My sister has bipolar and has been hospitalized 6 times since she was 21.
She has a job in retail, but when she is not at work, she does nothing but sit in a chair or sleep.
How do I know if this behavior is a result of depression or just laziness?
How can you tell the difference between depression and laziness?
Posted by admin on May 15th, 2010
Posted in Depression Q and A 
Depression saps you of energy, motivation, willpower.. You don't care much about anything really. She's lazy if she has the full ability to do it easily but chooses not to.
(I don't think she's lazy)...
If she had depression then she wouldn't bother to also do the things she loves like play tennis, walk the dog, or go see a movie with friends.
if she has bipolar im guessin she takes medication,if she is then it could b that that makes her tired all the time,as diffrent meds have diffrent side effects.it doesnt seem shes very lazy if she has a job.
This is my opinion, there is no such thing as laziness, there is always a reason for it....
bi polar could effect her this way...
Some specialists in hormones recommend that people with mental illnesses have their hormones checked and balanced to help out with healing
I see your problem- being tired all the time is a symptom of depression. But maybe she uses that Bipolar as an excuse to lay around and be lazy.
I would try chasing her around the house with a snake. If she gets up and runs away really quickly she is not lazy.
If she lies there and screams "get it away from me!!!" she is lazy.
Depression is different from lazyness because the person will have thoughts of worthlessness, lonelyness, hopelessness, and generally feeling down most of the time.
If you talk to your sister about anything, these thoughts usually will come out in conversation. Perhaps ask one of her best friends if they've thought her behaviour has been a bit strange.
Hope everythings's not too bad and all the best!
i am pretty sure it is depression because you don't have energy and you said that she had been hospitalized 6 times (whoa) so that may still be causing her depresion i really don't think she is lazy it's depression