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Depression episodes and decrease in appetite?


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Okay my depression has finally hit me completely. Like I KNOW I am definitely depressed now. It's mild-moderate so it's not suicidal or anything. But I have lost joy in... well everything. I am bored now because of this. I feel upset. Anyways my appetite has vanished. I bet I could go a whole day without eating-and I have binge eating disorder. I just haven't felt even slightly hungry in days. (My depression just recently hit me completely). Anyone else have a decreased appetite during their depression episode?

Edited by Bipolar_Flower
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Most of my depressive episodes include an increase in appetite.  I believe that a loss of appetite is part of depression with "melancholic" features, and depression with "atypical" features involves an increase in appetite.

Edited by lifequake
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I always lose my appetite when I'm depressed. I have to force myself to eat when I get like that, and it gets harder and harder to do as I get more depressed. At my worst, I've gone days before I realized I hadn't eaten anything. 

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When I'm seriously depressed I don't feel an increase in hunger but I also have zero interest and motivation to eat healthy and exercise. I just want to get back into bed and eat foods that are bad for me and then go back to sleep. It's easier for me to stay motivated about exercise and dieting when I am not depressed, which seems to be a rare occurrence. 

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For me it depends on the depth of the depression. With mild or moderate, I tend to comfort eat in an attempt to feel better. I wouldn't say its an increase in appetite as such, it's more a craving for carbs, I just eat more carbs and put on weight. When the depression gets severe I completely lose my appetite and lose weight. The loss of appetite is a seriously bad sign for me. Unfortunately by this time I also believe I am beyond help so I don't try to get it. It's just as well I have regular pdoc appointments now that I am on meds, so that it would be picked up before it gets that bad.

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I was going to point out increased appetite and weight gain are signs of the most common depression, atypical depression (odd name for the most common type)  and atypical is very common in Bipolar. So having depression with decreased appetite is less common.

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I don't know if my appetite decreases as much as I don't care/don't have enough energy to make anything to eat. I will eat in the throes of depression if it's put in front of me but I won't actively seek out food. I'm much like that when I'm not depressed, though (i.e. I won't eat breakfast if my husband doesn't make it, I won't eat lunch if it isn't packed for me) but it's worse during a depressive episode.

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I really hate to eat when I'm depressed.   To the point that people think I have an ED (I don't, er, though I love to skate nice and close.....).   My pdoc always told me 2 meals per day of X number of calories and that ensure or boost is fine.  Unfortunately, for normal brain chemicals, the body needs the building blocks to make them. Sucks, don't it.  Yeah.

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Yup, I am going thru a depressive episode right now and I will only eat like toast or something small. I have losy like 25 pnds over the winter because the episode has been so bad. No breaking thru or anything. Doc has tried me on several meds but none seem to work....So IDK anymore. Just depressed like you!

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