Panic Disorder in Children

A retrospective study has shown that 40% of adult Panic Disorder patients reported that their disorder began before the age of 20.[11] In an article examining the phenomenon of Panic Disorder in youth, Diler et al. (2004)[12] found that only a few past studies have examined the occurrence of juvenile Panic Disorder. They report that these studies have found that the symptoms of juvenile Panic Disorder almost replicate those found in adults – e.g. heart palpitations, sweating, trembling, hot flashes, nausea, abdominal distress, and chills.

Bipolar Disorder: History

Varying moods and energy levels have been a part of the human experience since time immemorial. The words “melancholia” (an old word for depression) and “mania” have their etymologies in Ancient Greek. The word melancholia is derived from melas/μελας, meaning “black”, and chole/χολη, meaning “bile” or “gall”,[88] indicative of the term’s origins in pre-Hippocratic humoral theories. Within the humoral theories, mania was viewed as arising from an excess of yellow bile, or a mixture of black and yellow bile. The linguistic origins of mania, however, are not so clear-cut. Several etymologies are proposed by the Roman physician Caelius Aurelianus, including the Greek word ‘ania’, meaning to produce great mental anguish, and ‘manos’, meaning relaxed or loose, which would contextually approximate to an excessive relaxing of the mind or soul (Angst and Marneros 2001). There are at least five other candidates, and part of the confusion surrounding the exact etymology of the word mania is its varied usage in the pre-Hippocratic poetry and mythologies (Angst and Marneros 2001).

Bipolar Disorder: Prognosis

A good prognosis results from good treatment, which, in turn, results from an accurate diagnosis. Because bipolar disorder continues to have a high rate of both under-diagnosis and misdiagnosis, it is often difficult for individuals with the condition to receive timely and competent treatment.

Bipolar disorder can be a severely disabling medical condition. However, with appropriate treatment, many individuals with bipolar disorder can live full and satisfying lives. Persons with bipolar disorder are likely to have periods of normal or near normal functioning between episodes.

Page 1 of 3123»