[yellow_fleurs]

I know this topic has been talked about before and is commonly discussed with bipolar disorder in terms of determining the difference between a mood and personality disorder. Usually the answer I have seen is length of time and if it is in reaction to something. This generally makes sense, yet I am not sure it always helps me and I am curious if others have trouble with this and have any tips?

I sometimes get sad for a long period of time until it could be classified as depression, but I wonder if it is really just prolonged sadness? Or, I can have short duration changes in what seems like it might be a mood if I don't get enough sunlight, sleep, or my hormones interfere.

My therapist thinks I am too focused on the surface stuff, trying to improve my mood with light therapy and what not, and need to delve deeper. I tend to agree to a point, but also at this point if my mood is changing every winter, for example, then something seems up besides just my emotions or things I need to work on from my past?

Anyways those are some personal examples, but I really do struggle to tell the difference sometimes and I am wondering if anyone has tips or experiences to share? Thank you!

[Fuzzybear]

I think this is a great question. I also sometimes get sad for a long period of time until it could be classified as depression. I used to experience a serious prolonged mood dip every autumn and winter. I am almost certain that the answers are not “simple” especially when ACE (adverse childhood events) and abuse and neglect in childhood are factors. Maybe this is what your therapist is thinking of?

Much love

Hello yellow_fleurs. I think sometimes it can be hard to differentiate between the two. I guess one "clinical" way might be to go down the list of symptoms for the type of bipolar mood state. Also, identify any possible triggers. Obvious ones make it easy, but not so obvious, not as much. I do agree with your therapist that processing some old wounds could be helpful in working through certain emotions, as long as the effort does not lead to exaggeration or fabrication, which I don't believe is the case for most.

I think the pain of past wounds and the pain mental illness brings can make us sensitive, to varying degrees. That doesn't mean we are all "highly sensitive people", because we can be sensitive to stress (or other things) without a label needing to be assigned.

I know that things that happened in my youth still affect me, to a degree, even as I approach 50. Losses, disappointments, forms of abuse are hard to just bury away permanently.

I think grief is one of the top emotions I feel, from time to time, that I am able to separate from bipolar episodes. Grief is just awful! Awful! Yes, I've gone through the grieving process for many things, many times over, but it's hard to get it fully out of my system. It's not like you "graduate" from it. This struggle is what makes me sensitive to the "surface" things your therapist talks about. It's not entirely a bad thing, per se, unless it does continue to eat away at you, at which time I think true depression can set in.