depression keeping hope alive

A guide for families & friends

Dr Patrick McKeonJulie Healy Geraldine Baileyand Gerry Ward

Depression Keeping hope alive

A guide for families & friends

Series Editor: Dr. Patrick McKeon

DEPRESSION

Depression is like a big hole,You are all by yourself without a soul

You are all upsetYou are all scared

You feel as if no-one cared

You feel upsetYou feel bad

You feel worriedYou feel sad

You feel like everything is in a flurryIt is like one big worry

Bridget Cantwell Aged 11

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Contents

Preface 2

Introduction 3

Part I

What is a Depressive Illness? 4

Depression: Signs and Symptoms 5

How Common is it? 6

Are There Different Types of Depression? 7

Bipolar Disorder 8

Elation or Mania: Signs and Symptoms 9

What Causes Depression? 9

Depression in Children 11

Treatment 14

Part II

Your Role as a Relative or Friend 18

Why the Divide 20

How Families React to Mood Disorder 22

Effect of Mood Disorders on Children 23

Advice for Relatives and Friends 24

Glossary of Terms 32

Suggestions for Further Reading 37

©2000 Dr Patrick McKeon, Julie Healy, Geraldine Bailey, Gerry Ward and Aware

PrefaceIf somebody close to you has become depressed, you will know by nowthat this is not a trivial condition. As illnesses go, it is under rated by thosewho have not experienced it, under reported by those who are in its grip,and because of these factors and others it is significantly under treated. Yet,one in three people have a full-blown depressive episode at some stage intheir lives. In reality few, if any, people go through the different stages oflife without some experience of depression.

The pages which follow, will give you an understanding of depression, whatit is, why it occurs, and how it can be treated. More importantly, it setsout how you can gain an understanding of depression, so that you can bothhelp the person about whom you are concerned and experience less worryand uncertainty. We would hope that on reading this you would have anunderstanding of how you can keep hope alive until the mood disorder hasbeen successfully treated.

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IntroductionYou may be surprised to be reading this booklet and may never have thoughtthat somebody close to you would get so depressed, but then they probablynever thought so either. It catches a lot of people by surprise. Currentlythere are 300,000 Irish people, or 1 in every 14, who have depression. Inthe course of the average lifetime, there is a one in three chance of havinga full-blown depressive episode and a further third will have lesser degreesof depression. So, depression is common.

Depression affects a person’s thinking, feeling, and behaviour. It is an illnessin the sense that it is disabling and beyond the person’s coping ability. Formost who experience it, they describe it as one of the worst things that everhappened to them. For some, as they grapple to find words to convey thehorror they have been through, it seems more devastating than losing aclose family member or of facing death with cancer.

For you as a relative or friend of somebody with depression, it is alsodevastating. At times, you will feel bewildered, upset, frustrated, agitated,or downright dejected. I hope that you will find within the pages whichfollow, that depression can be mastered. Knowing how to recognise it, thesubtlety of its signs and symptoms, how it should be treated and what youmight expect in terms of its future course will enable this mastery. Butknowledge alone is not sufficient. Having gained this knowledge you mustaddress your own feelings about depression and how it has affected yourlife. This you can best do by working in partnership with the person whois depressed and the treating doctor or therapist. Depression, as a disorderof emotions, affects those to whom the person is bonded emotionally. Ifthat person is you, you have an important part to play in aiding that person’srecovery.

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PART I

What is a depressive illness?A depressive illness is a disabling, overpowering experience affecting thinkingand the way a person feels, disturbing sleep, appetite, and energy. At somelevel, the person feels unable to cope. It is useful to distinguish it fromnormal depression, that is, the ups and downs of every day life. Thesenormal shifts of mood are relatively mild and tolerable and we can copewith them. When depression is more prolonged and/or intense, such thatit is beyond the person’s ability to function normally, it is referred to as adepressive illness. Clinical depression is an alternative term, simply meaningthat it is sufficiently disruptive to warrant getting clinical or medical help.

Recognising Depression: You don’t have to feel depressed to be depressed

Depression frequently goes unrecognised for a variety of reasons. Forone, in its early stages, it is so like a normal depression that it mergesimperceptibly with it, so that it can be hard for the person to see thegradual deterioration in mood. Another explanation is that the personoften does not feel depressed, but is mainly aware of tiredness, disturbedsleep, poor concentration or memory or reduced appetite. Indeed,tiredness, wakening during the night, being anxious and apathetic arethe more common early symptoms. It is often only when the depressionis more advanced that the person will actually feel depressed. So, ituseful to think of most depressions going through different stages ofseverity. In the mild stage, anxiety, self-doubt, poor concentration andtiredness are the main symptoms. In a moderate depression, feelings ofbleakness, depression, guilt, loss of interest and general slowing ofthinking are more evident. In both mild and moderate forms, thesymptoms listed are often more evident in the morning and lessen orhave disappeared in the evening. A severe depression is characterised bya worsening of the features of a moderate depression resulting in

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slowness of walking, being quiet or withdrawn even to the point of beingmute, being unable to eat, wash or dress. In addition, delusional beliefsor false ideas, such as believing one is bankrupt, terminally ill or hasdone some serious wrong, can be a feature of severe depression.Hallucinations, that is hearing voices or having visions, can alsooccasionally occur and they usually concern the same negative and guilt-ridden topics as in depressive delusions.

It is vital to realise that although you may observe these different stagesof severity, the person who is experiencing them can often feel just asdistressed in a mild depression, when they do not necessarily lookdepressed, as in a moderate depression, when you and others can seequite clearly that the person is unwell. It is particularly important to beaware of this as the person is recovering, when they move from a severeor moderate depression to a milder form. In the latter, they may lookwell but still feel miserable. You may think they have recovered as theyappear brighter, but it is often at this stage that the person has a higherrisk of suicide.

Depression: Signs and Symptoms

• Fatigue that is not relieved by rest

• Anxiety about trivial matters that previously were not of concern

• Feeling sad, depressed, empty or bored

• Poor concentration and memory

• Loss of interest in sex, hobbies, personal appearance, work, religion orwhatever previously was of particular interest to the person

• Indecision

• Social withdrawal due to self-consciousness, loss of interest and quietness

• Slowing of thinking, speech and activity or restlessness in those whohave an anxious pre-illness personality

• Sleep disturbance - difficulty in getting to sleep, wakening repeatedlyduring the night or very early in the morning. Despite these complaintsthey may have been observed to have slept well

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• Oversleeping which can often be combined with a broken sleep patternor early morning wakening

• Increased or diminished appetite

• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness or inadequacy

• Headaches, chest, abdominal or back pains with no physical basis

• Suicidal thoughts, recurring thoughts or dreams of death

• Delusions and/or hallucinations

If a person has feelings of anxiety or depression and 4 or more of the abovesymptoms for longer than two weeks, they meet the diagnostic criteria forMajor Depression (set out by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual - DSMIV) and they should seek medical help.

How common is it?

About 7% of the population have a clinical depression at any point in time.Women are 3 to 4 times more likely than men to have depression. Surveysshow that depression occurs more frequently during the teenage years andin old age. These stages of life and after childbirth are times of major changein levels of sex hormones and in relationships, expectations, and outlooks.While 70% of women will have a mild short-lived or a ‘normal’ shift inmood following the birth of a baby, 5-10% of women will have a disablingpost-natal depression.

There is evidence to suggest that the mild to moderate forms of depressionare on the increase, but the more severe biological depression, such as manicdepression, also known as bipolar disorder, have not altered in frequencyover the years. In addition, for the more severe depressions it is likely thatthere is no difference in the rate of occurrence between the sexes.

Depression is one of the most under diagnosed and under treated illnesses.Of every 4 people with depression in the community, only 2 will seek helpand of those, only one will get adequate treatment. This means that only25% of people with a disabling and potentially fatal condition get theappropriate help.

Are there different types of depression?

There are many different forms of depression, but as we do not fullyunderstand how the different factors causing depression interact or exactlywhat happens in the brain, there are several different ways of classifying it.These methods have changed over the years.

Currently the most favoured way of classifying depression is to do soaccording to the pattern of occurrence of the signs and symptoms.

In the diagram above, mood disorder is divided into unipolar and bipolardisorder. Mood swings can be represented as swinging down at one endof the mood spectrum, the low pole, and up to the other end of thespectrum in Bipolar disorder. Hence “uni” refers to “one” pole or form ofdepression. We already referred to major depression, where the features ofdepression are present for longer than 2 weeks. This can further be dividedinto a single episode or a recurring pattern of depression. Dysthymia refersto an ongoing low-grade depression, often lasting longer than 2 years.Bipolar disorder can be further subdivided into bipolar I disorder, wherethere are two poles, a depression and elation or mania, where the mania isof a severe, disabling nature. Under DSM - IV criteria, the features ofmania need to be present for at least one week to be categorised as bipolarI disorder. In bipolar II disorder there are episodes of depression alternatingwith bouts of mania of a lesser degree, referred to as hypomania, where thesigns and symptoms are present for four or more days. Both unipolar andbipolar mood disorder tend to recur as 70% or more patients can expectfurther episode. When the recurrence of mood disorder is particularlyfrequent, with 4 or more episodes per year, it is referred to as a rapid cyclingmood disorder.

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Mood Disorder

Unipolar Depression Bipolar Depression

Major Depression Dysthyma BPI BPII

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Another way of classifying depression is on the basis of the principal causeof the depressive episode. Reactive depression is purely an understandablereaction to a significant loss and the symptoms are of anxiousness, sadness,tension, irritability, feeling worse in the evenings, and having trouble gettingto sleep at night. Reactive depression is the usual initial response to lossand it is the same as grief. It is important to realise the symptoms and signsof endogenous depression, which I will describe next, are not present.

Endogeneous depression is due to internal biological factors and frequentlyoccurs after little or no stress. It has its symptom profile, fatigue, emotionaldeadness, broken sleep pattern or early morning wakening, tending to feelworse in the morning, and a progressive loss of interest in food, sex, or inwhatever was of particular interest to the individual. Where stress or a losshas precipitated the first episode of endogeneous depression, it tends to beless important as a trigger for subsequent recurrences.

A personality based or neurotic depression refers to depression that occursas a result of the way the individual is coping with life’s problems. If anindividual has difficulty asserting themselves, is extremely perfectionisticor rigid in their approach to life or is unduly anxious, it becomes difficultfor them to cope with day-to-day stress. Consequently, recurring depressionsof a reactive nature develop.

Secondary depression refers to depressive episodes that occur as aconsequence of some other psychiatric illness such as schizophrenia, phobicstates, or alcohol or drug dependence, or as a result of a medical disorder,such as Parkinson’s disease or after a viral infection or a stroke.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder or manic-depressive illness tends to be a more severe formof mood disorder that affects men and women equally and occurs in about1% of the population. It consists of periods of elation or mania, alternatingwith bouts of depression. The depressive episodes last weeks to monthsand symptoms are indistinguishable from those of unipolar or endogenousdepression. The signs and symptoms of elation are the direct opposite tothose of depression. The person’s thoughts are racing; they are usuallyovertalkative, restless, overactive and need little sleep. While the word

elation and mania (meaning speeded up), are used interchangeably, elationis not always a pleasant or euphoric state. It can be unpleasant for theindividual in that they feel irritable, tense, tired, restless, or angry. Thisstage is usually referred to as a dysphoric (meaning unpleasant) manic stateor a mixed mood. Hypomania refers to a lesser degree of mania. For 50%- 70% of those who have an episode of bipolar disorder, the illness willrecur.

Elation or Mania: Signs an Symptoms

• Feeling “high” or “on top of the world”, “better than normal”, or “betterthan ever before”

• Uncharacteristic irritability or anger

• Great energy and not needing to rest

• Overactive, restless or distractible

• Racing mind that cannot be switched off - “pressure in the head”

• Talking rapidly and jumping from one topic to the other

• Decreased need for sleep

• Excessive and unrealistic belief in one’s abilities

• Poor judgement

• Increased interest in pleasurable pursuits; new ventures, sex, alcohol,street drugs, religion, music or art

• Demanding, pushy, insistent, domineering or provocative behaviourwithout the person necessarily realising that their behaviour has changed

What causes depression?

While it is convenient to consider the effect of losses and upsets in life,personality, vulnerability, and inherited predisposition to mood disorderas distinct causes, it is often the cumulative effect and the interaction ofthese different factors that determines whether a person gets clinicallydepressed.

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Studies of depressed people clearly show that losses in life, such asbereavement, physical illness, break up of a relationship, unemploymentand financial difficulties, precede depression. It is often where there areseveral significant set backs in the months before the depression, when theperson seems to have fought back by becoming more determined initially,that the mind eventually succumbs, as it goes through a form of grief orreactive depression. Childhood losses such as the death of a parent, maritalbreakdown or separation from parents through hospitalisation, predisposesto recurrent depression in adult life. It is also likely that smaller, butpersonally significant, losses in early life predispose to depression later on.One of the most important antidotes to the losses of everyday life is havingsomebody in whom to confide. A supportive confidante does seem to limitthe traumatising effect of ongoing problems such as financial difficulties,illness, or having a poor relationship with a key relative.

Hereditary factors have been shown, through family, twin and adoptionstudies, to be of major importance, particularly for the more severe, recurringdepressions and bipolar disorder. Surveys of twins have shown that geneticfactors contribute some 40% to the causation of depressions of a mild tomoderate severity. For recurring unipolar depressions, 50% - 60% of thecausative factors are genetic, while for bipolar disorder this figure rises to70% - 80%. It is important to realise that these are statistical averages basedon thousands of case histories and should not be used to determine thegenetic vulnerability for an individual.

How a person copes with stress and loss is determined by their personality,which in turn is shaped by a mixture of genetic and early childhoodexperiences. What may be a mildly upsetting disagreement for one personmay be a major catastrophe for somebody who is insecure and has difficultyasserting themselves. It has long been recognised that depression is morecommon in the winter months and mania and hypomania is more likelyto occur during the summer. Unipolar depression occurs more frequentlyfor the first time and recurs in late October or early November and inFebruary or March. Seasonal affective disorder refers to a depressionfrequently occurring annually in December to February, when the personis tired, oversleeping, overeats, and may have a period of hypomania duringthe summer months. It would appear that the mood regulating centres in

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the brain can have difficulty with the changing meteorological conditions,such as the duration and intensity of daylight, that occur with the changeof the seasons. For most, this results in a slight, but barely perceptible shiftin mood, but for others it can be an overt, disruptive depression.

The mood regulating areas of the brain which are contained in the limbicsystem, can be affected by general medical disorders such as under activethyroid gland, viral illnesses, such as influenza or viral hepatitis, Parkinson’sdisease, or multiple sclerosis, stroke or following the use of mood alteringmedications, such as steroids and blood pressure lowering medications.Steroids and L-dopa, a treatment used in Parkinson’s disease, can inducemania, particularly in those who are predisposed to this condition.

It would appear that where there are significant losses in life or minor lossesbut with obvious personality vulnerabilities, depression is likely to be of areactive type. For some it moves beyond this to an endogenous form ofdepression, where there is broken sleep, early morning wakening, morningworsening of symptoms, and marked slowing of body movements and thethinking process.

When there is a strong family history of depression or bipolar disorder, theperson may become depressed without having any very significant upset.Likewise, where this biological vulnerability is quite minor, it will oftenonly result in a mood change when there are major upsetting life events.Generally, it should be possible to understand any individual person’sdepression in the context of their losses and stresses, life supports andunderlying genetic and personality endowment.

Depression in Children

Children, even infants, can be depressed. Surveys show that some 10% ofadolescents aged 13-19 have major depressive disorder, while before pubertythe rate of depression is less that 2%. It is now generally accepted thatchildren under the age of 12 can develop bipolar disorder.

When depression occurs before the age of 12 it is most often related todifficulties the child is experiencing, such as bullying in school or parentalconflict. At that age, depression is more common in boys. After puberty,genetic factors appear to have a greater role in causing mood disorder in

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that the most likely predictor of having depression at that age is having atleast one parent who has had depression. It is not that upsettingcircumstances, such as relationship difficulties, family strife, or peer pressure,are not important, but these events appear to have a more profound andprolonged effect on adolescents who have a family history of depression.This familial inclination has been shown by other researchers to have alargely genetic basis.

Recognising the Symptoms

The signs of depression in children are no different to those of adults (seepage 4) but they may not be that obvious, simply because we do not expecta child to be depressed. If a baby gets separated from its mother when sheis hospitalised, he may stop eating and lose weight. If the possibility ofdepression is not considered, the infant may have extensive medicalinvestigations to determine the cause of the weight loss. The seconddifficulty in recognising depression in young people is that while all of thetypical features of depression are present, they are not necessarily expressedin the same way as they are in adults. For example, lack of interest in workor in one’s appearance are the typical symptoms for a depressed adult,whearas a child will more often complain of boredom, in other words, alack of interest in everything. When you enquire about this complaint ofboredom, you will usually find that particular aspects of life, such as thefootball team or pop star they have an interest in, has now become “boring”.

Parents may find it difficult to recognise depression in their children becausethey are reluctant to see it and trivialise it by referring to it as “teenager’smoods”. While most of the mood changes that teenagers go through aremild and transient and are due to their fight to gain mastery over their lifecircumstances, it is important to recognise the symptoms of depression ifthey are present and not dismiss them lightly. This can best be done bygoing through the checklist of symptoms listed below and if you think thatthere are some definite symptoms present, you should discuss the matterwith your family doctor. There is often a tendency to dismiss depressionwhen it is apparently due to some recent let down, such as not being pickedfor the football team. A depression such as this may be just as severe, andthe upset in life may have only been the precipitating factor, rather than

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the main cause of the mood change. For example, a family history ofdepression may predispose the young person to depression and the upsettingevent was simply the final straw that triggered the depression. If depressivesymptoms are present, it is important to decide how severe they are and toseek help if they are bothersome.

Depression: Signs and Symptoms

Fatigue:Uncharacteristically moping about the house, looking tired.

Anxiety:Worrying excessively about studies, what others think of them, theirappearance, or global issues, such as poverty.

Feeling Sad, Depressed or Bored:A depressed young person may look sad or unhappy, feeling defeated byevents at school or in their social life, which they usually took in theirstride. They will often complain of a poor relationship with peers orsiblings, in that they feel unwanted or inadequate for no justifiablereason. They may complain of boredom, which is a general lack ofinterest, or have a specific loss of interest in a favourite football team or aparticular school subject. Aggressive negative attitude, poorconcentration or memory, forgetfulness or losing things, falling schoolgrades. Appearing not to be listening.

Lack of Interest:Often presents as boredom or lack of interest in their own favourite T.V.programme or pop star, or in their own appearance.

Change of Appetite:Not feeling hungry, but eating to please or over-eating

Social Withdrawal:Due to anxiousness, lack of interest, self-consciousness, or feelingdepressed. Thinking more slowly, rate of movement and expressivenessis reduced.

Sleep:Over or under-sleeping, nodding off when watching T.V., in theclassroom, or when listening to music, late for school.

Low Self-Esteem:Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or inadequacy. Blaming themselves foreverything that goes wrong.

Physical symptoms:Headaches, abdominal or chest pains, frequent visits to the doctor.

Suicidal:Morbid thoughts or dreams of death or suicide.

Delusions:Ideas that will not go away, of being inadequate, or “stupid” or “gay”.

Treatment

Depression is an extremely treatable illness with some 80% of peopleresponding to counselling or anti-depressant medication within a matterof weeks. The most common reasons for treatment failure are poorcompliance with treatment and incorrect diagnosis.

The different types of mood disorder, namely reactive depression, majordepression, recurring unipolar depression, bipolar depression and rapidcycling mood disorder, need individually tailored treatment plans. Theplan needs to take account of the losses the person has experienced, theirpersonality and genetic predisposition to depression, the level of familysupport and complications, such as alcohol abuse, or financial problemsthey are experiencing. It can be difficult to correctly diagnose the specifictype and pattern of mood disorder. It is not unusual for people withrecurring episodes of depression to overlook the short lived periods of overtalkativeness, trouble getting to sleep at night, irritability or frenetic activitythat characterise hypomania. While severe bipolar disorder occurs in 1%of the population in the course of a lifetime, lesser degrees of bipolarityare present in a further 2%. Obtaining accurate information from boththe person with the mood disorder and a key family member is essential toensure that the pattern of the illness is clearly identified and the appropriate

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treatment is given. It can take quite a lengthy time before the doctor isclear about how events in a person’s life, their personality and any inheritedtendency to mood disorder are interacting to cause depression. Alcohol ordrug abuse may not be mentioned in consultations with the doctor. Whenyou are part of the management team, these causative factors and moodswing patterns are unlikely to be overlooked, and so the correct treatmentapproach can be started earlier. It is hard for the person to accept they aredepressed, that they need help, and particularly so, if that help is medication.It is even more daunting if the prospect of a recurring mood disorder hasto be faced, with the almost inevitable need for ongoing mood stabilisingmedication. The person needs time and understanding as they adapt tothese situations. Getting factual information about their mood disorder isessential. Equally vital is the importance of meeting with others who havecome to terms with their illness and the need for treatment. Support groupmeetings, such as those organised by Aware throughout Ireland, providean ideal forum to meet others with the same problem. Experiencing thesupport and understanding of fellow sufferers is invaluable; it frees theperson to face the future and helps them realise that there is a life aftermood disorder.

Explanation: The symptoms of depression are often bewildering forboth the patient and family, and vital that a simple explanation is givenof what depression is, why they are feeling so out of sorts, what causesthe mood disturbance and how it can be best treated.

Counselling: At its simplest level this is an extension of listening to theperson’s concerns and that of the family and to familiarise them with thefacts on depression. The most important aspect of management ofdepression is undoubtedly making an emotional link with the personwho is depressed. It is essential that this link be established, as thepessimism and negative thinking that is an inherent part of depressionwill otherwise prevent the person continuing with treatment andfollowing the advice of their doctor. The person who is depressed needssomebody to talk with about how they are feeling. They need to knowthat they are being heard and understood and they will benefit from firmreassurance that they will recover. Within this confiding relationship,they will also be able to explore losses and hurts and begin to go through

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the stages of grieving or start to address the factors that contributed tothe depression.

Psychotherapy: This is a more intense form of counselling and, inaddition to being a support for the person during the time of distress, italso helps the development of an understanding of their symptoms as aresponse to current loss in the context of similar early life experiences. Aparticular form of psychotherapy called cognitive therapy, explores thevalidity of the negative thoughts that contributes to the feelings ofdepression and anxiety. By challenging these negative perceptions,alternative ways of looking at situations in life are developed, which inturn generate new solutions. Cognitive therapy is now considered to bean effective form of treatment for depression and it has been shown to beas effective as antidepressant medication. It does appear to have a role inpreventing depressive relapses, but many patients find it difficult toapply when they are severely depressed. In these instances, it is bestcombined with antidepressant medication.

Antidepressant Medication: The most effective treatments for severedepression are antidepressant medications. They usually take at least 2weeks before they begin to work, and once they have been effective theyneed to be continued or at least 4 months after the depression has lifted,as the depression is otherwise more likely to recur.

Antidepressants, unlike tranquillisers, are not habit forming. They arenot effective where the person has emotional distress or a reactivedepression, and should be reserved for people who have definiteendogeneous features of depression. The older antidepressantsintroduced in the 1950’s and 1960’s such as Tryptizol, Anafranil,Surmontil and Prothiaden, are now being replaced by a newer generationof treatments with fewer side effects. The new antidepressants includeCipramil, Faverin, Edronax, Efexor, Lustral, Prozac, Seroxat and Zispin.You will find further details on the different forms of these treatmentslisted under Suggestions for further reading,

Mood stabilisers: Mood disorders by their very nature tend to berecurring and this is particularly so when the episode of depression issevere or if it is bipolar disorder. For recurring mood swings,

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preventative treatments are necessary and these are referred to as moodstabilising agents. Lithium remains the most frequently prescribed drugand is effective as a mood stabiliser in some 70% of cases when givenalone or in combination with other agents. Where the mood swings arerecurring very frequently, as in rapid cycling mood disorder, othertreatments such as carbamazepine, sodium valporate or lamotrigine, arethe preferred treatments.

Electro-convulsive Therapy: Electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) is aneffective treatment for severe depressive illness, where there are depressivedelusions or hallucinations or when other treatments fail. It is usuallyfor depressions with biological or endogenous features, such as brokensleep pattern, early morning wakening, weight loss, morning worseningof symptoms, or slowing of mental and physical activity, that ECT isparticularly effective.

The optimum treatment for any individual is decided upon afterassessing their underlying personality, whether there is a family history ofdepression or related conditions, whether losses or upsets wereexperienced prior to the onset of the depression and determining thesymptom profile of the mood disorder. While one form of treatmentmay be effective for a particular type of depression, it is more likely thata combination of antidepressant medication or mood stabilisers andsome form of counselling or cognitive therapy will often be moreeffective.

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PART II

Your Role as a Relative or Friend

Depressed people affect others:

Depression and elation are disturbances of emotion and as we are bondedto family and friends by emotion, mood disturbances inevitably affectrelationships. For some immediate relatives the impact of an ongoing mooddisturbance can be enormous. Surveys have shown that 40% of key relativesof people with depression are themselves sufficiently distressed to need help.It is the ongoing worry, social withdrawal and irritability that most upsetsfamilies.

Even if this is not a worry for you right now, it is vital that you understandwhat happens in relationships during depression, so that you can minimisethe disruptive effect it may have on you and your family’s lifestyle.

During a bout of depression or elation, the person’s perception of whattheir mood does to them, their family, and friends is often inaccurate. Thisperception can lead to the person feeling alone, isolated and misunderstood.Inevitably, this will in turn disturb close relationships. It also leads toinaccurate reporting of the extent of their mood disturbance and itsconsequences to the doctor. It is essential that a close friend or relativework jointly with the person with the mood disorder and the doctor ortherapist as part of the management team. This three stranded teamapproach ensures that the necessary care and support is in place to reducethe person’s sense of isolation, that the doctor gets to know the full extentof the mood disturbance and that any adverse effect of the illness is addressedearly, and better still, prevented. Concerned family members or friendsusually want to help and they have a particularly important part to play inaiding recovery and limiting the damaging effect of mood disturbance. Notinfrequently, the person who is ill may feel they are an additional burdenon their families in expecting them to help and be supportive in this way,or they may see it as relatives are usually of enormous assistance, provided

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that they understand the facts about the mood disorder, have the ability tolisten and can accept what the person is experiencing, without feeling theyare responsible for relieving this distress.

Family members often find it hard to understand why people whendepressed get to work, hold down jobs, and even socialise, yet at home theyare irritable and withdrawn. What is even more perplexing is that they cansnap out of depression when vistors call to the house. This is a well-recognised aspect of depression of a mild to moderate, or even a severe,degree. Not infrequently when someone is admitted to hospital with asevere depression they can appear to be perfectly well for the first few hoursor days, but then the true picture of depression emerges. In other words,they can reflexively and unconsciously put on a bright face when they goto the doctor or socialise, but cannot sustain it. The mask shown to theworld, other than close family, is barely affected in the early stages ofdepression.

A further significant reason for involving a key relative, particularly a spouse,is that there may be a poor marital relationship either preventing fullrecovery or contributing to, or being the main cause of, the depression.Research has shown that where the well spouse is critical of the person withdepression that a depressive relapse can be reliably predicted. In suchinstances, the impact of marital difficulties on the person may not be obviousto the doctor or therapist, as neither patient nor relative reports what ishappening in their relationship, believing it to be irrelevant or that theyare simply reluctant to address the matter as they see no ready solution. Inaddition, very often ongoing problems such as marital difficulties, financialproblems or unresolved, prolonged grieving become so much part of theperson’s life that they cannot necessarily see the effect it is having on theirmood.

Finally, the constant train of altered perception, overly pessimistic indepression and unduly optimistic in elation, can have devastatingconsequences. In a depression a person feels isolated, unwanted, guilt-ridden, and useless, resulting in avoidance of family and friends, irritability,hostility, impulsive resignation from work, making reparation for imaginedwrong doings and even suicide. In elation the exhilaration, enthusiasm,and confident grandiose behaviour tends to result in overbearing,

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demanding and insistent, even aggressive behaviour, which if unchecked,results in over spending, extra marital affairs, promiscuity, and engaging inbusiness and other schemes, that are so ill judged, that they are bound tofail. A relative or friend is an essential ally when the person’s thinking isnot as it should be. Enlisting the support of such an ally is invaluable indetecting a relapse of depression or elation at an early stage, and so beingable to counter the excessively pessimistic or optimistic thinking that leadsto so many difficulties. Early detection of a mood change prevents theperson’s life from being scarred by the complications of mood disorder.When this prevention programme is employed effectively, it means thatonce a person’s mood subsides they can continue with their lives, ratherthan having to untangle problems in so many different areas of their lives.

Why the divide?

Depression changes the way the person both feels and perceives themselvesand the world about them. In addition to a negative perception ofthemselves, the person often has blunted feelings that give a sense of beingshut off from the world, as if they were behind a glass wall. To counter thisdetached feeling, they will either cling to the person from whom they feelshut off or accuse them of being less affectionate. What the person doesn’trealise is that it is their own feelings that are blunted. All too often, thisleads to marital friction. Complaining about their spouse is frequently thefirst symptom of depression. While the misperception will impact on anymajor relationship that the person has, it can also affect other facets of aperson’s life: a teenager may become excessively preoccupied about theirappearance, fear of having cancer or AIDS may predominate another’sthinking, and, for some, needless concern about money or taxation can becrippling. It is all too easy for family members or friends to becomeembroiled in a tangle of debate with the person who is depressed, withoutrealising that the issues being discussed are based on the depressed mind’smisperceptions. Emotional withdrawal, clinging, irritability, and incessantworry about issues that have no basis in reality do take their toll onrelationships. In depression, the focus of the mind may differ from personto person, but it is often the same issues that become a recurring concernwhen an individual has a depressive relapse.

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Mania or elation can have an even greater and more obvious detrimentaleffect on relationships. In the high phase, the person is emotionallyexpansive, in contrast to the contracted state of depression. It is as if theperson breaks the usual boundaries and in doing so disrupts the previouslyclose, intimate relationships with immediate family and friends. Moredistant friends or work mates will not usually, at least initially, notice thechange. The person becomes more attracted by the heightened sense offeeling of new situations and the ability to carefully weigh up situations isdominated by an overly positive attitude. What happens to judgement inelation is best understood by thinking of how we usually make a decision,such as buying a new coat. We ask ourselves do we need it, is it good value,will it wear well, will it match other colours and so on. The elated mindcan only see the positive side and the counter balance negative side, suchas that it is too expensive or that they purchased a new coat recently, is notconsidered. The reverse happens in depression, so that the coat is notpurchased. The constant attractions that this heightened sense of awarenessand overly positive view leads the person to stray from their commitments,values, and relationships. This inevitably places an enormous strain onprevious stable and satisfactory relationships, without the person, andsometimes the immediate family, realising that they are in an ill, manicstate. Alcohol, street drugs, teenage behaviour, personality of being easily“led astray” are often the reasons cited mistakenly by relatives for the person’schanged behaviour.

When depression or elation is not seen as an illness and when the personis blamed for their behaviour, it leads to a breakdown in communication,with marital disruption or alienation from the family. Even when thechanged thinking, feeling and behaviour are seen by relatives as illness, theperson will often have insufficient understanding and insight, and so mayrefuse to get help, shun the family and behave in a reckless manner orattempt suicide.

Changes in feeling and judgement of mood disorder will affect every closerelationship, but to what degree, will depend on the severity of the illness,the promptness with which help is sought and the readiness to enlist thehelp of a close relative or friend.

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How families react to mood disorder

When a family first learns that one of its members is ill with depression orelation, after getting over the initial shock, they will search for a solution.Usually this entails encouraging the person to get professional help. Theywill be supportive and show concern, want to know what the diagnosis is,what treatment has been recommended and when the person can expectto recover.

This caring, supportive approach will continue if the person recovers onschedule and remains well. However, if recovery is slow or there are severalremissions and relapses, then care gives way to frustration. Subtlemanifestations of this impatience with lack of progress are makingsuggestions to the person that they should exercise, diet or get a secondopinion. The more forthright family members may have a “no nonsense”approach and will bluntly exhort the person to “pull up their socks” or“snap out of it”.

If, as time passes, these different forms of interventions by family and friendsare proving ineffective, they begin to despair. This is evident in that arelative may no longer be making well-meaning suggestions, there is atendency to enquire less often how the person is feeling, and the familymember may begin to become detached emotionally from the illness. Moreblunt speaking relatives or friends may frankly say they do not want to hearabout the symptoms.

When someone we care for becomes ill we react as we do to any loss. Mooddisorder is a temporary loss of the person we once knew. As with any losswe go through stages of shock or disbelief, searching for what is lost byshowing care and concern, this is followed by anger or agitation, if thesearching is unsuccessful. Despair or sadness and ultimately acceptance ofthe situation then follow. While the person who is ill may feel hurt by thesereactions, it is important to realise that it is a normal and understandablereaction to loss, that if the situations were reversed they would react in asimilar manner and that they should endeavour not to take it personally.Both the person who is ill and relatives and friends need to understand howeach reacts in these situations and how with a factual understanding of bothmood disorders and one’s reactions to it, they can keep the relationship at

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a caring, supportive level until recovery is achieved. It is this well informed,caring and supportive approach that relatives can bring to the managementteam, and, so speed recovery and, equally importantly, prevent marital andfamily breakdown, unemployment, alcohol abuse, financial difficulties andeven suicide.

Depressed Parent: Effect on Children

Children are just as much affected by depression or elation as adults, if noteven more so. They are particularly vulnerable to the negative impact ofmood changes, as they are less able to take a detached view of what ishappening and separate the mood-based behaviour from the person.Although the child may know that there is something amiss at home, whenthey see a parent unable to go to work, or being admitted to hospital, theyare all too frequently given little or no explanation and have to figure it outfor themselves. Once a child is given a factual explanation about the parent’sdepression or elation, in terms appropriate to their level of understanding,told what treatment is being prescribed and what the likely outcome is,they become less frightened. In the absence of this information, they willusually imagine that something more sinister is happening, such as theirparent being terminally ill. A depressed parent may be withdrawn, negativein their outlook, or extremely critical, and all of this impacts on the children.It is usually difficult for the well parent to stand back and separate thedepression-related behaviour and not to react as if the ill parent had fullcontrol over matters. It is even more difficult for children; they can quicklyabsorb the depressed parent’s view of the world and of themselves. If in adepressed state, a parent is constantly finding fault with a child it will oftenresult in the child having a similar negative self-image.

Children respond to a parent’s mood changes in a similar manner to adultsby going through stages of initially being caring and supportive. They willnearly always take the lead from the well parent. If the well parent issupportive and understanding and has a positive attitude to the managementof the mood problem, so too will children. Like adults, children will tendto cope with continuing illness or frequent relapses by becoming angry ordepressed.

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It is not unusual for the well parent to rely on the eldest child when theirpartner is unwell. While this may help both child and parent initially, itcan result in adult type responsibilities being placed on the child, makingthem an adult before their time. It can have a detrimental effect on theparent’s relationship with each other, because as the depressed parent recoversthey will often find that their position and role in the family, which hasbeen taken over by the eldest child, is slow to be returned to them. Sowhile openness about depression or elation is necessary to reduce thetendency of children to worry, it is important that they are not over-burdened and that they are encouraged to enable the recovering parent toresume their role in the family once again.

Advice for Relatives and Friends

1. A mood disorder is an illness and it can impact enormously on thelives of family and friends. Inevitably your initial reaction will be aspontaneous one of shock, disbelief or anger. It is easy to getentangled in the emotional web that grows out of these emotionalreactions. Remember that depression and bipolar disorder areillnesses; they have signs and symptoms and can be effectivelytreated. You must see it as an illness and not blame the person fortheir behaviour. This is not always easy to do, but the more you cando so, the more success you will have in maintaining yourrelationship and helping steer the person to recovery.

2. You are bonded to the person who is ill, so whatever affects themwill impact on you emotionally. Consequently, and as you can domuch to limit the negative impact of the mood disturbance, bothon your own health and that of the person you care for, it is vitalthat you are available to help out on the management team.

3. Support the person unconditionally as they are ill. When youbecome familiar with the facts about mood disorder and itsemotional impact, you will be best placed to deal with it.

4. Get as much information about depression and bipolar disorder asyou can. Knowledge is power and the better understanding youhave of the condition, the more you will feel in control of the

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situation. Lectures, audio and audio-visual tapes, and books arereadily available on many different aspects of depression. Inaddition to learning the signs and symptoms and other facts aboutmood disorders, it is equally important to know how it makes youfeel and react.

5. The most efficient way to treat a mood disorder is to have a threemember management team, consisting of the person who is ill, oneor several family members or a close friend and the treating doctoror therapist. This team should operate on a partnership basis, aseach has an equally important role. Whether it is accuratelyassessing mood, reporting on progress between visits, providingongoing support or preventing suicide, the team works best whenthe members genuinely listen to what each other is saying and valuetheir respective points of view, as would any good partner.

6. It is not your fault that the person is depressed or has a mooddisorder. Even if your relationship with the person is problematic,you did not choose that the person developed this illness, no morethan they did. Sometimes you may blame yourself or be blamed,but anger, blame and guilt are usual reactions to illness. So do notfeel guilty. If you are being blamed, do not take it personally, as it isthe illness talking. Time and time again you will have to beobjective and separate the person from the particular mood they arein and its effect on them.

7. Be aware of the emotional interactions that occur in mood disorder.When you feel upset by remarks or behaviour, endeavour not toreact with anger. Stop and analyse the situation and remember youare dealing with illness. The more objective you can be, the lessentangled the situation will become.

Support group meetings for family members and friends are an idealvenue to both learn about the effects of the illness and to experiencehow you can deal with hurt feelings. It is not unusual for familymembers or friends to feel isolated and bewildered by the illness andtheir response to it. Meeting others who have had the sameexperiences and seeing how they cope with them effectively can be a

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real eye opener. Knowing the facts is not sufficient, so do avail ofthe opportunity to join a support group and learn at first hand howyou can best deal with your feelings.

Just as you need a factual and emotional understanding of mooddisorder, so does the person who is ill. Again, coming to terms withand understanding mood disorder is difficult for those who sufferfrom it. Support group meetings also provide an invaluable forumfor people with the illness to meet others with the same difficulties.In fact, those who have managed to avail of the enormous wealth ofinformation, care and support that is available at these meetings areuplifted and quickly become equipped with the most efficientmanagement strategies. It is vital that you encourage the person toattend these support groups, as they themselves, when ill, will find ithard to imagine the change that they can bring about.

8. Do not bottle up your feelings, as they will only lead to subduedhostility and a superficial and detached relationship. If you areupset by an event or a remark, it is best to first decide whether thiswas mood related, and if so, to ensure, as part of the partnershipteam, that this mood change is being tackled. It is also important toexpress your hurt at the appropriate time, but not in an accusatorymanner. You should say how you feel, such as “I was hurt by whatyou said to me yesterday”, rather than retaliating by making hurtfulremarks and dredging up similar episodes from the past. What youshould endeavour to do is to help the person to limit their upsettingbehaviour and to get them to accept responsibility for it, withoutblaming them. This type of intervention is usually successful inlimiting the negative impact of depression. The person’s mood maynot always allow this type of intervention to occur immediately. Itis, however, vital that once the acute phase of illness has passed thatyou talk over the upsetting events, otherwise such situations arelikely to recur, and eventually will have a progressively damagingeffect on your relationship. Initially, it may be best to explore thesedifficulties in a joint meeting with the doctor. Also, support groupmeetings can be particularly effective in helping you decide howbest to approach these delicate issues. It is also recommended that

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the person who is ill be encouraged to facilitate this form of non-judgemental exchange of feelings, as it helps them sustain therelationship and does enable them to take responsibility for theirbehaviour, which in turn limits the likelihood of it recurring.

9. Almost all immediate relatives or close friends of an individual witha mood disorder will, as has already been mentioned, be emotionallyaffected. So do acknowledge your needs and get appropriate help.Your first response should be to endeavour to keep up your routineof work, leisure and social outlets. Being well informed about thefacts of mood disorder, learning how to address conflicts that arestill arising and how to express your feelings about the illnessthrough regular attendance at support group meetings and finallybeing part of the management team are the most significant steps inaddressing the emotional implications of the illness.

Others are affected at a deeper level and may need to see a doctor ortherapist, alone or jointly, on a number of occasions. Obtaininghelp for yourself is a sign of strength, not of weakness. Feelings arehidden out of fear and fear should be confronted.

10. Becoming part of the management team is one of the mostsignificant contributors to recovery. If this team is functioningeffectively, it will limit the duration of mood swings, reduce orprevent hospitalisations, reduce days missed from work and helplimit the complications associated with mood disorder. It isessential that the person who is ill is well informed of the need tohave a key relative or friend involved in management. Awarerecommends that the person with the illness should choose a keyindividual, preferably their next of kin or at least somebody whomthey are in regular contact, to join the management team. Theperson chosen must be somebody in whom they have confidence,whose judgement they trust and who is familiar with the factual andemotional aspects of the illness.

If there is a depressive relapse, the person who is ill is usually thefirst to realise that they are not well, but they may need promptingfrom a relative to seek help. However, in elation it is a familymember who will usually first notice the upswing in mood, and, as

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such, they have a major role in spotting symptoms of mania. Howthis should be done, what particular symptoms should be watchedfor and how the observations should be communicated to theperson, should be decided upon with the patient when their moodis stable. When elated the person may show varying degrees ofresistance to this approach, but they will usually be thankful laterfor your timely intervention when they realise it prevented anadmission to hospital or a reckless spending spree. The person withthe illness will often need time to adjust to this form ofintervention. For those with severe recurring mood disorder it isessential and often life saving. This often means that the person hasto choose to trust you to help spot and prevent a significant relapseor else rely on their own ability to deal with an illness that can altertheir judgement.

11. If the mood is disabling for more than a short period of time, you orsome other family member may have to take over some of theperson’s role in the family. This may range from doing the shoppingfor food or earning additional money. By agreement, you may haverestricted access to money or to driving the car or be supervisingmedication. Whereas these interventions are useful at the time,there is an understandable tendency to be reluctant to hand backcontrol to the person when their mood settles, particularly wherethere has been a prolonged mood change or frequent relapses. It isimportant to return these controls as soon as possible, as many findit hard to cope when separated from their usual lifestyle. This callsfor flexibility which hopefully will in turn result in a readiness toreinstate these controls, should it become necessary in the future.

12. An immediate relative can feel shut off from the depressed person’slife because of illness and even more so when they are confidingtheir feelings to a doctor or therapist. This exclusion may causeresentment and a tendency to belittle the importance of the doctor-patient relationship. Having a relative actively involved in themanagement team prevents this sense of isolation.

The patient, on the other hand, may feel their privacy is beingintruded upon when a relative is also seeing the doctor. It is quite

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feasible for you as a relative or friend to monitor the person’s mood,support them and report on progress without intruding on thepersonal issues about which they need to talk confidentially to thedoctor. Monitoring of mood and its management can be separatedfrom the counselling or psychotherapeutic aspect of the treatmentplan.

13. Both you and the person you care for should feel you can speakopenly to the doctor about your concerns and know that these arebeing addressed. The person who has the mood disorder should feelcared for, have confidence in the treatment plan and you should, ifrequested, be able to get a second opinion.

14. When you visit the doctor, it is a good idea to have documented theperson’s mood on a daily basis in the form of a graph (see page 31).This is a valuable form of feedbeack for the doctor, especially whenit is matched with one graphed independently by the person withthe illness.

It is also useful to make a brief note of any concerns you have aboutthe illness and its treatments to list these, so that you derive mostbenefit from the consultation.

15. Additional joint or family therapy may be necessary where there aremarital difficulties, unresolved issues relating to emotionalconsequences of the illness or where there are conflicts regardingmonitoring of mood.

16. Quite frequently the person who is depressed refuses to get help, asthey see it as a sign of failure, that it will not work, that it will altertheir relationship with you because they are in an angry frame ofmind and see seeking help, as giving into you. Men in particularhave a need to feel self-sufficient, they find it difficult to talk andtend to drink as a way of coping. You may consider this refusal toget help as a rejection, but do not take it personally. Pushing peopleaway is a feature of depression. Identify whether it is having adiagnosis of depression, needing treatment or some other aspect thatbothers them specifically. Talk about what you are feeling and theeffect the illness is having on you. Present them with the problem

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of depression as something you would tackle jointly. For example ifthe person’s sleep disturbance keeps you awake at night, it is then ajoint problem and can be presented as such to the person who maybe willing to address it by talking with the doctor. They may beprepared to take the advice of somebody they know who has beentreated for depression. It is useful to give literature about depressionand be gently persistent in your approach. To highlight the level ofyour concern about the problem, it is useful to make anappointment to discuss the issue with them. Don’t be afraid to askthem to get help just to please you. If you consider that there is arisk of suicide or other behaviour that is likely to have a detrimentaleffect on the person with the illness or others, you have aresponsibility to get that person help, as their judgement is impairedat that time. In some extreme instances this may mean that personhas to be hospitalised involuntarily and this is something that youshould discuss with your doctor. By applying the recommendationsin this booklet, it is usually possible to reduce the need foradmission to hospital, but when these recommendations are provingineffective, because of the severity of the situation, it is importantthat you remain objective and remember that you are dealing withan illness.

17. Do not avoid bringing up the subject of suicide. If you sense theperson’s hopelessness and despair, it is important to get them to talkabout it. People often fear this will increase the risk of the personharming himself or herself. Most who are depressed will havethoughts in varying degrees about suicide, and having discussed itwith you, it is often an enormous relief to them. What matters ishow extensive are the suicidal thoughts. Has the person anyintention of harming himself or herself, have they made a plan anddo they have any hope. It is those who feel increasing hopelessness,that they are a burden on others or are unwanted, and cannot see analternative, that are at serious suicide risk. It is essential that you getthe person help and convey your views to the doctor or therapist.

18. Remember that depression and bipolar disorder are illnesses that canbe effectively treated. You have an important role to play in

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ensuring that the person who is ill receives treatment, that they aresupported and cared for until they recover and that thecomplications so commonly associated with mood disorders areprevented. It can be a difficult time in your life, but by followingthe guidelines set out in this booklet and providing unconditionalsupport, you will be well placed to help the person recover and limitthe disruptive effect of the illnes on both of your lives.

Mood Graph

Figure

A daily graph of mood made, separately and without comparing ratings,by the patient and relative is an invaluable record of mood, as it is oftendifficult otherwise to accurately report mood changes between consultations.Both of you should make your separate records of the patient’s mood bymaking an ‘x’ on the graph just befor going to sleep at night. If you considerthat the mood on the 4th April in the graph normal line at the 4th. Onthe 5th, if you consider the person was mildly depressed you make yourmark ‘x’ across from -1 and down from the 5th.

A severe elation, that is an elation as bad as the person has ever experienced,is rated for the 6th of the month. The grades of mood changes aredetermined by what you both regard as mild, moderate and severe for thepatient, so in this way it becomes an accurate reflection of the person’smood. It is best to keep these records in separate copybooks, such as anordinary A5 copy as you then have a safe record that you will not easilylose. You should bring these records with you each time you visit yourdoctor.

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Severe 3

Moderate 2

Mild 1

Normal Mood 0

Mild -1

Moderate -2

Severe -3

4th 5th 6th 7th 8th

ELATION

DEPRESSION

APRIL

Glossary of TermsBiological Depression: This refers to depression with symptoms and signssuch as weight loss, wakening repeatedly during the night or early in themorning, feeling worse in the morning, slowing of thinking and bodymovements and guilt feeling. This depression is called biological as thedisruption it causes are to the biological functions of sleep, appetite, weight,and sex drive. Furthermore, it has been observed that depressions of thistype tend to run in families or are known to be inherited. Therefore, theyhave a biological or chemical basis, rather than being primarily determinedby environmental events. The term “biological” is often used interchangeablywith “endogenous” - that is depression coming from within.

Bipolar Disorder: This is now the term used for manic depressive illness.It refers to the two “bi” poles or aspects of the illness, namely mania anddepression.

Bipolar I (BPII) Disorder: Where the more severe form of elation, namelymania, is present. This is defined as the presence of features of mania forat least one week and which is causing disruption. There may also bevarying degrees of depression or the mania may be the only aspect of thisform of mood disorder.

Bipolar II (BPII) Disorder: Where there is major depressive disorder andhypomania, which is the lesser degree of mania, lasting from 4-7 days, butis not severe enough to cause marked impairment in social or occupationalfunctioning or to require hospitalisation.

Clinical Depression: Refers to the more prolonged and intense experienceof depression than is encountered in normal depression, with which theperson is having difficulty coping. “Clinical” means that it needs clinicalor professional attention.

Cognitive Therapy: A type of talking therapy in which the person’sdepression or anxiety is considered to arise from faulty negative thinking.The therapy helps question the validity of the thinking, enables thedevelopment of more positive views, which in turn generates new solutions.

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Delusions: False ideas that a person firmly believes in and cannot bechanged by rational argument. In depression the delusions may be thatthe person has carried out some crime or they have cancer, when there isabsolutely no evidence to support this. In mania, the delusions are usuallygrandiose in that they may believe that they are god-like or have miraculoushealing or other extraordinary powers.

Depression: Both a symptom, when it refers to a dispirited feeling, and acondition or a diagnostic entity in which there is a reduction in mood,dulled thinking, sapped energy and loss of interest in work, food, sex andgeneral every day activities and disrupted sleep.

DSM-IV: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual - IV Edition (DSM-IV)is an agreed method of defining and classifying psychiatric disorders preparedby the American Psychiatric Association.

Dysphoric Mania or Mixed Episode: Refers to a mixture of manic anddepressive symptoms occurring simultaneously, so that rather than feelingelated the person feels irritable, angry or depressed. It is probably best toconsider it as a variant of mania, as it is usually obvious that the person isoveractive, restless, overtalkative and requires little sleep and responds bestto the treatment used for the elated form of the mania, rather than anti-depressant medication.

Dysthymia: A form of low-grade depression, more intense than normaldepression, but less than major depressive disorder, that lasts for at least 2years. It usually starts in the late teens or childhood and may go on todevelop into episodes of major depressive disorder.

Elation: This term is often used interchangeably with the word “mania”;it is a general term to describe a happy or pleasant mania where the personfeels euphoric, in contrast to the unpleasant dysphoric mood and is usuallyaccompanied by overactivity, overtalkativeness, restlessness, reduced needfor sleep and a sense of brimming over with energy and ideas.

Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT): The application of an electrical chargeto the anaesthetised patient’s head for a brief period to produce a minorseizure or fit. The latter is generally well controlled and barely perceptible,as muscle blocking agents are given with the anaesthesia. ECT is extremelyeffective in treating severe depression with biological features or for

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depressive delusions that are resistant to anti-depressant medication andother treatment. It is occasionally used for mania that is failing to respondto medication.

Endogeneous Depression: “Endogeneous” means generated within, todistinguish it from external or reactive depression. The term is usedinterchangeably with “biological” depression and its main features are abroken sleep pattern, early morning wakening, weight loss, feeling worsein the morning, guilt, slowing of thinking and body movements and aninability to be cheered by pleasant events.

Hallucination: A sensory experience of sound, vision, touch, smell or tastefor which there is no objective stimulus or explanation. Most commonlyit is experienced as hearing a noise or voices in the head, which the personperceives as not being their own thoughts. In depression it may be a voicetelling the person that they are bad or evil, blaming them for wrong doingsor telling them to harm themselves. In mania it may be a voice or visionor what the person perceives as God or a supernatural power or where theyare being instructed to carry out a particular mission.

Hereditary or Genetic Factors: We inherit genes or genetic factors fromour parents as coded chemical messages in the ovum and sperm. Whenthese messages from our respective parents come together they instructbody cells to make certain chemicals, which determine our height, weight,hair colouring and other features. They also provide the chemical factorsthat determine the range of mood experience we are able to have.

Hormones: Chemical messengers produced by glands in the body. Theovary makes the sex hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, the testesgenerate testosterone and the adrenal gland produces adrenalin and steroids.These hormones are released from the glands into the blood stream andare carried to different areas of the body where they regulate the functionof the brain, the gut, the heart and so on.

Hypomania: This is a lesser degree of mania, where the person is persistentlyelated or irritable for at least 4 days and has at least 3 other symptoms, isnot causing major impairment of functioning or likely to requirehospitalisation.

Limbic System: This loosely refers to areas of the brain, such as the

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thalamus, hypothalamus, hypocampus and the temporal and frontal lobesand their interconnections. It is these complex interconnecting systems,much like a railway system linking train stations, that is involved indetermining and regulating our emotions.

Lithium: This is a natural element which is quite like sodium and is foundin soil. It has been shown to be effective in treating mood swings ofrecurring depression and bipolar disorder. It is also used in combinationwith anti-depressant medication to treat depression that is failing to respondto anti-depressant medication alone. The dosage of this treatment needsto be regulated carefully, as it is easy to be on too little and not receive itsbenefit, or be on too much and have toxic side effects. For this reason, itis necessary to do blood tests to measure the body’s concentration of Lithiumwhen on this treatment.

Major Depressive Disorder: This is defined as the presence of 5 or moreof the 9 common symptoms of depression for longer than 2 weeks. Inaddition, the symptoms are causing significant distress and are interferingwith the person’s ability to fully function.

Mania: This is a speeded up, expansive state in which the person isoveractive, overtalkative, restless, elated or irritable, grandiose, needs littlesleep and is excessively pursuing pleasurable activities. To meet the usualcriteria for mania, 4 or more of these symptoms need to be present for atleast 1 week and to be causing marked disruption in someone’s occupation,social activities or relationships with others.

Manic Depression: Refers to depression of bipolar disorder or manicdepressive illness where there is alternating episodes of depression andmania. As a term, manic depression or manic depressive illness has beenreplaced by “bipolar disorder”.

Mood Disorder: A disorder of feeling that is either depressed, as indepression or elevated as in mania.

Normal Depressions: Mild and short lived shifts in mood, often referredto as the ups and downs of every day life, or the Monday morning blues.Normal depressions, by definition, are within our coping abilities andnormally occur following some unexpected negative event.

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Personality Based or Neurotic Depression: This is a recurring, reactivedepression occurring following what are quite often trivial upsets, but havea significantly distressing effect because of the person’s underlyingpersonality. If a person has substantial anxiousness, perfectionism, rigidity,sensitiveness or unassertiveness they will have difficulty coping with minornegative events on a recurring basis.

Rapid Cycling Mood Disorders: Defined as being 4 or more episodes ofmood disturbance, either major depressive episode, or hypomania, in theprevious 12 months. It came to attention as an entity in its own right, asit was noted to be particularly resistant to treatment with Lithium.

Reactive Depression: This depression is directly related to a loss or negativelife event. The person feels distressed, anxious, sad, angry, or irritable, isoften worse in the evening, tends to comfort eat and gain weight ratherthan have a poor appetite, may have trouble getting to sleep and can stillbe cheered by pleasant events.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Slight shifts in mood with the seasonsare quite normal, but where they are more prolonged and intense, they arecalled seasonal affective disorder (affect meaning emotion). Depressionsare more common in the Winter and mania is more likely to occur inSummer. The brain biochemistry of those who get a seasonal affectivedisorder seems to be more affected than usual by atmospheric changes.

Thyroid Gland: A small gland in the neck, just below the Adam’s appleand you usually cannot feel it unless it is enlarged. It produces thyroidhormones, which circulate around the body and help regulate body andbrain metabolism and mood. If too little (hypothyroid) or too much(hyperthyroid) hormone is produced, it will affect mood.

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Suggestions for further reading

Audiotape: Helping You Defeat Depression, Dublin, Aware, 1994.

Blackburn, I.M., Coping With Depression, Edinburgh, Chambers 1987.

Brown, G.W., and Harris, T., Social Origins of Depression London, TavistockPublications, 1979.

Burns, D.D., Feeling Good. The New Mood Therapy New York, William Morrow1980.

Corry, M., Postnatal Depression - A guide for Mothers and Families, Dublin,Aware, 1991.

Duke, P, and Hochman, G., A Brilliant Madness - Living With Manic DepressiveIllness, New York, Britain Books, 1992.

Graham, P. and Hughes, C., So Young, So Sad, So Listen, London, Royal College ofPhsychiatrists, 1995.

Greist, J.H., and Jefferson, J.W., Depression and its Treatment, Warner Books, 1984.

Milligan, S., and Clare A., Depression and How to Survive it, London, Ebury, 1993.

McKeon, P., Coping with Depression and Elation, (Revised ed), London, SheldonPress, 1995.

McKeon, P., Bipolar Disorder - A Guide, (Revised ed), London, Sheldon Press, 1995.

McKeon, P., Depression: The Facts, Dublin, Aware, 2000.

Rush, A.J., Beating Depression, London, Century, 1983.

Shamoo, T.K., and Patros, P.G., Helping your Child Cope with Depression andSuicidal Thoughts, San Francisco, Jossey Bass, 1997.

Styron, W., Darkness Visible, London, Jonathan Cape, 1991.

Weissman, N.M., and Paykel, E., The Depressed Woman - A Study of SocialRelationships, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1974.

Winokur, G., Depression - The Facts, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1974.

Wolpert, L., Malignant Sadness: The Anatomy of Depression, London, Faber andfaber, 1999.

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Objectives• Help patients with depression and elation, and their families, cope with

the illness and benefit from the standard treatments by providing bothfactual information about the disorders and supportive group therapysessions.

• Foster an increased public awareness of the nature, extent and consequence of mood disorders.

• Promote research into the causes and the effective treatment of mood-swings.

Aware ServicesSupport Group Meetings

Are available at some 60 locations throughout the Republic and NorthernIreland for people with depression and their families. Here people can getthe information and emotional support they need, learn skills to overcomedepression and build self-esteem and prevent relapses. Research shows thatsupport groups are effective.

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Helpline Counselling Service

Aware run a Helpline Counselling Service from 10.00am to 10.00pm(Monday to Wednesday) and from 10.00am to 1.00am (Thursday toSunday) at 1890 303 302. It provides a listening ear for people in distressand helps people with depression and their families explore solutions totheir difficulties.

Information

Aware hosts public lectures regularly, provides literature and audio tapeson depression, postnatal depression, depression in the workplace, bipolardisorder, lithium and carbamazepine therapy and a guide for relatives ofpeople with depression. We distribute free depression information packsto those who write to or phone Aware.

Mail Order Book Service

This service brings over 30 books on depression and other psychologicaldifficulties to those who do not have ready access to a well-stocked bookshop. A mail order book catalogue is available from our administrationoffice.

Beat the Blues

Aware presents an educational programme, Beat the Blues, to senior-cyclestudents in second-level schools. It has proven to be a highly effective wayof increasing awareness and understanding of depression and helping youngpeople become more open about emotional difficulties. Aware is happy tobring this service to schools in your community.

Aware Magazine

This informative magazine is published and regularly features articles ondepression and related topics. It is available by subscription from the Awareoffice and on the website www.aware.ie.

Charity Shop

It is located at 147 Phibsborough Road, Dublin 7 and stocks a wide rangeof clothing, books and household items. Our mail order books can bepurchased directly from the shop.

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Research

Aware funds the only ongoing Depression Research Unit in Ireland andour researchers are currently engaged in studies of the genetics of thedepressive and bipolar illness. They have studied public attitudes todepression, the management of depression in general practice, and theeffectiveness of support group meetings.

Website

At www.aware.ie you will find up-to-date details on lectures, supportgroups, fundraising events and our publications.

A Voice in Europe and Beyond

Aware is actively engaged with a number of advocacy organisationsthroughout Europe and North America. In particular, it is an active memberof Gamian which is campaigning to improve the availability and qualityof care provided for people with psychiatric illnesses.

Contact Details:

Aware 72 Lower Leeson Street,

Dublin 2Tel: 01-661 7211 Fax: 01-661 7217

Helpline: 1890 303 302Email: info@aware.ie

Website: www.aware.ie

Aware Defeat DepressionPhillip House, 123-137 York Street

Belfast, BT15 1ABTel: 048 903 21734 Fax: 048 903 21735

Helpline: 084 5120 2961Email: info@aware-ni.org

Website: www.aware-ni.org.uk

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Aware HelplineLO-CALL NUMBER

1890 303 302

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