Posted by SLS on December 17, 2009, at 8:49:12
In reply to Re: Atypical Depression versus Bipolar Depression, posted by morganator on December 17, 2009, at 8:44:22
> > > I think mood reactivity is present in both bipolar and atypical depression. At least my friend and I both have experienced it pretty regularly. We both agree that we could be thrust out of feeling depressed fairly quickly and suddenly feel more on the hypomanic side in reaction to something good happening to us.
> >
> > Hypomanic?
> >
> > Sounds intense.
> >
> > Do you think that you can learn to seek out
> hypomania through psychotherapy?
>
> I may be biased, but yes I think I can. It may depend on the individual though.
>
> I'm not sure how hypomanic I was. I certainly had plenty of periods of feeling fairly laid back and calm(especially after playing basketball for 3 hours straight-hypomanic?) I think there are many high functioning hypomanics out there. I tended to fluctuate I think. I was not the type that was super productive and didn't require or didn't get much sleep on a regular basis. I got sleep, I just had lots of energy and I was on the wild and crazy side. Then I would go through periods of being more calm and focused, especially when I was staying away from the drinking. Let's just say I think there are different levels of hypomania.
You are fortunate in this regard. If my mood were that reactive, I would try and use Maslow's hierarchy of needs to understand self-actualization and to work towards increasing my frequency of having peak experiences and reducing my exposure to depressogenic ones. The quality of mood enhancement is probably greater during these times than that which one would experience when using psychotherapy or exercise alone. It would be more consistent, too.You should look into it. It might reduce or obviate your need of using somatic treatments to resolve your depression.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:929182
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20091217/msgs/929679.html