Encyclopedia Health of Diseases and Disorders

Definition Depression, sometimes called major depression or depressive disorder, is a mood disorder that has been called the “ common cold of mental illness ” because it is so common in the general population. Unlike the common cold, however, depression can have serious long-term effects on a person   Dysthymia. Also called dysthymic disorder, dysthymia is a condition • hallucinations, delusions, and other signs that they have lost contact with reality. Psychotic depression. Patients with this type of depression have • some women following the birth of a baby. Postpartum depression. This is a type of depression that affects • related to changes in the seasons. Most people with SAD feel depressed in the winter and better in summer, but there is also a reverse form of SAD in which the person is depressed in summer and feels better in winter. Description Depression is a mood disorder that does not affect everyone in the same way. There is some evidence, for example, that women...

Cold Sore Definition Cold sores are blisters on the lips or around the mouth caused by herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and sometimes by herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2). Unlike canker sores, which occur inside the mouth, cold sores are contagious. Description Cold sores are painful blisters that develop on the lips or around the mouth after a person has become infected with the herpes simplex virus. The herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) that generally causes cold sores is related to the herpes simplex virus (HSV-2), that typically causes genital herpes but can also cause cold sores. People who become infected with HSV-1 develop cold sores within twenty days of infection, although some may develop symptoms sooner. The first episode of infection (called the primary infection) may not have any symptoms or may cause two to three weeks of fever and blisters/sores both in and around the mouth. In most cases, the recurrence of symptoms is preceded by a prodrome, or period of warning symptoms bef...

Canker Sores Definition Canker sores are small ulcers inside the mouth that are white or grayish with red borders. They are not contagious. Canker sores should not be confused with cold sores, which occur outside the mouth around the lips, are caused by a virus, and are very contagious. Description Canker sores are small patches of raw skin on the tissues that line the cheeks and the inside of the lips. They may also occur at the base of the gums or below the tongue on the floor of the mouth. They may appear as single ulcers or in clusters. Most are about three-eighths of an inch (1 centimeter) wide, but some are larger. Doctors classify canker sores into three groups: minor sores, which are smaller than half an inch (1.3 centimeters) and heal by themselves in seven to ten days; major sores, which are larger than half an inch (1.3 centimeters), are usually deeper than minor sores, may take as long as a month to heal, and may leave scars; and herpetiform sores, which are small, form ...

Definition Bipolar disorder is the name of a group of mood disorders characterized by alternation between periods of high energy, known as mania, and periods of depression. These emotional highs and lows are much more extreme than the mood changes that most people experience. There are three major subtypes of bipolar disorder: • episode, with or without an episode of depression. Bipolar disorder I (BPI): The person has had at least one manic • of depression and at least one hypomanic episode. Hypomania is a milder form of mania that does not interfere with the person daily functioning. Bipolar disorder II (BPII): The person has had at least one episode ’ s • which the person two types. Cyclothymia: Cyclothymia is a mild form of bipolar disorder in ’ s highs and lows are not as extreme as in the first <!-- adsense --> Description People with bipolar disorder alternate between periods of high energy or irritability in which they may have difficulty sleeping, act impulsively, a...