[particulates]

I have had recurring bouts of depression since childhood. Never mania, always just depression, all of my life. I was a quiet, introverted and shy kid and remain shy and quiet as an adult.
Except for the time when I was prescribed antidepressant drugs. Within a very short time, I was not sleeping well and I was bouncing off the walls with newfound energy. Trouble was, I was getting sleep deprived and tired of all the energy spent on being wired. Doc said I should be taking sleeping pills as well.
That is when I stepped up to the plate and stopped the antidepressants, and the symptoms of mania went as well.
It has been about 20 years later, and I take no drugs for depression. I try other things like going for a walk and trying to eat well. My depression always subsides with time and a bit of effort. Each episode I come out of more knowledgable about what worked for me.

I believe I would have received a false diagnosis of bipolar back when I was taking the drugs. The drugs themselves caused my mania. Mania has never returned and I seem to be dealing ok with the depression on my own.

[Travelinglady]

Hi, particulates, and welcome to Psych Central! I've made the same kind of argument since my first manic episode was induced by an antidepressant. But evidently non-bipolar people don't have that happen? That's what I'm told, anyway--and they keep my "bipolar" label. I have had other manic episodes--but nothing really major. I still suspect these prescribed drugs cause most of my problems!

I'm glad you're problem free after twenty years. That tells me you're okay, as far as I'm concerned!

[UpDownAround]

I did not recognize my hypomanic episodes as such until an antidepressant triggered a worse episode. When the doc was listing off little quirks of my personality as symptoms, I was actually kind of pissed. I did not realize how often I was drowning out others and how little sense I sometimes made. I can not say if that is true with either of the two of you, of course, but we often are not the best sources of info about out own behavior.

And you are in a catch 22 if you tell a psy doc they are misinterpreting the episode as hypomanic because then they make a note- "thinks he/she knows more about this than I do"...

[Icare dixit]

DSM-IV used to have the label "substance-induced mood disorder". DSM-5 (and ICD-10) "substance-
/medication-induced bipolar disorder". They didn't just add "medication" because they love redundancy and created two labels for the substance-induced mood disorders (just) because they like additional labels: induced mania happens a lot and psychiatrists treated people with substance-induced BP and "normal" BP the same because (apparently) they're unable or unwilling to read and/or understand the DSM or at least unable to understand, it seems, that antidepressants are substances or that they might have given treatment that made things worse. It's probably beneath them because doctors always know best and never make mistakes.

So it's fine to call it BP (it's a syndrome), but the root cause is very different so the treatment should be very different.

Of course antidepressants are to blame for a lot of mania. But patients are often like doctors and don't admit it could be the result of a mistake. It creates uncertainty and shame.

People have to learn to live with uncertainty and the knowledge that they may have to admit they've caused their own problems, at least partially.

Even admitting that you can deal with depression with lots of effort is too much truth for many; what one does, thinks or experiences is completely unrelated to the (severity or) existence of one's problems, so one isn't in any way and to any extent responsible, many like to believe.

[emgreen]

I've been diagnosed as having BP 1, but take anti-depressants when my depression knocks me down. When I'm up, I have no complaints as long as I'm not out of my mind manic, or sleep deprived. I sometimes wonder, however, if I've been misdiagnosed since ADs don't generally send me over the edge.

[particulates]

Thanks everybody, it's good to get feedback on what could be a volatile subject, at least that has been my experience. Too bad a doctor doesn't join in these posts.

My reaction to antidepressants may be more common than we think.
I took them because I was under a lot of stress in my marriage and I had also returned to school as an adult. Being as old as their parents did not make me a lot of friends. I was lonely, poor, and my self-worth was at an all-time low. I did find a good therapist at the school, most important there was no money necessary. That is when I decided that the AD's were making me feel so different that I scarcely recognized myself.

I have done all the wrong things to self-medicate for depression. Alcohol was my main friend. For some crazy reason, and admittedly I was not in a position to know, alcohol made me feel normal and confident. So when depression emerged, I used it as a medicine, and it did work until I sobered up the next day. My drinking was not constant, just when I felt it was doing some good. It is indeed cunning that way. Thirteen lucky years ago I quit drinking. Other than my manic episodes on AD's and/or alcohol, I've been pretty good. And I include my descent into the black hole in that category, because I have found that with patience and simple measures, things will lighten up.