[x123]

Something I just realized is that my moods are somewhat similar to how people describe bipolar - except that everything is miniaturized. All morning and up until about 4 pm today, I have been depressed and barely able to think. Then suddenly I started having all kinds of ideas like I just can't go wrong. One of these ideas that came to me today is "is this problem that I experience so often a form of bipolar?"

I've always thought the depression I experience is not normal, because it comes and goes. It will be really horrible for a half day or maybe even two days, but then it suddenly disappears. Often I go to the other extreme of feeling a bit too energized and optimistic.

I know bipolar is much more extreme. The lows are lower and the highs are higher and everything goes for weeks instead of hours.

Any opinions? I don't mind the highs, because I don't usually do anything too reckless, sometimes I overcommit myself to something and can't follow through, but nothing too awful.

[czarina1984]

Try looking into cyclothemia which is also called bipolar 3. Its a milder form. Much of what you are describing matches that.

I like that! I got mini bipolar too!

[BipolaRNurse]

There is a less severe form of bipolar disorder called cyclothymia. Only a doctor can diagnose this, however. The symptoms you're describing are pretty vague, and bipolar (of any sort) usually doesn't mean having multiple mood changes in a single day. But again, you need to ask a doctor, preferably a psychiatrist, rather than random strangers on the internet. All we can offer is opinions, and you know what they say about opinions.

[krisakira]

What you are describing is me ON meds. Off meds I have full blown schizoaffective bipolar type. Meaning schizophrenia symptoms and bipolar (mania and depression) symptoms. ON meds I have mood swings. Off meds I am totally out of control with my depression and mania. Just tossing that out there. Sounds like you are talking about mood swings. Which can be part of a personality disorder such as BPD or just totally on its own as just stress related. I would look into the stressors in your life and how to cope better with them. Make sure to have a really strict sleep cycle, because I know when my sleep is off, my moods can be all over the place.

[x123]

Thanks, everybody Cyclothemia and get more sleep. Those are good ideas. I've been this way almost my whole life. Sometimes I have periods of constant depression for a couple of weeks, but usually it's just up and down once or twice per week. The difference between the two states is almost frightening. Earlier today I felt so bad I wondered if I had a physical illness like cancer instead of depression. Then suddenly all that depression disappears and I can think and do my work again and I start getting all kinds of ideas.

At least knowing the name "cyclothemia" gives me something to google. I might also mention this to my therapist.

[Row Jimmy]

I don't think there's any "textbook" definition of bi-polar.....it was created by people who study these sorts of things but there are always nuances to every condition. They just needed to come up with something so they came to BP1 and BP2. The small variations in between or outside are where a lot of people (like me) probably sit. I can function well but I still have some stuff going on that isn't strictly defined by the textbook. My p-doc isn't sure if I have BP or some sort of personality disorder but I meet a lot of markers for all sorts of things.

[JustJenny]

Hi there,

I appear to have something similar. During the lows I see no point in life and I cry all the time and during my highs I am full of energy, I have racing thoughts and I feel very jumpy and unable to sleep well because of so much excitement. The mood swings are rather rapid and can switch within a day, but usually an episode of being very depressed or very happy takes 2-3 days.

My lows became very severe over the past year, they have affected my productivity at work greatly and people around me are worried about me. The jumpy part wasn't regarded as a symptom until I started scoring my mood that made me realize that I have severe mood swings, not just depression.

One thing I have noticed about myself is that a lot of my mood swings have an obvious trigger. A good example was when one day I was all happy and jumpy and I encountered a person who did not appreciate my endless happiness. Something clicked in my head and I became first highly irritable and then depressed for the next couple of days. And it can be the other way around too: once I was very unhappy and crying in my office (just couldn't help it). A colleague sitting next to me after watching me cry for some time dragged me away from the office and talked to me for around half an hour until I stopped crying. Again, something clicked in my head and I was in my happy mood again for the next couple of days.

Does something like that happen to any of you too?

I think I'm along the same lines, but my GP doped me up on AD which drove us batty, so by the time I saw a pdoc I looked BD 1....which stuck. But whatever, the meds work.

[x123]

Originally Posted by AlwaysChanging2

I think I'm along the same lines, but my GP doped me up on AD which drove us batty, so by the time I saw a pdoc I looked BD 1....which stuck. But whatever, the meds work.

I was reading the article about cyclothymia in Wikipedia, and noticed that antidepressants make the condition worse somehow. I imagine "AD" means antidepressants?

The use of anti-depressants as monotherapy typically worsens cyclothymia and can induce mood switching, cycle acceleration, mixed states and prolonged treatment resistance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclothymia

I tried antidepressants 15 years ago, and it made me feel terrible. That isn't the same as what Wikipedia describes above, but FWIW.

[x123]

Originally Posted by JustJenny

Hi there,

I appear to have something similar. During the lows I see no point in life and I cry all the time and during my highs I am full of energy, I have racing thoughts and I feel very jumpy and unable to sleep well because of so much excitement. The mood swings are rather rapid and can switch within a day, but usually an episode of being very depressed or very happy takes 2-3 days.

My lows became very severe over the past year, they have affected my productivity at work greatly and people around me are worried about me. The jumpy part wasn't regarded as a symptom until I started scoring my mood that made me realize that I have severe mood swings, not just depression.

One thing I have noticed about myself is that a lot of my mood swings have an obvious trigger. A good example was when one day I was all happy and jumpy and I encountered a person who did not appreciate my endless happiness. Something clicked in my head and I became first highly irritable and then depressed for the next couple of days. And it can be the other way around too: once I was very unhappy and crying in my office (just couldn't help it). A colleague sitting next to me after watching me cry for some time dragged me away from the office and talked to me for around half an hour until I stopped crying. Again, something clicked in my head and I was in my happy mood again for the next couple of days.

Does something like that happen to any of you too?

That's very similar to me, except I don't cry. I feel like crying, but I don't actually cry. Everything else you describe is almost identical. I can barely do my job in spite of sitting at my desk all day trying. It's like my body is made of lead and the gears in my brain are barely able to turn due to rust. Then some little something happens and - poof - everything is "normal" again. What I didn't realize until yesterday is that "normal" is very similar to mild hypomania. A cycle might be a day or just a couple of days. The downs seem to last a lot longer than the ups unfortunately.

[x123]

Oh yes, at times I have wondered if dehydration is a factor.

[x123]

Originally Posted by Row Jimmy

I don't think there's any "textbook" definition of bi-polar.....it was created by people who study these sorts of things but there are always nuances to every condition. They just needed to come up with something so they came to BP1 and BP2. The small variations in between or outside are where a lot of people (like me) probably sit. I can function well but I still have some stuff going on that isn't strictly defined by the textbook. My p-doc isn't sure if I have BP or some sort of personality disorder but I meet a lot of markers for all sorts of things.

That sounds true. I hope the p-doc has some good ideas.

[BessieRabbit1]

I have been taking Lithium supplements to help with my moods since March of 2015. It seems to help me a little. All of my life I have lived with symptoms similar to bipolar and autism, but never had a doctor tell me that had mental issues. When I stopped taking the supplement for a month, I got depressed again. My mom was bipolar and had schizophrenia. As I get older, my moods seem to get worse especially when my workload increases. For six months after my mother had passed away, I was so depressed that I was not hungry. I finally went to a counselor.

[pearlys]

There is also such thing as Bipolar Not Otherwise Specified if your symptoms dont fall in the other subcategories of BP

AD means anti depressants and yes, certain AD's tip me (and others) over the edge, especially SSRI's

[x123]

Originally Posted by BessieRabbit1

I have been taking Lithium supplements to help with my moods since March of 2015. It seems to help me a little. All of my life I have lived with symptoms similar to bipolar and autism, but never had a doctor tell me that had mental issues. When I stopped taking the supplement for a month, I got depressed again. My mom was bipolar and had schizophrenia. As I get older, my moods seem to get worse especially when my workload increases. For six months after my mother had passed away, I was so depressed that I was not hungry. I finally went to a counselor.

I think my depressed moods are getting worse as I've aged. (I'm getting close to 50 now). Depression goes beyond feeling bad to feeling like I have a hangover or the flu. I feel terrible every morning. Sometimes it goes away near lunch time and other times it goes on until evening or bed time. When it goes away, it is instantaneous and suddenly the gears in my brain that were frozen begin to turn normally again. When I was younger, depression made me unhappy and suicidal, but now depression is more like being sick.

Your mention of schizophrenia is also interesting. In 2009, I had a psychotic mental breakdown. It didn't really fit the norms of psychosis just as my depression doesn't fit the norms of depression. All my problems seem to be brief compared to the standards.

[BessieRabbit1]

Originally Posted by pearlys

There is also such thing as Bipolar Not Otherwise Specified if your symptoms dont fall in the other subcategories of BP

AD means anti depressants and yes, certain AD's tip me (and others) over the edge, especially SSRI's

Thank you. I will research this some more.

[Cocosurviving]

I agree with BipolaRNurse....rather than get carried away with Google, WebMD or any other site.....including others opinions on here. It's best to go to someone licensed as I'm sure many on here do. If you read through the boards you can see that many on here have a "pdoc". A psychiatrist is best as pointed out. I wish you the best in getting correctly diagnosed.

Sent from iPhone 6 Plus using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by x123

I was reading the article about cyclothymia in Wikipedia, and noticed that antidepressants make the condition worse somehow. I imagine "AD" means antidepressants?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclothymia

I tried antidepressants 15 years ago, and it made me feel terrible. That isn't the same as what Wikipedia describes above, but FWIW.

Yes, AD is anti depressants. Feeling out of control is quite terrible. Normal people don't feel the effects of AD.

Truthfully, at most I'm bd2, but AD gave me a bd1 dx. I tried to clear this up but no one cares, whatever.

Get ya a pdoc and see what they say. MI is a spectrum and it all over laps.

[Hashi/bipolar mom]

AD's can create mania.

[pearlys]

Besides the already mentioned advice that you should see a professional, untreated bipolar tends to get worse over time, as far as I understood but I am not sure about it.
On the other hand, as long as your moodswings are not incapacitating, you won't qualify for BP.
Sadly enough sometimes because when early signs would be visible, treatment could prevent worse.

[x123]

Originally Posted by pearlys

Besides the already mentioned advice that you should see a professional, untreated bipolar tends to get worse over time, as far as I understood but I am not sure about it.
On the other hand, as long as your moodswings are not incapacitating, you won't qualify for BP.
Sadly enough sometimes because when early signs would be visible, treatment could prevent worse.

Thanks, I was starting to think there was nothing wrong with me, and I was only having normal mood changes. Then I rode my exercise bike yesterday, and it caused me to feel extremely sad afterwards. Imagine if you are going through old pictures of a loved one after they had died. That was how I felt.

The thing that makes me question cyclothymia is that I don't have the ups. All I have mostly is downs, but they usually go away after half a day or so.

I've been thinking about stopping therapy, because it seems to be in a rut. I can't make the therapist understand what is going on. I'm Charlie Brown giving Lucy her dime.