Posted by Elizabeth on November 9, 2001, at 22:10:53
In reply to Re: Atypical Depression Actually Very Typical » Elizabeth, posted by SLS on November 9, 2001, at 18:07:57
> Sorry I took so long to get to this.
Eh, no problem.
> > I would chart out the course of my depression except I'm afraid it would be really long and complicated!
>
> Maybe it would prove edifying to get a hold of a NIMH life-chart. I don't remember where to get one. You could try the U of Pitt Stanley site.I actually have a big timeline showing the development of my symptoms, along with a list of things I've tried in chronological order. I give these to new pdocs when I have to move (which has happened unfortunately often lately).
> I wonder if bipolar depression can overly dysthymia?
It took me a while to figure out what that was. You mean "overlie," right? Yes, I think so.
> I guess this would be difficult to differentiate from an incomplete remission of bipolar depression.
The way you distinguish between dysthymia and residual depression is: if it was there before the major depression, it's dysthymia; if it only happened after a MDE, it's residual. I see no reason the distinction would be any different for bipolar depression.
I feel for your friend -- residual minor depression can really screw up your life, and it's often hard to treat, I think.
> "The cardinal clinical manifestations of major depression with melancholic features include sustained anxiety and dread for the future"
That could be any depression, I think -- I wouldn't say that those cognitions distinguish a melancholic episode from a nonmelancholic one.
> I put together a post for someone else regarding bipolar I versus bipolar II symptomology. I came across a few things that indicate that bipolar depression can present as a mixture of melancholic and atypical. You might find a few of the links and quotes informative. Do you see any of yourself there?
Uh, not really. Why?
> By the way, I came across a recent article that defined bipolar III as expressing mania only in association with drug intervention.
Yes, that's the definition I heard. I'm not convinced that a manic or hypomanic drug reaction automatically means you must be "bipolar," though. Also, I have had only one clear-cut mania, which was associated with the serotonin syndrome (on Effexor XR) so it might not "count" towards a diagnosis of "bipolar NOS." The other one was some jittery, wired, energetic feelings and irritability, which happened shortly after I started Paxil -- treating doctor said that it "could" be hypomania but never made a diagnosis.
> A quick note. My circadian rhythm is triphasic:
>
> morning - better
> afternoon - worse
> evening - betterHeh. I'm consistently worst in the AM.
> Sort of like overlapping melancholic and atypical?
The worst of both worlds. < sigh >
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:83164
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011104/msgs/83741.html