Clinical Depression and Bipolar Disorder?

Question

Is there any major difference between clinical depression and bipolar disorder?

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

in bipolar disorder, you go through "phases"...at some time you may have similar characteristics to a person who's clinically depressed, other times you can feel elated, happy, "high".

even thought it's not a terribly reliable source, check out wikipedia. it's really useful for definitions like that.

Answer 2

Of course there is! If you suffer from Bi Polar you can have long and sustained periods of euphoria, be buzzing with energy and feel amazing and then you can switch to periods of dark, low times where you feel miserable and useless. Clinical depression usually has only the feelings of being 'low' for extended periods. You should do some reading into the conditions.

Answer 3

Yes, a huge difference. Clinical depression is also called "unipolar depression". Uni meaning one "pole" which would be depression. Bi meaning two poles, depression and mania. Bipolar has two ends, one is depression but the other is mania - think the exact opposite of depression (high energy, excessive talking, "really really happy"). Depression is just depression, always a low mood with no "high" periods.

Answer 4

Yes; mania. Bipolar disorder cycles through periods of depression and periods of mania, often with normal times between. Clinical depression maintains a low mood throughout, although it can also have periods of feeling relatively normal.

Answer 5

Although there a different types of bipolar disorder which look very differently from each other, depression differs from bipolar disorder in that with bipolar disorder there are definate swings between mania and depression. Drs are able to analyze these swings (based upon what you tell them) and can tell which form of bipolar a person may be living with.

Answer 6

Yes, they are separate DSM classifications. With separate diagnosis and treatment. Bipolar used to be termed Manic/Depressive disorder charaterized by extreme mood swings, high and low.
Clinical depression is an extremely low emotion state characterized by lack if interest in anything and eventually to suicide as they clinically depressed can find no reason to continue living a meaningless live without any pleasant sessations or feelings.

Both conditions can be often treated by drugs, sometimes talk theraphy. In either case both conditions require professional assistance to improve.