Depression or Bipolar Disorder?

Fred Goodwin, M.D., an expert on bipolar disorder, cautions that antidepressants can trigger symptoms of bipolar disorder in a person that has never had symptoms in the past.
What does this mean? When an individual goes to the doctor suffering from symptoms of depression the genes could be present for bipolar depression, not just depression. If the bipolar genes are present, initial treatment with antidepressants alone can cause symptoms of bipolar even if the patient had no symptoms in the past.
It is extremely important to give the physician a thorough family history when seeking treatment of depression for the first time. If any known relative, (parent, sibling, child, Grandparent), has had any symptoms of bipolar,
it is usually safer to treat with a mood stabilizer first, not an antidepressant.
Clues to look for in family history:
• Any extremes in mood/behavior
• Periods of extremely high productivity
• Period of low or no productivity
• Episodic alcohol/substance abuse
• Relatives that have had “nervous breakdowns” causing lost jobs, relationship problems, or hospitalization
• Dramatic changes in sleep habits (going without sleep for days or staying in bed for days at a time)
• Persons that seem normal most of the time, then suddenly become withdrawn, irritable, argumentative, or extremely talkative or aggressive
• Any suicide in the family