Page 14 - Vision Manual

 Changes in sleep- A common symptom of depression is a major change in how much sleep an individual gets. For some this may be oversleeping, sometimes as much as twelve to sixteen hours a day. Others experience insomnia or sleeping far too little.
 Feeling tired and low energy- Feeling fatigued, unmotivated, and having little energy, even if sleep is unaffected.
 Feeling helpless, hopeless, and worthless- Feeling as if there is no hope or that things will never change. Experiencing extremely low self-esteem and self- confidence.
 Feeling guilty for things that aren’t your fault- Feeling as if you are responsible for things that you could not have any possible control over. Feeling guilty for being alive, for having needs, for interacting with others.
 Suicidal thoughts or actions- Depression can sometimes become so intense that a person wishes to die, or even acts on urges related to suicide.
 Trouble Concentrating or Making Decisions- Oftentimes those with depression will report disrupted memory, difficulty focusing on tasks they used to do with little problem, or otherwise doing things that were complicated. Sometimes this includes decision making.
 Finding little joy and happiness in activities- Depression can cause a person to experience little joy or excitement when thinking about potential positive activities. This is called anhedonia, and basically means that finding fun activities or engaging in hobbies is challenging.
Questions: Which symptoms do you see above that you identify with? Which have you effectively coped with? What helps you overcome depression?
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that affects many people. You might have heard it as “manic depression” or “mania”. About one percent of the general population develops this disorder at some point in his or her life. Like most mental illness, bipolar disorder happens to most every group of people.
Bipolar disorder is an especially challenging mental health concern because it can interfere with many aspects of people’s lives. Some of the symptoms cause severe mood swings, from extreme highs (mania) to extreme lows (depression). Some of the symptoms can also change or alter a persons’ perceptions of the world around them, causing psychosis similar to schizophrenia. Like other mental health conditions, there isn’t a test for bipolar disorder that someone can take at a doctor’s office. Most often, bipolar disorder is diagnosed after a mental health professional evaluates symptoms through an interview and looks at a person’s history. Most people who have bipolar
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