crazy talk....

lets talk crazy, demented, maybe not that far, but at least depression and bi-polar.
do you believe this can be helped/fixed using medication? is it a phase or is there a line between phases and actual problems.
i think this is something that can be a little "hidden" in a sense, the medications alter your perception wether giving you the view of a person that is not depressed or bi-polor, or making you the happiest person in the world. i believe its a kind of disease that you will have all your life and you need to take care of yourself. what are your views???????

Major Depression and Bipolar disorder are both generally responsive to psychiatric medications.

"is it a phase or is there a line between phases and actual problems."

Everybody gets really really excited and really really depressed at some point in their life, but generally the mood doesn't persevere. When you are talking about Major Depression and Bipolar Disorder, you are talking about a significant pattern of mood, over the course of weeks, where the person expresses symptoms more days than not, during that time period. You have an "actual problem" when you start entertaining the idea of suicide, or you start believing that you are the king of the world & it is everyone's responsibility to entertain your every need.

When mood starts negatively affecting your life & those around you, it is time to consider asking for help!

"i think this is something that can be a little "hidden" in a sense, the medications alter your perception wether giving you the view of a person that is not depressed or bi-polor, or making you the happiest person in the world. i believe its a kind of disease that you will have all your life and you need to take care of yourself. what are your views???????"

Appropriate medications will not make someone look like the "happiest person in the world". Medications are designed to get a person suffering from a mood disorder back to their baseline level of functioning. Yes, if a depressed person has been depressed for years and starts taking anti-depressant medication, if the meds are successful they will probably notice a change in mood in 2 weeks - 1 month (depending on the med). Other people will also notice such a change- so in some ways, psych meds do alter other people's perception of you.

In terms of the disease model, yes- Major Depression and Bipolar Disorder are both mental diseases. However, there is no guarantee that a person will experience symptoms their entire lifetime. In both of these disorders, symptoms tend to wax & wane naturally. Medication slows this fluctuation down and reduces the amplitude, so life is once again endurable.

Will someone have it their entire life? It depends if they & others around them believe it is a problem! It also depends on that person's own brain chemistry, and how responsive they are to the medication. It is a personal, unique, case-by-case issue with regard to this question. But you are right- it is always the person's responsibility to take care of themselves (or to ask for help if they are unable to take care of themselves).