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Old Mar 11, 2011, 01:10 PM
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unico unico is offline
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Member Since: Aug 2010
Location: Glen Ellyn, IL
Posts: 149
Bipolar is really complicated, and it's definitely not as easily broken up into types I and II as many like to think. My psychiatrist (who is renown and very respected) just refers to it all as the "bipolar spectrum" and says most people don't fit cleanly into type 1 or 2. I am diagnosed Bipolar -Nos, which can mean almost anything, unfortunately. I get depression, hypomania, and mixed episodes that fulfill the mania criteria. I only had a clear manic episode trying to go off Zyprexa and it stopped as soon as I went back on Zyprexa. And some people divide mixed episodes into agitated depression and dysphoric mania, just making it more confusing! And it's hard for depression and schizophrenia and OCD, etc. also to find the right medication(s). Psychiatry really doesn't know much yet, you are right. It took me a long time for me to find the right medications and I still slip into mood episodes and have some bad side effects from Zyprexa. Unfortunately, nothing works as well for me as Zyprexa.