Posted by Emme on August 13, 2001, at 12:27:42
In reply to Recurrent unipolar vs bipolar...a way of life, posted by alexamum on August 10, 2001, at 18:54:59
Hi there. The cycling of your depression, failures of many antidepressants, and heightened irritability and impulsivity that you experienced on Serzone are awfully suggestive of bipolar disorder. Have your antidepressants ever been augmented with a mood stabilizer? See what your doctor thinks - couldn't hurt to try, right? And if it helps, that's all that matters. You deserve to get some relief. The medicine that works is the best treatment, regardless of the label you are diagnosed with. How is your current regimen working out?
I'm sorry you have been suffering for so long and have lost so much. I hope you can see yourself as someone with intelligence and that you are (as my therapist would say) a work in progress and you don't yet know what you will accomplish when you get control of your mood disorder.
Emme
> What is the difference between recurrent unipolar depressison and bipolar? I know, the highs! But seriously, I can't seem to see myself mirrored in psych literature. When you read about depression, there's barely a mention of recurrent types, particularly rapidly recurring depressions. When you read about bipolar, there's no mention of recurrent episodes without manias or mixed episodes. My doctor says I am not bipolar, but I have been shifting back and forth on the depressive scale for years now: primary dysthymia that has turned into recurrent depressions, modified by whatever medicine I'm on at the moment, and I've tried many antidepressants and antianxiety meds. Most recently: Effexor worked for awhile, but faded. Serzone was added, but brought out heightened irritability and impulsiveness and perpetual grogginess. Respirdal seems to have helped calm the rages. So now I am on small doses of all three.
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> What can I do to stay stabilized? So that my world doesn't fall apart with stress? So that I can predict how I am going to be feeling/reacting to things in order to make a commitment to long-term goals? So that I don't lose my sense of self along with my sense of cause and effect in managing my own behavior and actions? What used to be just periodically frustratingly futile interruptions in my life has turned into a way of life itself. I first sensed I need help when I was in junior high school, but didn't get it until I was in my mid 20s...I'm now nearly 50. I see now that I will never have a career or lead a normal life. I have been dx'd with ptsd and depression. Is the problem medications, my attitude, my intelligence or lack of it, my psychiatrist, that I suffered too long before being treated and that has made it worse, bad karma, or....what?
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> I write here because I don't know where else to turn for any scrap of new information or possibly...hope. I keep looking for the key to the puzzle and keep coming up empty handed. Can anyone relate?
poster:Emme
thread:74539
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010809/msgs/74914.html