It is a fact that in most of the time other people will be more alert than you do, thus it is important to recognize the manic depression in yourself  :

• You may well be too despondent to care when you are down or too carefree to believe it when your are elated.
• After a while, you may realize that you are subject to extreme swings of mood. You may even be able to predict them and be able to take appropriate medical or other action.
• You may notice that you sometimes feel both elated and depressed at the same time However odd this may seem, it is a very clear indication of manic depression, especially if the feeling lasts for a day or two.
• You will certainly notice the mood swings from elation to depression.
• You must watch that “taking the strain” for the person doesn’t produce stress problems in yourself.
• You should look after the administration of any drugs, since the person will forget when he or she is elated and will be uncaring when feeling depressed.

People whose moods swing wildly from intense elation to severe depression may be suffering from a condition known as manic depression. Drugs and psychiatric care will help stabilize the condition.

Manic depression is a severe mental disturbance. The condition is referred to as manic-depressive psychosis, regardless of whether the full swing between mania and depression is shown.

Manic depression is an affective psychosis: that is, the patient becomes carried away by his or her emotions, either from habit, or in an effort to conceal anxiety and shyness. Manic depressives are often reserved, inward looking, emotionally sensitive personalities, even though during the manic phase their behaviour takes on a very extrovert form. In some cases there may be a religious element in the condition.

One possible cause is a defect in the hormonal mechanisms that control the balance of our emotions. Two chemicals present in the brain influence mood: a low level of one, serotonin, may produce mood instabilities in general, while an imbalance of the second chemical, norepinephrine, determines the direction of the mood swing, a low level being associated with depression and a high level producing mania.

Normally, manic depression arises without any causal stress, but it is possible that external factors such as outside tension, abnormal patterns of upbringing or unconventional attitudes may actually stimulate the brain to produce the chemicals which give rise to the mood swings.

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