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Julial · 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perpetuallysad

I'm being careful what I say because I don't know what your diagnosis will be or if it will even change. Maybe if you try not to worry about what you will do with a new diagnosis that you don't have yet, the wait will be easier. Plus, there is really no way to tell, if you are diagnosed bipolar, what the psychiatrist may put you on. All the meds are different and everyone reacts differently to them. There are tons of people on here who have very positive experiences with anti-psychotics (which are often prescribed to bipolar people), but I haven't found a single one that I am able to take without the side effects being too bad. Some medicines do make you feel blah, some don't. But the same can be said for the medications given for depression. I know I'm not being very helpful and I know anticipation can be awful, but there really is no way to give you any concrete answers until you have a diagnosis and are prescribed something specifically; even then, your reaction could be very different from mine or someone else's.

About creativity: I have found that even before seeking treatment my creativity was always way down when I was depressed as opposed to manic/hypomanic. I don't know if everyone has that same experience.

Again, even with your behavior, you may not change one bit once you start treatment. Or you may become depressed. Or happy. There are so many variables its just impossible to guess.

I hope the visit goes alright. How long do you have to wait?

Thank you for your response and for sharing your thoughts. You are right about trying not to anticipate my diagnose. I know that bipolar and severe depression run in my family but only my brother was formally diagnosed with bipolar and I don't think he is getting the quality treatment that he should be. As a family, we did not acknowledge our mental problems and they were passed off as episodes or hissy fits (I come from the south!) and generally ignored as bad behavior. I do know that something is definitely wrong; I just got over an "episode" last week and I am still feeling the ups and downs in my emotions. My mother shot herself in June of last year and I think that it is catching up with me. She was 75 yrs old and in fairly good physical health but she just kept saying there was no point in living. I tried to do all the right things for her care but she refused treatment. Sometimes, I feel very sorry for myself but my family has taught me that you just shake it off and go on. And that is not working for me, nor has it ever. I appreciate your input. My appt is April 8 and in a way I am looking forward to it. Go figure. Again, my thanks.