The Black Feeling of Hopelessness in Bipolar Depression

The word depression is the hindering of a person’s moods, marked by the different levels of their feelings of loneliness, sadness, disappointment, hopelessness, guilt and self-doubt. These depressive feelings can be quite severe and may continue for a long time. Daily functions may be hard, but most patients are able to cope with their depression. For those experiencing severe depression – hopelessness can become so intense that ending one’s life can occupy the person’s thoughts. These mood disorders or affective disorders occur in two flavors, namely “unipolar” and bipolar depression.

Unipolar Depression

Bipolar depression must be differentiated from unipolar depression. The most permanent feeling is the sense of anxiety, despair, being hopeless and useless in about everything. The mental disorder is not caused by the abuse of illicit drugs or medication. This unipolar depression only manifests depression and its symptoms are:

· Extreme lack of energy

· Disturbance in sleeping patterns

· Waking up early

· Difficulty in going to sleep

· Waking up tired even after long hours of sleep.

Severe Bipolar Depression

Bipolar is a serious disorder in the brain chemistry, causing severe mood, energy and functioning which shifts to high, low and back again. In very severe cases of bipolar depression, pain can be so great that patients are even scared they may not get out alive because the thoughts of suicide are constantly on their mind. For these people when in these mood stages, there is never a good day, remember the good times and sometimes in their pain they are praying to die. While depressed victims want to die most would not have a good reason to end their life.

Feelings of Hopelessness

While the feeling of hopelessness is part of depression, in severe cases, patients sometimes just don’t see much hope in their depression getting any better. With this lack of hope is the fear of not being able to come out of bipolar depression, which can lead ultimately to the idea that life is not worth living and ultimately end it all.

Bipolar Treatment

While many can lay claim to the effectiveness of bipolar treatment drugs, there are others who can also say that the use of bipolar medication not only gives side effects it makes bipolar depression worse. With no effect of medication and very low energy level, severe cases of bipolar depression can only remember or are preoccupied with their emotional pain.

Ray of Hope

While the future may look bleak for most of these severe cases of bipolar depressed victims, there is a ray of hope and it is their family. A family that is loving and supportive can do wonders to these patients. Bipolar treatments can only do so much, but where it fails it is the immediate families that can help the person continue on with life despite the odds.