Hi there, thanks for asking. As you have mentioned, depression part of Bipolar II situation is the hardest part. Psychotherapy can deal with this part very well. You can ask your psychiatrist to do it by himself or introduce you to a clinical psychologist who does CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) or psychodynamic psychotherapy to deal with that depression. Adjusting the dose of phenelzine would also be helpful, and considered to be the sole way of therapy or a combination with talk session. Best wishes.

Hello,
Thanks for choosing health care magic for posting your query.
From the description that you have given, it could be possible that you could be having a bipolar depression. The usual treatment for depression is as below
The possible treatment options are :
1) Medications: Sertraline, venlafaxine, fluoxetine, agomelatonin etc.
2) Talk therapy: Cognitive behavioural therapy.
3) Others: Diet and regular exercise.
I am sure you have gone through the below steps by now. Now that it is lasting for 17 years the above therapies will not be very useful for you. You need to add up quetiapine or lithium or lamotrigine. Even ECT is a good option for you.If not improving valproate and carbamazepine can also help
But please do attend a psychiatrist who can talk to you in much details about your problem and come to a definite diagnosis.
Hope I am able to answer your concerns.
If you have any further query, I would be glad to help you.
In future if you wish to contact me directly, you can use the below mentioned link:
bit.ly/dr-srikanth-reddy

Wish you good health,
Dr. Srikanth Reddy M.D.

Dear,
You are more apprehensive and anxious than the problem itself.
Again you are suffering for 17 years and learned very little.
First of all, anti depressnts alone cannot cure your social phobia.
Needs meditation and calming exercises.
Self imagery, Prayer, Positive thinking, Cognitive Behvioral Therapy, Logo Therapy can help you.
Stop worrying and face the realities. Consult a psychologist soon.
Wishing a happy future.