Depression and Bipolar disorders are characterized by ongoing low mood or mood swings.  If you are struggling with feelings of sadness and/or a lessened (or lack) of interest in your normally pleasurable activities, you may be suffering from depression.  Depression often causes people to struggle with their sleep, have increased or decreased appetites or weight changes, experience difficulty with concentration and/or experience physical symptoms such as aches and pains or headaches.  Self-esteem is often low and a preoccupation with guilt is also a common symptom.  With bipolar disorder, one experiences extreme mood swings between depressed mood and elation, becoming mobilized at times with intense energy and enthusiasm for new projects or tasks.  Often decision-making and judgement become impaired during an espisode.  Depression and Bipolar disorders impair your daily life activities, reduce your enjoyment, and impact you and those around you.  

Treatments exist to reduce, manage, and/or eventually provide a full remission of symptoms.  With management, the length of time between episodes will become longer and if symptoms do return, they may be milder.  Treatments are tailored to your specific symptom profile as well as to your unique person.  

For questions regarding treatment for depression or bipolar disorder, please contact Dr. Kaplan via telephone or email.  She will be happy to discuss treatment options with you.


For more information on Depression, please see:  The NIMH Depression Page.
For more information on Bipolar, please see:  The NIMH Bipolar Disorder Page.