It's Not Depression. You May Be Bipolar.

Bipolar disorder is easily confused with depression because it can include depressive episodes. The main difference between the two is that depression is unipolar. This means that there is no “up” period, but bipolar disorder includes symptoms of mania. So am I bipolar or depressed? To differentiate between the two disorders, it helps to understand the symptoms of each one.

Let's Examine The Symptoms Of Both Disorders Below:

Symptoms of depression

The essential feature of major depressive disorder is a period of two weeks. During this time, you're in a depressed mood for most of the day nearly every day. Or loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities. Other potential symptoms include:

• Significant weight loss when you're not dieting; or weight gain and changes in your appetite
• Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day
• Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day
• Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day
• Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
• Impaired ability to think or concentrate, and/or indecisiveness
• Recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation without a plan, or a suicide attempt or suicide plan

The symptoms of major depressive disorder cause significant distress in your social, occupational, or other areas of functioning. To meet the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder, you should have no history of a manic episode or a hypomanic episode.

Symptoms of bipolar disorder

Although bipolar disorder can include the above depressive symptoms, it also includes symptoms of mania. Bipolar disorder is characterized by mood swings that fluctuate between depressive lows and manic highs.

A manic episode is described as a distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and increased goal-directed activity or energy, lasting at least one week.

Symptoms of mania include:

• Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
• Decreased need for sleep
• More talkative than usual or pressure to talk
• Flight of ideas, racing thoughts
• Distractibility
• Increase in goal-directed activity
• Excessive involvement in potentially reckless activities (usually involving drugs, money, or sex)

With bipolar disorder, the mood episode is severe enough to cause marked impairment in social or occupational functioning or to require hospitalization to avoid self-harm.

Types of bipolar disorder

There are two types of bipolar disorder. Understanding the different types of bipolar disorder can help you distinguish between bipolar disorder and depression.

• Bipolar I disorder: This is when you have had at least one manic episode, regardless of whether or not you had a depressive episode.
• Bipolar II disorder: This is when you've had at least one depressive episode and a period of elevated mood, called hypomania. Your bouts of hypomania are not as extreme as mania and don't last as long. With Bipolar II, you tend to experience longer depressive episodes and shorter states of hypomania. Patients often seek treatment during the depressive episode, as the hypomanic symptoms might not really impact functioning.
• Cyclothymic disorder: The essential feature of cyclothymic disorder is a chronic, fluctuating mood disturbance. It involves several hypomanic symptoms and periods of unique depressive symptoms. The hypomanic symptoms do not meet the full criteria for a hypomanic episode. Also, the depressive symptoms do not meet the full criteria for a depressive episode.

Treatment for bipolar and depression

Left untreated, both bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder can greatly affect your social and occupational functioning. They both include the risk of suicide. The good news is that both conditions are treatable. Combination treatment often works best in both cases. Possible treatment modalities include:

• Talk therapy
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy
• Family therapy (involvement of your family members increases success)
• Medication management (including antidepressants and/or mood stabilizers)

Patients with both depression and bipolar disorder respond well to highly structured routines. Creating a routine helps you know what to expect and follow through with medication management independently.

Also read: Mental Health: The Connection Between Verbal Abuse And Anxiety