Bipolar Depression vs. Unipolar Depression
Bipolar depression and unipolar depression may look very similar. These similarities often lead to bipolar depression being misdiagnosed, sometimes for years, before a person gets the correct diagnosis and thus the correct medicines for the condition.
What makes bipolar depression different from unipolar depression is that people with bipolar depression have had a manic episode in the past. Bipolar disorder has two main phases: a depressive phase (sometimes referred to as bipolar depression) and a manic phase.
People with unipolar depression have never experienced a manic episode.
If you're experiencing the depressive phase of bipolar disorder, you may feel sad and hopeless. Things you once enjoyed don't seem fun or interesting anymore. You may be sleeping too much or too little. Maybe you feel anxious or guilty.
People are more likely to talk to their doctor during this part of the illness because they feel so down. This is another reason why bipolar depression is so often mistaken for unipolar depression.
The manic phase of bipolar disorder (or bipolar mania) is very different. There might be times when you have lots of energy or don't need to sleep as much. You might talk quickly and have "crowded" thoughts. Maybe you plan lots of complicated projects. You might feel irritable and lose your temper easily. You might go on spending sprees or make reckless decisions.
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