bipolar depression vs. mixed state?

I’m diagnosed with bipolar II disorder, but my worst episodes feature extreme anxiety and agitation – e.g., insomnia, racing thoughts, restlessness – and have delusional/grandiose features (thinking I can see the future, etc.). I do become severely depressed over the course of these episodes but it feels like the anxiety and agitation are driving it. I know it doesn’t make much difference in treatment, and I’m not necessarily questioning my diagnosis, but how is that different from a mixed episode in bipolar I? Just wondering.

Well, mixed episodes (for me personally) include a totally pissed off response to the WORLD. I feel like snarling.

The insomnia, racing thoughts, restlessness, delusions/grandiose features are simply MANIA to me.

I prefer the mania to the mixed episodes any day.

I don’t think you were diagnosed wrong. Just understand Bipolar plays out differently in intensity and symptoms. The symptoms are pretty standard with a few twists here and there thrown in to further torment us.

You need to tell your doc when you start edging toward mania so he can help you devise a way to slam the brakes on the train before it even hardly leaves the station.

My standard method to stop the mania or mixed state before it get OUT OF CONTROL is with strict sleep regulation (meds if needed) and reducing the stress in my life.. I have some meds that are used solely for this stage (I call them the big guns, my doc called them brain glue). Whatever, I fight to stay as close to the center of the mood spectrum as possible. I really hate cleaning up the fall out from my manic or mixed states.

Cure Insomnia