Quote:
Originally Posted by ultramar
My understanding is that 'mixed episodes' are a possible component of bipolar I, not bipolar II? Strictly speaking, I believe this is what the DSM states, but does anyone know of other sources that talk about mixed states in the context of bipolar II?
I know that I have had some 'depressive feelings' for lack of a better word (intrusive thoughts of sui/death, comes to mind) during hypo/manic episodes. My *feeling* and I'm not sure if and how research bears this out, is that no 'mood' of any kind is entirely *pure.* It just makes sense to me that when one is hypo/manic some other emotions might at some times come into play, and when one is depressed, some agitation, sleeplessness, etc. may come into play, but all within a not-mixed episode.
Even outside of bipolar episodes, I think those who are depressed or anxious may have other emotions/symptoms at the same time, it seems normal to me. I've occasionally checked out the anxiety forum and the depression forum and have seen that they experience a wide variety of symptoms.
In brief, I think it would be very difficult to distinguish between a 'mixed state' and a mood that simple isn't 100% 'pure.'
Again, strictly speaking (i.e. per DSM) a 'mixed episode' is fulfilling the criteria for both a depressive episode and a *manic* (not hypomanic) episode for at least a week. Everyone is different, but that's what 'they' say.
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That might be so. We don't use the DSM here, so I don't know (we use ICD, which is confusing. Don't actually know what ICD says either, but frankly it's not that important to me). Even so, which I think people here have told you before, there can be mixed states in bipolar II. And they are very bad, even though it's not bipolar I. Most of my episodes are mixed to some degree (yes I am being obnoxiously liberal with my terms), and they are worse than skull-crushing depression, so while I totally understand that you'd like to stay true to the DSM, I'd also like you to know that, yes, there are mixed states in bipolar II (maybe not defined by the DSM), and they suck. I'm not sure how to explain this clearer, but rest assured what I am talking about is not normal moods at all. And yes, I am able to tell the difference.
I might be reading too much into your posts, but you seem to have strong feelings about rapid cycling, mixed states and bipolar II. Is there a reason for why you discuss this all the time even when it doesn't apply to you? Surely you can accept that bipolar is more than what the DSM says, and surely you can accept that people with bipolar II can experience mixed moods even though the DSM says otherwise? I'm really not interested in comparing and figuring out what is worse, who's entitled to call what what, etc. I just want to make it clear that mixed bipolar II is real (and the DSM doesn't trump reality).
Then again, maybe all of this just boils down to us using words differently. And that is OK, right? They don't always mean the same to all of us.
I found this blog after a quick Google search.
http://natashatracy.com/bipolar-diso...es-bipolar-ii/. And I'm not sure if that is outdated or not but on the bottom there is a link to some proposed changes in DSM-V regarding mixed states. At any rate I thought it would be relevant to the discussion.