Confusing ADD With Bipolar

Has anyone else had this experience? I've had it strongly suggested to me that I have bipolar disorder. I've yet to be diagnosed with anything yet. But the more research I do, it seems my symptoms coincide with both, but more so with ADD.

My son was originally diagnosed with bipolar, but then the diagnosis was changed to ADD, so evidently even the professionals have a hard time distinguishing the two.

I totally agree that ADD or ADHD's symptoms overlap with other disorders such as bipolar. Sometimes the ADD's cognition appears much like mania or hypomania in bipolar. Many docs are not well versed in ADHD and throw out bipolar too often. One pdoc I read quoted bipolar as a wastebasket diagnosis.

I understand the mix up because I, too was diagnosed with bipolar and the dx. was withdrawn from me a year ago. It is now being seen as ADHD missed from childhood. Psychiatry is not an exact science. I am so leery of the mental health system in general. The FDA is a crock, by the way. It really doesn't look out for the patient like we think. It looks out for big pharma.

Yes, I have had this dilemma!

Please don't stop researching these disorders and look into your childhood history to see if ADD was present in the school years. Ask family, friends, any type of authority or peers about your behaviors as this can help in ruling in or out ADD. Also look at how you think ADD has affected your life as far as dysfunction. Like...moving a lot, or changing jobs. I don't know your age so if you have had these kinds of struggles, report them to your pdoc. It is possible to have both but sometimes we have to trust our own instincts and it might be very true that you know yourself better than an outsider. Be open to discussing all aspects of your life to help rule in the correct diagnosis or diagnoses. Good luck!

I jumped over from the bipolar forum when I saw this. The two are so much alike. I've read the deciding factor between the two are the mood swings, or lack thereof.
If it's something that developed as a child, it's a little easier. Kids with ADD frequently get in trouble in school but they usually don't mean to start anything. Usually. Bipolar kids have moods where they sort of go looking for trouble. They like to challenge authority, at least that's what I've read. I know it was true for me as a teenager.

I was diagnosed with bipolar when I went to the psych ward. A psychiatrist spent about 10 min with me and decided I had it. Proceeded to put me on 30 mg of zyprexa, lithium ER twice a day, klonopin, haldol, trazodone, vistaril, and a couple other meds. I was literally a zombie for the next 3 1/2 years. I just got into a new psychiatrist who spent a lot more time with me and she decided that I wasn't manic or bipolar at all. It all stemmed from my ADHD. Took me off all the other crap, put me back on my stimulants and I've never felt better.

I've heard that the two often have similar symptoms but the difference is that with ADD/ADHD, the shifts in mood are more sudden and last for shorter periods and usually are in response to a specific event (so more like overreactions or trouble with transitions in focusing from one thing to another). Like they are normal reactions such as sadness or frustration, just blown out of proportion. Whereas bipolar cycles often have no one specific trigger and last for longer periods.

I have both and read ppl with add are 6 x's more likely to have another mental illness.

I brought a list of all my symptoms to a psychiatrist and he said I have ADHD and mild mood disorder. Instead of treating the ADHD he decided to treat the mood disorder first and put me on a high dose of Lithium, which gave me bad side effects, worse depression, zombie like and made everything I ate or drank taste really disgusting. I barely ate for a few weeks.
The blood test revealed I had toxic levels of lithium in my system. He wanted to just lower the dose, but I refused to take it any more, then he put me on Abilify and it immediately made me vomit. I stopped going to him. It was obvious he didn't know what he was doing.

My partner was diagnosed with bipolar when he was a kid, but it now seems pretty obvious that it's more likely that it's ADD as he's responding far better to that treatment.

I'm in this position where I feel like my anxiety and depression are actually just symptoms of either ADD, bipolar, or BPD. I don't know which. I don't know how to go about bringing this up, or if I even want to yet. Trying to find treatment and be taken seriously is exhausting sometimes...

Yes, I've had so much trouble with this. It's widely contentious especially in children as the symptoms of childhood bipolar can mimic that of ADHD/ADD. I've been strongly suspected of being ADHD as a kid and my old T suspected I was ADD, but I have never been checked for it due to extenuating circumstances.

When I got diagnosed with OCD, the pdoc was leaning towards a BPII DX as well. I have frequently thought about this and my guess is that I might possibly have both. It is hard to point out concrete differences between what I feel to be ADD and what I feel to be BP, but there are some subtle ones known only to me. The main distinguishing factor may be that BP makes me hypersexual as well, though I am not 100% sure that it's not an ADHD symptom as well.

I have had many thoughts about this. Serotonergic, the label of ADD as opposed to being Bipolar is certainly an easier thing to swallow and come to terms with. I have thought a lot if I have bipolar, but I wonder if you can simply have both.

One thing I notice that distinguishes my symptoms (ADD) from Bipolar is that my moods worsen ONLY when I'm overwhelmed, stressed or going through changes. For example - the other month, I had a lot on at work, I had a huge assignment due and my apartment was in the process of renovation...I knew I'd end up having a small fit at the end. I get the same way when I have to organise something big or any time when I'm juggling too many tasks.

My friend has bi-polar and she's quite the opposite - she's very organised and loves being busy but her moods change for no real reason - she might have a super productive week where she's energetic and can literally accomplish anything...then she's sad and crying for the next few weeks.

I've been diagnosed with both and am currently being treated for both.

I know what you mean. I was hospitalized as a child in a psyche hospital: I was miraculously cured 12 months later...when my dad's insurance expired. As I was nearing the termination of the insurance, I tested my suspicians by assaulting staff and escaping, refusing therapy, etc. It did not in any way change their great therapeutic accomplishments or their future treatment recommendations. When I look back and read the diagnostic impressions, I am fascinated at how the impressions changed from therapist to therapist over time. They were giving me lithium---and all that did was ensure I was consistently empty inside---even though their litany of tests showed memory deficits, non verbal memory deficits, spatial deficits, right hemisphere brain damage/dysfunction, and my behavior was impulsive and oppositional. It was noted I could not concentrate on a school-related task for longer than 10 minutes, and that although my English was good my math was at the level of someone half my age, despite above average intelligence. All of the signs and symptoms of ADD/NVD were staring them in the face yet they could not see it. I started Adderall 30 years later and what do you know? Memory is what I always wanted it to be. Focus, concentration, patience... That hospital even knew I was dopamine deficient as a child, and they knew what ADD/ADHD was back then, and they had Ritalin. My impulsiveness remains unaltered on Adderall however: it is perhaps worse in the sense that I am even more honest than I was before getting on Adderall (when a person is a bad apple, honesty is self-destructive). I had/have other problems, but the attention deficit could have been managed and I might have channeled my ASPD into the business world and became a CEO instead of going the opposite direction. It's the shrink's fault I have a long felony record! That's just a joke, btw. But I do believe the outcome would have been different with ADD meds. I would have stayed in school, excelled, and gone on to college and obtained a good white collar job. Anyways, they thought I was bipolar too (one impression). Wrong.