Affective Disorders include major depression, manic depression and suicide.

Individuals who suffer from major depression usually experience:

• Sadness, depression or anger
• Frequent changes in appetite or weight
• Sleep difficulties
• Loss of interest and pleasure in usual activities
• Fatigue
• Negative self-esteem, self-blame, feelings of worthlessness and guilt
• Concentration and attention problems
• Indecisiveness
• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

Someone who is suffering from manic depression bounces from depression to elation without warning. This disorder is often misdiagnosed as depression because mental health professionals and medical doctors only see these individuals when they are depressed. Manic depression, otherwise known as bi-polar disorder, is characterized by the following:

• Elevated, expansive or irritable mood

• Extraordinary increase in activity level
• Unusual talkativeness
• Rapid speech
• Less sleep needed
• Inflated self-esteem or feeling of special powers and abilities
• Distractibility
• Involvement in high risk activities