What is the difference between major depression vs bipolar 1 or 2?
I’m confuse anyone know the straight ... - Anxiety and Depre...
I’m confuse anyone know the straight clear answer ?
They are on a spectrum so there are not clear lines. Bipolar 1 is when people experience dramatic highs and lows over a longer period of time. 2 is a milder version of that. I thing 4 days is the threshold for mania. Major depression is when you experience deep lows but not a lot of mania. The medication is typically different for bipolar but they overlap. A lot of people myself included think bipolar can be a result of depressive medication... definitely not always but sometimes. There is also a bipolar nos (not otherwise specified) which is a dumping ground when they can't decide.
I've been reading about this recently. In bipolar 1 mania a person typically loses touch with reality. Whereas in bipolar 2 the person has hypomania, which is a period of feeling very elevated, like they can achieve anything, needs little sleep, is extremely productive and/or very irritable, but does not lose touch with reality.
In MDD a person doesn't experience the highs, only lows.