Dr. Alvin Silverstein and Virginia Silverstein together with their daughter Laura Silverstein Nunn have written a book
titled, “The
Depression and Bipolar Disorder Update”, the latest in the Disease Update Series by Enslow Publishers that contains the most up-to-date research and treatments of depression and
bipolar disease written for young adults.
At least nineteen million Americans suffer from depression in any given year and up to 5% are teenagers. In fact, depression often has its first onset in people between the ages of 18 and 22.
In children and adolescents is often not recognized because their symptoms are not always like those of adults. The book recognizes this difference and breaks down the symptoms one by one giving glimpses into the lives of teens who have struggled with the emotions, mood swings and experiences that depression and bipolar disorder can cause.
The book explains the importance of getting medical help for both conditions.
The authors first profile each disease. They go back in history using a timeline to show that from 400 B.C. through the 1800s, the 1900s until today, depression and bipolar disease has been recognized and treated, each generation discovering more as scientists gain a better understanding of the causes of depression, making better tailored diagnoses and, in turn, prescribe more effective treatment plans.
The authors explain the types of depression (major depression, dysthymia, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder, postpartum depression) and for each is listed the latest treatments now available. Johns Hopkins University has provided a list of typical suicide warning signs for parents of teens, common questions about depression and bipolar disease for teenagers and answered by medical professionals. Also given are the warning signs of mood disorders plus a little brain biology that explains what causes these disorders.
More updates include the newer medicines prescribed for depression such as the SNRI’s the NDRI’s and Emsam, the FDA’s first skin patch for depression and even alternative treatments.
The newer types of therapy include treatments for treatment-resistant depression such as DBS (deep brain stimulation), TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation), and VNS (vagus nerve stimulation).
The authors mention several famous people today who have struggled with their condition but with medical treatment now live happy, productive lives. Jim Carrey and Courtney Cox-Arquette are just two examples.
Clinical depression is not just feeling sad or depressed for a few days and then feeling better. It is a chemical imbalance in the brain. It will not go away on its own. It is a medical condition that creates feelings of despair and hopelessness at a time when a teenager’s life has enough challenges. It strikes teens of all backgrounds, and ethnic groups.
Clinical depression or depressive disorders also involve the physical body. Overwhelming feelings of sadness or mania can cause a person to lose sleep, not have the energy to do ordinary daily activities or care about whether they live or die. People with depressive disorders need medical help. Medication and therapy are the important treatments in returning to their normal lives.
Bipolar Disorder is less common but just as serious. Alternating between high and low mood swings, each mood, whether manic or depressive, is a danger to the health and well-being of the individual. Included is an important chart which gives examples of mania and depression, two mood swings that a person with bipolar disorder experiences. Medications are listed as well as the importance of staying on medication.
Wendy Williams, the Olympic diver who suffered from depression starting in her teenage years said, “The medication saved my life. There is no shame in taking it. Depression is a treatable condition. I want to encourage all people to get help.”
There is a section at the back of the book that includes websites, email addresses, and toll-free numbers of hotlines, Mental Health Associations as well as the Depression and Bipolar Support Groups and Associations.