Are You Depressed or Do You Have Bipolar Disorder?

Millions of Americans suffer from depression. Perhaps you or a loved one have been diagnosed with, or sought medical treatment for depression. Although medicine can help, the right diagnosis needs to be made in order for treatment to be effective. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to tell the difference between depression and bipolar disorder.

In fact, it is not uncommon for people with bipolar disorder to initially receive a misdiagnosis of depression. Even medical professionals have a hard time telling these two conditions apart. Luckily, if you take a little bit of time to educate yourself about the features that distinguish these diseases from one another, you can make sure that you receive the proper diagnosis and you will soon be on your way to recovery.

Bipolar disorder, which is also known as manic depression, is a mental illness characterized by unusual highs and lows in a person's mood. People with bipolar disorder experience periods when they feel tired, down, and just generally depressed. These periods can last for many months or even years, which is why they are often initially diagnosed with depression.

The flip side to this, however, is that bipolar people also have periods known as ''mania'' where they feel unusually good or energetic. During these manic periods, people find that they don't need as much sleep as normal. They will usually be more talkative and outgoing than usual, and may also be more interested in spending money or engaging in sexual activity. The longer that bipolar disorder goes untreated, the worse the mania can get. People experiencing severe mania may suffer from feelings that they are invincible or even hallucinations, either of which could lead to dangerous or suicidal behavior.

It is these manic periods that really make the difference between a diagnosis of depression and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Often, bipolar individuals have periods of feeling "normal" between mania and depression. And since people are much more likely to ask for help when they're feeling bad than when they're feeling good, these manic periods often go unreported when they finally seek treatment.

So, what does all of this mean to you? Well, if you've been feeling ''down" or depressed, I would certainly encourage you to talk to your doctor. But before you do, ask yourself some basic questions. Has there ever been a period of time in your life where you've felt unusually "good," "up," or "happy?" A period where you needed less sleep than normal? Perhaps you were more interested in sex or shopping than normal? Was there a time when you were reckless, or ran up a lot of debt and/or got in trouble with the law?

If the answer to any of these questions is "Yes," be sure to tell your doctor, even if he/she doesn't specifically ask. If you're not sure, ask your doctor point-blank if they think you could be bipolar. Many of the medicines used to treat depression can actually make bipolar disorder worse, so make sure you get the right diagnosis the first time.

Is Lamictal an Effective Mood Stabilizer?

For many years of my life, I suffered through periods of extreme depression, alternated with periods of extreme productivity. I just accepted these mood swings as a normal part of life, but then I saw a psychiatrist that told me that these mood episodes were likely the result of a psychological disorder that could be regulated with medication. I had only ever tried taking traditional anti-depressants, like Prozac, Zoloft, and Lexapro in the past, and my doctor informed me that this could acutally be making the symptoms of my mood disorder worse.

The doctor and I came to a mutual decision that it would be a good idea for me to try a mood-stabilizing medication instead of just an anti-depressant. I was hesitant, since it seemed like there were more potential side effects with mood stabilizers than with SSRI medication, however my doctor seemed to think it would help so I decided I would try it.

The mood stabilizer that she put me on was Lamictal, which is an anti-seizure medication which is also approved by the Food & Drug Administration for the treatment of bipolar disorder. While it is unknown exactly how Lamictal works, it is thought to regulate chemicals in the brain responsible for mood and impulsivity. I started taking Lamictal at a very low dose, which is required due to the risk of an extremely rare skin rash, and as the lowest doses, I didn't notice very much of a difference in my mood at all.

Slowly, my psychiatrist began to increase the amount of Lamictal I was prescribed, until I reached the recommended therapeutic dose of 200mg per day. After a few weeks of being on this dose, I began to notice a big difference. My mood swings started to become much less frequent, and I was feeling more "grounded" and emotionally stable in general. When I did get depressed, it became much less severe--and when I was feeling better, I was still much less impulsive and got much less agitated than I normally would.

A year later, Lamictal has me feeling like my old self again. In medical studies, Lamictal actually has outperformed lithium as a mood stabilizer, which was considered the "gold standard" by medical doctors for years. I found that Lamictal definitely brought my moods to a much more normal and stable level, and I have heard others recount similar experiences. Only your doctor can tell you if prescription Lamictal is right for you, but if you have been experiencing severe mood swings, it could be an important conversation worth having!