I have heard that some years ago "bipolar" became very a very popular label. I don't want to offend anyone. Bipolar is real (and hurtful), but not all who wear that diagnose are diagnosed rightly. Sometimes the Pdoc puts that label on people that don't fit the diagnose because it was much focus about that Bipolar II persons were under-diagnosed one or two decades ago. So I have heard ...

We (my former therapist and I have discussed bipolar (cyclothymia) with regard to me as well. We agreed that I didn't fit into all the symptoms necessary for that diagnose and nobody wanted to put Bipolar NOS in my journal.

My personal "belief" is that some of us got some minimal damages to our brains during our birth process. My mother has told me that my birth was a difficult one. Such minimal damages can make a lot of small symptoms that a doc can find close to a diagnose that almost fits.

I am not trying to underestimate the quality of skilled professionals who try to do their best, only recognizing that diagnosing people probably is not easy. Among all the good doctors some are too quick to put the label on.

I can live well with the hypothesis that something happened at my birth. I am grateful for the medications I am on for unipolar depression, but I know that the only things that works on my "ups" and on the rest-depression that the antidepressants don't work upon, is schedules, schedules, schedules and schedules & self-instructions especially from CBT & partly from DBT.

I feel as long as I know what I am dealing with, it doesn't matter what type of label that is used, but that I know how to master to live with my disorder (whatever it is) and I have a much better life now. When I feel dragged away by some sort of sympthoms, I tell myself that I have good experience with that and tell myself: "I can do this, I have done it before!"

By the way: I hope I didn't hurt anyone by suggesting that some of us perhaps can have a small brain defect. To me it seems logical considered the facts that not all births go after "the manual". A small brain defect does not give people a lower intelligence. I did very well at school and at later education and so does a lot of other people that have some kind of problems they are not sure about what is. We don't need to be over-diagnosed. Our grandparents came through the days working hard and without diagnosis. I want to feel that I am normal with some problems and that I am capable to cope with life.

Sorry for ranting, but this topic has been in my interest for a long time.


I hope you succeed with "cultivating better daily habits". It costs energy and effort, especially the "sleep regime". Further I hope that you will not give up if you fail in the beginning. I have failed so many, many times, but my willingness to not give in and try and try again has given me a much better life. I have signed myself up for a gym as well, but will wait until I have the feeling that "This I will go for". I have physical training every morning at home and go for a really long walk in a group once a week. After that walk, I sometimes am so exhausted that I need to rest the whole next day (but it is generally a help for my total health).