What is the difference between GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) and BiPolar II!


Question: What is the difference between GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) and BiPolar II(Mania)!?
I found this list that list all the similarities and the whole article is about how similar they are, what are the distinct differences that would allow a doctor to diagnose one over the other!?!?!?!?
Heres the similarities>>>

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (DSM-IV)

Cognitive

>worry
>difficulty concentrating

Energy

>keyed up, on edge
>restlessness, tension
>easily fatigued
>difficulty falling/staying asleep

Mood

>irritability

Bipolar II (Akiskal + Phelps)

Cognitive

>free floating anxiety
>[difficulty concentrating]

Energy

>motor agitation
>restlessness
>extreme fatigue
>[profound insomnia]

Mood

>dysphoria, irritability
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Answers:
GAD and Bipolar may have similar sounding symptoms,!.!.!.but the symptoms themselves are expressed in very different ways!. Bipolar II is characterized by wide shifts in a person's moods, from deep depression to euphoric highs of mania!. Someone with GAD will have a pretty steady set of moods with the GAD symptoms becoming worse at times!. The GAD symptoms may not always be present, they may come and go at times giving the impression of mood swings, but the sufferer will simply be swinging from their "normal" personality back to suffering from the GAD symptoms!.


Take "irritability",!.!.!.in someone with Bipolar II, the irritability is usually a symptom of mania!. The manic person may have racing thoughts and be filled with abnormal amounts of energy and drive!.!.!.!.if a person/object/situation interrupts them, they may lash out at that person or angrily explode at the object for interrupting them!. They have such a rush of ideas, thoughts, and actions, that they may get highly annoyed if that process is interrupted!. It's a result of the frustration they feel at not being able to finish their multiple projects or keep ahold of the rush of ideas!. They're so keyed up that the least little thing upsets them!.

But with GAD, the irritability is different, to me it could be better described as being cranky/ill/grumpy!. It's a result of the nervousness, anxiety, and depression!. The person with GAD may be tense, worried, and nervous which leads to the irritability and crankiness!. The constant worry and negative feelings and emotions may lead to depression and the person may lash out angrily and the least little upset!.

That's just one example!.!.!.!.the other symptoms have similar differences!.

Insominia / Difficulty Falling Asleep:

Bipolar II : This is a manic symptom, arising from the increased energy and drive!. With mania, the person doesn't feel a need for sleep, they're hyped up with excess energy!.

GAD: This results from the constant worry and anxiety, the person suffering from GAD may not be able to sleep because they lay awake obsessing over their worries, concerns, and fears!.


Keyed Up/On Edge:

Bipolar II: Again, this is a symptom of the mania, the person is so fueld by the excess energy that they're "keyed up", jumpy, jittery!.!.!.they may not have an appropriate outlet to release the energy!. They could be "on edge" because their mind is racing with thoughts and they can't concentrate!.

GAD: The anxiety with GAD is what makes a person "keyed up" or "on edge"!. They're so consumed with worry, fear, and/or anxiety that the person may be constantly nervous and jumpy!. They may not be able to concentrate because the worries and concerns keep popping into their thoughts!.

Hope this helps! I suffer from Bipolar II, but my depression symptoms are very similar to those of GAD!. So the depressive side gives me an insight into the GAD symptoms!. Most of the symptoms you've listed for Bipolar II are of Mania, so look at the symptom list and thing of them in terms of EXTREME energy and sometiems euphoria (like the "extreme fatigue" can be a result of going at maximum speed for 20-30 hours)!. Then look at the symptoms of GAD and thing of them in conjunction with constant worrying, fear, and anxiety!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

Negative emotions (like sadness, stress, anger, etc!.) causes your Serotonin production to be low; when your Serotonin level is low, you are more prone to getting Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Depression, etc!.

Medication like Antidepressants (SSRI - Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) helps to boost Serotonin level!.
But there are natural ways to do it without medication!. There's this strange herb called "St John's Wort" - it is said to be more effective than Prozac!. No, it is not for mild depression only and ignore those sayings!. In fact, it does help anxiety and panic-attacks as St John's Wort works like prozac!. Other natural ways will be exercise, diet, more exposure to light, etc!.

The problem is that, even if your Serotonin is balanced!.!.!. you have that "learned behavior" in your mind!. You need to break that initial cycle to destroy that learned behavior - Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) does this!. A technique that you can use without CBT will be Distraction!.!.!. There are several other techniques to help cope them!
Ok, to use Distraction: Firstly, try to!.!.!.!.

Extracted from Source!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

Anxiety and Bipolar are two seperate illnesses, but with bipolar disorder, anxiety usually accompanies it!. if you just have anxiety, you wouldnt have the mood swings suicidal thoughts or euphoria at all!.Www@Answer-Health@Com





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