Posted by S.D. on January 1, 2001, at 1:44:28
In reply to Re: Bipolar type that cycles betw norm. and depressed? » S.D., posted by judy1 on December 31, 2000, at 0:27:06
> Hi,
> While Noa's finding the Akiskal abstracts
>(which she did remember correctly)-I hope she (I'll take your word for it; I don't think I ever knew if Noa was he or she) does - I looked at everything I could find from Akiskal and couldn't find what apparently is there (I found an old psychobabble post that refers to what sounds like 'it' - see my second reply to Noa ( http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001231/msgs/50662.html ))
>I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.
>Do you ever have an agitated type of depression?Yes. I often have what I think would be called anxious depression or agitated depression or what Kraepelin called "depression with flight of ideas".
>Insomnia?
Oh, lord yes. often. See my recent post ( http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001130/msgs/50587.html )
>Irritability?
What's it to ya?!
(Guess that would be a yes.)>These are all on the bipolar spectrum, and
>with the cycling, you would fit the
>profile(and probably would benefit from a
>low dose mood stabilizer).Thanks for the ideas. I think I don't understand enough about the cycling part:
My mood and irritability can vary widely day to day or hour to hour, but I know that's not what is meant by bipolar cycling, nor even rapid cycling.
I go in and out of depression, but many people have depressions that remit (with or without treatment) and return. If that is bipolar cycling, even without ever going into mania, then anyone with recurring depressive episodes would be diagnosed bipolar.
The closest thing I think I have to a bipolar symptom relates to what you asked about agitated depression. That is, I have what might be considered a mixed state of some kind (although not DSM-IVs full-mania+full depression defn.), e.g. a "mixed depressive state, which consists of full syndromal depression and less than syndromal mania" ( http://www.medscape.com/medscape/cno/2000/APA/Story.cfm?story_id=1167 ).
And I may have been in a mild hypomanic state a few times in my life, but restricted to certain aspects (not euphoric or reckless).
In more recognizable bipolar, the mood stabilizers are supposed to prevent episodes of both mania and depression, right?. Are they also supposed to be able to prevent day-to-day mood swings, and/or suppress agitation or insomnia?
peace and health,
S.D.
poster:S.D.
thread:50592
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001231/msgs/50665.html