Bipolar Disorder? The Difference Between Sad and Depressed
Published: Mon, 07/07/08
Hi ,
How's it going?
I hope you are doing well.
What's the difference between
sad and depressed when you
have bipolar disorder? I was
thinking about this question the
other day.
I came to the conclusion that
there is a difference, and that one
is an emotion, and the other can
lead to a bipolar episode. I also
came to the conclusion that you
need to know the difference.
One woman with bipolar disorder
puts it this way: 'When I'm feeling
sad, I keep telling myself that saying
This Too Shall Pass. But a (bipolar)
depression goes on for days or weeks,
and can lead into an episode no matter
how many times I say This Too Shall
Pass. That's how I know the difference.'
Sadness is an emotion. It has a
beginning and an end. It's a short-term
thing, caused by a specific event - say
the loss of something/someone, like
the end of a relationship. It can lead to
a depression, but that depression will
be short-lived.
There are different types of depression.
For example, there is unipolar depression
and bipolar depression. Unipolar
depression is just depression by itself
without being part of a bipolar episode,
usually treatable by anti-depressants,
which improve the depression. While,
with bipolar depression, you have to
treat the whole episode, with medication,
therapy, etc.
Again, where sadness can be triggered
by a single event, bipolar depression
can be triggered over and over again.
With treatment, bipolar depression
can be managed as part of bipolar
disorder itself. This is one of the
things I teach in my courses/systems:
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Sadness can be a part of grief, say
over a loved one's death. It may go
on for a long while, but the sadness
itself will pass. You could be sad
over the death of your dog, for instance,
but it will not be the same type of
sadness, and it will not go on as long.
Either way, the sadness will not go on
as long as depression. You might be
sad over the loss of a job, but only until
you find another job - again, different
than depression (it's only a short-term
sadness).
Another important point to make about
the difference between sadness and
depression and how they relate to
bipolar disorder is that you don't take
medication for sadness, but you do
for bipolar depression. Especially
if you're trying to catch the bipolar
depression before it takes you into
a full-blown episode.
There is such a thing as a mixed
sadness. For example, say your
best friend since childhood gets
married, or takes a job out of state.
You're happy for him/her, but
you're sad for yourself at the loss
of your best friend.
An example of a long-term
depression might be a frustration
of your life's dream or another
life-changing event such as divorce
after a long-term marriage or the
death of a spouse.
Sadness, no matter how deep at
the time, is still short-lived, although
the memory of that sadness can last
a lifetime. For example, think about
your first love (everyone remembers
their first love). You might always
remember him/her, the relationship,
and the break-up, but although the
sadness at the time was deep, and
you may even feel sad as you recall
the memory, you are long over it,
as you moved on with your life.
In other words, it was a temporary
sadness that doesn't keep you sad
forever.
So there is a difference between
sadness and depression, especially
as it relates to bipolar disorder.
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Your Friend,
Dave
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