I wish I knew...

I'm fifteen years old, and ever since I was little I've had symptoms of bipolar disorder. If I don't take my pills my mood will change constantly; I'll be crying, then laughing, then be angry. I won't sleep at all. I KNOW I'm bipolar. I've researched it. I match almost all the symptoms. But no one will diagnose me with it because I'm fifteen and 'too young.'

And it makes me mad. I'm on medication that would help me if I were bipolar, it's a mood stabilizer, and it does help, but at the same time I feel like I could feel even better if my psychiatrist would diagnose me. I've heard of kids younger than me being diagnosed with bipolar, so it just frustrates me. Is it really so impossible for them to diagnose me?

Welcome Girl Named Tennesse; there are other mental illnesses that share symptoms with bipolar and perhaps your pdoc is still evaluating you? How long have you been on medication? Have you told your pdoc how you feel?

I hope you find this site supportive and I'm glad you decided to post.

I agree wholeheartedly with blueoctober...at your age, it's even more crucial that you get the proper diagnosis and the proper medication as many meds can have devastating side effects, particularly for teens. It's important to do your research and it's important to take charge of your health, but make sure you understand why your treatment is at this stage. Unless your psych has proven to be totally incompetent, try to be patient and trust that a professional has the right skills and has your best interests in mind.

I'm glad you shared your concerns with us, that takes courage

I had a lot of trouble getting diagnosed because I was "too young." It's frustrating. On the other hand, if your doctor is treating you for bipolar disorder and the medications are working it might be nice to continue to exist without a label. That's why my T and pdoc didn't want to diagnose me because they were afraid that if they were wrong I'd still be stuck with the wrong label. So maybe thinking about it that way will help with your frustration. I wish you the very best.

If the meds are working, stay on them and let your pdoc treat any symptoms that crop up. The diagnosis (The name) is not really the important thing. Even with some of us that are dx'd bipolar, the way the symptoms present can be very different. I know pdoc's are weary to dx teens, as there are a lot of hormones that can also affect moods, and on the whole the teen years are considered rather treacherous. I hope you are on meds that can make you function well. This is really the main reason for taking meds, regardless of the label