How to distinguish unipolar depression from bipolar depression

Depression is not as simple as it seems. It actually has many different classifications. Only when we understand these differences can we help patients with depression. So how do we distinguish between unipolar depression and bipolar depression?

Based on characteristics

When facing a patient with "smiling depression", we should first correctly distinguish whether he is suffering from unipolar depression or bipolar depression. Although the symptoms of bipolar depression and unipolar depression are similar, doctors may distinguish them based on the characteristics of bipolar depression.

First, we need to observe the patient's age at onset.

"First, patients with bipolar depression develop the disease at an early age, usually before the age of 28. And their depressive symptoms are relatively less typical, and are more often manifested as: sleep rhythm inversion, short sleep time but not feeling sleepy, increased appetite, weight gain, slow thinking, etc. In addition, patients will have psychotic symptoms - hallucinations, or more absurd ideas, such as feeling that they deserve to die, and that people around them are talking about them, etc."

Doctors say that patients with bipolar depression will have multiple suicide attempts, and most of them are impulsive. Emotionally, they are not as negative and depressed as patients with unipolar depression; on the contrary, their emotions fluctuate greatly, showing tension, irritability, and irritability. When they have negative emotions, they will vent through shopping, self-harm, alcoholism, etc. As for the misfortunes they encounter, they always attribute them to the external environment.

"If a patient who presents with 'smiling depression' also has the above symptoms, doctors should consider the possibility of bipolar depression."