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bipolar depression

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Q: how would i know if i had bipolar depression?
i think i have bipolar depression. i mean, one minute im all happy and then the next, yeah.
how would i know if i did or not?
and i dont want to talk to my parents about this, it would bring up too much shitt.

A: This is really a difficult thing for anybody who is not a lisenced psychiatrist to answer. You need to visit a psychiatrist and be properly diagnosed.Don’t let amateurs make a diagnosis for you.It is too important!
No psychiatrist could diagnose you based on what you have said.

Q: Is there a natural approach to depression/bipolar aside from anti-depressants and mood stabilizers?
Is there a natural approach to depression/bipolar aside from anti-depressants and mood stabilizers?

Something more natural perhaps.
I definitely don’t like the idea of having a “fake happiness”.

An answer from someone who has/does take anti-depressants or mood stabilizers, that would be ideal.

A: Many anti-depressants have been tested short-term, but they haven’t been tested long-term. They haven’t been in the market place long enough for thorough testing. Many anti-depressants are less than fifteen years old! People, even in their 40s, live a lot longer than fifteen years old.

My doctor was about to put me on a fourth mood stabilizer. He told me the effects, risks, and benefits. When I asked him about the long-term, he made up things that didn’t make sense. My dad and I fired him on the spot. These “professionals” get money for giving you medication. For each prescription they give you, they pocket more money from the pharm. companies.

I started to be my own avocate. Basically, I used these ideas to monitor my bipolar:

*Exercise 25 minutes a day. Never skip more than two days.

*Avoid processed foods and pure sugar foods.

*Instead of a person who’ll shove medications down your throat, use your money to talk to a therapist instead.

*Join local, talk groups or internet forums.

*Write down your feelings. It isn’t good to keep them inside!

*Know your purpose in life.

*Get at least eight hours of sleep. Your brain needs it.

I see Bipolar as a physical and emotional energy imbalance. Real happiness is knowing you can be happy yourself. Fake happiness is relying on something to be happy.

I’m sixteen years old. I was diagnosed when I was thirteen with Bipolar II. Almost weaned off medication, got a 4.0 GPA, and loves physics with computers.

Q: How do they treat Bipolar I Depression in Teens?
For my psychotic symptoms/mania I’m on Abilify…but it does not help my depression.

I’ve been diagnosed recently with this with fast cycling…

I’ll tell my psychiatrist, but what can she do? I’m 17.
Are there certain medicines that work with Abilify to help Bipolar depression episodes ??

A: Usually Abilify is used with another drug for bipolar disorder. The most common ones are Lithium, Lamictal, and Serequel.

Q: Including hard activities (exercises) in the life of sever bipolar depression patient?
If the patient is going to include the Martial arts kyokushin in his daily routine.What level of toughness in life of sever bipolar depression patient is considered harm full medically?Tell me any psychiatrist guidelines about lifestyle in this aspect?

A: Exercise is good for everyone… especially those with mental disorders. I would think Martial Arts would be very good for someone with Bipolar.

Q: Can depression/bipolar disorder cause a person to molest a kid?
I don’t want any criticism….I know someone who’s molested a child and his psych evaluator suggested he might be suffering from depression. Is it possible that this caused him to do this horrible thing? He was extremely drunk at the time and came clean afterwards to the cops…He is now pending trial, but appears to show absolute disinterest in the whole thing….As for the actual deed…he touched a child inappropriately…
I just don’t want him to use bipolar/depression as an easy out…He is 23yrs old but is very immature..please help

A: Mental Illness does not provide an excuse for abusive behavior towards others, particularly sexual abuse. A person who attempts to molest a child does so because they want to do it and because they lacked the self-control to resist the impulse. The alcohol was probably the biggest factor in lowering your friends inhibitions and self-control enough to act on this, but again, it is not an excuse as no one made him drink and many people drink and don’t act out. Pedophiles, which your friend may or may not be, also have a fixated desire for sexual contact with children, however this diagnosis does not provide an excuse either. The only way psychiatric problems can offer a defense legally for criminal behavior is when it can be demonstrated that the illness caused the person such an impaiment in reality testing that they could not distinguish right from wrong, and this is very difficult to prove as even those with grossly impaired thinking still usually are able to differentiate between right and wrong. Your friend needs to experience the full consequences for his actions-I agree with you.

Q: Is it possible to have a diagnosis of Cyclothymia, Depression AND Bipolar disorder?
My GP wrote a report on me stating that I had all three conditions at the same time. I don’t believe it’s possible to have even two of them at once. I believe Cyclothymia is a less severe form of Bipolar, and Depression when combined with hypomania is a symptom of Cyclothymia, not a disorder in itself.

A: Cyclothymia is in fact a mild form of bipolar. I have known people to go from having Cyclothymia disorder to progress onto having bipolar. Depression is part of bipolar so can not be classed as a separate disorder. hypo-mania is also a sign of bipolar type 2 disorder. You could have what they call bipolar “NOS” (not otherwise specified. this is when you don’t come under any of the other types such as bipolar l bipolar ll or Cyclothymic disorders. take care good luck

Q: Who else has a bipolar type depression, and how do you deal with it without medication?
I was recently diagnosed with a bipolar type of depression. I’ve tried the only few medications my doc knew of because it is a newly found diagnosis. Anti-depressants don’t do anything. I was on Abilify, it was basically like taking benadryl, it made me fall asleep and that’s it. the other one didn’t do anything, it was like drinking water I guess.
*I forgot to mention that I actually am not bipolar, but my depression is exactly like it. I also found the other med I was on, it’s called Lamictal. I have a psychiatrist, but I haven’t been to him for a month because of finances (go figure…lol). Lithium seems to work for the same symptoms I have, maybe I am bipolar, I’ll have to check it out.*
**One more thing, haha! I also forgot to add that my job is unloading trucks (trust me, I am in peak physical condition) but it’s high stress right now and the only job I can find. The job without stress works wonders, but there must be some way to deal with it besides exercise. It’s good, I get a ton everyday (about 10 hours/day), but I need to find something else to take the “steam” off. Sorry about not adding that in**

A: I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder 5 years ago, I was sixteen. I’ve never tried going without the meds, but I understand your frustration. I switched from one drug to another to another, and nothing seemed to work or the side effects were too much. I’ve been on Lithium for a couple years now. It seems to work well. You just have to get a blood check every 3 months to make sure there’s a normal level of the chemical in your body.
Bipolar is a rough thing to cope with. Its hard because often times family members don’t understand and see it is as something that you can just snap out of and friends pull away because they aren’t sure what to do or lose patience. I know doctors don’t always talk about this, so i will. Its important to have a system of coping that your family and only really close friends know about so that they know what you’re feeling and when. Also, as a friend of mine who saw me dealing advised me, don’t hold emotions in. For me that always made moods worse. Well I hope the advice helped and I wish you the best.

Q: How do I know if my high happy and low sad is bipolar or depression with good and bad days?
I was diagnosed with severe depression but I seem to have many bipolar symptoms also. Who can I see about this? There is no Psy doctor close to me. The closest is fifty miles away. :( What can I do? Thanks.

A: Mania involves weeks to months of elevated or irritable mood, with significantly reduced needs for sleep. If you are sleeping a normal amount of time while “up” it probably isn’t bipolar. It could be you just have better times sometimes, and it is such a relief from the severe depression that you feel as if you are walking on air. (In mania, you sleep maybe 2 hours a night for weeks or months, or in hypomania, maybe you need 4 to 6 hours a night – much less than you normally would want to sleep. And I don’t mean insomnia. you truly need less sleep).

antidepressants can cause mania, even if you dont’ have bipolar.

Keep a regular sleep/wake cycle. that helps depression or bipolar.

Q: How do I get disability for bipolar and depression?
I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, major depression and uncontrolable anxiety. I have had 4 jobs in less than a year and I keep losing them because I can’t handle the pressure of a work inviroment. I keep getting denied for disability even with the total suport of my shrink. I am at the end of my rope and I can’t cope anymore with the stress of work. anyone know what i could do to get help finacialy for my dissorders?

A: Do you qualify for SSDI or just SSI?

People don’t always get denied the first time, that’s a myth. There a book they have that lists everything SSA considers automatically disabling. Here’s the link http://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/AdultListings.htm

Obviously, you don’t meet a listing so YOU have to prove how your SYMPTOMS keep you from working and caring for yourself. If they feel they need more information, you’ll be evaluated by Voc Rehab to see if you can do other work. They don’t care how many disorders you have.

Here’s a link to their process http://www.ssa.gov/dibplan/dqualify5.htm

If you keep reapplying, stop. Follow the process and file an appeal, eventually you’ll get to the hearing level. Do everything they ask you to do and keep all appointments.

It sometimes takes years to be approved and some people never do get approved. Try your local welfare office or community mental health center. Good luck.

Q: What am I supposed to do to help myself with Bipolar Depression?
My mom keeps getting on to me because I am not getting better from depression. She keeps saying that I need to “fight it.” Well, exactly how do I do that? What am I supposed to be doing to help myself get over this? Honestly, I have no idea. My doctors have not told me anything except just to take these medicines.

A: Well for one you do not just get better from depression. We both know that. Your mom needs to understand that you are doing the best you can. I have battled depression almost 10 years and I have wished many times it would just go away but it doesn’t happen like that. What I do is to try and do something I enjoy, an outlet per say. Music is my outlet. I put on songs that take me back to a good time in my life. I wish you the best through this. I know how hard it really is.

Q: can i drive even tho i have a schizoeffective disorder or bipolar depression?
I have a depression for over 10 years and I have to renew my drivers license and there’s is a question there what kind of of medications do you take? Do I have to be honest and say it? I take Seroquel, abilify, lithium, lorazepam, and metoprolol daily for my illness and I have a disability claim that up to now has not been approved yet and I just hired a lawyer. Is it safe for a patient like me to drive.

A: Well, people switch meds all the time so I don’t even know how they’d prove what you were on at any given time. It’s always best to tell the truth but I honestly don’t think it really matters if you leave a few out or whatever. I’ve never heard of the DMV checking up on stuff like that. I don’t know if it’s safe for YOU to drive. I’ve been on three of those meds and had no problem but if I took Seroquel and tried to drive, I’d be passed out and crash within 15 minutes. Some people can’t handle benzos and they shouldn’t drive on them. They didn’t bother me at all BUT, since some are classified as anti seizure meds, they may need to know if you’re taking it for a seizure disorder. Depending on the severity, I believe you may have a restricted or revoked license for something like that.

I can only guess that the biggest issue is if you got into an accident and blamed your medication or it somehow came out you were on meds. In that case, it’s possible they might see that you never reported that you were taking them. I still don’t think it’s an issue and no one would find out unless you were obviously impaired and had some sort of blood test.

I got my license at 16. Even though I’ve been severely affected by depression, psychosis and anxiety/panic attacks since I was a teenager, I was not officially diagnosed and put on meds until I was 28. I have psychotic major depression. I was always on at least 3 meds. At one point, I was on 6; Abilify, Seroquel (only for sleep), klonopin, Effexor, Wellbutrin and Lithium. I’ve never had any problems driving on any meds I’ve taken. I’ve never attempted to drive after taking Seroquel though.

Two years ago, my out of state license finally expired and I needed to renew it. I decided to finally do it legally and get one in the state I had been living in for 11 years. So, not only was it a renewal, it was in another state. I don’t remember exactly which meds I was on at the time or what I filled out on the form. Whatever it was, it didn’t seem to make a difference. The only restriction on my license is that I still need to wear glasses. That trip to the DMV was all about changing my address and getting a new photo taken.

I recently got approved for disability but since don’t even have a car anymore (I live in NYC) I’m unsure if that’s something that would even come up. I don’t know if I’m legally obligated to inform the DMV since it’s not a physical disability nor do I have seizure disorder. They seem to be mostly concerned with neurological dysfunction rather than any mood disorder. I know that sometimes people who have strokes or sleep apnea have to pass certain exams.

Q: How hard is it to get SSI in the State of Minnesota for Bipolar Depression?
In the state of Minnesota, how do you go through the process, and how hard is it when you have Bipolar? My Bipolar has gotten to the point where I can not constructively be around people without having a “swing”
Those websites are not helpful at all…

A: SSI, Supplemental Security Income is for people with a low income. SSDI, Social Security Disability Income is for disabled people. This is probably what you’re looking for. Go to your local Social Security to fill out the forms to start the application process. Good Luck.

Q: can depression be treated with weed? what about bipolar disorder or hypomania?
I used to smoke weed for about three years, but I quit for religious purposes, and now I’m wondering if weed treats things like depression, bipolar disorder, and hypomania? I may be inheriting bipolar disorder or hypomania, time will tell, and I’m a bit depressed. anyways can these things be treated with weed?

A: You know?Your depression could be a consequence of your weed smoking…You could probably feel better but would be just for a little period.In time you could be even more seriosly depressed.
I truly believe,and this is only my opinion,you can come out of you state of depression if you really want that.
I wish you all the best.

Q: Is bipolar depression different from normal depression?
I’m bipolar and instead of feeling sad I feel nothing. I have no emotions apart from negative ones like guilt, fear, etc. But the worse is I have no empathy. Because I have no emotions when people tell me things I have no answer becaue I can’t emotionally relate to what they are talking about so I can’t have a conversation. It is so lonely. i don’t even feel love for my family or even my baby nephew. Also I my intelligence has gone. I frequently don’t understand or grasp the simplest sentences or concepts. It’s like I hear words but they don’t get through to the part of my brain that interprets them into realisation. I have no concept of understanding apart from simple things. My personality, opinions, judgements and everything has gone also. Does this sound like depression to you?
I should just add that I am bipolar I have been manic I’m just wondering if anyone knows if there is a difference btween the depressive stage of bipolar and just depression and if so if anyone identifies with what I have described.
I know what bipolar is, I have been hospitalised for it for 3 months. My question probably isn’t very clear because my head isn’t at the moment. I basically wanted to know if depression for someone with bipolar is different from that of someone with unipolar depression (i.e. no highs). And also if anyone has any understanding of the symptoms I described. Sorry if I wasn’t clear enough. I am on Lithium, duloxetine (anti-depressant) and occasionally take Zopiclone (sleeping tablet). Thanks.
YOU KNOW, some of you people are entirely emotionally retarded. You think because u see something one way then it must be that way. Have u ever heard of perception? Can’t u look at things from other peoples point of view. If you dont have a dam clue what u r talking about which most of u dont then please dont answer the question. I AM NOT STUPID I KNOW WHAT BIPOLAR IS. I AM NOT MAKING IT UP EITHER TO THE SILLY COW below who suggested so. You are too eager to try and appear intelligent than to try and understand. Thanks to the girl with manic depression who said much the same.

A: people with depression usually feel down all the time whereas bipolar people have periods where they’re happy, then sad, then happy again. This is why Bi-polar was formerly call Manic Depression. It was stupid of them to change the name when it fit so perfectly already.

Q: I have sleep apnea and bipolar depression. Will correcting the apnea improve the depression?
I have bipolar, although it’s mild I think. I frequently go back and forth between depressed and normal. I also have obstructive sleep apnea and have always had trouble sleeping. I’m having my tonsils out in 3 months to correct the problem. Will alleviating the apnea help stabilize my moods as well?

A: Probably not. Bipolar is caused by an imbalance of norepinephrine. You might get better sleep and that could help you feel better. I would talk to your doctor about your depression. Have you ever been diagnosed with bipolar? Because you need to have had a manic or hypomanic episode to be considered bipolar. I think you might just have depression. Bipolar isn’t between normal and sad, it’s between manic, normal, mixed, and depression. Talk to a doctor and get some professional help.

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