For Bipolar II, Antidepressants Alone Don’t Get the Job Done
And in fact, they can be downright dangerous!
Bipolar II, also known as manic depression, is a disorder characterized by mood swings from elevated or manic phases to depressed phases. Unlike its more severe form, bipolar I, bipolar II is not characterized by hallucinations and delusions. Frequently misdiagnosed and mistreated as suffering from depression alone or depression and ADHD (yup, that was me until I got the right doctor!), bipolar II sufferers often benefit more from the addition or substitution of mood stabilizers in their treatment regime.
In the past, antidepressants have ironically been associated with suicidal behaviors, but it may not be the drugs’ fault.
“Misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD] and major depressive disorder is common, leading to the use of stimulants and antidepressants, which might worsen the course instead of mood-stabilizing agents,” [researcher Franco Benazzi, MD, PhD] notes.
Benazzi writes that patients who show symptoms of what appears to be depression should be evaluated for manic or hypomanic symptoms. If bipolar disorder is diagnosed, treatment should include mood-stabilizing drugs like lithium, with or without antidepressants.
The widespread use of antidepressants alone in patients with mixed depression may explain the reported increase in suicides among patients on these drugs.
“The suicidality sometimes related to antidepressants is probably not caused by the [drugs], but by clinicians using only antidepressants to treat mixed depression,” Benazzi concludes.
If you’re on an antidepressant and your symptoms aren’t improving or are actually getting worse, talk to your doctor. The right drugs at the right dosages should make you feel better, not just bad differently.
Tags: antidepressant, bipolar, disorder, Franco-Benazzi, Health, mania, manic, medication, meds, Mental health, mood-stabilizer, suicidal, suicide, treatment, woman, women, Womens-HealthRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Depression, Medicines/medications, Mental health, Mind, Spirit, Stress, Wellness
.gif)
2 opinions for For Bipolar II, Antidepressants Alone Don’t Get the Job Done
Rebecca Beasley
Apr 7, 2007 at 7:47 pm
I am bipolar 2 and I’m doing very well on cymbalta and seroquel. The cymbalta is for depression and the seroquel helps to keep me stable. Before I started being treated I wasn’t able to keep my mind on anything for long. My thoughts raced and before I could write them down or act on them, they were gone. Now my thoughts stay in my mind long enough to act and I’m able to live a normal life.
Shannon
Jun 24, 2007 at 4:05 pm
Thank you for this article. I was recently diagnosed with Bipolar disorder and am now taking Seroquel. This is only my first week on this medication, but I am already seeing an improvement in my sleep- good thing! I am hoping to see a huge improvement in my mood, irritability, and the racing/rapid changing thoughts. In my uneducated opinion, I believe I may need to use another type of medication in conjunction with the Seroquel.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: