Will you take $75 now or $100 three days from now? In the fields of economics and psychology, (and the new field of economic psychology) the choice is called “delay discounting” although many people may be more familiar with the term “delayed gratification”. The two terms are opposites; delayed gratification means you will wait for the larger reward even if it doesn’t come immediately, while delay discounting means that $100 is worth less (discounted) because you won’t get it immediately. Delay discounting (not wanting to wait) is a trait commonly found across a wide spectrum of mental illnesses, although it still is not clear if this trait is a cause or a result of these disorders. Another term for it ...
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What does hypomania feel like? A Moodsurfing reader recommends this You Tube presentation because, he said: “I found this video refreshing due to her very detailed description of what it feels like going through the various episodes.” Imogene Walters, working in London, has made several videos about bipolar, including one about suicidal feelings, and she speaks directly and meaningfully to the interested listener. Not a medical professional, she does not attempt to give medical advice, just focuses on her own struggles with bipolar. The video is well made and easy to listen to, lasting about twenty minutes. It’s a personal testimony that gives a complete and honest description of the presenter’s experiences and feelings. It may be especially useful for ...
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Global Warming. Climate change. Hurricanes and wildfires. More and more people are showing evidence of deteriorated or threatened mental health because of the terrifying threats posed by our changing environment. In a recent TED Talk, science writer Britt Wray noted that she is encountering more and more people who are losing psychological health because of fears of climate change. Those who have already lost homes, jobs and loved ones to disasters suffer from post-traumatic stress, and others are suffering from “pre-traumatic stress” – crippling anxiety about the coming changes to lives and lifestyles because of climate change. Wray has found that many people are choosing not to have children only because they fear the world of climate chaos in which ...
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Our friends at BPHope have done it again! A new post showing “Five Famous Females who are crushing stigma” gives us thumbnails of five interesting celebrities with bipolar, and only one of them has already been profiled on Moodsurfing: Demi Lovato. The others are three actors and a news anchor, all of whom are talking publicly about their diagnoses and treatment options. People like these with a celebrity image speaking out about mental illness can really make a difference in public perception, helping to reduce stigma and ignorance about these conditions. Many people with bipolar also feel a sense of kinship and encouragement when they realize that famous and successful individuals, both contemporary and historical have also faced down mood ...
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Dr. Jed Diamond has a website called Men Alive that looks at men’s health in new ways. Depression, stress management, anger and love are all life experiences that play out very differently for men and for women. Yet depression, in particular is often viewed as a “women’s” problem, and notably more than twice as many women as men are diagnosed with depression in the United States. Diamond notes, however, that the suicide rate is 3 to 18 times higher in the US for men than for women. Men are dying from undiagnosed and untreated depression because we don’t recognize the way symptoms manifest in them. Women often become emotional and “weepy” when suffering from depression, but men often “act out” ...
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How about if there was scientific evidence to support the notion that a sauna, or a nice, hot bath, or spending time lying in the sun on the beach is good for your mental health? Moodsurfing is always on the alert for evidence related to alternative treatments such as music, meditation, and nutritional supplements, so this article caught our collective eye. Yes, it’s a real thing. Raising the whole-body temperature to about 101° F (38.5 degrees Celsius) resulted in a significant decrease in depressive symptoms in volunteer participants in a randomized clinical trial at the University of Arizona. Participants in the sauna trial were monitored until their body temperature reached 38.5 degrees Celsius, (which took an average of 20 minutes) ...
Read More About MoodSurfing
Welcome to MoodSurfing.com, the site that highlights strategies for living creatively with moods and coping with depression. This site is for people with bipolar, depression, cyclothymia, and others who experience powerful moods and want to figure out how to integrate these experiences into successful lives.
Although most of us are mental health clinicians of one kind or another, this site is not about providing people with medical or clinical advice (see below). We hope that we can help you cope with depression, maybe even allow you to live well with moods.
If you like what you see here, be sure to sign up to get updated with new posts.
We have done a series of interviews with people who have interesting things to say about different aspects of living creatively with moods. You can find those under the heading “Conversations.”
DISCLAIMER
This site is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. Through this site and linkages to other sites, Moodsurfing provides general information for educational purposes only. The information provided in this site, or through linkages to other sites, is not a substitute for medical or professional care, and you should not use the information in place of a visit, call consultation or the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider. Moodsurfing is not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis or any other information, services or product you obtain through this site.
IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CALL 911 OR YOUR PHYSICIAN. If you believe you have any other health problem, or if you have any questions regarding your health or a medical condition, you should promptly consult your physician or other healthcare provider. Never disregard medical or professional advice, or delay seeking it, because of something you read on this site or a linked website. Never rely on information on this website in place of seeking professional medical advice. You should also ask your physician or other healthcare provider to assist you in interpreting any information in this site or in the linked websites, or in applying the information to your individual case.
Medical information changes constantly. Therefore the information on this site or on the linked websites should not be considered current, complete or exhaustive, nor should you rely on such information to recommend a course of treatment for you or any other individual. Reliance on any information provided on this site or any linked websites is solely at your own risk.
Moodsurfing does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, products, procedures, opinions or other information that may be provided on the linked websites. The linked websites may contain text, graphics, images or information that you find offensive (e.g., sexually explicit), Moodsurfing has no control over and accepts no responsibility for such materials.
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