Bipolar Disorder

Major and unusual shifts in your overall mood are the hallmark of bipolar disorder. Without fully comprehending why, you may go from feeling deliriously happy and hopeful to completely drained and hopeless. You may have a seemingly endless wellspring of energy and then plummet to lethargy, unable to get out of bed. The frequency and intensity of these swings can feel intensely debilitating and disorienting to you and your loved ones, not to mention having a major impact on your professional and social life. So between depression & Bipolar: What is the difference?

Depression can be a huge aspect of an individual’s experience with bipolar disorder, but it is only one aspect of it. Depression in a bipolar episode may last four days or four months, as can mania or hypomania. These episodes, however,  are separate and do not typically occur within minutes, they more often occur in discrete episodes that are distinct. With the right balance of integrated evidence-based medical treatment in addition to holistic modalities, our caring mental health treatment staff at True Life Center can help you to stabilize and find your way forward through bipolar disorder.

Common Bipolar Symptoms

Manic episodes may include:

• Rapid speech or grandiose plans
• Abundance of energy
• Elation or euphoria
• Irritability and agitation
• Racing thoughts or ideas
• Decreased need to sleep
• Risky behavior

Depressive episodes may include:

• Insomnia, increased or decreased need for sleep
• Appetite changes
• Difficulty concentrating
• Hopelessness, pessimism
• Sad or numb feelings
• Worthlessness, helplessness
• Detachment, loss of interest, no feelings of joy
• Decreased energy
• Heaviness or fatigue
• Suicidal ideation

Depression (Major Depressive Disorder)

Back to our original question of “Depression & Bipolar: What is the Difference?” When we look at depression, also classified as ‘major depressive disorder’ or MDD, we see a lot of similarities with the depressive periods that affect those with bipolar disorder. But people with MDD do not experience separate distinct episodes of major mood swings that characterize bipolar, like hypomania and mania. Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and restlessness may lead to disengagement from cherished activities and relationships during depression, be it from Major Depression or Bipolar, these are not present during mania. Any attempt to help or change the inner state of melancholy from the outside will not penetrate. For those suffering from both Bipolar Affective Disorder or Major Depressive Disorder, symptoms are chronic, persistent, and severe and require compassionate, informed treatment.

Common Depression Symptoms

• Anxiety or Irritability
• Hopelessness, pessimism
• Sad or numb feelings
• Worthlessness, helplessness
• Detachment, loss of interest, no feelings of joy
• Decreased energy
• Heaviness or fatigue
• Restlessness
• Trouble concentrating, remembering, or decision-making
• Appetite changes
• Aches, pains, headaches, cramps, digestion issues
• Suicidal ideation 

TLC’s Neurobiological Integration Approach

Depression & Bipolar: What is the Difference? Our team knows and can help you explore the right healing path for you. At True Life Center, our dedicated staff is drawn to working with people on finding and freeing their true selves to live their best lives. Our unique Neurobiological Integration approach aims to identify the root cause of illness and gets results by using the synergistic combination of:

• Individual psychotherapy with DBT, CBT, EMDR and/or psychodynamic approach
• Expert psychiatric treatment
• Acupuncture
• Mindfulness and self-compassion practices
• Yoga therapy
• Body healing with Qi Gong

Reaping the Benefits Of Finding Mental Health Treatment In Orange County California

True Life Center is committed to helping individuals find and express their authentic selves. When suffering is deep and enduring, understanding the path forward brings comfort and hope. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive map for long-term recovery and optimal health. We listen carefully to you and your loved ones to understand and co-collaborate in the creation of your True Life Recovery Plan. Finding mental health treatment may seem challenging right now, but it’s only a phone call away. Five minutes can give you the key to years of stability and contentment. Call us today at 858.202.1822 to start your journey to healing today.

The post Depression & Bipolar: What is the Difference? appeared first on True Life Center.

At True Life Center, our team of experts is ready to help. We have designed our major depression treatment program to give people the support and strategies to cope with depression. If you or someone you care about may benefit from mental health treatment in San Diego, reach out to our team today by calling 858.202.1822 or completing our online contact form. First, however, it is best to explore the idea that depression is hereditary.

Is Depression Hereditary?

Although there are many types of depression, the one that affects many millions of Americans and that has experienced the most coverage in popular culture is clinical depression, also referred to as major depressive disorder (MDD). Among the different forms of depression, MDD is more often shared by siblings, children, and other close relatives. Studies have shown that having a relative who struggles with depression makes an individual almost five times likelier to develop it. The scientific community is clear on the fact that depression is hereditary. But why? Is it nature, nurture, or a combination of the two?

Genetics & Environment

In a recent research effort, a team from the UK isolated chromosome 3p25-26 in more than 800 families who exhibited recurrent major depression. Their results were corroborated by another research group, amounting to “the first report of a genome-wide significant locus for depression that also has an independent genome-wide significant replication.” At the same time, the authors of the paper are careful to stress that both genetic and environmental factors play a hand in whether or not a predisposition for something like depression expresses itself in a person’s lifetime. Growing up in a household with someone whose depression renders him bedridden, for example, may influence what a child perceives as normal behavior. A child may also unknowingly mimic depressive behaviors in a parental figure as a natural part of her development.

Dysfunction, Abuse, & Other Risk Factors

While being exposed to depression and depressive behavior can further predispose a child to develop MDD or a similar disorder later in life, other dynamics at home may play an equally critical role. Home should feel like a sanctuary from the rest of the world’s chaos, a safe harbor full of nurturing and support. But when home life features more dysfunction than function, it can negatively impact childhood, adolescence, and beyond. Conflict and abuse can engender a heightened reactivity to stressors. The more stressors one comes up against, the more it can push someone towards depression. Although scientists have yet to understand why, exactly, the key may lie in further work on epigenetics, which investigates how an environment can influence whether or not certain genes turn on or off.

Good News for Those with Depression

Not everyone exposed to dysfunction and stressors or who has a genetic predisposition for depression will experience it. This means there is some biological mechanism at work that may help scientists uncover ways to build resilience against depression. And in the meantime, there’s more good news for people struggling with depression: help is here. At True Life Center, our team of experienced mental health professionals offer numerous approaches to finding your way through depression to a healthy, stable, sustainable life that fulfills your most authentic self. Even during the global pandemic, remember that you are not alone and that treatment is available to you.

TLC’s Neurobiological Integration Approach

At True Life Center, our dedicated staff is drawn to working with people on finding and freeing their true selves to live their best lives. Our team understands mental illness and depression, and we can help you or your loved one explore a healing path that’s custom-designed for you. Our unique Neurobiological Integration approach aims to identify the root cause of illness and gets results by using the synergistic combination of:

• Individual psychotherapy with DBT, CBT, EMDR and/or psychodynamic approach
• Expert psychiatric treatment
• Acupuncture
• Mindfulness and self-compassion practices
• Yoga therapy
• Body healing with Qi Gong

Find Support and Healing for Depression at True Life Center

At True Life Center, we are committed to helping individuals find and express their authentic selves. When suffering is deep and enduring, understanding the path forward brings comfort and hope. We aim to provide a comprehensive map for long-term recovery from depression and for sustaining optimal health. We listen carefully to you and your loved ones to understand and co-collaborate in creating your recovery plan.

Finding treatment for depression may seem challenging right now, but our team is ready to help with our depression treatment in San Diego. Begin to heal today by contacting our team at 858.202.1822 or completing our online form.

The post Is Depression Hereditary? appeared first on True Life Center.

Types of Depression

Depression takes on many shapes and attitudes, varying in degree and nuance from person to person. It often goes unnoticed or suppressed, making it especially important to identify as early as possible. Different forms of depression include Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia), Major Depressive Disorder, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Atypical Depression, and Adjustment Disorder (Situational Depression). Major depressive disorder is a mental illness that countless people struggle with, and it goes beyond having a brief bout of sadness. The bleak feelings that can come up with depression are often hard to escape from, not unlike a black hole or quicksand. The symptoms cascade and become more severe the deeper one falls.

Signs of Depression

As an often invisible mental illness, depression may manifest more internally than externally. People suffering from depression may experience a range of difficult feelings, from periods of extreme hopelessness to a major loss of energy and inability to concentrate or focus. Misplaced or misassigned guilt for things they aren’t actually responsible for, a tendency toward self-loathing or self-destructiveness, and a prevailing sense of the worthlessness of one’s life may also surface. Daily activities may no longer hold interest and it may be impossible to experience joy.

Some outward behavioral changes induced by this mental illness could include recklessness and engaging in dangerous, adrenaline-inducing activities. Physical manifestations of the mental illness may range from sudden changes in weight to aches and pains all over the body without an apparent cause. Sleep is often disturbed as well in either direction, too much or too little sleep, and/or difficulty falling or staying asleep. At True Life, we are particularly attuned to how depression manifests in the body, and it can range from chest heaviness, pit in the gut, constipation or diarrhea, muscle tension, and pain in many parts of the body.  Depression can definitely “hurt”.

If you or someone you know seems to be experiencing any of these major changes in mood, mindset, behavior, or physical condition,  it may be a sign of mental illness that deserves attention and treatment from compassionate professionals like the mental health treatment staff at True Life Center for Wellbeing.

Depression Symptom List

Our integrated wellness and mental health treatment center is a sanctuary for those struggling with mental health conditions. If you think it may be time to find help, give us a call today. We recognize, understand, and treat not just the symptoms but the underlying causes of mental health challenges. Here’s a quick symptom list of warning signs for depression for your reference:

• Sadness, Anger, Numbness
• Hopelessness or Helplessness
• Lethargy
• Isolation
• Irritability
• Self-Loathing or Guilt
• Inconsolability
• Loss of interest or joy
• Insomnia
• Sudden weight gain or weight loss
• Memory Problems or slowed cognition
• Reckless behavior
• Aches and pains, muscle tension, or GI distress
• Worthlessness
• Suicidal thoughts

TLC’s Neurobiological Integration Approach

Our team understands mental illness and depression. We can help you or your loved one explore a healing path that’s custom-designed for you. At True Life Center, our dedicated staff is drawn to working with people on finding and freeing their true selves to live their best lives. Our unique Neurobiological Integration approach aims to identify the root cause of illness and gets results by using the synergistic combination of:

• Individual psychotherapy with DBT, CBT, EMDR and/or psychodynamic approach
• Expert psychiatric treatment
• Acupuncture
• Mindfulness and self-compassion practices
• Yoga therapy
• Body healing with Qi Gong

Reaping the Benefits Of Finding Mental Health Treatment In San Diego California

True Life Center is committed to helping individuals find and express their authentic self. When suffering is deep and enduring, understanding the path forward brings comfort and hope. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive map for long-term recovery and optimal health. We listen carefully to you and your loved ones to understand and co-collaborate in the creation of your True Life Recovery Plan. Finding treatment for mental illness may seem challenging right now, but it’s only a phone call away. Five minutes can give you the key to years of stability and contentment. Give us a ring so you can start your journey to healing today by calling 858.202.1822.

The post How To Recognize Early Warning Signs of Depression appeared first on True Life Center.