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The answer to this question may be that you're among the thousands of people each year who have been misdiagnosed. If you've tried antidepressants but your depression isn't getting better, or is getting worse, it may be because you have a type of bipolar disorder.

If you not only feel depression, but also anxiety, irritability, sleep problems and mood swings, you may have bipolar II or "soft" bipolar disorder. And antidepressants aren't the right treatment for you.

In Why am I Still Depressed, psychiatrist and author Jim Phelps, M.D., a leading authority on bipolar disorder, provides practical knowledge for those who live with bipolarity, their loved ones and medical practitioners.

He's involved in the latest research on the "bipolar spectrum," which recognizes bipolar disorder not as two narrowly-defined sub-types, I and II, but as a continuum of symptoms.

Dr. Phelps writes in a conversational style, but backs up his information with solid science. He gives you the latest tools and knowledge so you can:

• understand the Mood Spectrum, a powerful new tool for diagnosis.
  
• know all your treatment options, including mood-stabilizing medications and research-tested psychotherapies.
  
• examine the potential hazards of taking antidepressant medications.
  
• manage your condition with exercise and lifestyle changes.
  
• help family and friends with this condition understand their diagnosis and find treatment.

Dr. Phelps suggests that instead of asking "Am I bipolar?" the question should be "How much bipolarity might I have?" If you've been frustrated with information about major depression and classic bipolar I that just doesn't fit you, but you know you're not well and you can't seem to get better, you'll find answers - at last - in this book.

Few books on depression and bipolar disorder are as comprehensive as this one. You'll learn the difference between mania and hypomania, what FDA approval really means, how to evaluate a treatment, what non-drug treatments can be effective, what to do about weight gain and more.

This new way of defining and treating bipolar disorder is gradually replacing traditional psychiatric approaches.

Jim Phelps, MD is a practicing psychiatrist in Corvallis, OR, and a leading authority on bipolar disorder. He publishes the website PsychEducation.org, a comprehensive source of information on bipolar disorder for consumers and professionals and heads an International Society for Bipolar Disorders subcommittee on diagnosis of the bipolar spectrum. Dr. Phelps has been published in numerous professional publications. He serves as an editorial advisor to Moodletter.

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Page updated January 1, 2010