It's hard for me to post this thread. I'm not familiar with this particular forum. I've never identified as bipolar. But you might be able to help me.

All my life, I got diagnosed over and over with either dysthymia or major depressive disorder. I was assessed by a long series of doctors and therapists. There was one psychiatrist who saw me over a 6 year period. For 6 years, he wrote dysthymia on the paperwork he gave me. Then, one day, I was talking to him about something I was really upset over. I was in an excited state. Suddenly he said, "Why, Rose, I do think you're bipolar." He said it like it was a sudden revelation that surprised him, but that he felt quite confident in. I figured he was just annoyed with me because I was so upset. So I just blew off what he said.

I know I've long suffered from recurring episodes of depression. That's an observable fact. Right now, I'm coming out of a depressive tailspin. That's a good thing. But I'm so amped up, I can barely focus on anything I need to do. That often happens. I get to feeling so internally stirred up that I wish I could just stop thinking so feverishly. It makes me so disorganized that it's not much better than being depressed.

I wonder if anyone here can relate to any of this?

How do you slow down when you find yourself a bit too wired? Does medication actually help with that? Sometimes I think it's just lack of self-discipline. I seem to not really fit into any of the usual categories.