Sorry for the rant, but I'm very angry now that I've come to believe that my mom got me misdiagnosed with bipolar 1. I came to this conclusion from reading this article: Is It Bipolar Disorder or ADHD? Symptoms and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder | ADDitude - Attention Deficit Information & Resources

When I was little, I was diagnosed with ADHD. My mom didn't like that diagnosis and tried to talk me, my dad, and doctors out of it a lot, until it got to the point that I didn't believe it either. However, I still had the reaction to ADHD meds that you would expect from a kid with ADHD (feeling like a zombie, reduced hyperactivity). They did NOT make me high like I should have been if I didn't have ADHD.

Recently (past year) at age 17 I was hospitalized for psychosis that had been going on for a few years. Because I was a minor, they involved my mom in my diagnosis.

When they first asked me if I had periods where I was more energetic, sociable, happy, etc. I told them no. I had no idea what they were talking about. I only felt more energetic in RESPONSE to things, like going to a party, doing something I liked, etc. I stayed up late some nights, but every teenager does that.

But my mom basically told the doctors that I had mania (not true at all... hypomania would have been more accurate, but I doubt it was even that). She told them I would "pace" and used that as evidence that I was manic. But I pace ALL THE TIME. When I'm on the phone, I pace. When I'm waiting for someone, I pace. Isn't that a symptom of ADHD? She claimed I would go to bed at 4 in the morning and not feel tired, which was again NOT TRUE. Some nights I went to bed after midnight and had to get up early, but I would sleep in class to compensate. It's not like I had endless energy.

At first I tried to tell the doctors that she was exaggerating, but they didn't listen to me. But because my mom kept telling me that I had bipolar, over and over, I started to believe her. I know I have been depressed before, but I am seriously doubting I've ever been even hypomanic.

My mom told me that I was manic as a child. If that were true, I would have had to be manic MY ENTIRE CHILDHOOD. That seems like a LONG time for a manic or hypomanic episode.

Only one doctor ever believed what I said and diagnosed me as schizoaffective (depressed type). At the time this happened, there was another girl in the hospital who ACTUALLY had bipolar and we talked. I knew my experience was very different from hers.