Bipolar, Not So Much: Understanding Your Mood Swings and Depression

by James R. Phelps

Patients are like snowflakes—no two are alike. How can all that individuality fit into a handful of diagnostic labels?

You have the same DNA in the cells of your cheek as you do in your brain cells, so a saliva sample can tell you which version of this serotonin transporter gene you have. Why should you care? Because one version of this gene leaves people more vulnerable to depression when they are faced with stress. The other version seems to make people stress-resistant.

Your doctor may have a lot of medical training, but you are the expert on one thing: you.

Medications work a lot like a lock and key. There’s no such thing as a “strong key” or a “safe key”—the best key is always the one that fits your lock.

This relationship between the mind and body goes both ways. Treating depression will improve your physical health, and taking care of your body will improve your mental health.