Dear Cluelessjournalist: I was diagnosed as Depressed at age 18, Bipolar II, in early 30's. BiPolar II is distinct from BiPolar I, to the best of my opinion, formed by chat's with pdoc, to be occasional episodes of Hypomania (agitated irritability), interspersed with longer episodes of Depression. In my case, the Depression is the paramount manifestation (70%) of the time. From my personal introspection, I experience the hypomanic state as a state of intense anxiety (sweaty palms, racing heart, fearfullness, withdrawl from people and stimulation, basically a feeling of impending doom). The latter two symptoms are also symptoms of depression. The problem is, the meds used to battle depression, like Prozac, Paxil, and Sertiline, no longer work for me and in fact cause rapid cycling. The newer meds like Effexor, with the norephenephrine, cause anxiety. The anti-anxiety meds can cause rebound anxiety, and are central nervous system depressant meds, so can exacerbate depression. However, to answer your question, when not taking anti-anxiety meds, I experience the most anxiety when I am depressed but try to maintain normal functioning, literally pushing through the depression and forcing myself to get up, get out, and do whatever to maintain a sense of normalcy, if not for myself, at least for others. I suspect the mask slips, it's very difficult some days, to pretend you're OK when you're most definitely, not. This is where I experience the most anxiety. Thank-you for asking he question. It helps me to clarify my feelings when I write them down.