Mood

Depression - A Quick Introduction

Seeking help is part of the recovery process.

Knowledge is Necessity. One quick look at the menu above will tell you that depression and bipolar are terms rather than realities. Yes, we need to know all about the fine points of diagnostic categories, but far more vital is context. Your so-called depression may track more like bipolar. Conversely, if you have bipolar you are likely to be depressed way more than you are manic. Similarly, you are certain to have a lot more going on than just mood. The first step in living well involves knowing thyself. This will get you started.


Knowledge is Necessity

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Mental Water Torture

Don't let the term mild depression fool you.

Bipolar - A Quick Introduction

When life is more than you bargained for.

Bipolar or Bichronic

Bipolar can speed up or slow down time.

The Mood Spectrum

Now that you're familiar with the DSM-IV, forget everything you've read.

The Thought Spectrum

There is way more to a mood disorder than just mood.

Stress

Our very lives depend on how well we manage stress.

The Perfect Mental Storm

From suicide to reckless behavior to physical illness.

Psychosis in Mania

Dr Kraepelin, tear down this wall.

What’s in Your Diagnosis?

Confused about your illness? So are the experts.

“Bipolar is the equivalent of being stuck in bumper to bumper traffic in a race car.”

Bipolar or Bichronic

Depression - A Closer Look
Depression is a total assault on the body as well as the brain.

Bipolar - A Closer Look
There is a lot more to bipolar than meets the eye.

Bipolar - Sharpening the Diagnostic Picture
Does the DSM provide an accurate portrait? The short answer is no ...

Depression Overview FAQ
The definitive cheatsheet.

Bipolar Overview FAQ
Another definitive cheatsheet.

Seasonal Affective Disrder
Many of us have decidedly unsunny dispositions.

Atypical Depression
This form of depression is actually very common.

Bipolar Depression
Far more pervasive and disabling than mania.

Cyclothymia
This so-called mild form of bipolar is no laughing matter.

Rapid Cycling
Hard to define, even harder to treat.

Multipolar Depression
Where unipolar meets bipolar.

Hard Depression, Soft Bipolar
Still depressed? Maybe you're being treated for the wrong illness.

The True Meaning of Manic-Depression
It actually means something diffrent than bipolar disorder.

The Thought Spectrum - Part II
How fatigue, lack of concentration, and mood connect.

Anxiety
How you manage your anxiety is crucial to managing your mood.

Alcohol and Substance Use
Unfortunately, far too many of us have to contend with this.

You're in the right place. Check out your video guide to McMan's Web.

Check It Out

Knowledge is Necessity Blog

"Be warned! These musings are addictive." - Kimberly Read, About.com - Bipolar.

Featured Blogs

Oprah Absolutely Totally Endorses Me - Well, Sort Of

Try my Dihydrogen Oxide Cure. Take it with water. [More]

New Imaging Studies Reveal Brains of Assholes

The findings explain radio talk show hosts, Fox News Commentators, and antipsychiatry bloggers. [More]

Latest Blogs

My Didgeridoo Experience

After two years, I finally summoned the nerve to do a didgeridoo video. [More]

Trick Question - Bipolar vs Cycling

Cycling is the key to understanding bipolar. [More]

Andy Behrman - Some People Don't Know When to Stop

Don't get me started .... [More]

New Zealand and the US

The two countries have a lot going for them, but not for the reasons various parties would have you believe. [More]

Managing Anger

No koalas were harmed ... [More]

Oprah is an Unmitigated Idiot and a Menace to Society

A Newsweek cover story takes on the cult of Oprah. [More]

Thinking Our Way to Well

Yet even more on personality from Robert Cloninger. [More]

Who Are We?

Yet more on personality from Robert Cloninger. [More]

Meds in Our Treatment

How does "smart" factor in? [More]

Breaking Down Personality

More from Robert Cloninger [More]

What the Hell is Well-being Anyway?

Famed personality researcher Robert Cloninger explains. [More]

What Does the Tango Have To Do With Recovery?

Leading lifestyle advocate Dearn Ornish eleaborates [More]

 

Recent Videos

"Nicely produced and edited. I'd love to see more frequent updates." - Sandra Kiume, PsychCentral

My Didgeridoo Experience

The world's oldest wind instrument brings out the playful and spiritual side in me.

Mindfulness - Living in the Present

We forget. The present is where life is happening - here, right now.

Gonna Build Me a Tree

Don't just sit there. Build yourself a tree.

Road to Nowhere

Don't be fooled. There's always a somewhere.

Healing

Nature heals. So do our brains.

Managing Anger

No koalas were harmed making this movie.

Mindfulness: The Ultimate Mood Stabilizer

The Buddha was on to something ...

The Bipolar Time Warp

Do people with bipolar cycle in and out of time? Call me bichronic.

More Videos ...

In the Spotlight

Lincoln and Darwin were born on the same day, 200 years ago in 1809. These two articles discuss how their actions and ideas apply to you:

Lincoln and His Depressions

His unremitting despair and constant failures steeled his character.

The Darwinian Challenge

Is there a selective advantage to depression and bipolar?

A Random Sampling

The Mood Spectrum

Now that you're familiar with the DSM-IV, forget everything you've read.

The Brain in Love and Lust

A leading anthropologist explains the birds and the bees.

Treating Bipolar Depression

We're depressed way more than we are manic. Now if psychiatry only knew how to treat us.

Mindfulness - The Ultimate Mood Stabilizer

What is arguably the most effective recovery tool requires a highly disciplined mind.

Dopamine - Serotonin's Secret Weapon

A smart dopamine med may do wonders for your depression or bipolar or mental acuity. The problem is one doesn't exist.

The Bipolar Child

No, it's not normal kid behavior.

Staying Well

An innovative researcher discovers that patients know best.

Living Well With Depression and Bipolar Disorder by John McManamy (HarperCollins 2006)

"I doubt there is a person in the world who knows these conditions better, inside and out, than John McManamy ... He weaves together the science and the inner experiences of depression and bipolar disorder in a way that is quite rare. This book is full of studies and personal insights, in about equal measure, leavened with the practical conclusions of its even-handed and often humorous author. It breaks new ground." - Nassir Ghaemi MD, Tufts University

Sample Amazon Reviews

"John McManamy has an outstanding ability to describe his and other's experience of having bipolar disorder in all its complexity. He never tries to take the place of the patiet's psychiatrist. He refers his readers to other sources of excellent more detailed clinical information. He tells the human side of the story. He teaches patients how to be better informed consumer's of psychiatric care. He encourages patients to be active participants in their recovery." - Raymond


"This is one of the best books I've read on the subject of Bipolar Disorder or Depression. Filled with real world examples, and crammed with information this book will empower you to take charge of your illness." - Eileen

Purchase from Amazon

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