Is there any promising treatments for treatment mood disorders on the horizon?

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What seems most promising to you? Maybe you already have the answer that might just give someone who has been suffering for decades hope, a fighting chance, to know what it is like to feel alive and happy.
Many people have been put on just about every treatment for depression and other various mood disorders, yet have not found relief. Their lives are just wasting away. A psychiatrist goal is for his patient to achieve a reasonable degree of remission. Yet often times that is not the doctors goal. What's on the horizon? What to these people and their families have to look forward to? Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?
When you have serious mental health issues light can sometimes be in short supply. I think often that the "treatment" is taken to only include drugs, treatment should be a much more holistic experience! There is no point pumping a person full of drugs if they live in a slum, with no family support and living on the edge of starvation. Professionals should consider every aspect of the person and also include other disciplines who can help. True, good psychiatric care needs to be multi-faceted and multi disciplinary.
This is starting to happen, but its still a lot slower than it should be. There is no miracle drug, every person is an individual and I doubt that there is likely to be a major breakthrough in the next 50 years or so. It takes determined people to keep chipping away at the established model of care and to introduce a truly enlightened model.
This answer is taken from the perspective of having suffered from clinical depression and of having been a nurse caring for people with mental health problems, and recently a volunteer befriender with the Health charity MIND.  (+ info)

what are some mood disorders I could have?

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I've been diagnosed with anxiety disorder,OCD and a mood disorder but my thereapist isn't sure which one....I get really bad mood swings and I get depressed lot and have suicidal thoughts...my doctor is still trying to figure out which mood disorder that is cuz she said it sounds like more than one...what does it sound like to you?
Sounds like your therapist is trying to figure out if it's Bipolar I or Bipolar II in addition to the OCD and anxiety disorder.  (+ info)

Psychological changes and mood disorders related to brain tumor?

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Just this past week a member of out family passed away from an undiagnosed brain tumor. He had been treated for the past three years for what doctors thought was a bipolar disorder and multiple personalities. Could these conditions have been an early sign of the tumor?
In a word, yes. I had an uncle who developed a brain tumor, and he suffered from some pretty unusual personality changes and erratic behaviour before his death.  (+ info)

Has anyone ever tried those natural supplements for mood disorders and depression, do they work?

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What are some good ones?
I have tried a number of supplements, but they did not work for me. However, I have major depression and it is probably difficult to resolve via supplements. However, I have heard of success stories, and you might try some of the following.

There is quite a bit of research suggesting that omega 3 oils can help depression, bipolar disorder, and possibly other disorders. I just read that, instead of taking capsules, it is probably better to eat fish like salmon, herring, sardines, anchovies, and mackerel. Vegetarians can take flax seed oil.

St. John's wort can be helpful for mild to moderate depression. Tryptophan and 5-HTP are also worth trying. Plus there are amino acids like L-tryosine, L-phenylalanine, and some B vitamins that might help. In many vitamin or health food stores, there is a special section for supplements for mood disorders. I suggest avoiding SAM-e, which is very expensive, and has proved ineffective for people I know.

The question of "do they work" is a good one. There has not been very thorough research on how well these supplements work. Also, what seems to work for one person may not work for another. I have met people who swear by Chinese herbs and acupuncture for depression, but these treatments do not work for everyone.

However, depending on your situation and also how much $$$ you have, they are definitely worth a try. If possible, try to see a doctor or alternative health professional who really knows about this stuff.

For my depression, what has helped the most is exercise and relaxation techniques or meditation. Of course, there are many holistic approaches like nutrition, massage therapy, acupuncture, etc. Again, what works for one person may not work for another. If you can afford it, the more natural remedies you try, the more likely you will be to find something that really helps you.  (+ info)

Do you think that doctor's are over generalizing the symptoms of mood disorders just to medicate?

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Depression, ADHD, generalized anxiety and bipolar disorder seems to be on the rise.

Do you think doctor's have generlized the criteria for diagnosis in order to gain more patients and make money off of meds?

Or do you think it really is becoming more frequent as a result of our environment?

Or have these diseases always been there, but we are now being shed light on what appropriate reactions really should be?
Back in the 70's, the controversy was about dislexia, and many believed the problem was "all in your head."

Now we know that it is a very physical condition that people have to deal with.

No mental disorders are "all in your head." They are chemical imbalances in the brain.

There are no nerve endings in the brain. The only way that one can tell there is a mental disorder is by how the brain functions. How do you tell that? By behaviors, sleep, and thought patterns.

You might say that "we all are crazy," but the truth is, a person who has a mental illness is debilitated by the illness. It screws up sleep. It messes with thinking and mental processes. It messes with emotions or wipes them all out. Stress affects people with mental illness more severely than in "normal" people.

Through such diagnostics as C-T scans, MRI, and PET, mental illness has been pegged by such things as deficiencies of blood supply in the brain, activity in different parts of the brain, and other findings.

But up until recently, no one knew it was a physical condition.

Mental illness has been around since time immemorial. The term "bedlam" actually came from the name "Bethlehem", the name of a hospital that has treated mental illness since the 14th century in London, England.

But nowadays, we actually have medicines that can treat mental illness so that people can live without having debilitating symptoms ruin their lives, from career to relationships.

If you have heart disease, it saps your strength. If that heart disease is treated, you can live a normal life without having to deal with the exhaustion of heart disease. It is easier to live a normal life when the illness does not burden the body.

This is the reason mental illnesses are treated with medicines. And, yes, they affect children, too.  (+ info)

Is it true that dogs can be medically used to cope with depression and other mood disorders?

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I remember reading a while back that your dog could be used to cope with depression the same way a dog is used for blind people, or deaf people. I was wondering if someone could get me more information on the subject? THanks!
Yes these kind of dogs are called PAT dogs, Pets As Therapy. It is shown that physically stroking a dog elevates the mood. They have them in hospices also. Sick patients often feel isolated and even the most withdrawn seem to open up and let the barriers down when their regular PAT visiting dog is around. These dogs bring everyday life closer and with it all the happy associations for them of home comforts. The constant companionship of an undemanding animal, that gives unconditional love, is often one of the most missed aspects of their lives. PAT was formed to help make this loss more bearable and speed recovery. Cats can also be used.  (+ info)

Will a PET scan detect mood disorders such as anxiety or depression?

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I am having a PET scan done soon to determine if I have dementia, as my doctor suspects. Of course, I'm worried. But I'm hoping that my mind is just depressed and I want to know if depression will show up on a PET scan. Any doctors out there willing to give a little pro-bono answer?
I'm not a doctor. However, I seriously doubt that an emotion, such as depression or worry, could show up on a PET scan. It is a scan of your brain, but cannot read your mind. I hope this helps. God bless.  (+ info)

Is Lithium Orotate safe to use for mood disorders?

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If you have any experience with this "dietary supplement" , please share it with me. This is lithium ,but available over the counter in certain vitamin and health food stores as a dietary supplement.
The webmaster at http://crazymeds.us doesn't think much of it, and he is bipolar, and quite knowledgeable about lithium carbonate, and citrate, and most mood stabilisers and antipsychotics. If you use it, drink plenty of water, and maintain your salt intake. It would be wise to have your blood tested after 6 weeks, then 6 monthly.

Preferably/additionally: Take at least 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily: (certified free of mercury) it is best if consumed with an antioxidant, such as an orange, or its FRESHLY SQUEEZED juice. If vitamin E is added, it should be certified as being 100% from natural sources, or it may be synthetic: avoid it!
Females may benefit by balancing the DHA, & EPA versions of Omega 3 in fish, or krill oil with ALA flaxseed oil Omega 3, or at least one heaped tablespoonful of ground flaxseed, daily. There is now a new version of krill oil and evening primrose oil especially formulated for females via mercola.com Vegetarians & vegans: Google: "Omega 3; algae; supplies" and use it with flaxseed.

View: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articl… Go to a doctor and ask for a 25(OH)D, also called 25-hydroxyvitamin D, blood test. When you get the results, don’t follow the typical “normal” reference range, as these are too low. The OPTIMAL value that you’re looking for is 45-52 ng/ml (115-128 nmol/l)". The company which tests your levels has to be one of those using the correct form of test, and this topic is addressed via the searchbar at Mercola.com - "vitamin D3; testing". 59% of Americans are deficient in vitamin D3. Google: "vitamin D3; natural sources; supplies". Dr. J. Cannell, at http://vitaminDcouncil.org advises that the co-factors required for optimal absorption and utilisation are good levels of magnesium, zinc, boron, and vitamin K2.

The best dietary source of vitamin K2 is natto, a fermented soy product (ONLY fermented soy products are suitable for females!). I use http://www.xtend-life.com/product/Total_… as it contains all of them, but it needs additional vitamin D3. They have regular, and premium varieties for women (mercola have a good quality natural multivitamin + minerals, although it doesn't state whether it contains vitamin K2). The only American vitamin D3 product that I can recommend is http://products.mercola.com/vitamin-d-sp… but I prefer the high quality: http://www.healthpost.co.nz/Supplements/… or one of the others, if unavailable.

Vitamin A and vitamin D3 compete for absorption using the same metabolic pathway, so I no longer recommend cod liver oil as a source of either. Take the 2 separately, at least a few hours apart, if using both, but most people don't need vitamin A if eating a reasonably healthy, balanced diet. The Omega 3 and vitamin D3 will act as preventatives for a wide variety of disorders and diseases, both physical and psychological, as well as boosting your immune system, and are 2 that most people in Western countries are deficient in, so I suggest that you recommend them to others as well.  (+ info)

Parents with kids with ADHD or mood disorders I need help?

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I have a six year old boy who is definitly very ADHD and he has mood problems, his father is currently deployed right now which makes his behavior even worse. He is going into first grade and still only knows about 50 site words. What do I do to get him reading when most of the time I am trying to control his behavior and when I try to work with him on learning to read site words he cannot focus at all. He is already on six pills a day and still has major issues. His doctor says he inherited it and he cant change genetics. My kid does not get to eat sugar if some of you were wondering. Help or advice for those of you who have experience with difficult children?
well for one, why have him on all the pills if they are not making a difference? perhaps he does not need them, for another perhaps he needs something different?

my daughter has aspergers which is a mild form of autism and some of the symptoms are the same as ADHD and bipolar and sensory inegration disorder etc, so it was hard to diagnose, but she sees an occupational therapist and psychologist once a week each, it helps a great deal! she is also on meds due to the fact that she has no safety awareness and her grades were starting to fail. we did not want to use meds, but we ended up needing to for her best interest.

we also deal with deployment issues, and yes it gets worse, i am sorry you are going through this!  (+ info)

Has anyone used Depo Prevara to control PMDD or other mood disorders?

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I have the option but I've never responded well to hormones, and since this is a three month commitment, I would like some advise.
Do yourself a favor and don't get it!!

It made my PMDD wayyyyyy worse, had noooo sex drive, severe mood swings, I would have a hard time recommending this to anyone!

RN  (+ info)

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