Mood Disorder or Depression

That is what my physciatrist says ? He is not sure about his diagnosis just yet having seen me only three times. I wanted to ask people on this news group if they can give me their opinions because the medication that I recieve will depend on the diagnosis. I am working with my family physician also but he is not sure himself. I understand that most of us are not doctors and cannot give medical advice but if someone can share their experiences maybe it will give me a better idea as to whats wrong with me.

So here is my story I find my self easily get down on my moods and my mood stays down sometimes for several days at a time. People coughing in my direction easily puts me down. I have been told that my depression is biplolar and irritable depression. Rarely I have a good day mostly and easily the bad days are more frequent. I have tried many anti depressants in the past but none of them have any long term good effects meaning. Mood stabilizers are a different type of med which I have never taken. I am now taking 600 mg of Seroquel an antipsychotic med and at that high level becomes a mood stabilizer but I have yet to feel the effects of it. I have also been told that I am a paranoid or delusional also hence the Seroquel.

Can anyone share if they also been diagnosed with a Bipolar Depression or with a Mood Disorder ? I believe that its more over BiPolar/Mood Disorder then anything else.

Mood disorder is depression, bipolar etc, they are all grouped together though the diagnosis is different for each.

Bipolar is Manic Depression, same thing... the difference is that if you don't have manic episodes which could be the following

# Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
# Decreased need for sleep (e.g., one feels rested after only 3 hours of sleep)
# More talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking
# Flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing
# Attention is easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant items
# Increase in goal-directed activity (either socially, at work or school, or sexually) or psychomotor agitation
# Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (e.g., engaging in unrestrained buying spree


Depression on it's own isn't manic at all.

I think irritability goes with all types of depression I think, it could be since you've been on meds and none worked for you that it could be something more. What's your official diagnosis or have you not had that yet?

Sometimes doctors need to rule out all kinds of things before coming to proper diagnosis, sometimes things are misdiagnosed as well... some depressions mask different things in terms of disorders too, or they could be a part of one... if that makes any sense...

I myself have been diagnosed with clinical depression & seasonal affective disorder.

Thanks for sharing Butterfly .

Two of the items you had mentioned seem to apply to myself. They are the following:

1. Flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing
2. Increase in goal-directed activity.

I have been told that I don't fit the extremes of Bipolar Depression rather I am a Type II but somewhere in between the extremes. The situations that cause me anxiety seem to cause my thoughts to race. I believe your right about the fact that since the meds have not worked for me I am more irritable because I feel my life is going no where and time is being lost. Its put more pressure on myself because nothing positive is happening in my life.

The official diagnosis has been Depression/Paranoid by my family doctor with a mix of delusional thrown in for good measure by my Psychologist. I am trying to be a little funny but these are the diagnosis. The depression has been categorized by my cousin who is a physciatrist as Bipolar and not unipolar depression. I believe she is right because I do get these small highs and then suddenly down to a low and it stays there.

What really concerns me is that I have tried several meds mostly antidepressants (Paxil, Zoloft, Welbrutin, Citalopram, Effexor, and some antipsychotic (Respirdal) over the years and now using Seroquel 600mg for about 4.5 weeks. None of these meds never have helped at all. I am supposed to give Seroquel another 2-3 weeks to take its effect but I honestly don't feel that its going to have any effect when I have been struggling with my moods during these 4.5 weeks. There has to be something else maybe a mood stabilizer that is going to make the difference with me.

Having read an article which talks about anxious thoughts I am started to believe that I do suffer from anxious thoughts. Always fearing the worst. The first link seems to imply that I suffer from anxiety. I have also read information on Racing thoughts and don't feel that this classification applies to me. From the second link none the definition seems to apply to me. I have pasted a paragraph from the second link which I don't feel applies to me at all.

http://www.healthandgoodness.com/happiness/anxiety.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racing_thoughts

"Thoughts, music, and voices might be zooming really fast in one's mind. There also might be a repetitive pattern of voice or of pressure without any associated "sound". It is a very overwhelming and irritating feeling, and can result in losing track of time. Sometimes racing thoughts are accompanied by a pounding heart or pounding pulses, including drumming in the ears.[2]"