depression and manic depression - do medications work?

Q. It's about my mother. In a good sense, she is extremely cheerful, devoted to others, and very active. And in a bad sense, she is moody, constantly nervous and has a very violent temper. When I was a teenager, I couldn't get alone with my mother. When she was in a good mood, I loved her. But once she would vent her anger and frustration at home, I didn't know how to deal with her, so I tried to avoid seeing her as much as possible. I basically thought of my mother as a positive person, and I've been ignoring her negative aspects. Last week I took my mother to the hospital because she was not feeling well and in　bed, the doctor said she might be uniar disorder or bipolar disorder. How do you tell the difference? Can it be cured with medication? (Maika, 48) 

A. Roughly, there are two main types of depression. One is unipolar disorder (depression) and the other is bipolar disorder (manic depression). Unipolar disorder has a very high incidence rate and can easily affect anyone. Some people only have it once or few times in their lifetime. Antidepressants are often effective and can be cured. On the other hand, bipolar disorder is often developed at a young age (mostly in the 20s). It usually starts with dipression and then progresses to manic depression. Also, people have relatives with bipolar disorder, and the personality before the onset is very active and moody. Bipolar disorder is a chronic disease, so it's not something that can be quickly cured with medication. For these reason, depression and manic depression are similar but different. I think the key to alleviating your mother's suffering is to first recognize herself about the illness and adopt a therapy that helps her live with it well.