Telling the difference between depression and bipolar?

[QuirkyKapers]

I am curious how you would differentiate between these two? I know bp you have cycles of manic and depressive symptoms, not sleeping.....could just depression look like that too?

[Mergath]

I have had depression since I was a teen, and my dh is bipolar. With my depression, it's like a constant low. No energy, no desire to do the things I used to enjoy, and a persistent numb feeling. I might have good days, but overall, my mood doesn't really fluctate.

 

With dh, he would have long periods of grumpiness and just sitting, staring at the wall. Then, out of the blue, he would become extremely agitated, screaming and freaking out. He'd take all of our money, go to a hotel, and get drunk for days on end with no sleep.

 

Thankfully, we've both found wonderful medications that almost completely take away our symptoms, and you'd never know that I have OCD and depression, or that dh is bipolar.

 

As for depression looking like bipolar disorder, it's so different for each person that it's hard to say. You can have clinical depression on its own, or it can be a symptom of something else, like Borderline Personality Disorder or even things like MS. The person in question really needs to see a doctor and find out what is going on.

[QuirkyKapers]

It's my dad. He did go see the doctor. Not a psychiatrist. They put him on Paxil. It isn't helping. Apparently he is actually worse than before he was on it. He wasn't motivated to do things before and his sleeping was sparodic. Now, he is getting anxious about doing things. He sits and stares out a window. My mom died a little over a year ago. After her death, he was hyper crazy and spent a lot of money. It has caught up with him now and he is upset with himself about that. He remarried within 6 months of my mom's death. She is a great lady. However, the man she is married to now is not the one she dated. He was talkative, outgoing, I can do anything conquor the world, I can earn lots of money because I am worth a lot (his skills) now he is I can't do anything, I don't want to do anything.....Ugh...She keeps wanting advice of what to do...I don't know her....I hardly had talked with my dad prior to my moms death and our relationship is the same. Actually, having him more depressed is actually the dad I am more used to. I suspect it might not be depression but I don't know. I just encouraged getting him back to the doctor sooner.

[Wendi]

Your dad's symptoms do sound more like bipolar disorder. Since he isn't feeling better, I'd see if he will let you make an appointment with a psychiatrist, and take him.

 

:grouphug:

 

Wendi

[sparrow]

PM me, if you'd like. I'm dealing with a VERY similar situation with my father. He was diagnosed with depression AND bi-polar at the end of August.

[Night Elf]

Did he have mood swings like that before your mom died? I've heard that grief can do crazy things to people.

 

I'm bipolar. My manic episodes are mostly irritability, restlessness, and high anxiety. Sometimes in my manic phase, I have been known to make impulsive decisions like buying a new computer or sitting down to write a book (dumb when I have absolutely no idea of what to write). But I was like this for years before I was diagnosed with bipolar. I was diagnosed with chronic depression and my agitated/restless states were never addressed. I was just seen as an impulsive person who did stupid things sometimes. Honestly, I believe that is one reason I am so negative about myself. I grew up with my family telling me I was immature and stupid. So I can trace my bipolar symptoms back quite a ways.

 

Oh, my regular doctor gave me a prescription for Prozac, thinking my chronic depression was back in full swing. That is what actually threw me into a manic phase that she then recognized as something that was part of my depression and she referred me to a psychiatrist. That was when I was diagnosed with bipolar, slight ocd, and add. I was 41 yrs. old.

[katilac]

It does sound more like bipolar to me. Your description of when he was manic is very typical, and not everyone cycles quickly. How long has he been in the depressed stage?

[asta]

I live by two rules:

 

1. Don't diagnose via the internet

 

2. Don't ever try and diagnose someone else - you don't know what is going on in their head (eg: no third party diagnosing)

 

If you are concerned with your father's behavior (or anyone's, for that matter) try and get them to at *least* a general practitioner who can navigate them to a qualified specialist.

 

One thing I always try and impress upon people is that psychosis (what most people are referring to when they are describing out of control manic symptomatology), is not a diagnosis, it is a symptom. Many, many things can cause it, ranging from the most commonly known (mental illness) to the seemingly least (cancer).

 

Please get him to a doctor.

 

 

asta

[QuirkyKapers]

Thanks all! He has seen an Internal Medicine doc who is also the medical director and is on Paxil. His next appt is end of Nov. The tough part here more than anything is that he is newly married and I am not sure what his wife wants exactly just an ear or some kind of action on our part. I have sent her an email asking that. To me this feels really tricky, I don't want to overstep my bounds but I want to be supportive.