Does melancholia make one a candidate for bipolar disorder?
2007-11-07 03:45:37 · 6 answers · asked by shirley g 6 in Travel ➔ Asia Pacific ➔ Philippines
for as long as i can remember, i have always been melancholic because among the four temperaments, i am melancholic choleric.
Wikipedia associates melancholia with bipolar disorder
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Temperaments
personally though, i don't relate my being melancholic to having bipolar disorder because i am not THAT melancholic. :) or maybe because a shrink is yet to diagnose me to have that. lol. *** grins ***
please take the time to check these links for you to know more about the melancholic temperament:
http://www.ptypes.com/idealist.html
http://dullicious.net/?p=59
to shake off my melancholia, i do either of the following:
* i write my thoughts and feelings in my journal. i am in my most creative and empathetic stage too when i am in my "extreme" melancholic state so i write poignant, bittersweet, thoughtful & deep poems, essays or short stories.
* i listen to some music, read a good book or do a DVD marathon
* i pig out on what i call my "uppers" - chocolates, cakes, ice cream, chichiria etc.
* i rant, rave and vent like hell to my sounding boards (god bless those friends)
* i find the time to go "soul searching" and ponder on things.
* i seek the "calm amidst my storms"
2007-11-07 20:18:35 · answer #1 · answered by kahlan nynaeve® 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
To second Aguadulce, I think melancholia doesn't lead to bipolar disorders. The latter refers to exhibiting 2 extreme moods. When you are a psychology major you tend to develop a habit of over-analyzing your behavior and tagging a disorder to yourself. While I don't consider myself as a lunatic, I thought (and I still think) I am manic-depressive. I can snap from exceedingly exuberant to disturbingly melancholic in no time. People often call that "teen age" but I say that's me having bipolar disorder, teehee..
I don't mind when I am happy but I whenever I do feel alarmingly depressed I do the following:
* watch funny movies or any of my favorite shows
* read funny books or anything that requires more mental exertion so I can forget that I am sad =)
* web surfing
* listen to dance or rock music
* call in girlfriends for a talk session
* and if all else fails, go for every-girl's-cure-for-everything: SHOPPING!!
2007-11-10 16:32:40 · answer #2 · answered by battgirl 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
shaking it off?
you can try
* sleeping 24/7 perhaps
* watching a marathon of your favorite show the whole day or
* going through dvds of season 1 to season x of your all time favorite tv series & even
* eating desert for breakfast, lunch, snacks & dinner &
* romantic dates every night or
* even playing xtreme sports all day long.
but even if you can do these, i still dont think you can shake it off. unless of course if you believe in God, then anything is possible.
& as far as i know, which is not that far, believe me, melancholia is just a very old term for bipolar disorder which is a relatively new term but still the same thing altogether. its just that melancholia encompasses several other similar disorders which we all have names to nowadays. well you know how man has given names to any & all types of disorders. just as in the words of billy joel... new phase, new wave, dance craze, anyways, still rock & roll to me.
2007-11-08 16:07:11 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Shake off melancholia: There should be a number of ways. But the best I could think of is to be close to people who love you, and join them in their activities. They would be the best to understand how you feel, and what you need.
About this bipolar question, the most qualified to answer would be one among us, Inday. But I looked it up in Wiki, and one thing I saw of interest is as follows:
"There is no consensus as to how many "types" of bipolar disorder exist. Many people with bipolar disorder experience severe anxiety and are very irritable (to the point of rage) when in a manic state, while others are euphoric and grandiose."
So, very simply choose - EUPHORIC and GRANDIOSE. You will need this when we perform on stage for our MISS SAIGON recital. Cheer up!
2007-11-07 04:16:13 · answer #4 · answered by Aref H4 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Clinically, melancholia is a mental disorder characterized by depression, apathy, and withdrawal. Psychiatrists (which I'm not) frown on its layman's use to describe conditions such as severe loneliness or even depression. As far as I know, only those in the specialized medical field can properly diagnosed melancholia. It is also my understanding that melancholia (as defined in medical textbooks) does not lead to bipolar disorder - which is characterized as going from one extreme mood (e.g., manic depressive) to another extreme (exceedingly unbridled) with some "normal" moods in between. If we are to graph the behavior of the individuals, melancholia patients would show one straight line well above or below the normal curve over a long period of time. On the other hand, bipolar patients would show fluctuating lines shooting way high up or way down low within a shorter time frame. Bipolar disorders can be controlled by taking mood stabilizer drugs. I'm not familiar with the type of treatment being used for melancholia.
IF what you mean by melancholia is what we ordinarily know as "melancholy blues," then there are several easy ways to snap out of it - without the use of drugs.
1. PARTY, PARTY, PARTY
2. think happy...think happy place...think happy memories
3. avoid being alone...surround yourself with happy people
4. talk...talk..talk
5. eat...eat...eat
6. SHOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7. SHOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
8. exercise...yeah, physical exertion helps a lot too
2007-11-07 15:31:32 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 3⤋
Severe could be another symptoms of psychological problem and it could also be a symptom of a hormonal problem. The best way to determine is to visit your doctor for a medical check up. <*-*>
2007-11-07 04:06:45 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋