I originaly posted this is the depression forum, but the more I think about
it the more it appears I am bi-polar. I know my brother has been diagnosed with it, so here goes...
I'd much rather find a nutritional answer to my problem rather than taking drugs, so I'm hoping somebody with the knowledge can take a shot at diagnosing these symptoms and history...
Depression/anxiety runs on my dad's side of the family. I'm 40 and have had low grade depression most of my life, but with severe depressive lows a few times a year. While I never feel a "manic high", I'm guessing I'm low level bi-polar due to ignoring and putting off life issues when I'm "normal" (low grade depression). When I get the severe modes of it I sleep all the time and have no motivation, not hungry, etc.
I've always been a "nervous" person but this seems to get worse with the depression (bouncing a leg while sitting still, jitters, etc. While I've experienced "crawling out of my skin" symptoms in the past or heart pain, this severity level is rare. I more or less feel like I've drank way too much coffee (which I don't drink).
The usual guilt, worry, hopelessness, fear of the future, feeling of worthlessness, and other type stuff floats around in my head. Complicating all this is a little OCD and ADD, which I've always had. Fear of touching faucets in bathrooms, trouble with memory and concentrating, etc.
Now that the long winded stuff is out of the way, I'm a big believer in nutritional answers to health problems. Even though this appears to be "genetic", I think the genetic problem might be a nutritional problem, if you know what I mean.
I'm hoping somebody with experience or a nutritional background can link all this together for me. Physical symptoms include: Always had slow blood clotting (according to my doctor). A blood test several years ago revealed high folic acid (I take a multivitamin). Although underactive thyroid runs in my family, mine was "in the low normal range" when it was tested. I hardly ever eat breakfast or fruits or vegatibles, or even eat on a regular schedule. If I don't eat for a long time my mind gets fuzzy and I sometimes get muscle "twitching".
I went on 10mg (or is that 20?) of Lexapro a couple weeks ago. While the depression feels like it might be lifting just a little, the anxiety seems a little worse. I'm also worried that if I'm bi-polar the lexapro will take care of my depression but won't address my "ignoring life" issues. I need HELP and am hoping somebody can look at the physical and mental symptoms and tie them into some form of possible defficiencies in diet/supplements. THANKS!