The Diagnostic Tools for
Bipolar Depression Symptoms

What was once referred to as manic depression is now called
bipolar depression. Symptoms have remained the same.

When diagnosing mood disorders, the fluctuating of highs and lows used to be referred to as manic depression. It is now called a bipolar depression symptom, or simply Bipolar. This is largely due to the time difference between highs and lows.

While manic depression inferred that the illness fluctuated at an even rate, three weeks of mania followed by three weeks of depression, the reality of the mood disorder is that bipolar depression symptoms can range from weeks to months of manic or high episodes, followed by weeks or simply days of the lows or depression symptoms.

The term didn't reflect the reality of the disorder.

Bipolar depression symptoms are the same as before, they have just been re-identified in length of time.

It is characterized by two polar moods - elevated and despondent, each directly opposite of the other, giving it the name bi, meaning two, and polar, meaning opposite.

Bipolar depression symptoms can range from delusional and paranoid activity in the manic phases, along with apathy, suicide ideation, and feelings of overwhelming uselessness in the depression phase.

Because a bipolar depression symptom can last anywhere from days to months, the mood disorder can be misdiagnosed.

A person presenting to their doctor with the manic phase symptoms of elevated moods, inability to sleep, and the need for constant movement can be misdiagnosed as histrionic because it may have been months since the patient felt the other polar effects such as apathy, loss of interest in life, and sleeping too much.

The sufferer may not know that the two are related.

This is why it is so important for you to learn more on the different bipolar depression symptoms.

In her book "How to Stop Your Depression Now," Sharon Shurman lists specific criteria relating to a bipolar depression symptoms that will empower you to begin to understand what to look for in this illness, and how to begin the steps toward recovery.

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to Depression Help Treatment

Dealing with Depression Advice

Cultivate humor

One of the best ways of combating depression is to incorporate humor into your life.

Most of us are way too serious.

Read some Erma Bombeck to help put your life back into perspective, or watch some stand up comedians on the T.V., or even go see a local comedy show.

Humor lessens our burdens and helps to put everything back into perspective. This is the gift of humor, cultivate it, nurture it, and try to laugh out loud at least once a day.

Nancy Miller has an interesting statistic in her book "Seven steps to a depression free life." The average six year old laughs approximately 300 times a day, while the average adult laughs only 15 to 100 times a day.