Depression Support Group
Depression is a real and debilitating condition that is often misunderstood by family and friends. Its meaning can range from a prolonged period of sadness to an actual mental illness with specific symptoms. Find and share experiences with others who are going through the same struggles.
Sometime in march I had a problem. I ended up hospitalized. I had been put in the hospital a few times before so this was not new. What bothered me this time was that I left the hospital that a diagnoses of bi-polar disorder. There are a lot of reason why this ticks me off. The main one is that I feel that the lady just pulled the lable out of a hat full. I don't think im bi-polar and refuse to take the meds. can someone explain bi-polar from a personal view without getting too personal?
-
theatre and I are there already. I'm having a very berry tea with crackers, cheese and cherry tomatoes and she's having a joint with some beer and we're both on really comfy recliners on thick pile carpet. we need some help with the decor if anyone is around??
-
I'm trying to exercise daily. I was doing fairly well until I sprained my ankle 2 weeks ago but now I'm getting back on the horse. Today I walked over a mile with my arm weights that are about 22lbs total. I was out of shape and it was hard on my arms. I also did my 30 situps. I'm also going to drink a lot of water and try to eat healthy. I do tend to have a sweet tooth but I'm cutting...
and Bipolar II. Bilpolar 1 is marked by
cycling between mania(high intensity talking, too much energy, inability to sleep) and depression (loss of interest in life).. Then there is rapid cycle Bi-polar. You swing from one mood to the other rapidly. Happy - sad - polar to polar.
But Bi-Polar Ii.. you don't necessary have the mania you just have different degrees of depression.
I agree with you... I am not a doctor by work with psyche patients. I see way too may, Bipolar and ADD diagnosis - simply because I think it is easiest to lump them in, give them a label and write a Rx.
This by the way is also treating the symptoms and not the cause.
Hope that helps.
Remember in maths where you learned the sine wave curve? It's like that but the curves at the top and bottom are more like spikes (like what you see on a heart monitor kind of).
The difference in BP1, BP2, BP mixed and BP rapid cycling is the length in time between the spikes....sometimes it's months and sometimes it can be a matter of days or hours.
BP's tend to be quite aggressive at times and apparently are bad with money although that's not always the case.
You can always try the NAMI website for more info.
Here is some information I have about it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOf...
Generally speaking, bipolar disorder is different from everyday highs and lows because of the extremes of the moods, and the rapid changes.
Depression symptoms - loss of energy, sadness, lack of intest in pleasurable activities (that the individual normally enjoys), withdrawing, feeling hopeless, self-reproach, excessive or inappropriate guilt. Difficulty concentrating, thoughts of death, suicide, etc. But it can also manifest by being too busy, irritable, sleep disruption, weight gain or loss,and increased activity.
Mania is evident by an increase in activity and thought, racing thoughts, increased speed of speech, less need for sleep, weight loss due to decreased appetite, risky behavior, increased "feel good" behaviors (in adults - increased sex drive, drinking, drugs, spending) I'm not sure what those symptoms would be in children.
Some of the symptoms of depression can also be seen in mania. But if you only have depression, you should only have one set of symptoms.
Bipolar disorder can itself manifest in many ways with varying degrees of severity. Usually the symptoms worsen over time. It will usually cause a great deal of disruption in a person's ability to have close relationships and to be gainfully employed for any length of time.
The two main ways Bipolar disorder presents itself, is (Md)-which is more manic than depressive, and (mD) which is more depressive than manic. Add to that the possibility of having coexisting disorders, including overlying depression on top of the depression and mania, (which often masks BP because the mania is not recognized until antidepressants are taken and that catalyzes [starts] a manic phase) or schizophrenia. Also, the swings may vary in their intensity and frequency - from occurring every several months or even years, with long periods of normal moods in between, to rapid cycling, which can happen every few minutes.
Another differentiation in bipolar disorder is bipolar I, and bipolar II. In bipolar I, the symptoms are undeniable and clearly depressive and manic. It is easily recognizable to the person who has it, and they often are hospitalized, in jail frequently, can't keep a job, etc. With bipolar II, instead of full blown mania, the afflicted person has hypomania - which is to a lesser degree than full blown mania....and is often only recognized by the friends, relatives, and coworkers of the person afflicted. After a hypomanic episode, the afflicted person often forgets they had it when they become depressed again.
So you can see why it is difficult sometimes to diagnose.
www.livejournal.com
www.webmd/diseases_and_conditions/bipolar_disorder.html
www.psycom.net/depression.central.b...
www.mentalhealth.com/dis/p20-md02.h...
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bipolar...
www.healthyplace.com/site/tests/psy...