Bipolar Support Group

Does anyone (I'd especially like to hear from other women) else with BP get REALLY irritable and angry during their depressions? I have a couple of days when I am fine, temperament-wise, but then something miniscule will set me off. I end up raging at someone close to me. I feel absolutely awful afterward, sometimes so much so that I am suicidal. But then, a few hours later, I am not as much in a rage, though I am still depressed. The reason I am most keen to hear back from women with BP about this is that it tends to get worse the week or so before my cycle begins, so I know it has something to do with hormones as well, BUT it is only during my depressions that this happens. My cycles during my mania do not have the rage issue. Anyway, whatever feedback you all can give me is appreciated. Thanks.

Are you sure you're not experiencing a mixed episode? Of course I don't know what other hypomanic type symptoms you have or don't have, but it is just a hunch. I only ask because my depressive episodes disable me so much that I'm hardly out of bed and feel like my brain is completely slowed down.

When I have experienced mixed episodes I have had severe irritability, FRUSTRATION, and rage. It sometimes made me violent to the point where I took it out on inanimate objects. I had violent type suicidal ideations. As for interaction with other people I was yelling at people and putting them down to a degree that I received frequent reprimands at work. At one point they threatened to fire me and a day later I entered the hospital for the first time and FINALLY started taking bipolar medications.

When I acted as above I did so all of the time, every day. I'm not sure if it would have been different if I wasn't drinking heavily to self-medicate. I don't believe my menstrual cycle was relevant in that picture.

I track my moods on moodtracker.com. It has an option where you indicate the days of your period. It also allows you to track levels of anxiety and irritability and hours of sleep. I do notice that I'm more irritable towards the end and shortly after my period. You'd think it would be different, no? I also find that breakthrough hypomanic days occur after the irritable period. In recent years my elevated moods are mostly elated unlike just before my first hospitalization.

I have never heard of a mixed episode before, so I am not sure. But your experience sounds like mine, with a few differences, so I will look into it. Have you had anything that worked for you? Medications, exercises, anything?

mjcarollson, it's hard to remember the best meds I've taken for mixed episodes. I guess maybe Seroquel, Depakote (though not for depression), Risperdal. Only Seroquel is on my current med list because I recently had a short mixed episode for the first time in maybe 3 or 4 years. My current med mix has kept me out of the hospital for about 2.5 years, but hasn't stopped breakthrough elated hypomania (or a touch of full blown mania on a couple of occasions) and hasn't stopped short blips of depression. My bipolar seems so stubborn that I can't seem to be well enough to find a job and be in public full time.

Please do look up mixed episodes (or mixed mania). It might seem a little perplexing at first, but if you have them and consider that hypomania and mania have irritability too it seems to make more sense.

The irritability, anger and raging you describe can be due to several things. Among them. depression and hypomania or mania. There is such a thing as an "irritable depression" that has these symptoms. Hypomania and mania also can have these symptoms. Also, as Cthebird says, these symptoms can occur as part of a mixed episode. There is also a type of mood disorder that occurs in conjunction with menstrual cycles - which can occur in addition to bipolar disorder. In my opinion, it is not unusual for symptoms of bipolar disorder to become exacerbated during certain parts of a woman's menstrual cycle.

I recommend you discuss this with your psychiatrist and your ob-gyn. Your psychiatrist is the best authority on meds for you to try.

Mood stabilizers, antidepressants, and antipsychotics have helped to control my anger, irritability and rage.

excellent suggestions, thank you both

Not female so I can't speak to cycles but I'm in a mixed episode right now and violent rage passes through me in both states. I've been on a laundry list of medications and the only one that has helped me with anger is Geodon and it's not working well right now because instead of being angry for no reason I'm angry for legitimate reasons having to do with my mother's very poor cancer care and, as always, I'm angry with myself for doing foolish things.

And what I do, though they aren't really exercises, are 1) listen to loud, angry music on headphones (it can be anything from Fiona Apple to heavy metal, whatever works for you) and 2) visualize acting out my anger in an exaggerated manner and then let the visuals just dissolve and float away because I'm too timid to act out anyway so I walk around angry if I don't actively fight it. Both are temporary fixes to small storms of rage but they might help.

I am more sensitive just before my cycle, always have been but its not too severe. I have rage/irritablity during my 'lows' and i'm lacking energy too so this is frusterating. I've been feeling much more stable this past week i'm hardly getting angry, i'm dealing with my anger with my therapist i'm learning to deal with this emotion instead of stuffing it immediately so that i can act on it in a constructive assertive manner (mainly with my children). You are not alone, i hope you feel better.

Post edited by: Dit, at: 06/22/2012 12:14 PM

I hear ya sister!!! the week before my cycle starts is called "HELL WEEK" at my house. Everyone knows to leave me alone for their own safety. However, since finding out some information that came like a slap in the face, I have been suicidal during that week. Non-stop crying, obessive thoughts, want to sleep all the time, etc.

I have a pdoc appt on Monday and I am going to ask him if there is a little magic pill for that one week.

Oh and you might want to google PMDD.