subject: Bipolar Depression: You Have the Power over It [print this page] Bipolar Depression: You Have the Power over It
Bipolar manic depression is actually very common. It affects over 2 million people in the United States, regardless of age, social and economic status, and race. Based on scientific studies, this type of depression usually starts during adolescence (commonly diagnosed as teen depression).
What is bipolar depression?
There are several types of depression, and bipolar disorder is just one of them. This psychiatric illness is quite hard to diagnose as it's episodic. A person may never exhibit any symptom for a few weeks or months. It is also mistaken as other kinds of depression and medical conditions such as ADHD.
You are suffering from bipolar disorder if you experience extreme highs and lows. When you're high, you are very alert, energized. When your emotions are down you're utterly depressed, even with suicidal thoughts.
Symptoms of Bipolar Depression
There's a comprehensive list of bipolar depression symptoms. They are classified as highs and lows. When you're manic, you may experience the following:
Too much confidence and optimism
Aggressiveness
Exaggerated thoughts
Impulsiveness, compulsiveness
Rash judgments
Hallucinations or delusions
Sudden changes in ideas
When you're depressed, you may go through these:
Extended periods of sadness
Change of appetite and sleeping habits
Agitation, panic, or anxiety
Pessimism
Withdrawal or isolation
Body aches (head, shoulders, and back)
Change in bowel movements
Lack of concentration
Lethargy
Suicidal thoughts
How to Cope with Bipolar Disorder Depression
Just like other kinds of illnesses such as diabetes and cancer, you can definitely manage to co-exist with bipolar depression. You can start with the following tips:
Admit the issue. The very first thing you should do is to accept that there's something wrong with you. Often, you won't recognize the mood changes since manic depression can give you an unusually high feeling, which you learn to like. Nevertheless, unless there's an admission, you would not realize you deserve help.
Get yourself diagnosed. Once you accept the fact that there's something wrong, you can then start seeking professional help. There are a lot of professionals who can help you out. Psychiatrists have the ability to tell you if what you're experiencing is manic depression. Most of all they possess the experience and expertise to determine the most ideal approach to treat or manage your condition.
Be involved. Keep in mind that no amount of professional help will work if you're not willing to cooperate. Ask your doctor some questions, share your concerns, and even suggest other modes of treatments you think will work for you.
Empower yourself. One of the best ways to deal with bipolar depression is to change your perspective. You need to start thinking there's definitely you can do to manage it and not allow it to interfere with the way you live.
You can begin by using subliminal messages or affirmations. The purpose of affirmations is to plant positive thoughts and images into your subconscious mind. Because this part of the mind isn't influenced by other factors, such as your ability to filter out certain information, you can activate it with ease and allow the messages to alter negative perceptions.
