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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 17 of 17. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by nephron on July 8, 2004, at 7:44:15
How on earth are you meant to tell an agitated depression apart from a mania?
I'm becoming just a little bit reckless and impulsive, but I'm sure as hell not getting any euphoria or anything. :(
Blah!
Posted by nephron on July 8, 2004, at 11:49:30
In reply to Agitated depression vs. hypomania, posted by nephron on July 8, 2004, at 7:44:15
I mean, I'm stressed. Moving. Driving recklessly. My mind is racing.
But I sure as all hell don't feel this euphoria. God, I'd love to. But just stressed, and a bit upset, and like I need to keep moving. Keep typing. Keep my mind moving and focused so that I don't lose it completely in the next 20 seconds.
I wrote 1000 words of rant in about 10 minutes and then entirely forgot what it was about, and then people started to reply to me about things I don't remember doing.
I'm just typing and typing and typing because it gives me something to do with my hands and my brain although less so, my hands need to keep moving.
Moving moving moving moving moving.
Gotta go now. Maybe have a shower. Could do with a real clean. Shave, exfoliate, whatever. Couldn't soak in a bath. Too slow. Waste of time.
Posted by nephron on July 8, 2004, at 11:55:29
What's the difference? How do you tell if you're one or the other? There plain simple diagnostic tests? Telltale signs?
I'm so confused, and I can't stop typing until this all slows down.
Posted by nephron on July 8, 2004, at 11:56:44
In reply to Hypomania? Agitated Depression?, posted by nephron on July 8, 2004, at 11:55:29
Sorry, I appear to be posting this everywhere.
I took 60mg temazepam, all it's doing is making my eyes a bit wobbly, my mind is still racing. Fingers still racing.
Need to calm down!
Posted by TexasChic on July 8, 2004, at 12:03:07
In reply to Re: Agitated depression vs. hypomania, posted by nephron on July 8, 2004, at 11:49:30
I'm not an expert, someone else will probably answer you that has more experience with this. But I've read that you can have the mania without the euphoria. Its usually a more irritable variety. I've researched it because that's how my brother is – the agitated, mind going a million miles per hour, constantly needing to move thing. Are you on any medications for it?
Posted by nephron on July 8, 2004, at 12:11:56
In reply to Re: Agitated depression vs. hypomania, posted by TexasChic on July 8, 2004, at 12:03:07
WEll, they put me in the hospital for a bit to keep an eye on me, but they couldn't come up with a definite diagnosis.
I was doing OK for a bit, flat-ish, but not too bad. Recently have become like a "ferret on crack" according to my housemate. And the racing mind thing...
But still don't know where agitated depression ends and hypomania begins.
I mean, for both you're agitated. And for hypomania, you may not be happy. So what is the difference?
I took lots'o'temazepam tonight to try to get to sleep but it's just screwing with my eyesight, still not going to sleep.
Stupid head.
Thanks for replying so soon :)
Posted by TexasChic on July 8, 2004, at 13:24:47
In reply to Re: Agitated depression vs. hypomania, posted by nephron on July 8, 2004, at 12:11:56
> But still don't know where agitated depression ends and hypomania begins.
> I mean, for both you're agitated. And for hypomania, you may not be happy. So what is the difference?
I've actually asked that same question here before and never got an actual answer. I think it may be difficult to tell the difference, which may be why its hard to treat. I think there's alot they still don't know about treating any 'mental illnesses' (I don't like that term but don't know what else to call it). Sometimes treatment just seems to be a shot in the dark. But because some people have actually found relief, it makes it worth it to keep trying. If you haven't already, you may want to find a psychologist who has experience treating bipolar and could get you on some medications.
I hope you find relief soon.
Posted by ghost on July 8, 2004, at 13:47:43
In reply to Re: Hypomania? Agitated Depression?, posted by nephron on July 8, 2004, at 11:56:44
i wish i had an answer for you. when i read your first post i wondered that myself. it's a good question i never pondered before. i remember being so depressed i was manic-- pondering harming myself and being positively giddy about it. it was the weirdest feeling.
i think racing thoughts constitutes mania, but being upset/depressive at the same time constitutes "rapid cycling." but i'm just guessing. i'd be interested to know the answer, because i've been in your predicament before myself.
expend some energy-- write a novel! paint a picture! meet someone new! introduce yourself to me. :)
Posted by deirdrehbrt on July 8, 2004, at 17:31:04
In reply to Re: Agitated depression vs. hypomania, posted by nephron on July 8, 2004, at 12:11:56
Hi Nephron, TexasChic
Hypomania is basically a surge in energy, it doesn't have to be accompanied by euphoria. It can appear as aggitation, hypersensitivity, overdoing things, etc. It often accompanies euphoria because very often people who are depressed lack energy. When it comes along in the hypomania, then people can finally get out of bed, off the couch, etc. Energy produces good feelings sometimes.
That's probably technically incorrect, but it's how I see it. I'm bipolar by the way.
Then thereis bipolar 1, where the hypomania (meaning 'less than mania') becomes mania. Mania can bring about feelings of euphoria, but can also lead to grandeur, psychosis, and mixed episodes. This last one, mixed episodes occurrs when a person is both manic and depressed at once. It is really unfortunate that these two aren't mutually exclusive. The feeling, as someond described it, is like being depressed at 100 mph. That is the best description I've heard.
If you want to better understand these things, including hypomania, disthymia, etc. you could get a book on bipolar disorder and that might help.Good luck,
Dee.
Posted by Elle2021 on July 8, 2004, at 19:04:05
In reply to Hypomania? Agitated Depression?, posted by nephron on July 8, 2004, at 11:55:29
That's a good question. I can only give you my experience because I haven't really done any reading on agitated depression. When I get hypomanic, I feel *really* happy and slightly reckless. It is also not completely uncommon for me to get a bit psychotic. By that I mean that during a hypomanic episode I sometimes see things that aren't there (typically spiders). Other times I see shadows or get highly paranoid. So... When I'm depressed, and become upset/agitated, I don't usually have the psychotic aspect. Keep in mind that sometimes hypomanic episodes can be confused with anxiety attacks. There is a great website you might want to take a look at that discusses the possiblity of generalized anxiety disorder as being the same as bipolar II: www.psycheducation.org
Elle
Posted by Dinah on July 9, 2004, at 19:54:28
In reply to Agitated depression vs. hypomania, posted by nephron on July 8, 2004, at 7:44:15
I have my own idiosyncratic way of describing them for myself, and I don't know if it would mesh with a medical explanation.
In both, I don't need to sleep much, I'm ummmmm..... well I show signs of physical arousal unaccompanied by mental imagery - that's my telltale sign. I feel like I'm going really really fast, way faster than the world, which feels annoyingly slow.
In the one I feel good, productive, smart, etc. etc. I'm hypersensitive to sounds and smells, but it feels like a good thing, like I'm in tune with the universe.
In the other I feel like ripping my skin off. I'm not at all productive - I can't even sit down to work. I'm so hypersensitive that even the lightest breeze feels like it's burning my skin. I'm likely to get downright hysterical over things that don't usually bother me. I can't sit still, but not in a good way.
Posted by nephron on July 9, 2004, at 23:03:11
In reply to Re: Agitated depression vs. hypomania » nephron, posted by Dinah on July 9, 2004, at 19:54:28
I'm going to talk to my pdoc on Monday, have a long consult. Whatever is happening, it isn't fun, and it isn't productive, so I just have to hold myself together until Monday.
Hope you all have a good weekend!
Posted by Emme on July 10, 2004, at 13:26:39
In reply to Thanks to everyone!, posted by nephron on July 9, 2004, at 23:03:11
Hey people. Very interesting thread. My doc would say I'm "bipolarish". In my more anxious, overwrought states I have noise sensitivity. The other senses seem to stay normal. I've always been sensitive to noise, but it's *much* worse sometimes - I flinch at loud noises and even find normal noises grating. Would it be fair to say that this is not an uncommon manifestation of the negetive energy of bipolar? I don't know of anyone else IRL with this particular symptom. No one else I know brings earplugs to a rock concert or covers their ears when a truck goes by! :)
Posted by Racer on July 10, 2004, at 14:05:57
In reply to Noise hypersensitivity, posted by Emme on July 10, 2004, at 13:26:39
This really *is* a valuable topic, and it hits on something I've asked and asked about, without any real answer, too.
When I get into that agitated portion of depression -- which I really don't think is hypomania, by the way, although I can't really say way -- I get hypersensitive to a number of sensory inputs -- smell is the first one to hit, but also noise, and at the worst colors are too bright and the light is overwhelming. Dunno about why on any of it. But I have noticed it -- especially the smell portion, because some days I can't stand to be around myself because even with a shower scrubbing away any bodily odors, the smell of the soap (Ivory, so not a strong smell) is enough to nauseate me.
As for what is hypomania and what is agitated depression, I'm torn between "what does it matter, as long as it can be treated" and "there really oughta be an answer to that, because it would make treatment so much easier." My guess, though, is that it's a question of interpretation, and that you'll get three different diagnoses from three different clinicians on it. The closest I've ever come to an answer was about 15 years ago, when a pdoc questioned me pretty closely about my state because I went from severely depressed to very sunny and bubbly once the drugs kicked in. She asked a lot of questions, and finally told me that she thought at first that I might be hypomanic -- but my answers had convinced her that I was just finally showing what my "real" personality was. (Yeah, I laugh: me? Bright and Sunny? LoL! But you know what? Every other time I've responded to meds, I've been bright and sunny, so I guess that really is a big part of me.)
I'm sorry, Nephron, that you're suffering this way. Believe me, I've been agitated and depressed at the same time, too, and I know it is suffering.
By the way, which book did you take your name from? The original from the 1830s? Or the modern fiction series by the awesome OSC based on it? I'm always curious about these things... (And, since I *do* think OSC is awesome, it's always nice to 'meet up' with someone else who enjoys his work.)
Posted by nephron on July 11, 2004, at 21:46:15
In reply to general hypersensitivity, posted by Racer on July 10, 2004, at 14:05:57
I think I was pretty high a couple of days ago, and the stress only really seemed to kick in when I tried to control the high- bring myself down, as it were.
When I just went with it, it was great fun- and when I wasn't doing ludicrously dangerous things on the assumption that I couldn't possibly get hurt.
Another interesting experience for the files :P
Thanks for the response, it really helped.
Posted by TexasChic on July 13, 2004, at 8:59:17
In reply to Re: Hmmm..., posted by Elle2021 on July 8, 2004, at 19:04:05
Great site! I sent it to my brother right away.
Posted by Elle2021 on July 13, 2004, at 19:04:34
In reply to Re: Hmmm... » Elle2021, posted by TexasChic on July 13, 2004, at 8:59:17
> Great site! I sent it to my brother right away.
I'm glad it was helpful. :)
Elle
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