Never been this extreme

[jessiecaleb]

Hi, I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety many years ago and have been on anti depressants ever since. I have had two kids in the past two years and have found it very difficult to cope. At present i feel i am experiencing some kind of breakdown. My emotions are too strong to handle, always negitive and irrational to the point where i feel i cant function and took a small overdose of valium recently. A few weeks after that i took myself to emergency in as i felt i couldnt cope with life anymore. I have two beautiful children which i know are a gift and i love so much and are so ashamed and afraid of feeling suicidal. I know i need help in order to be a functioning mother. I beleive that this is more than anxiety and depression and am in the process of moving interstate to seek real help.  I am also interested in any advise from people experiencing  bipolar as i wonder if it is what i have. Can you have bipolar without experiencing extreme highs?

[paranoid_cataclysm]

One form of bipolar disorder only experiences hypomania rather than mania so yes you can.

[ILADVOCATE]

There are a variety of types of bipolar and in some types the depressive aspect of bipolar is more prevalent than than the manic aspect. If a person has bipolar an anti-depressent by itself can often worsen mania and a full mood stabilizer is what is needed. However only a psychiatrist would understand this in full and make recommendations about what would be the appropriate steps to take as regards medications and other follow up but it would be essential to speak to your psychiatrist about all this and they could potentially update your diagnosis and treatment.