Quote:
Originally Posted by Eliza Jane
I'm BP II and like a lot of other BP II folks I spend a lot more time depressed than hypomanic. And I often (but not always) am pretty functional during hypomania. So for many years my pdoc's and t's and I thought it was "just" major depression. My first episode was probably around age 8 and they came and went through the years and became very severe mid-20's.
I wasn't diagnosed BP II until this year (age 33). The amazing thing is that somehow I didn't occur to me sooner and my pdoc's never bothered to fully explore it. The pdoc's always just commented on the fact that the only things which seemed to help me were mood stabilizers and AAP's (hmm.....) and the hypomanic reaction I had to Wellbutrin was quickly forgotten. I also think a lot of my hypomanic behavior was mislabeled as anxiety by me and the folks around me. (I do also have anxiety issues, so that clouded the picture.). I think when we came to the BP II dx, it felt like finding that missing puzzle piece that fit perfectly.
In summary, it has been a long journey, but my answer is 33. 
Best,
EJ |
This is practically my background, word for word. I've had anxiety since childhood, and I wonder to this day if it was actually hypomania (as now when I get more anxious, often my hypomania/irritation will simultaneously accelerate).
Even having been diagnosed with depression at a young age, it seemed appropriate at the time. But as I grew older I think in the back of my mind I wondered, "is that all there is? Do depressed people cut to get the rush of emotions that can't be contained, out?" Maybe so, but more times than I can count as a teen I would feel completely overwhelmed by hard, awful emotions that flooded my body/brain, and cutting alleviated that some. I finally stopped that, but I guess looking back it was anxiety? Anxiety as a common term was not really used--that I can remember--until the last 10 years or so....
Anyway, I wanted to thank you for your post---it is so similar to me.
