Bipolar manic depression is a disorder characterized by periods of major depression alternating with periods of elevated mood. When those periods of elation are severe, they are known as mania and the diagnosis is bipolar I. When the periods of elation are relatively mild, or hypomanic, the diagnosis is bipolar II. About 25% of the [...]

Having a surgical operation throws your life into turmoil, at least for a while. The length of time you’re out of action obviously depends on how severe the illness is, and the prognosis will determine the way you face the rest of your life. If there is a threat to your life, survival will naturally [...]

What would really help is preparation — talking about the likely changes so you don’t think you’re going crazy and how to cope with problems as they arise. Terence told me, ‘I wish there had been some way of preparing myself for the incredible change in my lifestyle. We sailed through the labor without a [...]

The success rate of fertility programs refers to the ‘take-home-baby rate’, but for every one of these babies (the ‘success stories’) many more will have a near miss. One of the cruellest blows is when the euphoria of a positive pregnancy test turns to disaster when the pregnancy miscarries. After an assisted fertilization, things are [...]

There’s an old saying that you have to work at marriage. Now while that’s definitely true, it helps if you start off with the right raw materials: some interests in common, compatible goals in life, an ability to compromise and adapt, an ability to listen, compatible beliefs about childraising and financial management, mutual respect, and [...]