Clipping from An Article

I DID NOT WRITE THIS. NOT EVEN A LITTLE, NOT EVEN AT ALL.

It is a small clipping of a fantastic in depth explanation of Bipolar Disorder in layman's terms. It is by a Doctor by the name of Jim Phelps. I am trusting the internet that he's an actual doctor--but the article backs him up. It is also a few years old. But definitely within a research-type range.

That being said, this rang true for me.

I can say yes to 8 (maybe 9?) of the 11 markers he lists...several of which I'd never heard before. Enjoy.


Unofficial but evidence-based markers of Bipolar Disorder

You have probably figured it out by now: making a diagnosis of bipolar disorder can be pretty tricky sometimes! You're about to read a list of eleven more factors that have been associated with bipolar disorder. None of these factors "clinches" the diagnosis. They are suggestive of bipolarity, but not sufficient to establish it. They are best regarded as markers which suggest considering bipolar disorder as a possible explanation for symptoms. They are not a scoring system, where you might think "the more I have of these, the more likely it is that I have bipolar disorder." That way of thinking about these factors has not been tested.

Here's the list of items which are found with bipolar disorder more often than you would expect by chance alone. This list is adapted from a landmark article by Drs. Ghaemi and Goodwin and Ko. (Drs. Goodwin and Ghaemi are among the most respected authorities on bipolar diagnosis in the world. This important article is online).

1. The patient has had repeated episodes of major depression (four or more; seasonal shifts in mood are also common).
2. The first episode of major depression occurred before age 25 (some experts say before age 20, a few before age 18; most likely, the younger you were at the first episode, the more it is that bipolar disorder, not "unipolar", was the basis for that episode).
3. A first-degree relative (mother/father, brother/sister, daughter/son) has a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
4. When not depressed, mood and energy are a bit higher than average, all the time ("hyperthymic personality").
5. When depressed, symptoms are "atypical": extremely low energy and activity; excessive sleep (e.g. more than 10 hours a day); mood is highly reactive to the actions and actions of others; and (the weakest such sign) appetite is more likely to be increased than decreased. Some experts think that carbohydrate craving and night eating are variants of this appetite effect.
6. Episodes of major depression are brief, e.g. less than 3 months.
7. The patient has had psychosis (loss of contact with reality) during an episode of depression.
8. The patient has had severe depression after giving birth to a child ("postpartum depression").
9. The patient has had hypomania or mania while taking an antidepressant (remember, severe irritability, difficulty sleeping, and agitation may -- but do not always -- qualify for "hypomania").
10. The patient has had loss of response to an antidepressant (sometimes called "Prozac Poop-out"): it worked well for a while then the depression symptoms came back, usually within a few months.
11. Three or more antidepressants have been tried, and none worked.

There is a very radical idea buried in these 11 items, which we should look at before going on, but you should be aware that this idea is likely be dismissed with a "hmmmph" by many practicing psychiatrists. The idea is this: Dr. Ghaemi and colleagues propose that there might be a version of "bipolar disorder" that does not have any mania at all, not even hypomania. They call it "bipolar spectrum disorder".