of the most stressful and difficult experiences of a person’s life. To learn to manage bipolar disorder better, whether yourself, with families or friends, it is important to build and maintain a strong support system.

A support system is a group of people who come together to offer unconditional emotional support to the person with bipolar disorder, these people must have the desire to understand the struggle and difficulties of living with bipolar disorder. They can consist of families, friends, support groups, therapists, mental health caseworkers, and even doctors.

Having family and closed friends who offer emotional support is an extremely valuable asset to those suffering from bipolar disorder. In times of crisis, when people affected by the disorder feel overwhelmed by suicidal thoughts or feel that their life is spiraling out of control, they need to know who they can rely on for help and comfort. This is where the support group is so important.

A manic depression support group is an excellent source of peer support. Support groups can help many people cope with the emotional aspects by providing a safe place to share experiences and learn from others who are facing similar situations. Within a support group for bipolar disorder, there are likely to be people who have experienced the ups and downs of bipolar disorder and who is the best person to share their experience but them.

A person with a manic depressive illness may feel isolated and secluded in the disorder. They may also feel alone in their struggle to manage the symptoms. Attending a support group can show the person that they are not alone in their journey to recovery from bipolar disorder.

Support groups for bipolar disorder are often not specifically for bipolar disorder, and usually designed for those who have any mood disorders, including bipolar disorder and clinical depression. If you need more information about such support group, your therapist or psychiatrist should be able to give some advice on some of the local support groups that are available.

When joining a support group, someone with bipolar disorder should try to attend whether they are in crisis or doing well. If someone new attends the group and only sees others who are in crisis, it may give the new person a sense of despair and hopelessness. The idea is to support each other through the journey of recovery. During a normal period between episodes, someone can be a light of hope to members who are having difficulty coping with the disorder.

In the current age of technology, one can find many Internet support groups and chat rooms designed as manic depression support groups. These can be a good resource for those who suffer from the disorder. Nevertheless, being active in Internet support groups is not enough and should not replace the attending of local support groups. This is because someone with bipolar disorder can have an inclination to isolate himself. Attending a local support group provides positive social interactions with people who understand the difficulty that the manic depressive person is facing and help prevent him from isolating from society.

Moses Wright is the webmaster of Manic-Depression.net. He provides more helpful information on Bipolar Disorder, Bipolar Disorder Symptoms and Bipolar Disorder Treatment that you can learn in the comfort of your home on his website. You are welcome to reprint this article if you keep the content and live link intact.

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Taking Manic Depression Seriously

By Barry McDonald

Manic depression or Bipolar depression is actually considered as one of the worst type of depression that people usually suffer from.

Characterized by sudden and extreme changes in their mood, Manic depression is said to be called as such because manic = mania refers to the ‘ups’ while depression refers to the ‘downs’.

A lot of people actually experience erratic changes in their moods, some times, these so-called mood swings may not just be caused by PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) or stress. Doctors actually have diagnosed mood swings as a common symptom of depression.

But when these so-called mood swings have gone to utmost absurdity, from getting irked even by the littlest or simplest of thins like not getting your favorite ice cream flavor, this may not be just a sign of brattiness, but when getting irked means you’ll cuss and swear on the ice cream vendor and throw absurd tantrums, this may already be the start of Manic depression.The so-called ‘manic’ or ‘ups’ in Manic depression is described as to be the times when a person suffering from Manic depression may experience overly high periods, consisting of heightened energy, a sudden outburst of euphoric mood, extreme irritability, thoughts racing as well as aggressive behavior.

According to therapists, someone suffering from Manic depression may have these so-called manic ‘periods’ wherein sudden outbursts of euphoric and elevated mood swings may actually go through this for as long as not just a day, in can actually go on for as long as one week, even longer than that.

When it comes to the so-called ‘low’ or ‘down’ periods, as its name suggests can actually bring someone who is suffering from Manic depression may experience very similar symptoms to those who are suffering from actual depression. People who are suffering from Manic depression may actually experience episodes showing a depressed state of mind - a feeling of worthlessness and being unloved may start to corrupt the individual’s mind. Various symptoms, showing guilt, extreme sadness, anxiety attacks, feeling of not belonging, extreme pessimism and obvious loss for pleasure. According to therapists, an individual who is depressed. consistently for more than a week can officially be diagnosed as someone who is suffering from Manic depression.

In spite of being one of the most common, yet severe type of depressive disorder, Manic depression, according to doctors can actually be treated. There’s no reason to worry too much about it, just follow the proper procedures that the therapist will instruct you to do, take the proper prescribed medications as well as the proper dosage in order to help you (or your friend or love one) overcome Manic depression before it becomes too late. Also, individuals who are suffering from Manic depression should always be able to see their therapists on a regular basis so as to be able to release their pent up emotions to some one who can interpret and understand what they’re going to a lot better as compared to “normal” people.

Although positive results for a Manic depressive patient can still be achieved from natural alternatives, a proper and a more lasting relief from Manic depressive symptoms can still be best acquired through seeing cognitive behavior therapists. Contrary to some beliefs, when it comes to psychiatric treatments, psychiatrists, preferably cognitive behavior therapists are still the best ones to consult for Manic depression, as well as the ones who’ll most probably be able to cure Manic depression.

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