Quote:
Originally Posted by Undead33
Hey, I'm new here and you guys are probably tired of the "could I be bipolar?" threads, but I could really use your help. No one knows what's wrong with me. I've been diagnosed with almost everything. I'm starting to wonder if I could be bipolar. I've been depressed since I was a teenager. For about a week (or less) every few months I get kind of wacky. This started happening to me about 3 years ago. I'm 22 years old. Sometimes this happens for like four days in one month. There's no definite cycle. It happens randomly.
I apply for all kinds of jobs, take way more classes than I can handle, think I'm the smartest/sexiest/most awesome/[insert random quality here] person in the world, stay up all night and meet a ton of people (I'm kind of an antisocial snob so that's way out of character.) I woke up one morning and decided to join the Air Force... and got kicked out 3 years later. I cheated on and lost the best person that was ever in my life. I hooked up with a ton of strangers. I got arrested. I broke some guy's window with my fist because he pissed me off. I raced my secret lover on the highway going 120mph at 3am. I have many more stories...
I described these symptoms to my psychiatrist and he diagnosed me with mood disorder NOS. He said that I couldn't be diagnosed as bipolar because my manic episodes weren't long enough and they happened far too often. Was he right or wrong? Should I get a second opinion? I do have ADHD and this could be a sign of poor impulse control I guess...  I suspect bipolar because I'm not a window breaking psycho all of the time. |
Hi,
Not sure if I am replying the right way. I was much like you at the same age - honestly. They called it rapid cycling. Boy, am I relieved to finally have the right medication to counteract. Took a very long time to get there. You are very lucky to live now in this day and age - still young. Science has come a long way and so have different treatments.
You might appreciate a book called "Touched by fire" written by a bipolar woman who became an acclaimed psychiatrist. Forgot her name but I could get back to you if you don't find it yourself. Besides where would we be if Churchill had not pulled himself voluntarily down into depression only to rise up and violently proclaim "We will never surrender!"
Nor should you. Where there is a way there is a reason or was it the other way around. Works well anyway for me. Blessings,
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