So I'm on meds, same dose for over a year now, no hypomania at all. But I've been low-grade depressed for about five months, which started when a friend died and has continued ever since.

But I feel like it's coming from the situation with my caregiving responsibility, as things have greatly deteriorated with her and it's a challenge for me to do what I need to do. I don't know why exactly I feel it's separate from the bipolar, except that it's not as severe as my previous, much worse depression. Also, it gets worse when bad things happen, and better when good things happen.

I don't know ... can you have stable bipolar but also have a situational depression? Because the mood stabilizer wouldn't work on just typical depression, if what my doctor told me is true, which might explain why I'm not cycling despite having rapid cycling, but have been down for a long while and it seems tied into life events.

Like, I've broken down bawling twice in my life, both in the last five months, and both times because of my caregiving grief. I don't know, something just feels off.