[RedCylon]

Is it possible to have Bi-Polar without any mania? I have heard stories of people with Bi-Polar being treated for depression, but because they have the wrong diagnosis, the treatment does nothing for them.

I ask because I am starting to wonder if my depression is actually Bi-Polar. I'm pretty sure my father has Bi-Polar, even though he has never been formally diagnosed. He very clearly has the up and down periods, but I never do. I briefly took anti-depressants for 2 or 3 months last year and they did nothing for me. Was it the medication not working for me, or was I just not being treated for the right thing?

The only reason I think I might NOT have Bi-Polar is the lack of manic episodes. I never have anything remotely like that. The closest I get to that is when I think to myself "Don't worry, it will be OK. It's not that bad" That thought never lasts long, however.

Everything I read about Bi-Polar, every test I take, says that the Mania is a big part of it. So is it possible to have very mild or NO mania at all, but still be Bi-Polar as opposed to depressed? Is it possible to be both?

[amaviena]

Originally Posted by RedCylon

Is it possible to have Bi-Polar without any mania? I have heard stories of people with Bi-Polar being treated for depression, but because they have the wrong diagnosis, the treatment does nothing for them.

I ask because I am starting to wonder if my depression is actually Bi-Polar. I'm pretty sure my father has Bi-Polar, even though he has never been formally diagnosed. He very clearly has the up and down periods, but I never do. I briefly took anti-depressants for 2 or 3 months last year and they did nothing for me. Was it the medication not working for me, or was I just not being treated for the right thing?

The only reason I think I might NOT have Bi-Polar is the lack of manic episodes. I never have anything remotely like that. The closest I get to that is when I think to myself "Don't worry, it will be OK. It's not that bad" That thought never lasts long, however.

Everything I read about Bi-Polar, every test I take, says that the Mania is a big part of it. So is it possible to have very mild or NO mania at all, but still be Bi-Polar as opposed to depressed? Is it possible to be both?

Mania or hypomania (the milder form of bipolar in which the person can be highly productive or irritable or erratic or spend a lot or be really loud or talk a lot or be extremely social) AND depression are characteristic of bipolar. Bipolar meaning two poles would have to have each side of the spectrum to dx this according to DSM IV, however, its best to consult a trained professional. Something to consider is that your depression could be caused my a variety of things are antidepressants are often very different in what they do (ex. SSRIs, MAOIs). Maybe you weren't taking the right one for you? If the antidepressant didn't do ANYTHING for you, then I would go with incorrect drug rather than a dx of bipolar...depends on what you were like during the treatment.
Talk to your doctor.

[Amazonmom]

There is a website and a book by a psychiatrist in Oregon named Phelps. Try psycheducation.org, it has the name of the book. Totally helped me understand hypomania. He also talks about "bipolar spectrum", an idea where you have mood swings but don't go into the manic range.

Just something to think about, especially if usual treatments for unipolar depression aren't working for you. Can't hurt to ask your doc what they think of it!

[amaviena]

Also something to consider is that it could be a variety of mental OR physical health conditions. Often times, it takes quite a while to establish a diagnosis and some conditions share symptoms! Tell your doc EVERYTHING. The simplest thing could make a difference.

[Nikki_busymind]

Have you considered unipolar? Which is predominantly depression? I don't know enough about it, other than to recommend reading about it. Usually the classifications of bipolar do include at least one manic eposide, and with BPII at least one hypomanic episode. Unpolar as I understand it, is an going mood charactarised as being slightly below par, but not consumed by depression - if you see what I mean.

Anyway, all the best!

[theama]

You need to have either mania or hypomania to be bipolar. Hence the terms BIpolar and MANIC depressive.

[amaviena]

actually, I've been doing some reading for you. Look up Hagop Akiskal and bipolar spectrum disorder. Bipolar spectrum disorder says everyone who is depressed is bipolar (sort of). Anyways, its an interesting theory. Check it out.

Originally Posted by RedCylon

Is it possible to have Bi-Polar without any mania? I have heard stories of people with Bi-Polar being treated for depression, but because they have the wrong diagnosis, the treatment does nothing for them.

I ask because I am starting to wonder if my depression is actually Bi-Polar. I'm pretty sure my father has Bi-Polar, even though he has never been formally diagnosed. He very clearly has the up and down periods, but I never do. I briefly took anti-depressants for 2 or 3 months last year and they did nothing for me. Was it the medication not working for me, or was I just not being treated for the right thing?

The only reason I think I might NOT have Bi-Polar is the lack of manic episodes. I never have anything remotely like that. The closest I get to that is when I think to myself "Don't worry, it will be OK. It's not that bad" That thought never lasts long, however.

Everything I read about Bi-Polar, every test I take, says that the Mania is a big part of it. So is it possible to have very mild or NO mania at all, but still be Bi-Polar as opposed to depressed? Is it possible to be both?

Just asking have you asked the physician WHY exactly they think bipolar.
And that the medication is not working for you....
Medication like everything needs to be changed now and then.
I would bring up the highly important information you've written.
And let them know HIGHLY

[thinker22]

I thought for a long time I was just unipolar depressed for my entire life. None of the traditional antidepressants worked on me (SSRIs, SSNRIs), they just made me irritable, anxious or tired.

What you may not realize is that mania doesn't have to be full of elation and joy. It can seem like another type of depression. You may have insomnia, impulsive, reckless behavior, anger, irritability, etc. If it goes on for a week or more as opposed to just withdrawn depression where you lie around staring at nothing, etc., this IS a manic episode.

Mixed episodes characteristic of bipolar involve feeling terribly depressed, but also unable to sleep, energetic, and thinking dangerous thoughts, making up plans to do or actually doing reckless things, etc.

You may have also had hypomania without realizing it, because most bipolar people feel like this is the "real" them or the "normal" them who is happy, talkative, full of wit and humor. You aren't necessarily doing anything harmful, but you feel as if you can't shut up and are revealing too much info to people you barely know.

So I'd look back over your life and see if any of your depressed episodes had breaks such as the above or if they were mixed with other things besides typical listless depression.

However, just because one medication didn't work for you in the regular anti-depressant class, doesn't mean another one wouldn't. Everyone's chemistry is unique. Some people hate Lexapro, others love it, same goes for Zoloft, etc. We had to exhaust all the typical antis before I started to piece together my upswings and mixed episodes and creative energy. Only Wellbutrin works for me in terms of neither making me exhausted nor manic as in other antis. Now I'm on Lamictal too for mood stabilization and Seroquel for sleep to reduce my anxiety/hallucinations at night. The only time I've ever been psychotic was after taking and then having to come off of Paxil.

So if you do discover you're bipolar, or not, don't feel like it's a stigma or will cripple you. Most people can manage the disease and lead productive lives, same as those with unipolar depression.

I hope this helps. Take care.

[RedCylon]

Thanks to everyone who responded, and a big thanks to Amaviena and Amazonmom for the info on the Bi-Polar spectrum disorder and to Nikki for the information on Unipolar.

As for the symptoms of a manic episode described by thinker22, (thanks to you too, by the way) the only one that I think I can really see in myself is the irritability. I really don't think I exhibit the reckless choices or the impulsive behavior. I tend to be a little bit of an insomniac too. The only dangerous thoughts I ever have are suicidal, and like everything else those thoughts come and go.

I do notice that my mood can change at the drop of a hat. One little thing can put me in a bad mood for hours. I'll become very withdrawn and depressed all day, but then wake up the next day and feel fine. The strange thing is that I am almost always depressed anyway, good or bad mood.

The only thing that made me thing Bi-Polar was because I'm pretty sure my father has a classic case, and I know it is genetic. I've noticed my sister, who is on medication, also has noticeable up and down periods. I just thought it would be strange if they both had it, yet I had something totally different. I suppose it's possible.

Thanks again everyone.

[amaviena]

I dont know if you've consider this, but maybe you just haven't had a manic episode yet.

[RedCylon]

I suppose that's possible. Like I said, I do think I have noticeable "mood swings" in that one thing can ruin my day. But this has been going on for so many years I can't believe that I wouldn't have had a full manic episode by now. I guess anything is possible though.

[thinker22]

Yeah, any kind of mood/mental disorder may share similar genes. Like they say there are overlaps on the genes for schizophrenia and bipolar, which may be the reason some bipolar people normally don't have visual or auditory hallucinations, but they do during manic episodes. I don't see why there couldn't be overlaps with bipolar and unipolar depression in the gene department (get me some banana republic's dark blue while you're in there ). Genetics is a strong component, but only about 80% of the equation, with environment and triggering trauma being most of the rest as I understand it.

My dad and brother have NPD, but my mom and me aren't. Of course it's a personality disorders. My brother and I deal with alcohol abuse, but my parents don't. My bro uses drugs, but I don't want anything to do with them (other than my prescribed meds as directed...and I avoided even these for most of my life). My grandfathers are alcoholics, one made a recovery, the other didn't. So on and so forth.

I guess part of it is what you're predisposed to and the rest of it is making the choices you can make. Like I can't choose my mood disorder, but I can choose to not abuse alcohol (or get treatment if it's out of control) and to go to therapy and to keep plowing on until they find the right meds combo for me. (Sorry, this is all really obvious, just thinking out loud).

I hope you get the treatment you need and that your doctors are caring and helpful...if not, I hope you find some who are.

[RedCylon]

Thanks thinker22. It does seem to make sense that certain mental illnesses can share genes, but manifest itself differently in different people.

My father is an alcoholic too, and has had trouble with drugs. Like I said, he is very clearly Bi-Polar in my opinion. My sister had anorexia and was in a hospital for a year. My uncle, who I never met because he died when I was young, was supposedly very depressed too. Makes you wonder if there is one faulty "mental illness" gene that is passed down through the generations and just manifests differently depending on the individual and the circumstances.

As for getting treatment I hope to be going to a psychiatrist or therapist soon. I really hope that by this time next year I can get my life together.

[amaviena]

a good number of BP are actually dx as unipolar until late in life.

[RedCylon]

I didn't know that. Interesting. So I guess it's possible a manic episode is still in the future then? I just can't imagine myself getting like that. I'm usually so down, the idea of a manic episode seems impossible. Hey, at least I would be productive and doing something if I was manic.

[thinker22]

Hypomanic is better. You get all the silliness, energy, and creativity with none of the dangerous behavior. Somewhat impulsive, but in a mischievous way, at least in my case.

My manic periods were not fun. I was still depressed, just agitated and energetic and driven. Of course there were those I heightened by drinking and those were kinda fun, but also scary due to the blackouts. Bad me. Working on getting my drinking under control, but for the most part I don't drink when I'm already depressed and I'm a happy drunk.

[RedCylon]

Now that I have had some time to think about it, I think that maybe sometimes I do get very, very mild manic episodes. I do get agitated and irritated sometimes, and there are days when I feel like I need to get out and do something. I find myself just a little bit more driven to do things. It usually lasts for a few hours, a day at most, then it disappears. And despite it all I will still be depressed.

I'm starting to think I really need a professional diagnosis. How easy is it for a doctor to tell the difference between Bi-Polar and depression?

[thinker22]

Depends on the experience of the P-doc. If they don't ask the right questions, they'll never figure it out. Mine didn't. Just gave me antis to no avail because the depressed phase looks like major depressive unipolar illness.

Have you taken the bipolar quiz on this site? Click on the quizzes tab at the top. It's alphabetical listing. It can help you find out where you are on the spectrum if you answer as honestly as you can recall. My first try I was a 50, but I've scored slightly lower and higher since then.

See, if you have been depressed more than 2 weeks straight and for no external cause (like death of a loved one), but then you have an hour or a day of anxious energy, those would be seen as hypomania within the overall state of a depressed episode. So you may not have had fullblown mania ever. You may have had mixed states or irritable hypomania, which would be a bipolar ii diagnosis. I'm not a doctor, so I can't diagnose you, but you should tell the p-doc your concerns and why. And bring in the results of your test from this site. Some docs dismiss online stuff, but others like it when their patient is proactive.

[RedCylon]

Well I took the quiz and scored a 10. Pretty low. The problem is that when I read things like "Do you talk faster than normal?" or "Do you have racing thoughts?" I answer no. I really don't think I do things like that. I do sometimes just feel a little more up than usual, but it's mild and temporary. Things like "Do you feel irritable" just seem very vague to me. Everybody feels irritable now and then.

When I read symptoms of Bi-Polar, it's always "mania and hyperactivity and reckless behavior." None of it seems to fit. The symptoms of depression seem to be a much better fit. But at the same time I do sometimes feel OK, and with my family history, Bi-Polar just seems to make more sense to me.

This has been an on going thing for years, but only in the last 3 has it gotten so much worse.

Well hopefully I will be going to a doctor soon.

[Trying & Caring]

You may have treatment resistant depression. Sometimes a doc will add a little bit of Lamictal or a small dosage of Abilify for that even though you are not officially dxed w/bipolar. Sometimes it can help...

We are all individuals. Even though I've never had a full-blown mania (only hypo mania--which I LOVE--but then after about 5 mos. of sleeping only a couple hrs. w/that I crash into a horrid & dangerous depression. I've also had mixed episodes & delusions & paranoia & suicide attempts so I am dxed as bp 1--as my mother was--sorry to say she committed suicide).

[dearyou]

Yes, treatment resistent depression. I was going to add that. Doctors will just start suggesting and experimenting with "bipolar meds" like lithium, lamictal, atypical antipsychotics etc. when you don't react well to antidepressants or react strangely.