1
Fact: People with mood disorders are not “mentally” ill in the traditional sense, but rather have a physiological disorder of the brain that is treatable. Although we often confuse “mind” with “brain,” the mind is the set of conscious functions of the brain (thinking, feeling, reacting), while the brain also controls many automatic functions of the body, such as breathing, heart rate, and mood.
When a mood disorder occurs, it is due to a problem with the functioning of certain nerve cells in the brain. Factors such as stress, physical illness, or a genetic predisposition can affect this function. Once the disorder develops, it affects emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.
Treatment includes medication, which helps restore brain function, and therapy, which teaches better ways to cope with stress.
2
Fact: You are one of about 10% of all Americans who have or will have depression, anxiety, or mood swings. Some vital statistics are listed below. Some of these vital statistics show how long it takes most people with mood disorders to get a correct diagnosis. In many cases it takes even longer to get the proper treatment.
But the longer you delay getting an evaluation for treatment the greater the chance that your problem will interfere with your life and will make the recovery process more difficult.
Vital Stats:
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The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that depression afflicts 9.5 percent of adults in any given year, or about 19 million.
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The Journal of the American Medical Association study estimates that depression costs U.S. employers $44 billion yearly in absenteeism and lost productivity, $31 billion more per year than related costs from non depressed workers.
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More than half of patients nationwide are getting inadequate therapy, a new study suggests.
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The findings suggest that while the stigma of mental illness may be easing, many doctors may not be aware of treatment advancements, and many patients may be seeking unproven therapies, said Harvard Medical School researcher Ronald Kessler.
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Treatment was considered adequate or adhering to accepted guidelines in only 21 percent of patients with recent depression.
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Unfortunately a lot of people with this illness are going to their doctors and being put on some anti-depressant maybe for an inadequate dose for inadequate time.
3
Fact: Everyone does get depressed or anxious from time to time. That is a normal part of our range of emotional expression. That is not what defines a mood disorder. The acid test of development of mood disorders is functional impairment: the feelings of depression or anxiety interfere with our ability to function normally much or most of the time; and that the decrease in functioning affects our relationships, work, or the ability to enjoy ourselves. There are also often problems with eating and sleeping too little or too much.
6
Fact: Modern medications used for the treatment of mood disorders have far fewer side effects and are generally well tolerated. It would make no sense to give you a medication that would itself cause a problem functioning when the whole purpose of treatment is to restore normal functioning. Whenever a medication for a mood disorder is by itself causing a problem it must be carefully re-evaluated. Nobody should be taking a medication that is causing a problem functioning or making them feel worse.
The very reason for frequent visits to the psychiatrist while you are being stabilized on a medication is to give the doctor and opportunity to carefully watch for the emergence of any problems associated with the use of medication.
If you want to know more about the remaining 6 myths, you can download for FREE our 12 myths about mood disorders’ book.
Download "Twelve Myths About Mood Disorders" By Dr. Craig Alan Brown
4
Fact: Most friends and family need not know about your decision to seek care. Your health decisions are a personal private matter. A trusted friend or family member should know if you are taking a medication, no matter what the nature of the medical problem. In the unlikely event of a problem with medication they can assist you with accessing care. Your trusted family or friend will respect you for your decision to help yourself by getting treatment and won’t think that you are “weird” or “crazy”. Most trusted friends and family can relate to mood symptoms because most people have experienced anxiety, depression, or elevated moods at times in their lives, even if those moods have not been severe enough to need treatment.
5
Fact: That’s called shame and self-blame. We don’t blame ourselves when we have medical problems that affect other areas of our body.
Illnesses that affect the brain and therefore our behavior or emotions are the same as those that affect other areas of our body. Like high blood pressure or diabetes, illnesses of the brain are caused by complex biochemical changes. We call those physiological changes because there are alterations in the functions of the cells. Biochemical imbalances cause mood disorders. We believe that those biochemical imbalances are caused by one or more stressors like physical illness, emotional stress, or genetics. The idea that mood disorders are due to character flaws is a myth that comes from societal attitudes that developed before we had modern brain imaging techniques that show the physiological changes in the brains of people who develop mood disorders.
12
Myths about Mood Disorders
