Bipolar Disorder Symptoms Depression Emotional Pain in Bipolar Depression Bipolar Depression Symptoms - Part 3 By Marcia Purse Marcia Purse is a mental health writer and bipolar disorder advocate who brings strong research skills and personal experiences to her writing. Learn about our editorial process Marcia Purse Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on August 05, 2016 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on February 23, 2021 Print Silvia Sanchez De Freitas/Moment/Getty Images Emotional pain isn't unique to depression. For example, all of the symptoms listed under this heading in Warning Signs of Depression can appear in times of grief. Individual symptoms or a cluster of them may be triggered by other events as well - job loss, divorce, a profound disappointment. If the symptoms continue too long, are accompanied by other symptoms, or are impacting your life, they may require treatment. But by themselves, these symptoms don't necessarily indicate the presence of major depression. Let's take a look at them: Emotional Pain Prolonged sadness Unexplained, uncontrollable crying Feelings of guilt Feelings of worthlessness Loss of self-esteem Despair/hopelessness Helplessness These symptoms, especially taken individually, are not unique to clinical depression. Feeling helpless, for example, may be a reasonable initial reaction to a difficult situation. In bipolar depression, however, a feeling of helplessness is likely to be: Combined with other types of emotional pain Combined with other types of depressive symptoms Prolonged beyond a reasonable time More severe than is reasonable Interfering with your functioning As I said, any one or more of these symptoms could be a common reaction to a traumatic event. But if they don't get any better after a reasonable amount of time, are increasing in severity or are significantly impacting your functioning, you should seek help. One element that can differentiate bipolar depression from a more expectable emotional reaction, is that in a person suffering from a mood disorder, these symptoms may also occur spontaneously, without any clear triggering stress. At the same time, any stressful life event - be it sorrowful or even joyous - has the potential to set off a depressive episode in someone with major depression or bipolar disorder. Thus, it is particularly important to monitor someone with a history of depression, mania or hypomania after any kind of major life occurrence, such as divorce or marriage, a death or a birth. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Dealing with racing thoughts? Always feeling tired? Our guide offers strategies to help you or your loved one live better with bipolar disorder. Sign up for our newsletter and get it free. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Speak to a Therapist Online Advertiser Disclosure × The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which Verywell Mind receives compensation.