[Perfectly_Imperfect]

How can you tell if your bi-polar or depressed? What's the difference between the two?

[iamtwilight]

Bipolar folks get manias or hypomanias.

I don't have much to say right now, but I read one "symptom" which bipolar folks might exhibit: being able to crack jokes etc. when depressed.

I think that you can do that in a mixed state.

Is this what you meant?

[Seraph]

Well, you can't necessarily distinguish a unipolar (major) depressive episode from a bipolar depressive episode. If you have a manic episode, you're automatically bipolar.

However, bipolar depression is more likely to have "atypical" features.
- Oversleeping instead of insomnia
- Overeating instead of not eating
- Ability to be briefly cheered up by very positive things.
- Sensitivity to criticism

Plus, bipolars are more likely to have trouble getting up in the morning rather than waking up early.

[RelientK]

Bipolar Disorder is very complicated and it affects us all a little
differently. There seems to be so much overlap of symptoms in all phases. Read as much as you can about this illness if you thinkn you might have it.

If you do get this diagnosis, it might be worth writing down your symptoms as they are happening so you can better understand yourself. This is useful because it can be difficult to recall specifics at a later time. People here are really good at relaying their experiences so that's another useful tool in understanding BPD.

I don't know if this helps but my "hypomania" is not of the traditional sort. I never feel good. I get irritable, argumentative, and delusional. Once that starts to wane - I begin a gradual decline into depression.

[Perfectly_Imperfect]

Around this time last year I started feeling extremely depressed so I went to my doctor and we talked for a bit. I said that I was feeling extremely irritable and upset. She then asked me if I felt that way all the time. I had been feeling that way for a while (about 3 or 4 months) so I said yes. I was perscribed medication and I eventually began to feel a lot better until now. I now feel as if I'm becoming depressed again. Is it possible that I'm bipolar and not suffering from depression? And can people who are bipolar be treated with the same medication as those who are depressed?

[AAAAA]

Drugs are a tricky thing too. I've been on antidepressants but they've not worked for the mania associated with bipolar. Or the cycling.

I've only ever sought treatment for the depression portion of my disease. I was not responding to the regular antidepressants but the meds for bipolar have been awesome, I feel human again!

[Perfectly_Imperfect]

See I'm not sure if I'm bipolar because I'm having trouble spotting the manic part.

[AAAAA]

In my early stages my mania was mild, going several days without sleep, periods of increased energy, mind zooming, hard to hold on to a thought long term.

[Schatje]

It can almost be like playing "find the mania" sometimes. Manic episodes or hypo-manic episodes can be so mild sometimes it is hard to see. I mean if you feel great, have a ton of energy, don't need to sleep a lot, and are really productive how can that be a bad thing. Right?

You might want to see if any thing else fits. That was how I ended up finding out. I mentioned that I felt like everyone was judging me to my doctor and that was the start. Then I started to really think about those times that I only needed a few hours sleep, I normally can't function well on less than 9 hours a night, and how I became ultra-productive.

A big thing I notice when I'm hypo-manic is the crash. I noticed that when I was feeling so great that things started to slide down. I became agitated and pissy then I would plummet into deep depression.

I would suggest keeping a log of how you feel and see if there is a pattern.

Also, antidepressants don't always work for bipolar people. In fact they can send some bipolar people into a manic episode. I was on a ton of antidepressants and they never quite did it. My doc told me that bipolar depression is different than depression. The brain acts a little differently with bipolar than with depression or something of the sort. Getting on a bipolar medication instead of an antidepressant really helped me. I was always much more depressed than manic.

[DocJohn]

You might find this article helpful as well:

http://psychcentral.com/lib/2007/wha...nd-depression/

[Seraph]

Here's an easy way to tell if you've had mania. Since your own judgement is impaired, ask one of your friends.

I consider myself to have very mild episodes, but my friends usually comment on it.
- They tend to be surprised when I start waking up early in the morning or staying up until morning
- They tend to comment on my speech. I remember one particular example where I was telling my friend a story; he was nodding his head while I was talking, but when I finished, he said "I have no idea what you just said." (My speech tends to jump from topic to topic and contain a lot of minor, irrelevant details which only seem to fascinate me.
- They'll joke and say I have ADHD or PMS (I'm a guy). Because I get really pissy and easily distracted.

If you go through a period of high energy where your behavior changes enough for those close to you to notice, then there's a good chance you've had a hypomanic or manic episode.

[Perfectly_Imperfect]

I definetly have had some of these symptoms

- Inflated self-esteem
(My self-esteem seems to go from highs to lows. There's never an in between.)

-Pressure to keep talking
(When I with my friends I can't stand the "quiet moments." Whenever one of those comes around I always tend to feel paranoid, like I said something wrong.)

-Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences
(I have always been serious about my school work but lately I feel myself worrying about what I'm going to do this weekend and blowing off my homework.)

-Irritable behavior
(I tend to snap at people for no reason.)

[AAAAA]

Those sound like mania symptoms and I'd definately discuss them with your doctor.

[Perfectly_Imperfect]

How can I bring this up when talking with my pdoc?