Depression or bipolar???

Avatar for lisalyanne
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Registered: 10-31-2003
Depression or bipolar???
17
Fri, 11-07-2003 - 12:52pm
Hello all,

I am 27, married to a wonderful man, have 2 wonderful boys, ages 2 & 3. Have battled depression practically (or at least feels like my whole life) I have these episodes however of anger, irratibility, irrationality, confusion, restlessness, can't sleep, disorganized & disjointed thoughts etc... but not mania so to speak, no euphoria like they talk about. Has anyone else experienced this. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Lisalyanne

lwatkins@stmartin.edu

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Avatar for lisalyanne
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Registered: 10-31-2003
Mon, 11-10-2003 - 1:35pm
Mine is usually one to two weeks, where I go from being very happy, to biting someones head off to starting and not finishing things, insomnia, spending sprees, attacking my husband in bed (which he doesn't complain about LOL), disjointed, irrational thinking etc... then I go into a depression and feel like my family would be better off without such a crazy mom and wife, those can last a while...and I still find myself irritatied and hostile during the lows, but not as bad, then (like right now) short periods of normalcy.

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Registered: 11-06-2003
Mon, 11-10-2003 - 1:48pm
Thank you. I think that answers my question somewhat. The insomnia for me is ever-present. I haven't slept more than 2 to 3 hours (on a good day) per night in a month. I haven't really had a "manic" mood. Just the rage. That is "new" this time around but something I had some 20 years ago. That's what scares me the most is knowing it's back. Then every now and again for very short periods of time, I'm back to my "normal" state. Unfortunately, those don't last long at all. Of course, I haven't had one of those in a couple of days either. Oh well. 2 more weeks til my appt. Hope ya'll don't get tired of me by then.

Again, good luck on Wednesday!

(((((((((((((())))))))))))

Traci

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Registered: 07-18-2007
Mon, 11-10-2003 - 3:16pm

One of the hardest things for family and friends of an individual with bipolar illess is the failure to stay on meds.

 

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Avatar for karenmrh
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Registered: 04-23-2003
Mon, 11-10-2003 - 8:01pm
Lisa:

It probably is time to see your doctor. I know the hallucinations can be scary. Fortunately, I haven't had much on that front in several years. Although I have attacks of paranoia, which aren't fun.

Hallucinations are part of Bipolar mania for some sufferers, so in a way maybe seen as a "normal" consequence of the disease (if this disease could EVER be normal).

There are also some people suffering from depression who hear voices and such, but that tends to be much more rare than in Bipolar Disorder.

Many people who experience hallucinations, say they tend to be of a religious nature (the type is dependent on the cultural background), so you are right on there!

(I know, kind of gallows humor.)

In my own experience, the scariest hallucinations I ever experienced was of the devil, with full auditory, visual, tactile effects. Not fun, and I didn't tell ANYONE about it, because I was sure they'd send me to the hospital. I was only 9. Later I didn't tell anyone because I was afraid I'd be labeled a schizophrenic (and that was a real possibility).

But it seems at this time, that therapists and doctors are much more open to a diagnosis of Bipolar disorder.

Again, Good luck!

KarenMRH

Avatar for lisalyanne
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Registered: 10-31-2003
Tue, 11-11-2003 - 6:17pm
Thank you for your post!!!!!!!!! I don't feel as alone anymore. Its something that I rarely talk about, and have been having them my whole life. (I have a memory of seeing "angels" when I was in my crib. Of course that could have been a hallucination as well...hard to say. I have been extremely fearful of being committed or labeled a schizophrenic. It's comforting to know that there are others out there like me, although I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. If that makes sense. :-) Thank you. I will let you all know how my appt. goes tomorrow. No matter what I am committed to revealing everything, putting it all out there and being open to whatever they tell me. Nervous though.

Lisa

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Registered: 03-27-2003
Tue, 11-11-2003 - 6:32pm
Hi, welcome to the board...I'm sorry, but I haven't gotten a chance to read through all the replies to you yet, so I may be repeating some things. But I also have experienced periods when I felt just as you described...and right now I am only considered depressed, but one psychiatrist (the only one I spoke to for a long time) told me he would lean towards classifying me as bipolar, type II.

Hmmm...now that I mention it, I wonder if that's why all these antidepressants haven't been helping much (but I'm not manic on them either, so I guess it's hard to know). Anyway, I've never had a significant time of feeling great or even very happy...but as Karen (I think it was) said, mania can be either giddiness OR irritability...and I definitely get restless, sleepless, and angry (though I try to hide that last one).

Sorry to ramble, just wanted to say welcome, and I hope you find some answers...I know it can be hard to diagnose bipolar type II and to distinguish it from simple depression. I have been depressed for over 5 years, and I'm still not sure quite what's going on!

Rose

Avatar for lisalyanne
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Registered: 10-31-2003
Tue, 11-11-2003 - 11:58pm
I get periods of anger, irratibility, irrationality, my thoughts race and I can't slow them down, I sometimes get really restless and hyper, I have occasional hallucinations (only one since I was a teenager and had some then) and delusions, always of a religious nature. I tend to be angry and irratable most of the time and try to hide it. Its like I can snap at my husband at any moment but the other symptoms come and go. I see a psychiatrist for the first time tomorrow. I'm nervous!!!!!!!

((((((((((((ROSE)))))))))))))))

Hang in there!

Lisa

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