About Me

In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Duis porttitor. Sed vulputate elementum nisl. Vivamus et mi at arcu mattis iaculis. Nullam posuere tristique tortor. In bibendum. Aenean ornare, nunc eget pretium porttitor, sem est pretium leo, non euismod nulla dui non diam. Pellentesque dictum faucibus leo. Vestibulum ac ante. Sed in est. Sed sodales nisl sit amet augue. Donec ultrices, augue ullamcorper posuere laoreet, turpis massa tristique justo, sed egestas metus magna sed purus. Fusce eleifend, dui ut posuere auctor, justo elit posuere sapien, at blandit enim quam fringilla mi.

Aliquam risus justo, mollis in, laoreet a, consectetuer nec, risus. Nunc blandit sodales lacus. Nam luctus semper mi. In eu diam.

What is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder, or manic depression, is a medical illness that causes extreme shifts in mood, energy, and functioning. These changes may be subtle or dramatic and typically vary greatly over the course of a person’s life as well as among individuals. Over 10 million people in America have bipolar disorder, and the illness affects men and women equally. Bipolar disorder is a chronic and generally life-long condition with recurring episodes of mania and depression that can last from days to months that often begin in adolescence or early adulthood, and occasionally even in children. Most people generally require some sort of lifelong treatment. While medication is one key element in successful treatment of bipolar disorder, psychotherapy, support, and education about the illness are also essential components of the treatment process.

Source: National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI: Bipolar Disorder

What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

People with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) go through the day filled with exaggerated worry and tension, even though there is little or nothing to provoke it. They anticipate disaster and are overly concerned about health issues, money, family problems, or difficulties at work. Sometimes just the thought of getting through the day produces anxiety.

GAD is diagnosed when a person worries excessively about a variety of everyday problems for at least 6 months. People with GAD can’t seem to get rid of their concerns, even though they usually realize that their anxiety is more intense than the situation warrants. They can’t relax, startle easily, and have difficulty concentrating. Often they have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Physical symptoms that often accompany the anxiety include fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, trembling, twitching, irritability, sweating, nausea, lightheadedness, having to go to the bathroom frequently, feeling out of breath, and hot flashes.

When their anxiety level is mild, people with GAD can function socially and hold down a job. Although they don’t avoid certain situations as a result of their disorder, people with GAD can have difficulty carrying out the simplest daily activities if their anxiety is severe.

GAD affects about 6.8 million adult Americans and about twice as many women as men. The disorder comes on gradually and can begin across the life cycle, though the risk is highest between childhood and middle age. It is diagnosed when someone spends at least 6 months worrying excessively about a number of everyday problems. There is evidence that genes play a modest role in GAD.

Other anxiety disorders, depression, or substance abuse, often accompany GAD, which rarely occurs alone. GAD is commonly treated with medication or cognitive-behavioral therapy, but co-occurring conditions must also be treated using the appropriate therapies.

Source: National Institute of Mental Health NIMH:Generalized Anxiety Disorder