Catholic News Service is the official news agency of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Read their News Briefs for today.
In the past, bipolar depression was lumped in with regular depression. But a growing body of research suggests that there are significant differences between the two, especially when it comes to recommended treatments. Most people with bipolar depression are not helped by antidepressants. In fact, there is a risk that antidepressants can make bipolar disorder worse—triggering mania or hypomania, causing rapid cycling between mood states, or interfering with other mood stabilizing drugs.
Despite many similarities, certain symptoms are more common in bipolar depression than in regular depression. For example, bipolar depression is more likely to involve irritability, guilt, unpredictable mood swings, and feelings of restlessness. People with bipolar depression also tend to move and speak slowly, sleep a lot, and gain weight. In addition, they are more likely to develop psychotic depression—a condition in which they’ve lost contact with reality—and to experience major disability in work and social functioning.
Common symptoms of bipolar depression include:
◾Feeling hopeless, sad, or empty.
◾ Irritability
◾ Inability to experience pleasure
◾ Fatigue or loss of energy
◾ Physical and mental sluggishness
◾ Appetite or weight changes
◾ Sleep problems
◾ Concentration and memory problems
◾ Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
◾ Thoughts of death or suicide
Let us pray for those who suffer from bi-polar disorder.
Saint Rose of Lima lived from 1586 – 1617 in Lima, Viceroyalty of Peru. Her father was in the cavalry while her mother raised their large family. At a young age, Saint Rose began pursuing Christ through penance, purity, and prayer. As she approached womanhood, many suitors were attracted. In opposition, Saint Rose cut off her hair and begged her father to allow her to remain chaste. He granted Rose her will but insisted she remain un-cloistered. In obedience, she joined the Third Order of St. Dominic. Her mortifications increased to include fasting, coarse clothing, isolation, and prolonged prayer. These sufferings she offered up for the sake of lost souls, her country, and the conversion of sinners. Her efforts granted her a supernatural love through which she served the poor, funding these efforts through her artistic needlework and tatting. Saint Rose was canonized in 1671 by Clement X and is known as the first American saint.
Hypomania symptoms
Hypomania is a less severe form of mania. People in a hypomanic state feel euphoric, energetic, and productive, but they are able to carry on with their day-to-day lives and they never lose touch with reality. To others, it may seem as if people with hypomania are merely in an unusually good mood. However, hypomania can result in bad decisions that harm relationships, careers, and reputations. In addition, hypomania often escalates to full-blown mania or is followed by a major depressive episode.
Let us pray for people afflicted with Bipolar Disorder
SYMPTOMS OF MANIC PHASE
In the manic phase of bipolar disorder, feelings of heightened energy, creativity, and euphoria are common. People experiencing a manic episode often talk a mile a minute, sleep very little, and are hyperactive. They may also feel like they’re all-powerful, invincible, or destined for greatness.
But while mania feels good at first, it has a tendency to spiral out of control. People often behave recklessly during a manic episode: gambling away savings, engaging in inappropriate sexual activity, or making foolish business investments, for example. They may also become angry, irritable, and aggressive—picking fights, lashing out when others don’t go along with their plans, and blaming anyone who criticizes their behavior. Some people even become delusional or start hearing voices.
Common signs and symptoms of mania include:
◾ Feeling unusually “high” and optimistic OR extremely irritable
◾ Unrealistic, grandiose beliefs about one’s abilities or powers
◾ Sleeping very little, but feeling extremely energetic
◾ Talking so rapidly that others can’t keep up
◾ Racing thoughts; jumping quickly from one idea to the next
◾ Highly distractible, unable to concentrate
◾ Impaired judgment and impulsiveness
◾ Acting recklessly without thinking about the consequences
◾Delusions and hallucinations (in severe cases)
More to come. Let us pray for those who suffer from this disease.
The Concho Padre
Catholic News Service is the official news agency of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Read here their News Briefs for August 22.
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Even before retired Pope Benedict XVI set up a pontifical council for new evangelization and convoked a world Synod of Bishops on the theme, a new group of Benedictine monks was using Latin and liturgy to reach out to those whose faith was weak or nonexistent. Read more from Catholic News Service.
Bipolar disorder can look very different in different people. The symptoms vary widely in their pattern, severity, and frequency. Some people are more prone to either mania or depression, while others alternate equally between the two types of episodes. Some have frequent mood disruptions, while others experience only a few over a lifetime.
There are four types of mood episodes in bipolar disorder: mania, hypomania, depression, and mixed episodes. Each type of bipolar disorder mood episode has a unique set of symptoms.
More to Come
Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression, is a mental illness that causes people to have episodes of severe high and low moods. People who have this illness switch from feeling overly happy and energized to feeling very sad and vice versa. Because of the highs and the lows — or two poles of mood — the condition is referred to as “bipolar” disorder. In between episodes of mood swings, a person may experience normal moods.
The word “manic” describes the periods when the person feels overly excited and confident. These feelings can quickly turn to confusion, irritability, anger, and even rage. The word “depressive” describes the periods when the person feels very sad or depressed. Because the symptoms are similar, sometimes people with bipolar disorder are incorrectly diagnosed as having major depression.
Let us pray for those who suffer from this illness. More to follow.
The Concho Padre
THE CONCHO PADRE POST 
Friday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time
Readings for August 23
When we were little we were expected to memorize the basic truths of our Faith. At the top of the list were the Ten Commandments, which could be difficult to memorize. Today’s Gospel passage offers a clue to help us to remember—or to teach—the Ten Commandments more easily.
If not pointed out, we may never have noticed that in many pictures of Moses bringing down the two tablets from Mt. Sinai, the Ten Commandments are not divided five and five. Rather, the first tablet has the first three commandments, and the other tablet the remaining seven. This illustrates Jesus’ teaching today: that there are, in fact, simply “two commandments”.
On the Cross most especially, but in fact in His very divine Person, Jesus embodies the unity of these “two commandments”. True God and true man, Jesus’ teaching today merely foreshadows what He teaches us on Calvary. Some people teach an ethic that promotes complete devotion to God, but ignores if not disdains the corruption of man. Others teach an ethic that promotes an apotheosis of human nature, but disdains if not altogether denies God. Neither of these “two commandments” in fact can stand or be understood thoroughly without the other. Jesus reveals the meaning of each of these commandments in His divine Person.
Commentary from the Diocese of Wichita
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