Need to vent

You said:

"I'm at work and just had this overwhelming feeling of sadness wash over me. I feel like if I have one more tiny thought of something sad I'll just break down completely. I have an incredible urge to cry and don't know why."

I once cried in front of my psychiatrist, and she said, "Aw, you're just depressed."

I won't go into how cold she was, but I did learn from that, that crying, and the sadness and all, is a sign of depression. Again, with the other conditions around it, prolonged sadness, etc.

You may have hit an age when depression sets in, and if it's not a situation that's going on, it may be in your genes and due to come out. I don't know that for a fact, I'm just making some possible ideas.

Is there any depression in your family, like parents or grandparents? It can skip a generation, like a grandparent could have had emotional problems, but not your parents, but then you could have picked it up.

In my case, as a bipolar, I got it from my mother's mother. My mother did not have that, so it skipped a generation.

You may want to ask around to see if there was any of that. I'm on Lithium for the mania and Mirtazapine antidepressant for the depression.

You may want to talk to a psychiatrist and just get their opinion. You don't have to take any medicine if you don't want to.

What do you think?

Hi Brian, Just wanted to acknowledge you and comment that although I wish you were feeling better, you are also able to see the "good things" in your life and that is very healthy. Even though you haven't put your finger on "why" you want to cry beyond your bipolar brain, I think its best to let yourself have a good cry now and then. I too feel better after I vent and cry. I have often likened it to my version of "cutting." This is how I get it out. To swallow it or make lemonade doesn't really help until I've allowed myself that break down.