I've had bipolar 2 for 48 years now with major bouts of severe depression, and am now doing extremely well using amino acids and the mineral lithium orotate to control it.

One thing I found out when I was on meds for 13+ years is that psych meds actually have depression and anxiety as a side-effect so every day I was taking a pill that made me more miserable than I had been before I went on them. Of course I was so depressed that I felt I just couldn't go off them or my life wouldn't be worth living. Most people refuse to believe that depression and anxiety is actually a side-effect of the meds they're on so google it for yourself. If you're more depressed than ever, ask yourself if you're worse off than before you went on meds.

I went off my meds after some serious side-effects that freaked me out. I was absolutely shocked at how much less depressed I was!

It took me a couple of months to learn about using amino acids for the bipolar, but I can honestly say that I've done better on them these last 9 years than I did the 13 years on meds. Plus, they're cheaper and I don't answer to a Pdoc for everything I put in my body. I take DLPA that is used by the brain to produce dopamine and norepinephine which make life worth living. I also take 5-htp that is used to produce serotonin, and GABA that helps with anxiety and the lithium orotate to control hypomania. A good book on using amino acids is Heal with Amino Acids by Billie Sahley.

Other things that contribute to depression are low magnesium levels and low thyroid. Magnesium is needed for over 300 functions in the body including warding off depression. Almost everyone is low in it, but don't buy a cheap magnesium like magnesium oxide or you'll be stuck in the bathroom for a few days as it's not absorbible so most of it is shunted to the gut causing raging diarrhea. You want to take something like magnesium citrate, magnesium chloride [the most absorbable] or magnesium malate. Be sure and take calcium, vitamin D3 and K with it as they all work together.

If you don't have hyperthryoidism or Haskimoto's, look into taking nascent iodine which is an ionic form of iodine that is much more absorbable. The foods don't contain adequate iodine so your thyroid could be sluggish and iodine is needed for proper thyroid function. There]'s a good video on youtube on iodine by Dr. Ed Group from the Global Healing Center that explains the importance of iodine.

If you have SAD, research the use of melatonin in treating it. A good full spectrum light is a must too. I used to have SAD for months on end before using these, and this year I haven't noticed my mood slipping at all which I think is due to the iodine as I'm usually starting to get depressed by this time of the year.

One last comment. I have a twin sister that suffers severe depression, but refuses to believe natural treatments would work so she suffers the way you are as she has decided it's a disease. It's very sad at how bad off she is, but her faith is in Big Pharma to look out for her well-being.