Depression and Bipolar Disorders

Chapter One Depression: Normal and Abnormal Antonio is forty years old, and has recurrent major depressive episodes. "Why do I have to suffer so much?" he asks. "All the things I can't do, the plans I can't make, because I don't know what shape I'll be in from one week to the next. For the last two days I haven't cared about anything, I haven't even taken a shower. I've just been trying to manage the pain of my own emotions. Tonight at dinner I started to feel sane, and then the despair hit me again, like a ton of bricks. I'm afraid one of these days my boss will fire me. How do I get healthy, and stay that way?" -- All of us experience feelings and emotions. These are signals that tell us if we are safe or in danger. They also communicate to others that we are upset or pleased. We can cope with changes in the world by tuning into our feelings, the signaling system that sends emotional messages that are universally recognizable, and interprets other people's emotions accurately. Feelings are the subjective awareness of emotions. In fact, feelings are present throughout mammalian species. Dogs and gorillas can signal happiness by jumping playfully and showing their teeth, much as humans do when they smile. The physical signs of the emotion, such as a smile, a grimace, a red face, clenched fists, or downcast eyes, indicate the state we're in to those around us. Although we are not always conscious of what we communicate, the signals we send, such as a raised voice, a cry, or a hunched posture, tell other people what responses we need from them. Sometimes we don't have time to think what to do in response. A stranger hears the distressed cry of someone drowning and, without thinking, jumps in to save the person. When the stranger is given a medal for heroism, he or she says there was no conscious act of bravery. The more varied our awareness and expression of our feelings, the healthier we are emotionally. Healthy families accept and encourage the expression and awareness of a full range of feelings in their children. They accept the children's anger, sadness, and joyfulness. They neither deny nor censor these feelings, although this doesn't mean the child is allowed to act in a hurtful way. Healthy families also accept other people's faults, and enjoy being with others. They are sociable and outgoing. That's the ideal. Most of us manage to approach it rather than achieve it. I can remember self-righteously criticizing someone for being bitter, only to realize the next day that I had been the negative one. Good therapy helps us relax our rigidity so we can experience the full range and richness of feelings. We need to feel angry, sad, happy, joyful, and a whole range of more subtle emotions to feel truly alive. Moods versus Depression A mood is a state of emotion sustained for a period of time. When we're in a "good mood" we feel buoyant, self-confident, and happy. We're interested in what's happening around us and want to explore new things. Usually something good has happened to us or we are having fun with people we like. We feel positive about ourselves and optimistic about the state of the world. Too bad we can't feel this way all the time! But if we did, we'd miss out on signs of danger. "Bad moods" start when we feel anxious, angry, frightened, or sad. Often these feelings are provoked by some external event -- not getting the promotion we wanted, finding out we're overdrawn at the bank, or, worse yet, learning that our company is downsizing or our partner is fed up and thinking of leaving the relationship. If we didn't feel anxious, irritable, sad, or frightened under these circumstances, we wouldn't be able to look out for our needs. We have to be able to take steps to protect ourselves from hurt and humiliation, so we can survive adversities and maintain our self-esteem. The word "depressEdwards, Virginia is the author of 'Depression and Bipolar Disorders' with ISBN 9781552976371 and ISBN 1552976378.