Although bipolar depression and unipolar depression (or Major Depressive Disorder) may appear similar, they both have drastically different symptoms. Some symptoms of major depression may not also be bipolar depression symptoms, and vice versa. With bipolar depression, individuals often experience periods of depression & extreme mood swings. Also, with bipolar depression, there is always the chance it could be mixed with bipolar mania–which is called a mixed episode. Here is more information about the difference between bipolar depression and unipolar depression:
If you are struggling with a depressive episode and you feel you should talk to your employer about it, there are a few important things to consider. Hi friends! This is Linea Johnson with bp Magazine’s bphope Vlog, here to talk to you about talking to your employer about depression. First of all, from a legal...
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The first experimental study examining the use of multiple platforms shows a link between time spent on social media and increased depression and loneliness. November 8, 2018, Philadelphia, PA—The link between the two has been talked about for years, but a causal connection had never been proven. For the first time, University of Pennsylvania research...
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When you feel lost in the depths of bipolar depression, focusing on your senses can help you hang on when hit with waves of negative thinking. This summer, I had a month of bipolar depression so oppressive it was like running a marathon underwater. I kept having these really vivid, precise self-destructive thoughts pop into...
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While mania may often be more associated with over-the-top shopping, it can also be important to watch how bipolar depression can affect your spending. The story I tell myself about money is that I’m not good with it, but the truth is that I’m afraid of it. Most people who live with bipolar disorder have...
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A new study shows that a manic episode before bipolar depression does not impact the degree of change in depressive symptoms. August 15, 2018, BERKELEY, CA—The presence of a manic episode before depression in people with bipolar disorder doesn’t significantly predict response to antidepressants, a new study suggests. American researchers, noting a previous study suggested...
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While bipolar depression can make employment incredibly difficult, some simple tips can help you make it through every work day with success. I’m going to share something personal with you. About a year ago, I got a new job, and I love it! It is everything I have worked hard to become. Then, about six...
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A depressive episode is serious. Knowing the subtle signs that an episode is imminent or in progress can help you make the best treatment decisions. Most people can remember the famous line from the Disney movie, Snow White: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” This line has taken on...
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While constant life changes may feel like a way to find stability and happiness, ultimately these achievements come from within and following a treatment plan. Finding stability with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder can be quite an undertaking to say the least. Stability for me has been very elusive, and only recently have I...
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Manic or hypomanic episodes can be brutal for those with bipolar disorder, but learning what to do immediately after can help minimize the damage If you’re like me and you have bipolar disorder, then you will have experienced at least one manic or hypomanic episode. And what’s pretty clear for those of us who have...
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When bipolar depression symptoms are overwhelming, finding the strength to do even a small task can help you make it through the awful days. I often have days when the bipolar is so intense, I feel I’m going to spontaneously combust. This is when the illness is as physical as it is mental. I...
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Depressive episodes can wreak havoc with your life when you have bipolar, but once you get through a depression, what are the next steps? This is Natasha Tracy for BP Magazine’s BPHope vlog. Today I want to talk about rebuilding after a major depressive episode in bipolar disorder. If you have bipolar disorder like...
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continued from “Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Bipolar Depression“ The darkness of despair When the darkness doesn’t lift, despite the help of family and modern medicine, many people lose all hope. According to the National Mental Health Association, 30 to 70 percent of suicide victims suffered from major depression or bipolar disorder. And a...
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I feel like my brain has a recording-and-playback groove that starts up when I am in a depressive episode, and it brings up fresh pain from past events that were sad and difficult. My brain has a recording-and-playback groove that starts up whenever I’m depressed. It’s like there’s a negative recording studio in my head...
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Abandonment in his past has led Jasper Benitez to fear the future. Now, he is working to stay focused on the present. As someone who lives with bipolar, I can tell you that fear of the future is one of my biggest struggles. I become so engulfed with thoughts about the future that I forget...
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Sick leave is not a vacation but time set aside to treat a symptom that disrupts job performance. What happens to my brain during an episode isn’t visible, but it hinders my access to job skills, like decision-making, that I rely on to be productive. Having an invisible illness like bipolar gives me the option...
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In the depths of depression, it can be very difficult to believe things can ever get better; stringing together some small, hopeful thoughts can help. The online Merriam-Webster dictionary defines hope as: “The feeling of wanting something to happen and thinking that it could happen : a feeling that something good will happen or...
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It may not be easy, but part of managing bipolar disorder depression is recognizing when your negative thoughts are simply not true. Bipolar is such a liar! It says things that are not true, but they feel real and it’s hard not to get caught up by the thoughts that we KNOW are unrealistic—they feel...
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We can move beyond the negative, distressing events of our past—that is, if depression isn’t forcing us to relive these agonizing moments. I have painful things in my past, just like everyone. And what I find is that depression makes it really difficult to move on from that past pain. For example, let’s say there’s a...
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Neither pain nor bipolar can be effectively treated in isolation; the treatments for one condition invariably affect the other, for better or worse. Thanks to a pancreatic tumor, major surgery, and migraines along with bipolar I, I’ve become quite the expert in all things excruciating. As such, I’m confident that the distinctions we often draw...
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It’s important to remember if you keep pushing forward and don’t give up, you can make a better life for yourself. Today I want to talk about some of my low points and coming out the other side. Being hospitalized due to my undiagnosed bipolar disorder was a low time. But there were many...
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