Can bipolar mimic ACOA?

Hi. New Meds are going well. Saw therapist. She says she thinks I am traumatized (ptsd?) by growing up in an alcoholic household. She asked me why I think I'm bipolar. Uh.... because I have had all the symptoms for the last 20 years?? You CAN have both I'm sure! Well I'm just wondering where she's trying to go saying I was traumatized by my alcoholic dad and that my symptoms stem from being an adult child of an alcoholic. .That and she’s obviously anti-psych meds! I feel I'm caught between her and Pdoc! And pdoc recommended her!

Hi @Moose72 I am sorry that you feel torn between the therapist and the pdoc. I think if you no longer feel supported by the therapist and that they are contradicting the meds you have been on for a long time it may be time to talk to the pdoc and ask what about the therapist made them recommend them.

I could not be with someone that was not listening to me but trying to impose their theories on me.

Even if you were affected by alcoholic dad, that does not contradict the need you have to learn how to cope with the mental health challenges you face. That is in my opinion what I would want the therapist to do with me.

CANDC

[If you want me to see your reply to this post please include @CANDC in your message - not in requoting my message]

RD Laing used to call it "crazy-making."

I think the way it would work is, grossly inadequate parenting / neglect truncates development of our brain cells. They have done studies that a high Adverse Childhood Events score correlates to bad adult stuff. Sorry - info goes in but it doesnt come back out!

When's the next time you see your pdoc? I'd love to see his reaction if you tell him what she said. It's always fun when you tell two professionals they see things oppositely (or at least differently). I bet it'd be even more fun when one recommended the other

Bipolar is known as the most "physical" of the "mental" illnesses. There are surefire symptoms like disrupted circadian cycles (not just sleeping, but with eating, drinking, other daily activities too), and there are a lot of similar physical abnormalities between many patients with bipolar (for example, ppl w/bipolar tend to have more hyperintensities in their brain than others. I had an MRI once and they found a few. It tends to run in families which could point to genetic (but could point to just generational trauma and various reactions on the flip side), and there are some changes in certain chemicals during episodes like noradrenaline increasing during mania and decreasing during depression (but this doesn't necessarily mean it's causing the whole of the mania/depression or is a change that happens on its own that causes the mania/depression, could be the reason those symptoms show up, could be some kind of response).

Basically, there are things they know but no one knows what to do with the things they know because they don't know enough. Also psychology/psychiatry research tends to be underfunded compared to the creation of new medications that could keep businesses going instead of actually furthering our knowledge and furthering our ability to help people (unless "people" are "pfizer")