Posted by bleauberry on August 27, 2010, at 16:29:12
In reply to Please explain?, posted by SheilaC on August 27, 2010, at 16:14:01
> Why is it that mood stabilizers can sometimes make a person feel flat, unmotivated and even a little depressed? Sure, they stop the mania, but at what cost?
>
> Is the person really bipolar if a mood stabilizer makes them a little depressed? Or is this really more of a BPII?
>
>If it makes them a little depressed then I would think it is not a good med for them or else the dose is too high.
I don't think any kind of reaction to an anti-seizure med validates any kind of psychiatric disorder. I personally don't see much utility in the names BPI, BPII, etc other than table talk because there are so many overlaps between all the different psychiatric syndromes that it is reliant on human subjective perception, which will vary significantly from one doctor to another.
Keep in mind, they are not actually mood stabilizers. They are intended to prevent seizures. They just happen to smooth out mood swings in some people. They also come with warnings of increased depression and suicide risk. So it's a balance between risk and benefit which will be different for each person.
poster:bleauberry
thread:960165
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100821/msgs/960167.html