Posted by Ritch on March 26, 2005, at 10:43:04
In reply to Re: Biploar VI (6) » katherpoo, posted by Larry Hoover on March 25, 2005, at 17:51:21
> > Has anyone ever heard of this? Bipolar 6? My shrink says it's an alternative way of thinking about my anxiety/pnaic/hypomania... that I'm on the other end of the "biploar spectrum" where I'm about 98% manic/anxious and 2% depressed... whereas many of you know Bipolar I is unipolar depression...
>
> There is one proposed categorization system that defines Bipolar VI as unipolar mania. There are other systems, so I'm hoping to avoid confusion here. This system seems to be the one that fits.
>
> About 5% of bipolar individuals really aren't bipolar at all, as they do not have moods that drop into the depressive region. They're normal, hypomanic, or manic.
>
> What that means is that you would not benefit from certain common treatments, such as antidepressants. Your therapy would be targetted towards the hypomanic/activated symptoms. Panic and anxiety could be seen as irritable aspects of hypomania.....
Whenever I was first diagnosed a long time ago and successfully treated for a mixed-state with lithium and doxepin, I developed a nearly consistent hypomania with few depressive dips at all. I remember my therapist asking me at the time: "Are you *always* high"? In retrospect it probably was doxepin induced hypomania.
poster:Ritch
thread:475528
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050326/msgs/475765.html