This is a series of articles on depression published as a community service. The information in these articles follow our Privacy and Security Guidelines and cannot be construed as medical guidance. For additional information and counseling, consult with your physician or the appropriate health care professional of your choice. You can also find information on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) here. For the initial article on this series click here.
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What is the difference between unipolar and bipolar depression?
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Mood is a range of emotions that describe how we "feel" at a particular point in time. Mood is called a "visceral" (gut-like) sensation and is difficult to describe. It is a sensation dependent on a group of deep brain structures known as the limbic system.
Being a spectrum, there are two ends or "poles" to the range. An one end we have the major depressive mood of darkness, despair, and loathing of one's self. At the other end or "pole" we have the manic feeling of happiness, feeling "high", with extreme irritability and quick actions without measuring potential consequences.
An MDD patient that is "stuck" at the dark end of the spectrum, is said to be "unipolar", as the Latin word unus and uni- mean "one". The patient is always at one pole, therefore "unipolar".
Some depression patients have mood swings going from one end of the mood spectrum to the other. Since the medical prefix [bi-] means "two", these patients are said to have a "bipolar" type depression.
Some authors comment that there is not really a true unipolar depression for even unipolar depression patients move within the mood spectrum as their pathology evolves with treatment.
Experience tells us that as a depression patient starts to come out of their neurologically depressed state they may begin to show anxiety. This is easily treated by adding a secondary prescription course of right-sided low frequency treatment of TMS. As you go through your TMS Therapy treatment you may expect your prescription and dosage to change to accommodate your development towards a life without depression
References:
1. Barbee, J. G. (1998). Mixed symptoms and syndromes of anxiety and depression: Diagnostic, prognostic, and etiologic issues. Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, 10:15–29.
2. Regier, D. A., Rae, D. S., Narrow, W. E., Kaelber, C. T., & Schatzberg, A. F. (1998). Prevalence of anxiety disorders and their comorbidity with mood and addictive disorders. British Journal of Psychiatry. Supplement, 34: 24–28.