Bipolar Symptoms Recently Added to the DSM-IV

9 Descriptions for Bipolar Disorder (According to the DSM-5) | bpHope - bp Magazine Community

Well worth reading.

Very interesting!
Thanks, Laurie!

WC

I definitely have the seasonal pattern. I don't think I was rapid cycling until not all that long ago with med changes (I got hypo for a couple of days just a few days ago titrating wellbutrin), but there years where I had hypomania twice and was depressed the rest of the time. Technically speaking that would be 5 episodes, but one rolled over from the previous year and one rolled over into the next year. It sure didn't seem rapid. I have cycled 5 times in the last 3 months or so but some changes seemed med related.

I relate to several.....the one hitting home the most was the first one about anxiety.....I was questioning if I have mania or it's some kind of anxiety but this makes it sound like anxiety is just part of the mania sometimes.

Thanks for sharing Laurie. I enjoyed reading the comment section after the post too......lots of interesting discussions going on there.

You're all welcome.

ElsaMars, me, too! I almost cried when I read the one on anxiety. That's my nemesis. I had one pdoc who referred to the severe, unrelenting anxiety as a 'dysphoric mania.' That certainly made sense.

I didn't even see the comments...thanks...I'll read them.

Thanks Laurie ! I hope that helps some people better understand the Bipolar beast

I hope so. I find the additions really interesting and quite eye-opening.

I did cry when I read them. I'm crying over everything recently though. Anxiety is a real killer. I need to learn to master mine though I don't think it's actually possible to do so. I can perhaps learn to manage it somehow.

Yup! Anxiety! Also learned a new word: ultradian cycling for those days that go from manic to depressive to manic and back.