depression vs. bi-polar?

@ knija

They just put the sleepyness down to depression it's self so they wont change it.  i'm only on 10mg cause i'm so small, i'm hoping to work off them soon, they only wanted me on em 6 months and its gone way past thAat now

i go from happy to depression often. i know that i am bipolar. but, i know of ways that i can control it. when i feel like i m going to loose it, i go do something that relaxes me. i often stay outside and garden all day because if i think too hard about a situation it deoresses me. i do various little techniques that help me. being a social work major and knowing about the severity of major mental illnesses has helped me to cope with things

cheekychris wrote:

I know alot about bi-polar. My sister was diagnosed almost 5 years ago after the first time she tried to kill herself, however the symptons started a long time before that.
There are two types of bi-polar, bi-polar one and bi-polar two. One is like the manic depression Liney mentioned above, however bi-polar two is a bit different. With two you don't get the highs anywhere near as much, its more like a constant state of depression (but there are other symptons than just depression).
Doctors are much more happy to diagnose depression that bi-polar because still very little is known about the disease. It took my sister 2 years to get correctly diagnosed, and one of her friends has only just been diagnosed after over 6 years being told she had different things wrong with her.
But it is a disease that can be managed. The most important thing you can do is find someone to talk to - whether it is a friend or counsellor, but someone you can trust. By talking to someone you are comfortable with first it will make it easier to go to a doctor or psychiatrist later.
There are no quick fixes for bi-polar, and it can take years to get the types and levels of medication and counselling right. But not doing anything about it would be worse.

I'm very passionate about this subject because of my sister and her attempts to take her own life which I was first on the scene for. It can be a devastating disease and it is not well understood.

wow it sounds like you are the person to talk to,I think I have the bi-polar two.it sounds so much like me,but I havent got up the nerve to go to the doctors yet,I would feel like an idiot,my pride is to big thats the problem,I dont want any one to see me weak,so instead I suffer with my illness ive had it so long now that I dont remember what its like to be normal and happy,Im sad all the time,I have this pain inside of me and im not sure where it comes from,if that makes any sense at all! I feel guilty about not doing the things I should be doing like playing with my kids or doing my Art like I used to,I just cant find the strength to do the things I love any more and then it just turns on me and makes me feel even worse!
I try to ignore it but it just wont go away and every year that passes it just gets worse,so for the woman out there please dont be stupid like me and go get help now!
There I feel a little better getting that off my chest thanks for listening girls! oh and boys hee hee!

It's good to see so many people willing to talk about their problems, or problems affecting people close to them. Any kind of mental illness is devastating if not treated (as some have experienced first hand), but sometimes it is those around the person with the disease who get forgotten. It affects siblings, parents, children and friends so severally, but this often gets forgotten because it is so hard just to keep on top of helping the person affected.
I spent many years ignored by my parents because 'dealing' with my sister was more important - not once was it considered that find her with her wrists slit would be affecting me. I'm lucky enough to now have a really good relationship with my sister. She has been off meds for 12 months now, and she's the sister I once knew as a child.
For anyone out there, this is NOT an easy illness to diagnose, like other mental illnesses. Just because you have a few symptons does not mean you have the disease. And self diagnosis is dangerous. Some people believe that they can handle it themselves, or that no one else notices so it's ok not to do anything about it. IT IS NOT OK. Think about the people around you who love you and care for you.

Godessx8 - I strongly encourage you to find a doctor or counsellor to talk to. I understand it is hard, but it sounds like you love your kids enough to start talking about it here, so I think you are strong enough to go the next step and get some help. It is not something to be ashamed of.

Giovanna53765 - I'm glad finally someone corrected that person (I wasn't willing to myself before you did). To hear someone talk about bi-polar like it's something that is curable is hurtful. It took me many years to come to terms with the fact that this disease is a part of my sister, and that no matter how good she is doing at the moment, there is always a chance of relapse.

I thank you all for opening up.  I am thinking that i just suffer from sadness/depression.  I can't belive how many people are able to open up.  I know that i would like to be able to help anyone, like you all have helped me.  I try to be positive with other people, please feel free to PM me if you just need some encouragement.  I want to be able to give others the boost you have given me.  Good luck to you all (and families) that are suffering.

MysteriaKiito wrote:

My sister has bi-polar disorder and it doesn't sound like you have it. You do have to have those extreme highs to have it, I guess the term is "mania" or something. But there's times when she's really hyper and calls my mom and bugs her to death and if my mom's trying to nap and not answering my sister will actually go to her house and hover over her until my mom wakes up and be all like "lets go do something". O.o And a lot of bi-polar people do have tendencies to have addictions as well. My sister had alcohol and drug problems but she's dealt with those finally after years of battling with them. I'm not entirely sure if this is a definate sign of bi-polar, but I think it is one of the things that tends to be common amongst them. I do recall when my doctor was evaluating me(I have severe depression) he did mention this.

It's hard to tell what you might have but I have borderline personality disorder. Perhaps you could look at the symptoms of that and see if they sound familiar. It's one of the lesser known of disorders. I was lucky enough to have a nurse bring it up when I was hospitalized. Never heard of it til she said something. Here are the symptoms.

    * Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment
    * A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation
    * Identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self
    * Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating)
    * Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behavior
    * Affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days)
    * Chronic feelings of emptiness
    * Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights)
    * Transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms

I got it from this link if you want to read into it some more.

http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx10.htm

I had gone to therapists a lot and no one diagnosed me with this until I brought it up that a nurse asked me if I was diagnosed with it. So if the symptoms sound like you bring it up. I

I went to that site you mentioned but that doesnt sound like me at all hmmm maybe im just really depressed,well ill get the nerve to goto the docs eventually!

knija wrote:

Lulustarr wrote:

@ knija

They just put the sleepyness down to depression it's self so they wont change it.  i'm only on 10mg cause i'm so small, i'm hoping to work off them soon, they only wanted me on em 6 months and its gone way past that now

and how do you feel now? after 6 months on meds? do you think you have improved or not? are you happier? what about your hobbies? your spare time? tell your doctor everything, keep nothing inside you, i did it once and it was worse, believe me!!

Much better if I think back to how I was, I now sleep more, no bad thoughts i.e suicide, and I'm not with the loser bf who put me on them in the first place, I have my appetite back, I just occasionally burst into tears for nothing at all, and get into really bad moods that just won't shift thats about it now I spose so all in all I want to come off them but there is still the fear of relapse and going back to how I was but worse

I'm on 10 mg every 2 days now!

thanks.. i'm gona really need it :S

Giovanna53765 is correct. Most people with bi-polar are born with it as it is a genetic mental defect. People who "get" bi-polar do so around the age of 17 and it is very different from the genetic sort. I don't have the latter so I can't comment further without a lot of research.

Either way bi-polar is not curable. It can be maintaned but you are never free of it. You are born with it and you die with it. I think that's the thing that really kicks me when I'm down because at least in my lifetime there won't be a cure.

Also, medication takes time to work. You can't take a couple of pills and expect a change immediately. It takes weeks for any effect and months for you to feel any real difference.

I'm on Depakote (semi-sodium valproate) and Seroquel (quetiapine). A lot of the time I'm stuck in a mildly depressed state (mildly compared to what I've been at least) and if I'm lucky for some time I level out, but more often than not I end up exactly where I started before they started me on the medication and I have to have the dose raised. My only problem is that its getting to a point where after the next raise its quite dangerous to take it any further. What happens then I don't know.

Another problem I face is that at any point I may have to stop taking medication as my liver is having to deal with so much due to my medication. My choice is either I take the medication and live a reasonably normal life but knock about 10 years off of it, or live a long life where I suffer every day.

The only real problem with meds is that so many doctors think they can start decreasing your dose when you start getting better, which is not the case. Where they have tried that with myself and my mother we've gotten worse very quickly. We know it isn't psychosomatic as it takes a long time for the tablets to same the same effect again when placed back on the previous dose.

Doctors say that exercise is a great help for depression, and milk. I can't remember exactly why milk, but I remember my GP mentioning it.

I am curently having cognative behavioural thearpy, to help me with the depression i am experiencing. It helps you to think postively rather than negativly. If anyone isgoing through depression i suggest they ask their doctor about CBT its really helpful

First of all, I would like to say that I too am bi-polar and I have started a thread for psychological issue support which I have posted at the bottom of this reply. 
     
     I have suffered from bi-polar I for 5 years, and I am recently discovering that it might be time to have some re-testing done.  The ages of 15 and 20 are very different, so I'm thinking it might be best to get that figured out.  I can honestly say that I have been extremely successful in controlling my disorder for four reasons:

-1) I have been extremely blessed with having a very large support group of family, friends, and psychological staff.  I believe that this is the most important thing to successfully managing a psychological issue, whether mild or major.  If you don't have a very good support group, please use the thread I started. I created it for those who don't have a good support group or ever one at all. 

-2) I have had every single test done to officially determine what's "wrong" with me.  I also believe getting tested saved my life as well as my family's.  It's very, very important that you get more than one opinion on your diagnosis as well.  It can keep you from being missed diagnosed, which can lead to worse problems later on (i.e. medication that is not for what is truly there and causes more harm than good).

-3) I take my medication regularly even when I feel totally fine.  Bi-polar is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and although medications suck, (believe me, I wish I didn't have to take them!) they are the most important thing that keeps me on track.  Even if you don't have bi-polar, if you are instructed by a licensed psychiatrist (multiple suggestions are a good idea) to take medication, do so.  Also, remember that side effects are natural and that when you are trying different medications they might even make you feel worse.  But in the end, with the help of your doctor and/or psychiatrist, you will be able to find what works best for you.

-4) Finally, I continually see a licensed mental health practitioner (therapist), a licensed psychiatrist, and psychologist on a regular basis to help me get through having this disorder.  All of these people that I see are specialists that mainly work with people who have bi-polar disorder, and I believe it's important to make sure that no matter what your problem is you find people who absolutely know what they're doing.  It will probably take you a while to find people who are just the right fit for you but just keep trying and it will make things that much better when you do.

I'm sure that there are those who are probably thinking, "well that's nice advice but I can't afford it," but trust me you can.  I am a college student who is married and living in Chicago, IL, USA and my husband and I are both working jobs to pay our bills.  The nice thing about this world is that it's changing. Society is starting to realize how vital psychological help is and there are now more places to find good mental health help for extremely reasonable "prices."

     All you have to do is research.  Make calls, ask questions, search the internet, whatever! But if you need help, get it! Anyway, I have more to say, but this has gotten a little long, so I will post a-new on a couple other things  I would like to comment on.

Psych Support Thread http://www.missbimbo.com/forum/t41877,1 … upport.htm

Several of my family members have bipolar disorder and I think I might have it myself (along with depression).  Anyway, there is a pretty big difference (at least as far as I'm concerned) between the two.  With bipolar disorder you have usually noticeably drastic mood swings and when you're happy, you're very happy (same with other emotions).  Hence the term "bi" meaning "two" and "polar" meaning "other side" basically meaning on the other side of the spectrum of the emotion you are currently experiencing.