Mood Swings and personality disorders Flashcards
What has caused mood swings to become more common these days>
Modern high stress lifestyles
What are the 2 phases of mood swings?
Manic
Depressive
What is the difference between bi polar and uni polar?
Bipolar = manic then depressive
Uni polar = straight to depressive
How does the system try and resist an on coming depression?
Through the manic phase
Is a manic phase always visible to others
No - socially the person might feel ok but inside they can often feel what is brewing
What is a hypomanic phase?
When the paitent feels the symptoms inside but it is not visible to others. The manic phase is connected to anxiety
What is a dysphoric phase?
A manic phase that is short lived and goes quickly into depression
What force is depression linked to?
HT - imbalance of Shen = imbalance of everything else
HT fire
If someone has a severe bout of depression what is the chance of them relapsing in the next 3 years
80% - HT fire is weak
What are some ways depressed people can reawaken the HT fire
Find enthusiasm and healthy joy. New hobbies, community, a spiritual practice etc
What is dysthymia?
A light depression that stabilizes and is often chronic.
Very light, comes and goes but is consistently there
Can dysthymia become the default operating system?
Yes. Many people live with it because they think it is normal
Real Depression can often be proceeded by what?
Dysthymia
Why is it important to distinguish if there is a manic phase preceding depression?
If so there is a big and deep anxiety within. Often it is better to treat the anxiety before the depression
What is serotonin depression
Mood swing that are closer to bipolar depression. Often chronic. Often no significant enough to disturb professional and personal life
What can cause grief to be a mood problem?
When it doesn’t have a real source
How did old Asian cultures treat problems of the mind?
As possession
What are the 3 causes of Mood Swings
- Jing - in jing we develop something that is never really us. A potential that needs to be discovered and realized.
- Feng Shui - pressure of the world
- Combination of above - Some people are strong or weak. Hormonal imbalance, relationships etc
Why is a spiritual practice important in regards to mood disorders
Because they are difficult to treat. Best to help before it becomes a problem
What are some negative factors that can contribute to suicidal depression
Family history
Jing aspect
Biology
What are some positive factors that can help prevent suicidal depression
Education
Absence of traumatic events
Support networks, good relationships
Behavioural work and self examination
Spirtual practice, therapy
Finding small things in lift that bring hope
What are the 2 factors required to follow through with suicide
Dying seem like a better option than life
Need a plan on how to carry it out
What does a manic phase look like
Extreme overwhelm, feeling of being great and invincible . Tons of energy
What is the best way to treat a manic phase
Cool down, stay home, be around close friends or family , avoid agrivating stimuli
What does a depressive phase look like?
Intense feeling of exhaustion, lack of energy and interest, no good feelings or pleasure. Feel broken with no trust
How does a persons Jing contribute to mood swings
Biological, what a person has inside but there still needs to be something that pushes them toward and revels this
How can we treat neurological weakness or breakdown that causes depression?
Nei Gong - builds the connections
How does sleep infulence mood swings?
Circadian rhythm is crucial
How can social factors cause mood swings
If someone feels oppressed or not equal, taken advantage of or worthless. If they are under socialized or too passive
Why is important to train sexuality in regards to mood swings
Linked to jing. Can’t be depressed with good sexuality.
However depressed people can sometimes go to excess
Why is it important to know oneself?
Otherwise it is difficult to find pleasure in everyday life. Leads to confusion - difficult to align intent and action. Find clarity = simple life
What is a good basic treatment for mood swings and depression
Going out, taking care of physical appearance, getting involved in things.
Avoid things that make angry or upset.
Why is clarity key in treating mood swings and depression
Clear planning = action = responsibility = no time to feel depressed
What is the difference between dysthymia and major depressive troubles
Major depressive troubles start quickly and are always linked to analyzed problems such as big change or loss or trauma
Why is it important for the the therapist to look for the single events that caused major depressive troubles
The paitent may not have clarity and feel like many negative experiences have caused it. However the original cause has not been fully digested and resolved
What is double depression
Starts as a major depressive episode and never recovered to healthy levels and settles into permanent dysthymia
What are bipolar troubles
Big manic phase followed by depressive phase
What are treatment possibilities for depression
Developing a good healthy body- finding pleasure in the simple things of life
Why is it important to do things like training when first feeling depression coming on
Because once depression has set in it won’t work to do anything
What is the defininition of a personality disorder
Mental disorders that cause problems adapting to the environment
Difficulty in behaving correctly in relation to the experience of other people
What are the 4 main catagories of personality disorders
Wierd
Anxious
Dramatic
The rest
What are the 3 catagories of Weird types
Paranoid
Schizoid
Schizotypal
What are some traits of the paranoid type
Complex thinking and overthinking
Strong narcissistic tendencies - keep grudges
Rigid and untrusting
Express themselves in a way to prove they are right to be paranoid
The paranoid type has a possible link to what western biological diagnosis
Schizophrenia
Why do paranoid types generally not want treatment
They do not trust therapy and always feel superior
What are the important things to remember when treating a paranoid type
Do not speak your mind or express how you feel
Don’t make jokes
Make everything clear about the treatment
Don’t argue always agree
Refer to something bigger eg. canonical text, famous dr’s
Let them talk and give ideas
What western biological diagnosis is potentially linked to the schizoid type
Autism
What are some traits of the schizoid
Likes to be alone
Few emotions
Can seem cold or detached from things
No interest in friends or sexual relations
Can be more inside themselves with thier own reality rather than outside reality
As the therapist how should we deal with the schizoid type
Don’t ask them to get too personal or ask questions about deeper feelings
Just take relevant information
Don’t try to befriend or explain TCM
Can ask them to email or write out things if they have difficulty talking about thier illness
Encourage them to develop basic relationships with others and be less inside themselves
What are some traits of schizotypal
Act wierd
Dress weird
Very suspicious
Believes in wrong kind of magical thinking
Often deep depression
Which western diagonais can the schizotypal develop into
Schitzophrenia
As the therapist how should we deal with the schizotypal
Avoid keeping them - refer to psychiatrist or Daoist medicine
What are the 4 anxious type personality disorders
Anxious
Dependent
Avoidant
Obsessive compulsive
Traits of the anxious type
Very tense
Always anticipating bad things happening
Once comfortable don’t like change
As the therapist how should we treat the anxious
Make jokes to lighten the mood
Take care of them
Let them talk about thier problems - but not once needles are in
Keep everything as consistent as possible so there are no surprises -
Traits of the dependent type
Needs to be supported
Submissive
Timid
Passive
Often make bad decisions because they are timid
How should the therapist support the dependent type
Help but don’t make decision for them
Assis them to make their own decisions
Make them feel important and responsible
Talk about different options but don’t give solutions
Maintain limits and boundaries
Traits of the avoidant type
Poor self image. and big fear of rejection or criticism
Don’t trust themselves
Want to disappear
Extremely susceptible to social phobias
Maybe rejected as a child - absent parents
Don’t want to be alone but it happens out of fear not preference
Complain a lot and look for the negative
How should the therapist work with the avoidant type
Must do a great job the first time so that they return
Don’t get upset or show disaproval
Don’t make jokes or criticize
Make the treatment soft, slow and reassuring
Real possibility of transforming their lives
Traits of the OCD type
Rigid
Dependent on routine and consistency
Looks like OCD but not as bad
Everything needs to be clean and clear
Afraid of the world
Don’t like change
Distorted ideas about morals. an cleanliness
How should the therapist treat the OCD type
Don’t mock tendancies
Make them feel at home - can ask for decorating advice
Don’t force them to explain
Make them feel like you are
Can really be helped by treatment
What are the 4 dramaic personality types
Anti. social
Histrionic
Narcissistic
Borderline personality disorder
Traits of the anti social
Aggressive
Impulsive
Lacks empathy
Tendency toward crime
Trouble intergrating into society, following rules
Bully
Often settles down in 40’s
How should the therapist treat the antisocial type
Don’t. Refer to psychologist
Histrionic type traits
Theatrical
Emotional
Proud
Egotistical
Can be seductive
Lie a lot
As the therapist how should we treat the histrionic type
Put limits in place and make the therapy relationship very clear
Don’t make jokes or take their stories too serious
Do not play their games
Establish yourself as dircector, dr etc
Narcissistic traits
Think they are exceptional - pushed to max
Make themselves the centre
Always talk about how great they are
Shocked if you don’t agree
No empathy for others
How should the narcissistic type be treated
Be polite
Talk with them
Don’t criticize
Don’t talk about own success
Don’t go against them
Choose boundaries and what you will accept
Borderline personality traits
Deep depression
Dysthymia and mood troubles
Suicidal tendencies
Bad mood
Don’t know themselves so don’t like themselves
Excessive, erratic
How should the therapist treat the borderline personality type
Do not criticize
Lisen and be open -= let them talk about their problems
What are the 4 “rest” types
Passive aggressive
Depressive
Sadistic
Borderline psychotic
Traits of the passive aggressive
Angry but lacks the power to express it
Aggression comes out in a hidden or sneaky way
Will act rudely as a way of expression aggression - often with a smile
Should you try and help the passive aggressive type
Can do but need to decide if you want to because they can be a pain in the ass
Traits of the depressive type
Different to dysthemia or real depression
Refers to people with a lessor mood
How should you treat the depressive type
Boos qi which increases the fire and vitality
Should you treat the borderline psychotic or sadistic types
No refer out
What are the 6 contributing factors to depression / mood swings
- Biological, Jing, DNA - what a person has inside but there still needs to be something that pushes them toward and reveals this
- Neurological - weakness or breakdown. (Nei gong builds the connection of the neurological system.
- Sleep - poor circadian rhythm. Sleep is crucial. Someone who says they are a night owl acutely = pathology. Sleep is only a strong influence not the cause.
- Social - If someone feels oppressed or not equal, taken advantage of, worthless. The relation to the family, group and others. If they are under socialized or too passive.
Proffesional help or family or trusted confidant can help the social aspect. ** Ask for help
- Cognitive factors - Memory - work the mind, train the dreams, look for the good in things. Without this it is easy to just see the bad in things. Focus - if focussed can’t be depressed.
- Emotional - Pleasure.
