Anxiety
What is a panic attack?
To meet the standard criteria for a Major Depressive Episode, a person must experience symptoms (such as sadness or a loss of interest) for at least this long.
What is two weeks?
Bipolar disorder features extreme shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels. These two primary phases are called Depression and...
What is Mania (or Hypomania)?
It is very common for people with bipolar disorder or depression to also suffer from these types of disorders.
What are anxiety disorders?
One of the fastest physiological ways to ground yourself during an anxiety attack is by changing this specific biological function.
What is your breathing (deep, slow breaths)?
This common cognitive distortion in anxiety involves seeing everything in extremes with no middle ground—such as believing you must be perfect or you are a total failure.
What is black-and-white thinking?
These biological messengers (which include serotonin and dopamine) often become unbalanced during depressive episodes, which antidepressants attempt to correct.
What are neurotransmitters?
Bipolar is generally categorized into types. This type requires at least one full manic episode, while this other type features hypomanic episodes and major depression.
What are Bipolar I and Bipolar II?
This unhealthy habit is common in all three conditions. It happens when a person uses alcohol or drugs to try to ease their painful emotions.
What is self-medication (or substance abuse)?
This term refers to any person, counselor, doctor, or family member you can reach out to when dealing with feelings of depression or anxiety.
What is a support system?
This anxiety condition is characterized by chronic, excessive, and uncontrollable worry about everyday things like money, health, or work, lasting for at least 6 months.
What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?
Unlike depression, this is a natural, temporary human emotion characterized by feelings of unhappiness, low mood, and sorrow. It is typically a reaction to loss, disappointment, or difficult situations. This emotion naturally prompts individuals to seek comfort, thereby strengthening social bonds.
What is sadness?
During a manic episode, a person might make irrational or risky choices because they have a difficult time doing this.
What is controlling impulses?
This term is used when a person has two or more mental health conditions at the same time, such as having both depression and an anxiety disorder.
What is comorbidity (or co-occurring conditions)?
Building a routine is highly effective for bipolar disorder because it protects this essential daily cycle that regulates mood and energy.
What is the sleep-wake cycle?
When treating anxiety, this unhealthy coping mechanism often makes the fear and panic grow stronger over time.
What is avoidance?
This evidence-based psychotherapy is often considered a first-line treatment for depression; it helps patients identify and challenge negative or distorted thought patterns.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
While antidepressants are used for depression, prescribing them alone to someone with bipolar disorder can sometimes trigger a manic episode. To prevent this, they are typically paired with these types of medications.
What are mood stabilizers or antipsychotics?
This key part of the brain acts as the body's alarm system. It becomes overactive in people dealing with anxiety, depression, or bipolar mood changes.
What is the amygdala?
When anxiety feels overwhelming, the "5-4-3-2-1" grounding technique helps shift your focus by asking you to name things you can see, touch, hear, smell, and...
What is taste?
This behavioral therapy technique involves gradually and safely exposing a person to the situations they fear, helping them retrain their brain's stress response.
What is Exposure Therapy?
The presence of this specific trait during a depressive episode is the most critical warning sign that a patient requires immediate monitoring and emergency intervention.
What is suicidal ideation?
This term describes a fast, non-stop way of speaking that is very hard to interrupt during a manic phase.
What is Pressured Speech?
In clinical psychology, a practitioner will use this standard, comprehensive manual to evaluate symptoms and differentiate between depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorders.
What is the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)?
This specific skill—which involves intentionally distracting yourself, improving the immediate moment, and self-soothing—is a core pillar of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
What is Distress Tolerance?