Why are some illnesses and conditions stigmatized while others are not? Writing in the New York Times, Dr. Aaron Carroll, chief health officer of Indiana University, suggests that stigma arises when we don’t understand the causes of a condition. Mental disorders like bipolar and supposedly “lifestyle” problems like obesity and alcoholism may appear to be more under the control of the sufferer than they really are. So, we blame people for a lack of willpower, instead of looking to the more complex causes that underlie what we see on the surface. Carroll notes that this stigma-causing misunderstanding also extends to the medications, such as SSRI’s (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), that are widely used for depression. Since scientists are not sure ...
Read More
September 10 has been designated as Suicide Prevention Day in the United States, and each year that day provides everyone a chance to stop and reflect. Suicide causes more deaths annually than violent crime, accidents, and smoking. In every age group, beginning from age 10, suicide is one of the major causes of death. We don’t seem to be doing everything we can to prevent suicide. A few points to keep in mind: It’s not about “fixing” something that’s wrong with people who contemplate suicide. We need to try to relieve the conditions that make their lives a burden to themselves. Kindness and openness to conversation and especially listening are two of the best tools in the suicide prevention toolbox ...
Read More
Dependence: Problem or not? Consider the many ways you are dependent on others, on the Earth, and on the invisible structures of society to get by in life. Consider whether our culture’s constant harping on independence is realistic or healthy. Today, let’s explore the positive sides of being dependent. It may turn out to be the more realistic way of seeing things, too! Realizing that we’re dependent on thousands of other people doing their jobs and even going beyond expectations to serve can at first seem like a scary prospect, but with time, it can feel more life-giving. To realize that we are also contributing to the survival and well-being of people we don’t even know can be empowering as ...
Read More
Exploring the links between stress, anxiety, and depression Stress and mental illness The stress response is unfortunately very familiar to modern people. We all know that when something bad happens, our brains flood our bodies with chemicals that would have been useful in the remote past, stimulating the “fight, flight, or freeze” response. Useful for dealing with a hungry sabre-toothed tiger, but not so much if you’re facing an angry boss in the office. MoodSurfing has looked at stress management and stress reduction strategies in the past, and we encourage everyone to learn meditation, breathing, and reframing strategies to help maintain mental clarity and mood balance. However, new research has found that in some people, the stress mechanism can get ...
Read More
Activate your psychological immune system Our brains have built-in processes that help us make meaning of adversity, and find ways to pick up and keep going after a shock, injury, or disappointment. Psychologists Daniel Gilbert and Timothy Wilson have been researching our abilities to “weather the storms” of life, and figure out how to make the best of bad situations. Gilbert and Wilson have found that people tend to overestimate how strong their negative emotions will be when thinking about a possible failure or disaster in their future. In addition, they underestimate how long the feelings of shock, sadness, injury or disappointment will last. Because we have trained our minds to look for the positive, and self-soothe, the results of ...
Read More
If you have an episode of depression, how can you tell if it is bipolar or unipolar depression? The simple answer is, you have bipolar depression if you have ever experienced an energized (not necessarily pleasant) state that qualified as a hypomanic or manic episode. And if you only have had depressed episodes, you are considered to have unipolar depression. If you spent 100,000$ in a week, didn’t sleep during that week, and were juggling a thousand tasks, and your brain was racing so fast that you could hardly keep up, you know that was probably a manic episode. But how do you sort it out if you had a milder period of being energized, especially if there was no ...
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.
