By: Ariel Mintz, MD

Ariel Mintz, MD — Thu, 26 Dec 2019 01:08:44 +0000

Thank you for your comment Sugar.

You are correct that this article is primarily addressing Bipolar I Disorder. Bipolar II is somewhat different and more often goes undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.

I appreciate you sharing your experience in this comment and I wonder if you could turn it into a full blog post to give people a greater appreciation for what it is like to live with Bipolar II.

By: Sugar

Sugar — Wed, 25 Dec 2019 03:39:38 +0000

Thank you for an informative piece. I want to add a little about Bipolar 2.
I recently started seeing a new psychiatrist. After 6 years of trying different meds, targeting depression, and Borderline PD my new doctor realized that I have Bipolar 2. It’s different than Bipolar 1, in that depression is stronger but mania is lighter. Even when I mentioned an episode, or “Flip” I had, my therapist and former Doctor both did not recognize it as Bipolar, because it was missing the typical mania.
Common knowledge about Bipolar refers to Bipolar 1- a condition that causes a person to have grandiose ideas and do dangerous things (not sleeping nights), there is another Bipolar where the mania is more like racing thoughts or irritability. Sometimes the person suffereing could look like the life of the party- when they are actually feeling out of control. It’s called hypomania. This is usually followed by depression.
In my case, I have “mixed states” which means I am not truly in any state. The depression, irritability, racing thoughts and even high energy are all tumbling after eachother.
There is so much more to Bipolar than the high manic it is known for.

Comments on: The Who, What and Why of Bipolar Disorders

By: Ariel Mintz, MD

By: Sugar