Depression is a disorder of the body as much as of the mind. Consider that several of the core symptoms of the condition manifest in body systems: depression invariably expresses itself in a change of appetite, usually inhibiting the desire to eat, but occasionally reversing course, as in atypical depression, and increasing it.
Similarly, the body’s need for restorative sleep is profoundly disturbed, and nearly all depressed individuals experience sleep problems; 80% complain of insomnia, another 15% sleep excessively. Insomnia by itself appears to be a risk factor for depression. Most patients complain of body fatigue. In many, energy loss is so overwhelming that physical movement is arduous and grinds to a paralyzing halt.
Increasingly, there’s evidence that depression involves various body systems. There seems to be a complex relationship between depression and the heart. Depression raises the risk of heart disease; it also magnifies the deadliness of existing cardiac problems. It’s not clear why, although researchers have found that depression alters blood platelets, circulating elements that are responsible for clotting.What’s more, depression leaves footprints on the body’s structure as well. For example, it accelerates changes in bone mass leading to osteoporosis.
But of all the signs that depression has a neck-down presence, none is more insistent than physical pain. For a substantial number of people, possibly up to half of depression sufferers, bodily pain is the way depression presents itself.
The pain is often vague and unexplained by injury. It may show up as headache, abdominal pain, or musculoskeletal pains in the lower back, joints and neck—alone or in any combination. The painful physical symptoms of depression typically take the form of multiple somatic complaints.
The trouble is, too often neither sufferer nor doctor is aware of the true source of the problem and the depression goes untreated as well as unrecognized. It’s not that the pain is “all in the head.” No, the pain is indeed real, but it likely drives many people to primary care physicians or orthopedists in the mistaken belief that something has gone awry in their body. And there follows an unproductive search for an organic source.
“We’re becoming more sensitized that major depressive disorder has physical as well as emotional symptoms,” says Stephen M. Stahl, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry at the University of California San Diego. He believes that the many unrecognized cases of depression—some estimates put the figure as high as 50% of all cases—may be the ones that do not complain of depressed mood.”
Physical symptoms are as important in treating the condition as in recognizing it. “Even where people have emotional symptoms of depression—and many people have both emotional and somatic symptoms—they are not necessarily well when their emotional symptoms improve,” says Dr. Stahl.
Failure to eliminate the pain symptoms reduces the chances of full recovery. Persistent pain typically keeps depressed people from regaining full function in the personal and professional lives, and it raises the danger of suicide.
Depression has long been associated with pain. But it was once thought that people with pain were somehow “denying” their emotional disorder and converting it into bodily pain. The new view is that somatic complaints are the way some people get depressed. There is actually something malfunctioning in their pain perception pathways.
In a study of over 25,000 patients at 15 primary care centers on five continents, Seattle researchers found that 50% of all depressed patients worldwide report multiple unexplained physical symptoms. It’s wasn’t that such patients were any less willing or able to express emotional distress. They readily acknowledged depressed mood when specifically asked about it.
Nor were there differences in the frequency of pain symptoms among Western and non-Western cultures. The researchers concluded that “somatic symptoms are a core component of the depressive syndrome.”
Like the emotional symptoms, the painful physical symptoms of depression arise in specific nerve pathways presided over by the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine. From their base in the brainstem, such pathways travel up into the highest reaches of the brain, the frontal cortex, where they help regulate thinking and mood. They also travel up to the brain’s hypothalamus, where they regulate eating, sleeping, and sex drive.
But serotonin and norepinephrine pathways also travel down into the spinal cord serving the rest of the body. And therein lies the problem.
As the body goes about its tasks, explains Dr. Stahl, there are constant sensations associated with the routine functioning of the body, such as digestion in the stomach and abdomen. The central nervous system is also fed routine inputs from the musculoskeletal system throughout the body. But normally those sensations are suppressed from consciousness and ignored. That’s what allows you to pay attention to the world outside your body. And that suppression is normally accomplished by serotonin- and norepineprhine dependent nerve fibers descending from the brain into the spinal cord. But they become dysfunctional in depression and fail to operate efficiently. As a result, routine sensory input “escapes” up into the brain, where it is interpreted as uncomfortable or even painful physical symptoms when in fact nothing is wrong. “There are mechanisms for pain to be suppressed,” explains Dr. Stahl. “If they’re not working right even false discomfort can be perceived and magnified.”
All effective antidepressants work on relieving somatic symptoms to some degree, says Dr. Stahl. But some drugs work more robustly than others. “The emotional symptoms might be improved with agents that boost either dopamine, norepinephrine, or serotonin. But to get the optimal reduction of pain symptoms may actually require an approach that combines action on serotonin and norepinephrine.” In other words, the use of dual-action agents.
How many mental illnesses are there?
The DSM-IV, the U.S. standard reference for psychiatry, includes over 300 different manifestations of mental illness. Psychiatrists themselves are in dispute over how common some of these conditions are, or whether they should be listed as ‘mental illnesses’, and each version of the DSM is slightly different to the previous ones. The DSM-IV is currently being revised and updated, and the next version will include new-and-improved manifestations of illness. This is a portion of the currently recognised list of mental illnesses.
There are many different conditions that are recognized as mental illnesses. The more common types include:
Anxiety disorders: People with anxiety disorders respond to certain objects or situations with fear and dread, as well as with physical signs of anxiety or nervousness, such as a rapid heartbeat and sweating. An anxiety disorder is diagnosed if the person’s response is not appropriate for the situation, if the person cannot control the response, or if the anxiety interferes with normal functioning. Anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobias.
Mood disorders: These disorders, also called affective disorders, involve persistent feelings of sadness or periods of feeling overly happy, or fluctuations from extreme happiness to extreme sadness. The most common mood disorders are depression, mania, and bipolar disorder.
Psychotic disorders: Psychotic disorders involve distorted awareness and thinking. Two of the most common symptoms of psychotic disorders are hallucinations — the experience of images or sounds that are not real, such as hearing voices — and delusions, which are false beliefs that the ill person accepts as true, despite evidence to the contrary. Schizophrenia is an example of a psychotic disorder.
Eating disorders: Eating disorders involve extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors involving weight and food. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder are the most common eating disorders.
Impulse control and addiction disorders: People with impulse control disorders are unable to resist urges, or impulses, to perform acts that could be harmful to themselves or others. Pyromania (starting fires), kleptomania (stealing), and compulsive gambling are examples of impulse control disorders. Alcohol and drugs are common objects of addictions. Often, people with these disorders become so involved with the objects of their addiction that they begin to ignore responsibilities and relationships.
Personality disorders: People with personality disorders have extreme and inflexible personality traits that are distressing to the person and/or cause problems in work, school, or social relationships. In addition, the person’s patterns of thinking and behavior significantly differ from the expectations of society and are so rigid that they interfere with the person’s normal functioning. Examples include antisocial personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, and paranoid personality disorder.
Other, less common types of mental illnesses include:
Adjustment disorder: Adjustment disorder occurs when a person develops emotional or behavioral symptoms in response to a stressful event or situation. The stressors may include natural disasters, such as an earthquake or tornado; events or crises, such as a car accident or the diagnosis of a major illness; or interpersonal problems, such as a divorce, death of a loved one, loss of a job, or a problem with substance abuse. Adjustment disorder usually begins within three months of the event or situation and ends within six months after the stressor stops or is eliminated.
Dissociative disorders: People with these disorders suffer severe disturbances or changes in memory, consciousness, identity, and general awareness of themselves and their surroundings. These disorders usually are associated with overwhelming stress, which may be the result of traumatic events, accidents, or disasters that may be experienced or witnessed by the individual. Dissociative identity disorder, formerly called multiple personality disorder, or “split personality,” and depersonalization disorder are examples of dissociative disorders.
Factitious disorders: Factitious disorders are conditions in which physical and/or emotional symptoms are created in order to place the individual in the role of a patient or a person in need of help.
Sexual and gender disorders: These include disorders that affect sexual desire, performance, and behavior. Sexual dysfunction, gender identity disorder, and the paraphilias are examples of sexual and gender disorders.
Somatoform disorders: A person with a somatoform disorder, formerly known as psychosomatic disorder, experiences physical symptoms of an illness, even though a doctor can find no medical cause for the symptoms.
Tic disorders: People with tic disorders make sounds or display body movements that are repeated, quick, sudden, and/or uncontrollable. (Sounds that are made involuntarily are called vocal tics.) Tourette’s syndrome is an example of a tic disorder.
Other diseases or conditions, including various sleep-related problems and many forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, are sometimes classified as mental illnesses, because they involve the brain.
Celebrities Living With Mental Disorders
Mental disorders are very common these days, with an estimated 26 percent of Americans (1 in 4 adults) suffering from some type of mental health disorder
Most of us know someone that has some type of mental problem such as depression, bipolar disorder, or even social phobia. But what about the celebrities or famous people that are suffering with mental illness in the public eye?
Scientists have found a link between creativity and mental illness, which explains why so many people in the creative and artistic fields suffer with mental problems.
Let’s take a look at some of the big names in Hollywood that have battled mental illness. Some of the famous people on our list may shock you!
Catherine Zeta-Jones:
Catherine Zeta-Jones had inpatient treatment at a mental health facility in Connecticut in 2011 to deal with her bipolar disorder. She has bipolar II, which means a person has severe depression, but only suffers from a mild manic state that is called hypomania.
Mel Gibson:
Mel Gibson is known for his drinking, volatile relationships, and run-ins with the law. But the actor reportedly suffers from bipolar disorder. In a 2002 interview in Australia, Gibson revealed, “I found out recently that I’m manic depressive.” The term manic-depressive is used interchangeably for bipolar disorder.
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher, who is most known for her Star Wars role as Princess Leia, has battled drug addiction and bipolar disorder. Fisher has spoken openly about her mental problems, stating, “I am mentally ill. I can say that. I am not ashamed of that.”
Emma Thompson
British actress Emma Thompson has depression, but admits her acting career has saved her from “going under”. The actress said she feels sad hopeless sometime and doesn’t want to get out of bed.
Jim Carey
Jim Carey is the perfect example of the sad clown. He makes people laugh to cover up the sadness he feels inside. Carey has admitted having “peaks and valleys” and admits his depression is the motivation behind the comedy movies he produced.
Sheryl Crow
Singer Sheryl Crow has spoken suffering with depression. In her Blender magazine interview, the singer admitted, “Depression has been part of my existence for as long as I can remember. I miss things I never even had.”
ROSEANNE BARR, actress
John Nash – Mathematician / Nobel Prize Winner (Main character in A Beautiful Mind )
King George III of England
Lionel Aldridge:
Played for the Green Bay Packers in the 1960’s, he suffered from schizophrenia and was homeless for two years. He now gives inspirational talks on his battle against paranoid schizophrenia.
Vivien Leigh: The actress who starred in” Gone With The Wind” suffered from mental illness, as documented in Vivien Leigh by Anne Edwards.
Charles Dickens: author of A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations, suffered from depression
Leo Tolstoy: Author of War and Peace, Tolstoy told of his own mental illness in My Confession.
Ernest Hemingway, Writer The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist’s suicidal depression is examined in the True Gen: An Intimate Portrait of Ernest Hemingway by Those Who Knew Him by Denis Brian.
John Keats, Poet The renowned poet’s mental illness is documented in The Dynamics of Creation by Anthony Storr
Gaetano Donizetti, Singer and famous opera singer suffered from bipolar disorder
Abraham Lincoln: The 16th president, one of the greatest Americans, suffered from severe, incapacitating and occasionally suicidal depressions
Patty Duke: The Academy Award-winning actress told of her bipolar disorder in her autobiography and made-for-TV move Call Me Anna and A Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic-Depressive Illness, co-authored by Gloria Hochman.
Richard Nixon, U.S. president
Napoleon Bonaparte
Emperor Gerard M. Hopkins
ADAM ANT- MUSICIAN in the 80’s
KURT COBAIN, musician. Kurt was diagnosed at a young age with ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER[ADD], then later with bipolar disorder
ROSEMARY CLOONEY– singer and actress.
Richard Dreyfuss, actor
Mike Doughty, musician. First described himself diagnosed as bipolar in 2007 on his blog.
Carrie Fisher, actress and writer. “‘I ended up being diagnosed as a bipolar II,’ says Fisher.”
Connie Francis, singer
Stephen Fry, actor, comedian and writer.
Alan Garner, novelist.
Paul Gascoigne, English footballer.
Mel Gibson, actor and director.
Macy Gray, musician and actor.
Jack Irons, drummer, formerly of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam
Kay Redfield Jamison, clinical psychologist and Professor of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who profiled her own bipolar disorder in her 1995 memoir An Unquiet Mind and argued for a connection between bipolar disorder and artistic creativity in her 1993 book, Touched with Fire .
Daniel Johnston, musician: “Johnston’s output in his late teens and early 20s proved to be a symptom of his worsening manic depression.” The Guardian Unlimited, Saturday August 20, 2005: “Personal demons”, review of film, The Devil and Daniel Johnston: [54]
Andrew Johns, Professional Rugby League Player. — has gone public about his condition.
Margot Kidder, actress — self-described: “I have been well and free of the symptoms that are called manic-depression for almost five years, and have been working steadily and leading a happy and productive life since then.”
Neil Lennon Footballer with Celtic FC open about his battles with depression.
Jenifer Lewis, American actress, spoke about her diagnosis on Oprah in September 2007
Bill Lichtenstein print and broadcast journalist and documentary filmmaker, profiled in Time magazine, October 10, 1994.
Michelle Lombardo, model and actress.
Florence Nightingale, nurse and health campaigner. BPW “Florence heard voices and experienced a number of severe depressive episodes in her teens and early 20s – symptoms consistent with the onset of bipolar disorder”, Dr. Kathy Wisner, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Sinéad O’Connor, musician. She discussed her diagnosis with Oprah Winfrey in October 2007.
Graeme Obree, Scottish racing cyclist.
Phil Ochs, musician.
Ozzy Osbourne, singer. Lead singer of Black Sabbath.Edgar Allan Poe, poet and writer.
Axl Rose, lead singer and frontman best known for Guns N’ Roses.”I went to a clinic, thinking it would help my moods. The only thing I did was take one 500-question test – ya know, filling in the little black dots. All of sudden I’m diagnosed manic-depressive.”
Richard Rossi, filmmaker, musician, and maverick minister, revealed for the first time in a live interview on the Lynn Cullen show on June 5, 2008 the link between his artistic productivity and his depression to bipolar disorder, stating that “my father was bi-polar one, and I’m bi-polar two.” He spoke of the relationship between creativity and the illness.
Jean-Claude Van Damme, actor.
Mark Vonnegut, author
Brian Wilson, musician, founding member of The Beach Boys schzophrenic
Virginia Woolf, writer.
Jim Carrey- manic depressive
Robin Williams-manic depressive
Mental disorders are very common these days, with an estimated 26 percent of Americans (1 in 4 adults) suffering from some type of mental health disorder
Most of us know someone that has some type of mental problem such as depression, bipolar disorder, or even social phobia. But what about the celebrities or famous people that are suffering with mental illness in the public eye?
Scientists have found a link between creativity and mental illness, which explains why so many people in the creative and artistic fields suffer with mental problems.
Let’s take a look at some of the big names in Hollywood that have battled mental illness. Some of the famous people on our list may shock you!
Catherine Zeta-Jones:
Catherine Zeta-Jones had inpatient treatment at a mental health facility in Connecticut in 2011 to deal with her bipolar disorder. She has bipolar II, which means a person has severe depression, but only suffers from a mild manic state that is called hypomania.
Mel Gibson:
Mel Gibson is known for his drinking, volatile relationships, and run-ins with the law. But the actor reportedly suffers from bipolar disorder. In a 2002 interview in Australia, Gibson revealed, “I found out recently that I’m manic depressive.” The term manic-depressive is used interchangeably for bipolar disorder.
Carrie Fisher:
Carrie Fisher, who is most known for her Star Wars role as Princess Leia, has battled drug addiction and bipolar disorder. Fisher has spoken openly about her mental problems, stating, “I am mentally ill. I can say that. I am not ashamed of that.”
Emma Thompson:
British actress Emma Thompson has depression, but admits her acting career has saved her from “going under”. The actress said she feels sad hopeless sometime and doesn’t want to get out of bed.
Jim Carey:
Jim Carey is the perfect example of the sad clown. He makes people laugh to cover up the sadness he feels inside. Carey has admitted having “peaks and valleys” and admits his depression is the motivation behind the comedy movies he produced.
Zach Braff
“Scrubs” actor Zach Braff told Parade magazine that he suffers from depression and revealed his character in “GardenState” is very similar to his real life. Braff said, “To have millions of people go, ‘I watched your movie and related,’ was the ultimate affirmation that I’m not a freak.”
Sheryl Crow:
Singer Sheryl Crow has spoken suffering with depression. In her Blender magazine interview, the singer admitted, “Depression has been part of my existence for as long as I can remember. I miss things I never even had.”
Pete Wentz:
Fall Out Boy star Pete Wentz opened up about his long battle with depression in an interview with Playboy.
Wentz said he’s had to see therapists since he was a child and is often suicidal. The musician stated, “The hardest thing about depression is that it is addictive. It begins to feel uncomfortable not to be depressed. You feel guilty for feeling happy.”
There are others in Hollywood that suffer from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).
Cameron Diaz:
Gorgeous actress Cameron Diaz has an obsession with dirty doorknobs. She opens doors with her elbows so she doesn’t have to touch germy doorknobs. She also scrubs her home and washes her hands constantly.
David Beckham:
Soccer hunk David Beckham likes things to be symmetrical. Beckham insists on having his shirts hung up by color and has to have everything even.
His wife, Victoria Beckham, stated, “He’s got that obsessive compulsive thing where everything has to match. If you open our fridge, it’s all coordinated down either side. We’ve got three fridges – food in one, salad in another and drinks in the third. In the drinks one, everything is symmetrical. If there’s three cans of Diet Coke, he’d throw one away rather than having three – because it has to be an even number.”
Thanks for reading
Source
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_bipolar_disorder
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200308/when-depression-hurts
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/entertainment/celebrities-mental-disorders
Talking About People 