Name Date Section
Recognizing Signs of Depression and Bipolar Disorder

You should get evaluated by a professional if you've had five or more of the following symptoms for more than 2 weeks or if any of these symptoms cause such a big change that you can't keep up your usual routine.

When You're Depressed:

You feel sad or cry a lot, and it doesn't go away.
You feel guilty for no reason; you feel you're no good; you've lost your confidence.
Life seems meaningless, or you think nothing good is ever going to happen again.
You have a negative attitude a lot of the time, or it seems as if you have no feelings.
You don't feel like doing a lot of the things you used to like--music, sports, being with friends, going out, and so on--and you want to be left alone most of the time.
It's hard to make up your mind. You forget lots of things, and it's hard to concentrate.
You get irritated often. Little things make you lose your temper; you overreact.
Your sleep pattern changes. You start sleeping a lot more or you have trouble falling asleep at night; or you wake up really early most mornings and can't get back to sleep.
Your eating pattern changes. You've lost your appetite or you eat a lot more.
You feel restless and tired most of the time.
You think about death or feel as if you're dying or have thoughts about committing suicide.


When You're Manic:

You feel high as a kite . . . like you're "on top of the world."
You get unrealistic ideas about the great things you can do . . . things that you really can't do.
Thoughts go racing through your head, you jump from one subject to another, and you talk a lot.
You're a nonstop party, constantly running around.
You do too many wild or risky things--with driving, with spending money, with sex, and so on.
You're so "up" that you don't need much sleep.
You're rebellious or irritable and can't get along at home or school or with your friends.

If you are concerned about depression in yourself or a friend, or if you are thinking about hurting or killing yourself, talk to someone about it and get help immediately. There are many sources of help: a good friend; an academic or resident advisor; the staff at the student health or counseling center; a professor, coach, or advisor; a local suicide or emergency hotline (get the phone number from the operator or directory) or the 911 operator; or a hospital emergency room.



INTERNET ACTIVITY
Use the Internet to learn more about depression--its causes, symptoms, risks, and treatment. Visit one of the following sites or do a search to locate a different depression-related site.

American Psychiatric Association: http://www.psych.org/
American Psychological Association: http://www.apa.org/
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance: http://www.dbsalliance.org/
Depression Screening: http://www.depressionscreening.org/
National Institute of Mental Health: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
Visit at least one site; describe the resources and information available about depression.
URL:

Description of site/information available:


What was the most surprising fact about depression that you learned from the site?


SOURCE: National Institute of Mental Health. 1999. Let's Talk About Depression (retrieved August 31, 2000; http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/letstalk.cfm).

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