qsn

     Both depressive and bipolar disorders have different levels of severity. The first of depressive (dysthymia) will only last a short amount of time and is usually only temporary. A feeling of being “sad” or “down in the dumps”. The first of bipolar (I) is less extreme. Both give symptoms of decreased appetite, sleep problems, disorganized thoughts and poor concentration. Their differences are in the level of energy. Dysthymia has symptoms of fatigue, low energy levels and low self-esteem. As opposed, bipolar I is more likely to exceed in involvement of pleasurable activities with high potential of negative consequences. Clients are more likely to take risky behavior and more likely to engage in drugs of heroin or cocaine and prescription drugs.

     The second half of these disorders is twice the severity of the first. There is higher chance of suicide and alcohol dependence. Again, the difference is the energy of the client with each disorder. The major depressive order finds it more challenging to respond vocational, occupational, social, or recreational demands. The bipolar II find no decline in vocational, occupational, social, or recreational demands, and do not indulge in illicit drugs as it may interfere with the functional aspects of life. Rather they will use alcohol or cannabis to help relieve some of the periods of deep depression, which also diverts them to suicide. As with bipolar I, patients with severe depression will indulge in illicit use of drugs which gives the temporary relief and long use only exacerbates the symptoms of depression.

Klott, J. (2013). Integrated Treatment for Co-Occurring Disorders. Hoboken: John Wiley &

Sons Inc.

My response:

Good evening Tamara,

Re: Topic 4 DQ 1

When examining mood disorders what are the major similarities and differences in symptoms between depressive and bipolar disorders?

The main difference between bipolar disorder and depression are the mania symptoms. These symptoms are characterized by excessive excitement or irritability, extreme elation, and delusions f grandeur. It is important to understand the symptoms of each when trying to understand the difference as well as similarities. While mood swings, or cycling back and forth between manic and depressed states, are a component of bipolar disorder, depression is unipolar, meaning that there is no “up” or manic, part of the condition. Depressive is often looked at by an intense prolonged “down” state of mind that interferes with a person’s daily life as well as his or her ability and desire to engaged in relationships and regular activities. Clinically, the depression phase of bipolar disorder and of major depressive look the same. Medical history will better help the clinician examining distinguish between the two mood disorders.

KIm

My response:

Good evening Kimberly

DQ#2

Re: Topic 4 DQ 2: What are some specific counseling techniques from the course textbook used in working with persons who have depressive and bipolar disorders? Explain them.

What are some specific counseling techniques from the course textbook used in working with persons who have depressive and bipolar disorders? Explain them.

When dealing with depressive disorders, there are two main treatment modalities, pharmacological and psychosocial intervention. Selection of intervention is influenced by severity and chronicity of symptoms, any coexisting conditions and ongoing stressors, as well as preferences of individuals receiving services. Psychosocial interventions are often recommended as first-line treatments in mild cases. However, a combination of pharmacological and psychosocial intervention has been considered as the best practice for moderate to severe depression. Psychosocial interventions have been demonstrated to be effective in depression treatment. Overall, cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy are considered as evidence- based interventions for MDD. Cognitive behavioral approaches emphasize the role of a person’s thoughts on emotional and behavioral responses to life events. Interpersonal therapy is based on the notion that life events influence the onset and expression of depression.

With Bipolar some psychosocial interventions have shown effectiveness when used with pharmacotherapy. Family-focused therapy is manualized psychosocial program, involving all available family members in weekly psychoeducation, communication enhancement training and problem solving skills training. CBT can help a person with bipolar cope with the symptoms and learn to recognize when a mood shift is about to occur.

Reference

American Psychiatric Association. (2010). Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with major depressive disorder (3rd ed.) Arlington, VA: Author.doi: 10.1176/api.books.9780890423387.654001

My response:

Good evening Kimberly

Re: Topic 4 DQ 2

Hello Professor and Class,

Counseling techniques presented through the reading that stuck out to me were mainly basic techniques that included getting to know the client, development of a treatment plan, and identifying short and long term goals. Getting to know a client is something that I feel helps to build trust and rapport, being that they may be presenting a variety of issues, to include co-occurring issues such as depressive and bipolar disorder. The two co-occurring disorders take skill to be able to identify, especially if you may be dealing with someone abusing substances, someone who may be off of the psychotrophic medications, and someone who may actually need the medications but hasn’t ever been prescribed anything. Once a client begins to feel as since of comfort and trust with the therapist they will begin to allow other things to be addressed such as development of a treatment plan that will identify and address specific issues. Treatment plans are pathways to goal attainment(Klott,J.(2013).Through formulating a treatment plan short and long term goals are identified and addressed, for the purpose of the clients positive client outcomes. According to the text the short-term goals are focused on helping clients learn skills so that this pain/discrepancy may be better managed(Klott,J.(2013). As its related to depression or bipolar disorder it is important for the client to be able to manage life daily while managing possible symptoms of their diagnosis. Long term goals are brought forth by the major issue presented which is the co-occurring disorder, which dealing with long term goals related to the co-occurring disorder may rely on prescribing medication for management of symptoms which could be long term, or maybe even life long. As I continued researching CBT was widely known for assisting person with disorders such as bi-polar disorder and depression manage daily life. Cognitive behavioral therapy capitalizes on the fact that our thoughts, actions, and emotions are all interconnected and can influence one another, and teaches you how to catch, challenge, and change flawed thoughts as well as identify and correct troublesome behavior patterns(everydayhealth.com).