Edward J. Renehan Jr.

Manic Depression

Textbook Definition: Alternating moods of abnormal highs (mania) and lows (depression). Frequently called bipolar disease (or disorder) because of the swings between these opposing poles in mood. A type of depressive disease. Not nearly as prevalent as other forms of depressive disorders. Sometimes the mood switches are dramatic and rapid, but most often they are gradual. Mania often affects thinking, judgment, and social behavior in ways that cause serious problems and embarrassment. For example, unwise business or financial decisions may be made when an individual is in a manic phase.

I was diagnosed as manic depressive in 2007. This is a progressive biochemical disorder from which I've evidently suffered for a very long time, perhaps even since adolescence, and which had reached a grave critical mass in recent years. I am currently under treatment, on meds that my doctor and I are fine-tuning, and I am slowly learning how to cope more efficiently and constructively than I have in the past. I mention the bipolar issue because I approve of the movement of sufferers who are "outing" themselves, discussing the disorder publicly, and in this way working to remove the stigma that surrounds it.

For first-rate information on bipolar disorder, consult the following web sites:

Mayo Clinic

National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association

National Institute of Mental Health

Pendulum.Org

I also highly recommend the outstanding book Manic: A Memoir by Terri Cheney as well asThe Years of Silence Are Past by Stephen P. Hinshaw. Further, I'd suggest you check out all the various, absolutely essential books written by Kay Redfield Jamison, professor of psychology and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Most particularly - An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness as well as Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide.

Ed Renehan, Pete Seeger, March 2008. Visiting Seeger at his home in Beacon, NY, March 2008.

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