5 differences between Unipolar AND Bipolar Depression. EXPLAINED

If you or someone you care for has depressive symptoms, it's not always easy to tell whether it's a unipolar depression or a depressive episode in Bipolar disorder. It's very common to be diagnosed with depression for years before they have their first manic episode, and correctly diagnosed as Bipolar disorder. This is important as the management options a very different! This video outlines 5 things that could suggest your depression is more likely a bipolar illness rather than a depressive illness

The bipolarity index: Aiken, Chris B. et al. (2015). The Bipolarity index: a clinician-rated measure of diagnostic confidence. Journal of Affective Disorders , Volume 177, 59 - 64

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About me:
Hi there, I'm Syl. I'm a Junior Medical Doctor from Sydney, Australia. I'm new to the YouTuber space, so any feedback would be very welcomed!

Disclaimer: These videos are my opinion only and should be treated as such. They are not medical advice. I try my best to avoid any errors but if you feel something I said was incorrect please let me know. Please remember you cannot diagnose any condition based on YouTube videos and should see a healthcare professional if you are at all concerned. Finally, if anything in the video made you feel distressed consider seeing your healthcare professional or, in an emergency (if you're in Australia), call 000 or Lifeline 131114

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[annakopecka]

Wish to have you as my doctor, great job, really nice and calming explanation voice :) Subbed.

[taylorbrown]

I had a manic episode for bipolar one two months ago which triggered a manic episode and was put in a psych ward for a hospital. The doctors took me off my bipolar meds because they couldn't see the grandiosity for bipolar 1 and thought I just had major depressive disorder. They put me on Zoloft which triggered another manic episode with psychosis one month later. It lead to no sleep for four days and I believed an extremely grandiose break from reality. Guess what doctors, I had bipolar. I went to the psych ward a second time. The second time I was angry because I tried to tell them I had bipolar and they wouldn't listen. I am not a lab rat!

Now I have a very good psychiatrist who is working on properly medicating me for bipolar 1. But I'm still cycling for manic and depressive episodes which have lead to me losing sleep and changing medications for three months straight.
I'm so exhausted. Yesterday I went from manic to depressive all in one day. I'm tired all the time and the medications keep having to be adjusted because they simply don't stay working. Why can't they fix my brain!?😢

[nobodyimportant]

The treatments are all the same: meds that cause horrifically painful side-effects.

Psychiatrists should have to take effexor + an antipsychotic for a year and then get off them inside 3 weeks. There would be less sadism in your profession.

[Filthycoffin]

Interesting. I switch from depression to feeling just flat decal times a day. I’m never feeling happiness. Doctors don’t know what I am.

[terezalamprinou]

It's so difficult to find out what is the problem. Because there are many similarities.

[Jaydenzephyr]

Was recently diagnosed bipolar II. Part of me has accepted it yet is still in doubt lol. However, the only sign that DOESN’T apply is having a first-degree relative. I was on Zoloft for depression at first but that made me rapid cycle and then sent me into a mixed episode. Been on Seroquel and I’m totally stable. My depressive episodes did feel pretty cyclical. Would you say that if one randomly “snaps out” of depression, that it could also be indicative of bipolar disorder?

[drsmiless]

Hi Syl, fellow mental health doctor trainee here from Malaysia. Great content! Subbed immediately.

[gamingwhilebroken]

“Bipolar is very genetic. If you have a second degree relative don’t worry it doesn’t increase your risk significantly.” Uh, so, I breed dogs and if a dog has a second degree relative with polygenic illness you absolutely need look out for the issue in your dog. So if grandparents, uncles/aunts, and nephews/nieces have bipolar it doesn’t increase your risk? That sounds like that isn’t true, in fact, I can all but guarantee that isn’t true.

Edit: or it’s weakly genetic.

Even third degree relatives, so cousins and such, should statistically improve your odds of having bipolar disorder. Furthermore, the more than have bipolar disorder the greater the odds. I am an example of this. On my maternal side out of my siblings and first cousins four out of seven of us have Bipolar I and two of seven have Bipolar II. Which a cursory glance at the literature is a common occurrence.

[Lucas-wvwf]

Hearing you talking about these subjects is already interesting enough. The background music only distracts

[incognitofreedomofspeech]

You didn't hit base on the unipolar????

[binnavimg]

U didn't explained about unipolar

[lucyyyyy]

Hi doctor!! I am from india🇮🇳, a psychology student. I was unable to understand unipolar and bipolar disorder, but after watching your video, i understood this very well❤ .you make me understand this disorder.
Thanks a lot❤
Hoping that you will reply me.

[jennifergrove]

Is there such a thing as Unipolar for mania? My mother has been "Bipolar 1" since her 20s and never thought she needed the medications that the doctor at the hospital prescribed to her during her first mental breakdown. (She just recently was forced on medication during her last mental breakdown that landed her in handcuffs. She was 58 by then. And she would go through mania for months on end, but it would only come about every other year.) We never saw her depressed, except for one time. That was when her sister committed suicide. Other then that she always just swung into mania.

Also, I thought that bipolar reached like every other, or even every 3rd generation? I did not know it could be passed down to sons/daughters from their parents. I have been diagnosed with PTSD, OCD, Anxiety, and Depression. But, when it comes to the depression...I wonder if it could be unipolar depression.. :\ It is constant though...however, I take Pristiq for that, (and Buspar for the anxiety) but it doesn't feel like it's working. Maybe it needs to be upped, but my psych nurse doesn't want to do that since I was so adversed to going on medication to begin with.

[ahmedal-obaidi]

Great video Sal, just came across your channel, and I'm loving it.
I'm a GP trainee in NSW, and a fan of your channel now :)

[aprilleerose]

Is it possible to go back and forth between the two?

[montex]

How do you tell the difference between a hypomanic episode with prominent irritable mood, a major depressive episode with marked psychomotor agitation and a major depressive episode with mixed features?

[waxedthighs]

Excellent videos! I'm sure this channel will blow up soon, your content is just too good for it not to. Always good to hear an expert explain things so clearly and succinctly. Subscribing and commenting to feed the algorithm :)

[thuggie]

I was on quetiapine for while along with my lithium, i was taken off the quetiapine as it was making my feel sick. Which is bummer as it did help other than the feeling of been sick that was not fun. But i would say the lithium has been good over the year except at the moment i haveing it reduced sinse i lost a lot of waight and the levels have been to high. The whole thing has been stressful as they are going to review my other medication after the lithium levels arein the correct range. And i am also waiting for an ASD assessment as they think i have a high probability of been Autistic. My life is never dull, always in a bad way.

[mkdutta]

So people who have depressive episode under 20, they will develop bipolar? Because I first noticed signs of depression at 14 then diagnosed with depression at 19.

[bryanjones]

Great video - but seroquel is an anti-psychotic. Lithium (better for when mania is more present), valproate or lamotragine (better for more depressive episodes) are mood stabilizers