Understanding Manic Depressive Psychosis

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Understanding Manic Depressive Psychosis

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed

Manic depressive psychosis is a life altering illness that can severely affect a person’s ability to function and carry out day to day tasks. This is because manic depressive psychosis severely affects a person’s energy levels and moods. A person suffering from manic depression can alternate between deep depression and manic episodes when a person is overly happy and excitable.

People with manic depression may have difficulty keeping a job, or maintaining friendships and family relationships. Although the symptoms manifest as a mental disorder, the root cause is organic brain dysfunction.

Frequent Occurring Symptoms

Behaviorally a person may alternate between two extremes. When feeling depressed an individual may feel extremely tired, entertain suicidal thoughts, and have difficulty concentrating. The opposite of this behavior may include high risk behavior such as promiscuity and spending sprees, seemingly boundless energy, and may talk fast and experience racing thoughts.

In rare case, some people may experience auditory or visual hallucinations. Exaggerated perceptions of other’s behaviors or of the consequences of their own behaviour are fairly common. Delusional behaviour can also occur. If a normally thrifty person starts spending excessively, or a normally modest person suddenly starts believing that they are the best at everything they do, these could be symptoms of manic depression.

Support During Treatment

Most people suffering from manic depressive psychosis respond well to medication. It is vital that they have a good emotional support system. It may take some time to determine the right medications and the right dosages and the side effects can be hard to deal with. It takes patience and understanding to help someone receiving treatment for manic depressive psychosis. .

Family members may need to be present during doctor’s appointments to fully understand the disease and what treatment involves. Relatives and loved ones can be very helpful when it comes to treatment. Whenever a patient has suicidal thoughts or manic episodes it is necessary to report them to the patient’s doctor or therapist.

Successful Treatment

To be successful, treatment plans for manic depressive psychosis must be strictly adhered to. People suffering from this disorder benefit from having a regular schedule. The more a sufferer knows about his disease, the better he will be able to actively participate in his own treatment, and the more effective the treatment will be.

Recognizing the early symptoms of a manic or depressive episode and notifying your doctor, can prevent the episode from escalating. The improvement of symptoms of this condition are gradual and occur over a period of time.

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