How can you tell the difference between hormone imbalance and bi-polar disorder (manic depression)?
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A blood test can indicate if there is a hormone imbalance.
Hmmm, interesting,mind if i hang out?
It is pretty easy to test is it's a hormone imabalance. Bi-polar is often misdiagnosed. There are actually two types of bi-polar. The manic/depressed with the high "highs" and there is depressed/depressed which never has any of the manic highs. It is often misdiagnosed simply as depression. I was just recently told that I have been misdiagnosed with depression over 15 years ago. Once I started on the bi-polar medication there was a significant change in my moods and emotions. The good thing is both can be treated with dail oral medication.
As has been mentioned, a blood test can pick up on hormonal imbalances...and the doctor should request the test be done, because for some folks, there isn't any difference.
That is, for some folks depression and/or bipolar disorder can *be* at least partially hormonal, because of a drop in thyroid, insulin (if the person has any family history of diabetes), or pituitary (rare but can happen in people who have had head injuries). It isn't common but it can happen.
I'm saying this, not only as someone with a mood disorder myself (depression) but also as someone who used to be a peer leader of a local support group in town where I live. For about 2 1/2 years I co-managed a support group with one other person...of that group, on average we'd have 10-12 members (the numbers are imprecise partly to protect people's privacy). Of those people I'd say 6-8 of them had some degree of bipolar disorder, and of that group within the support group, 1-2 of them found hormonal treatment to work out well for them. One person found a change in her birth control regimen helpful, another found regular treatment on thyroid helpful as well.
But don't just take my word for it. Search either one of the following sites for the whole phrases "thyroid treatments", "pituitary deficiency" and "depression treatments".
http://www.psychologytoday.com/...
http://www.sciam.com/
http://www.sciencenews.org/
I hope this helps. ^_^ Thanks for your time.
Bipolar disorder is characterized by an alternating pattern of emotional highs (mania) and lows (depression). The intensity of the associated signs and symptoms varies. Bipolar disorder can range from a mild condition to a severe condition, and there may be periods of normal behavior.
Manic phase
For many people, signs and symptoms in the manic phase may include:
Feelings of euphoria, extreme optimism and inflated self-esteem
Rapid speech, racing thoughts, agitation and increased physical activity
Poor judgment
Recklessness or taking chances not normally taken
Difficulty sleeping
Tendency to be easily distracted
Inability to concentrate
Aggressive behavior
Depressive phase
In the depressive phase, signs and symptoms include:
Persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, guilt or hopelessness
Disturbances in sleep and appetite
Fatigue and loss of interest in daily activities
Problems concentrating
Irritability
Chronic pain without a known cause
Recurring thoughts of suicide
you can tell by going to the Dr and getting your hormone levels checked.
heres a simple answer that a doc gave me.simple but crude
hormone imbalance means you want to kill someone else(usually)
depression means you want to kill yourself(usually)
not that you actually WANT to kill but the emotional feelings lead you to think that way.know what I mean?
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