Depression, which must be distinguished from sadness or “the blues” is a common and legitimate medical illness. Everyone feels down or low at some stage, but when these lows last for long periods and…

Panic disorder is characterised by the occurrence of repeated panic attacks, which last anything from a few seconds to a few minutes, but which are experienced as extremely frightening and uncomfortable.

Typically, someone who suffers…

Do you have an intense fear for animals, heights, blood, injections, planes? Would you rather climb ten flights than to get into a lift? If so, you may be suffering from a phobia.

All people have…

What is Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

Description

• There are different types of anxiety disorders. Each is characterised by different kinds of fears or concerns. Typically the person recognises that the fear is excessive or irrational.  
• Anxiety disorders are…

Description

 
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder characterised by obsessions and compulsions.  
• Obsessions are unwanted ideas, images or impulses, which repeatedly enter an individual’s mind; compulsions are repetitive behaviours…

How common is it?

 
• Depression and anxiety disorders frequently co-exist. Among patients in the community who meet criteria for a clinical depression (i.e. major depression), approximately 50% will…

Depression can cause distress in many different aspects of one’s life including home, work and school. Research shows that of those who seek treatment for depression, approximately 80% find long term, effective results.…

Venlafaxine is an antidepressant medication. It affects chemicals in your brain that may become unbalanced and cause depression. Effexor is an SSRI.

Specific Uses for Effexor:
Venlafaxine is used to…

Are you feeling really sad, tired, and worried most of the time? Are these feelings lasting more than a few days? If your answer is “yes,”…

A clinical depression is a syndrome or constellation of signs or symptoms beyond a normal reaction to life’s difficulties.

Depression after stroke continues to be largely unrecognized and frequently untreated. (rates of recognition and treatment…

Depression is one of the most common-and serious-mental health problems facing people today. Each year, more than 1 in 20 Americans suffers from a depressive disorder. Dysthymia-often referred to as long-term depression-is characterized…

Depression among seniors (individuals over age 65) can be somewhat different than depression in the younger population. Although it can be the result of chemical imbalance in the brain or a side-effect…

Survivors of stroke experience many changes resulting from their illness. Most people are aware of the physical changes that occur following stroke, for example paralysis or weakness on one side of the body,…

Introduction
Depression can strike anyone, but people with serious illnesses such as stroke may be at greater risk. Appropriate diagnosis and treatment of depression may bring substantial benefits to persons recovering from a…

People who experience symptoms of depression are at an increased risk of developing stroke, suggest the results of a two-decade study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

There was…

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that causes extreme changes in mood, thinking, and behavior. During a “manic phase,” people with bipolar disorder experience feelings of euphoria, happiness, and hyperactivity. Some even experience…

A mental health professional will carefully evaluate a person’s symptoms to determine whether the symptoms meet the criteria for a diagnosis of a mood disorder. This section describes some of these symptoms…

The First Steps Towards Proper Diagnosis

The first step in getting treatment for bipolar disorder is getting a correct diagnosis. This can be a more difficult than it might seem because the…

Bipolar disorder is a recurrent illness with high morbidity for some patients. Episodes increase in frequency with time, and while a substantial number of patients with bipolar…

During the 1950’s extending to the 1970’s, lithium was demonstrated as the first effective treatment for bipolar disorder, initially in treating acute mania, and later in preventing both manic and depressive…

Bipolar disorder symptoms are cyclic. Patient’s cycle into manic episodes, then return to normal before cycling into a depressive episode. This cycling makes it possible to divide bipolar disorder symptoms…

Genetic or hereditary factors contribute to the risk of bipolar disorder. Studies have demonstrated that the prevalence of bipolar disorder is higher among the parents of bipolar…

Every year more than 17 million Americans suffer from clinical depression. It strikes men, women and children of all races and socio-economic groups, causing them to lose motivation, energy and the pleasure of…

Sure, everybody feels sad or blue now and then. But if you’re sad most of the time, and it’s giving you problems with

 
• your grades or attendance at school  …