Posted by Ritch on May 29, 2002, at 23:23:19
In reply to Re: Bipolar/Unipolar depression - differences?, posted by jazzdog on May 29, 2002, at 13:53:09
> It's my understanding that unipolar depression is the anxious, insomniac, losing-weight variety, and bipolar depression involves sleeping too much, having no energy, and gaining weight. But there are also mixed states, anxious hypomanias, etc., so who knows?
Yes, and unless you write it all down (mood chart, journal, whatever) while it is ocurring it is really tough to remember what your depressive episodes are *really* like! I was just reading the tranylcypromine monograph (interesting how depression semantics seem to "change"), and it now talks about the difference between "melancholic" depression (which is supposed to be the same as "endogenous" depression) and NON-melancholic depression which is characterized as "atypical" "reactive" "neurotic", etc. So now I am even more confused. All I know is that I *never* get hypomanic spells during the winter and that is when I have one of my seasonal major depressions. It is characterized by eating more (with distinct carbohydrate cravings), sleeping more, and a dreary weepy sadness and disinterest in everything. Well, I have a 2nd episode that is seasonal and it has been starting early this year (summer episode) and it is the same as the winter one except I tend to feel a lot of anxiety and a lot of screwed up interrupted sleep associated with it. Fortunately, it hasn't progressed to the sleep screwup stage-because when it gets to *that*-that is when it becomes a major problem.
Mitch
poster:Ritch
thread:107896
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020525/msgs/107998.html