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Bipolar II

Posted , 4 users are following.

ann55375
ann55375

is it true that treatment resistant depression and anxiety could be bipolar 2?

if there is no mania just bad depression could this be the case? 

What symptoms should be looked out for?

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • jmcg2014
    jmcg2014 ann55375

    Posted

    As far as im aware mania is never present in bipolar 2 - it is bipolar 1 if mania has ever been present.  bipolar 2 does require hypomania though, if that (and other symptoms) are not present then it isnt biploar 2.  Treatment resistant depression and is probably a condition on its own, or could simply be that the correct treatment hasnt yet been found.  Treatment remember is not solely medication based, many sufferers get no benefit from medication at all - but its not bipolar 2
    • ann55375
      ann55375 jmcg2014

      Posted

      Thank you, very concise reply.  As you can tell i am still fumbling around trying to deal with my agitated depression.  I am so concerned that the psych has decided to try antipsychotic augmentation for it.  I have never had psychosis but he tells me this is next step.  Dont know where to turn. I was hoping that he might try something to help my agitation rather than diazepam but hes not interested.  I am finding each day harder than the one before just now. Depression is no better but no worse. I would like to ditch meds but insomnia etc are a real problem.  I hope he can refer me to psychologist but wait is long.
    • jmcg2014
      jmcg2014 ann55375

      Posted

      unfortunatly many psychiatrists only deal in medication, they are brain chemistry experts, so its their speciality.  It sounds like a therapist would serve you better, the waits as you say can be long though. i ended up paying for private therapy once a month until my nhs therapy came through
    • ann55375
      ann55375 jmcg2014

      Posted

      at appt with psych yesterday i asked if i might have something other than unipolar depression and he quite categorically said no.  I just cannot tolerate higher doses of anti depressants and that is why i am not better.  He suggests i take smaller doses of it during the day to try to get dosage up. He has discontinued the atypical antipsychotic he had tried as it made me feel worse.  Have to try to see how i get on now. I asked about psychology but he said as i had 25 sessions privately he would not see it as necessary, i told him i didnt benefit from them and he said still no.  Perhaps i shall see psychologist privately.
  • mari34228
    mari34228 ann55375

    Posted

    Ann, would you mind me asking you if you have any other 'symptoms' you think might be connected to BP2? Like recurrant obsessions, mood swings (perhaps not severe?), impulsiveness?? Or anything like that? I would just like to compare as I have been wondering about your question myself. You don't have to answer if you don't feel comfortable doing so.

  • catspat
    catspat ann55375

    Posted

    I had been diagnosed as Major Depression for more than 20 years so I was very surprised when I was in the hosp and my diagnosis was changed to BP2.  My meds were changed - I was kept on one antidepressant, and a mood stabilizer, anti-anxiety drug and antipsychotic were added. I had been so depressed I could hardly get up to use the toilet and the new meds got me moving again.  I'm a lot better now and have been on this med regimen for 9 years.  I don't even know how my diagnosis got changed.  It could have been a shot in the dark.  I think that lots of BP2s never hit the manic end of the scale so I wouldn't rule out that you really are BP2.  And my med doctor told me that as new drugs come on the market the diagnosis is less important than it was previously and what matters most is finding the right medications.  So that's my experience.  I hope it helped a little.  Greetings from the USA.

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