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Mania and Sunshine Test I live in Portland, Oregon and we are having a spectacular winter. It’s the best I’ve experienced in my seven years here. We are used to very, very dark winters. It’s usually dusk at four and dark at five. It’s depression and very bad for bipolar disorder. I was dreading it once again. And yet this year has been at least double the sun as normal. This got me to thinking about mania and sunlight. If you are newly diagnosed with bipolar or care about someone newly diagnosed- here is a test to see how the sunlight has affected your mania in the past: Give yourself one point for each yes. 1. Do you have more depression in the winter and more mania (or hypomania- the milder mania) in the summer? 2. Have you ever had a summer that was happy and enjoyable after a winter depression- but just thought it was the real you- even though you slept less, ate less and had more fun outside? 3. Do you start to feel a lot less depressed in the spring? 4. If you have been hospitalized for mania- was it in the spring or summer? 5. Do you crave sunlight and feel your brain clear when you get out in the sun? 6. Are you a lot more social in the summer- to the point that people comment on it? Is it a lot easier to get out of bed? 7. Do you tend to go off meds when it’s sunny? 8. Do your mood swings have a distinct pattern [... Read More ...]
It’s hard to write about mania considering that I have been in a downswing for a week, but it’s a topic I have to continually address- I hear stories all summer about people who go off their meds because they feel so GREAT and then the disasters that follow. It’s easy to think – the sun is just so WONDERUFL!!!!!! when the weather gets nice, you’re off school, you have a vacation, the kids are home, etc. There is no doubt that summer is wonderful if you were depressed in the winter- but this is just a friendly reminder that when things get WONDERFUL!!!!!, it’s time to check for mania. Here are some questions to ask yourself – or ask the person you care about. 1. Are you sleeping a lot less than what is considered the norm- but are still filled with energy the next day? The norm is six to eight hours- mania sleep would be less than five hours for example- or sometimes not even sleeping at all. 2. Did what seemed truly hopeless suddenly become full of possibility and beauty? 3. Are the people in your life commenting on your energy level and that you need to cool it? 4. Are you more creative, but less functional? 5. Do you have the thought that you don’t need your medications as you feel JUST FINE! 6. Are you acting ( or even thinking ) compulsively regarding spending, sexuality, travel, etc? 7. Are you filled with nervous and uncomfortable energy? Is this energy painful and worrisome- [... Read More ...]
The following is an excerpt from an article I wrote for healthyplace.com on the difference between bipolar depression and uni polar depression. I wonder how well you can do! A lot of it was new to me as I wrote the article! The following examples will help you (or someone who cares about a person with depression) get really clear on the depression you experience. This can lead to the right treatment plan. 1. Have you ever been depressed and thought, “What is going on? I felt fantastic just last month! I had so much energy and life was great. I don’t understand this. Nothing happened? What’s wrong with me? Who am I?” and then you feel fine again a few months later. (BP Depression with rapid cycling between mania and depression.) 2. You went through a job loss and got depressed for the first time and then the depression went away when you got another job. (Situational Depression.) 3. You were depressed, took an antidepressant and then suddenly things got better. You felt your head clear and even your vision got razor sharp where colors were gorgeous and people looked beautiful. Life was full of hope and you couldn’t wait to make plans for the future. If someone said you seemed abnormally upbeat, you said, “I finally found a medication that worked and now you want me to go back to being depressed?” (Antidepressant induced mania.) 4. After a down mood for over a year you went through months of feeling great where you [... Read More ...] |
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The health information contained herein is provided for general education purposes only. |
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