Depression in People who are Bipolar

Depression is hard enough on people who do not have a mental illness, much less a person who suffers from bipolar. Part of being bipolar is that a person will have episodes of depression and episodes of mania.

When a bipolar person has an episode of depression it can last for days, weeks or even months. They will start sleeping more than normal. A person in this state could possibly sleep for 20 hours in one day. Also, the individual finds that their appetite changes. Depending upon their normal eating patterns, this person will go the extreme opposite. From not eating enough to eating too much, from eating too much to not eating at all. This results in the individual experiencing a change in their weight.

Things that they enjoy doing will no longer be pleasurable to them. They will sit on the couch or lay in the bed and watch television. Although it looks like they are watching the television they do not actually see it, their mind is elsewhere. They start having feelings of helplessness. They will lose all of the self esteem that they have. They will have feelings of guilt and their thoughts could even become suicidal.

Depression in a bipolar person means that their mood goes extremely down. Down past the normal feelings of sadness. This person's movements also change. They will go from moving slowly to fast with the movements being jerky. There will be an obvious change in their speech pattern.

There are signs when a bipolar person starts into the state of being depressed. If you notice the signs, it is important to get help immediately. Getting help at the start of the depressive state will keep this person from slipping even further into depression.