Bipolar III Disorder - Unofficial Term

Bipolar III Disorder is not an official diagnosis recognized by the American Psychiatric Association. You will not find Bipolar III Disorder mentioned in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. However, some psychiatric professionals use the unofficial diagnosis of Bipolar III Disorder to describe patients who have experienced a manic or hypomanic episode due to antidepressant treatment.

People with bipolar disorder can be plagued by recurrent depressive episodes. The symptoms of depression can cause a great deal of distress to the people who experience them. The intense suicidal thoughts are the most troublesome and the most downright dangerous of the symptoms of depression.

If someone is experiencing depressive episodes, they need to be treated. If the patient has bipolar disorder, the doctor must consider the possibility of the antidepressant treatment causing a manic or mixed episode. Someone with bipolar disorder should be aware of this potential side effect of antidepressant treatment. This is not to say that antidepressant medication should not be used, but the person with manic depression should know the symptoms of mania. They should notify their doctor if they experience the symptoms.

The person with bipolar disorder needs to accept the fact that their treatment for this disorder is a cooperative effort with their doctor. Bipolar disorder is like walking a tightrope. Not enough mood-stabilizing medication will be ineffective in managing the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Therefore, the person with bipolar disorder must get regular blood tests to check the level of medication in their blood. The depressive episodes can be traumatic, but too much antidepressant medication can cause more problems than it solves.

The manic depressive patient must have good communication with their doctor, especially early in treatment when the doctor is trying to determine what balance of medication is the best treatment for that person. Bipolar Disorder is a highly treatable medical condition. There are many different medications and therapeutic options available. Bipolar disorder is highly individualized, and the treatment should be as well. Bipolar patients should work closely with their doctors and psychiatric professionals to find the best treatment for them.

For those who have been diagnosed with Major Depression and have a manic or hypomanic episode due to antidepressant treatment should talk to their doctors about their history. Perhaps, they have had hypomanic episodes in the past, but did not recognize them as such. In that case, they may have Bipolar II Disorder, not Major Depression. For those who have Major Depression, but have a tendency to become hypomanic while taking antidepressant medication, a change in which antidepressant is used is probably the most obvious possible solution. Some doctors consider Wellbutrin to be the best antidepressant to treat those who with Major Depression who have experienced hypomania on other antidepressants.

Next article: When Major Depression Becomes Bipolar Disorder