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Symptoms

Causes

Diagnosis

Treatment

Coping

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Bipolar depression is a period of low mood, fatigue, and lack of motivation that someone with bipolar disorder may experience.

Bipolar disorderis a chronic mood disorder that affects close to 3% of people in the United States.This condition can cause people to experience severe fluctuations in mood, energy levels, concentration, thought patterns, and behavior.

People with bipolar disorder have different types of mood episodes, saysAimee Daramus, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist and author of “Understanding Bipolar Disorder.” The different types of mood states include:

Symptoms of Bipolar Depression

According to Dr. Daramus, someone who is experiencing an episode of bipolar depression may have all the symptoms ofmajor depressive disorder(commonly referred to as depression orclinical depression).

The symptoms of bipolar depression may include:

A depressive episode can last for several days or weeks and the person may experience symptoms every day, for most of the day.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call911.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call911.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

Causes of Bipolar Depression

These are some of the factors that can contribute to the risk of developing bipolar disorder:

9 Things Not to Say to Someone Who Has Bipolar Disorder

Diagnosing Bipolar Depression

If you suspect you have bipolar disorder and may be experiencing an episode of bipolar depression, Dr. Daramus recommends making an appointment with a mental healthcare provider such as apsychologistorpsychiatrist.

According to Dr. Daramus, the diagnosis process may involve:

Bipolar Depression Misdiagnosed as Major Depressive Disorder

While diagnosing bipolar depression, Dr. Daramus says it’s important for mental healthcare providers to check for symptoms of mania or hypomania as well, otherwise bipolar depression can be mistaken for major depressive disorder.

According to Dr. Daramus, bipolar depression is often misdiagnosed as major depressive disorder at first and treated with therapy and antidepressants. However, she explains that antidepressants can cause people with bipolar disorder to experience manic episodes. Healthcare providers realize the patient has bipolar disorder when the patient doesn’t respond well to therapy and starts to experience mania.

Unfortunately, that’s how the diagnosis of bipolar disorder is arrived at in many cases, says Dr. Daramus. According to a 2020 study, up to 40% of people with bipolar depression are first diagnosed with major depression.

Treating Bipolar Depression

Bipolar depression can be treated with medication and therapy.

Medication

These are some of the types of medication that can help treat bipolar depression, according to Dr. Daramus:

Therapy

Therapy can help you recognize the first signs of a new depressive episode and putsafety plansin place, says Dr. Daramus.

However, Dr. Daramus says it’s important to note that therapy can provide support and teach coping skills, but doesn’t usually help as much as it would with non-bipolar depression.

Coping With Bipolar Depression

Dr. Daramus suggests some strategies that can help you cope with bipolar depression:

Helpful Online Bipolar Disorder Support Groups

What This Means For YouDepressive episodes can be debilitating, to the extent that you may have difficulty getting out of bed and functioning on a day-to-day basis.It’s important to seek help and get the treatment you need, to help alleviate the symptoms and ensure your safety.

What This Means For You

Depressive episodes can be debilitating, to the extent that you may have difficulty getting out of bed and functioning on a day-to-day basis.It’s important to seek help and get the treatment you need, to help alleviate the symptoms and ensure your safety.

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

National Alliance on Mental Illness.Bipolar disorder.

Cleveland Clinic.Bipolar disorder.

National Institute of Mental Health.Bipolar disorder.

Geoffroy PA, Bellivier F, Scott J, et al.Bipolar disorder with seasonal pattern: clinical characteristics and gender influences.Chronobiol Int. 2013;30(9):1101-1107. doi:10.3109/07420528.2013.800091

Baldessarini RJ, Vázquez GH, Tondo L.Bipolar depression: a major unsolved challenge.International Journal of Bipolar Disorders. 2020;8(1):1.

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