That's (for me) when the guilt really comes on, because I "shouldn't" be depressed. If only it were that simple. And yes, med adjustments help at such times, whereas they can't change one's situation.

Lemme throw a thought out there. I don't think they're necessarily one OR the other (not mutually exclusive). Sometimes it's both. Someone could crash from a hypo/mania AND have their life go craptastic in ways that would depress anyone (ie., situational) And not necessarily manic fallout. Like, say, a natural disaster hits. That would REALLY be craptastic, but I'd venture to say it's not so easy to tell at such a point. Hopefully a med adjustment could help enough to be better able to take on the situational stuff.

Ok, now I'm just procrastinating...