Posted by deirdrehbrt on April 18, 2004, at 22:06:26
In reply to Re: Cyclothymia and Bipolar 2 » Pandabear, posted by terrics on April 17, 2004, at 9:59:54
Terri and pandabear,
Terri is right about cyclothymia and Bipolar 2, in that it is a difference in degrees. In Cyclothymia the highs and lows don't reach the point of being hypomania or deep depression.
Bipolar 2 can go from depression to hypomania.
Bipolar 1 goes from depression to full blown mania. Mixed episodes (where mania and depression are present at the same time) would also be categorized as Bipolar 1. I believe that Pandabear is correct about the psychotic episodes too. I have bipolar 1, and do have psychotic symptoms. I don't know though if they are present in bipolar 2 or cyclotymia.
Any kind of bipolar disorder can really stink. Sometimes it takes quite a while to find the right combination of meds. In some cases no meds can control the disorder completely. I'm on Seroquel, 700 mg/day, Lamictal, Effexor, Lithium, and cogentin to deal with the side-effects at night. I still have occasional hallucinations, as I mentioned in another post, I an in the midst of a bit of mania. I still get depressed, though my suicide attempts have gone down I have had at least one mixed episode, and it was horrible. I heard a description once where someone described them as "being depressed at 100 miles per hour". That description is completely accurate.
In honesty, the Bipolar 1 isn't the only psychiatric diagnosis. I have DID also, and perhaps when I've dealt with the DID, maybe the symptoms of the bipolar disorder may resolve.
poster:deirdrehbrt
thread:337045
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040409/msgs/337565.html