I was just thinking and inspired about how the list of bipolar symptoms puts together this neat little box but really we have "symptoms" that aren't on that list that no one discusses.

I was thinking that for one person they have a ton of risk taking, while another doesn't. Or in depression someone has insomnia but someone else sleeps. There is no box. But, at the same time, we have things in common that make you go "whoa, I thought I was the only one."

I guess what I'm saying is the diagnosis criteria may be missing the boat on certain aspects of bipolar, (and probably other things as well.)

So this is like a bipolar / schizoaffective bipolar type poll to loko at one of those. We have a thread right now about it, but I was thinking let's do a poll and see what comes up. This one is about impulses and intrusive thoughts. I know there are more of these type of similarities. As we think of them we should put up polls.

It's like when I was in psychology classes one of my teachers discussed how some tests seem really superficial like it will ask: "Do you like pea soup?" Because it turns out a huge population of people with a certain disorder all like pea soup.... but is that a clue? Hard to say. (This was just a silly example that always stuck with me.)