[QUOTE=crazytired;3243134]

Originally I was dx with Dysthymic Disorder, DD, as I have been depressed for as long as I can remember (back to kindergarten and I am now in my early 40s). I can only remember a six month period in '96, and then a 12 mo. period in '11 where I didn't feel down 99% time.

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I have never been manic. I have never felt euphoric. But I have felt what I call agitated depression, which some call dysphoric mania. But is it possible that I am BP when my "cycles" simply seem to be cycles of depression, and depression with agitation??? TY so much if you read all of this and also if you have any suggestions.[/QU

I'm sorry you're having so many problems with your dx. I had the same problems. I was depressed when I was 9 due to being bullied at school. Since I was 15 I only slept 3 hours a night and felt just fine. In 1969 no one in my family knew about or heard of BP. I thought it was just me. In 1987, after a bad summer of physical illnesses (torn cartilage in my knee, and a new dx of asthma), losing my job, and having marital problems, I had a dx of clinical depression with GAD. In 2000 I moved and saw a new pdoc and he said dysthymic with GAD. I also have mild OCD, and have since I was very small. In 2011 I was diagnosed BP with GAD and mild OCD. I've been on every AD drug known to man except for the old MAO inhibitors. None of them seems to help my depression. In 2011-12 I took lithium for 10 months with no change in my moods at all. I've never tried the mood stabilizers, but am on imipramine, clonazepam, zoplicone, and respirdal now.

Unfortunately sometimes it takes years to get the proper dx. I don't know why it's so hard for pdocs to figure out. Maybe for me, I just didn't know what BP was, so I didn't tell my pdoc everything I was doing. I knew nothing about BP, and I did those BP things all my life, I thought they were normal. I only saw him when I was depressed.

I'm 59 and I was just diagnosed 2 years ago.