Atypical Depression?
Q.Atypical Depression--This is a new one, first time I came across this term was last night while searching for an answer....this one seems to fit my symptoms best when I crash......although I don't really notice I've crashed until I'm lying in bed crying for a few hours...or I throw a tantrum somewhere (I'm bad for that...it's usually a sign of a bad crash--anyone else have this problem?). I'm 20 years old--A bit too old to throw crying, screaming temper tantrums....but I do. Anyone else have it? As in Atypical depression..........I'm seeing a counsellor right now, and am somewhat reluctant to switch to a psychiatrist as I don't really like the idea of meds--the counsellor works okay normally, except that they tend to produce me "cured" the minute I hit a good phase and then aren't around when I'm going to crash...... How do you treat it? Who diagnosed you?
A.At one point, my pdoc (psychiatrist specializing in medication) mentioned that my depression was Atypical in that it wasn't responding to medications. Becareful with internet information, it's not always true. Yes, I have an "Atypical" depression, so does Stan, who also responded, and we are Atypical for different reasons. Medically speaking, "Atypical" means it fits some of the criteria, but not all of the criteria for a given diagnosis, meaning medically they can get the general category, like depression, down, but not the subcategory. Another one is NOS - Not Otherwise Specified. When I looked up Atypical depression on the web, some sites declare Atypical as a sub category, similar to bipolar or melencholia. I suffered badly from depression last year and hid the symptoms from friends and family. I ended up trying to commit suicide, luckily for me a policeman found me in time. A spell in a psychiatric hospital ensued and now I am back home and on meds. All I can say from my experience is let the shrinks and meds help. life is still not a bed of roses but it is becoming more bearable day after day. I threw tantrums of sorts at that age. I also had wild mood swings. I trace it back to atypical D. in my particular case. How do I treat it? Basically the same as people treat more typical depression, but I am not on anti-depressant meds right now. I am, however, on a med that tends to reduce anxiety. I also recognise the symptoms and try to self-monitor. I have depression that is mood reactive, too. If I am in the midst of something that causes pleasure, I am capable of feeling pleasure. If I am not engaged in a pleasurable activity *at that time*, then I will be miserable. I also don't, when I am in the middle of a depressive state, carry a good mood over. In other words, just because something pleasureable happened ten minutes ago that made me feel good, that doesn't mean that I will still feel good when the stimulus is over.
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