Introduction/Question as to which "Type" Bipolar I am...

Hi everyone,
I looked around for forums that were fairly active and this looked like the best one. I am going to poke around this board quite a bit and read alot of the threads as they look interesting.
I am 29 and have a psych background in college courses as well as having volunteered at a suicide hotline (which was challenging, but rewarding).

I have probably been bipolar for longer than I have been diagnosed. Diagnosed around 2006 as it took me close to a year to actually go to the doctor once bipolar was a consideration (I didn't want to be on any meds that would "change" me). Things were very off with me and my attitude, my schoolwork was failing, I ran up ALOT of money on credit cards, etc.

I am on Lithium/Lamictil and an anxiety med that's newer (I will have to get the name, it's technically for seizures).

Like many others, I am sure, I have bounced on and off meds in the past for various reasons. Frustration, meds don't feel like they are working, lazy to take the pills, etc. Although I have been pretty lucky, I have had some bad swings due to starting and stopping the lithium, and I already know that starting lithium after stopping throws me straight into a manic cycle.

So that's a little background, now here is my question.

Which "type" of bipolar would you classify me as?

I have virtually no depression, but am extreme on the mania side. I cycle and have ups and downs, but my downs don't make me feel worthless, suicidal, or useless - if I am depressed it is minor and situational or seasonal (if that makes sense).
I can go up for a few hours and level out or go up and have extreme mania for several days. For me this is relatively normal. Frequency goes down with meds, but the intensity is the same.

So what "type" am I, since I have minimal depression but cycle quickly?

I guess I am more concerned because anxiety has become more of an issue lately, I will have another thread detailing this soon.

So, hello - thanks for looking - and please let me know what you think

Nick

I don't think type matters. The point is you have BP and are working to control it. Have you let your pdoc know your concerns about the anxiety? That seems to be what's going on that's worrying you the most...or perhaps that you still have extreme feeling symptoms while on meds. That says to me that you're probably not on the right meds. I'd talk to my T and my pdoc about my concerns if I was you. Hope you feel better soon.

Welcome, Nick!
I have BP Type I, and it is my understanding is that the major difference between 1 and 2 is psychosis...in other words, if you get delusions, hallucinations or paranoia with your manic episodes, you're more likely to be Type 1. If you've been honest with your doctor, I'm sure he could help.

I am not familiar with extreme feeling symptoms. I will have to look into that, and you are probably right.

I am concerned about anxiety right now. Seems like it's been getting a bit worse. Teeth grinding/clenching while awake and asleep the past two days to the point of jaw muscle soreness (happens about every month to month and a half when I am extremely manic).

I also experience some dissociation, it is dawning on me now, when I am panicked or in an extreme situation - basically things feel "surreal".

I feel like too many people slap a self diagnosis on themselves and acquire "another issue" and I don't like to fall into that overzealous category. In the same token, if certain aspects of my condition are getting worse, or other symptoms are appearing, I need to recognize and handle them.

I have to go in to my psych so I can have my meds adjusted, in regards to the anxiety.

I do get paranoid about things, especially if I am manic, and in regards to delusions, I am not too sure - but nothing as severe as some examples I read about. No hallucinations though.

I can get very OCD when I am manic however. Not "clean clean clean" OCD, but in regards to straightening things for example. At night my pens, lighter, alarm clock and remote need to be lined up parallel with the wood grain on the table or within a tile square and parallel with the edges. That's my best example.

Not sure if this is interrelated to the type of Bipolar.
Thanks for the advice

Welcome Nick.

The vagueness in diagnosis can be frustrating. I think, at least from what I've read and been told that the move is to sort of look at bipolar as a disorder spectrum, there are so many variants to the way we experience moods. If this helps to illustrate the frustration and vagueness I can tell you that I experience psychosis during mania and depression, I seem to have more mixed episodes and deep depressions than manic episodes and have never had a hypomanic episode and i'm currently re-labeled mood disorder NOS. In my life I've been labeled with BP1, major depression, and psychotic disorder NOS.

Your therapist or pdoc should be willing to show you your diagnosis at anytime and discuss it with you.

Welcome, I'm new here too and have BP. I have found that the diagnosis means something to the pdoc as far as treatment goes, but really, it's all about managing your unique symptoms. BP comes out in everyone a little different... so treatment plans vary. I would look for the right cocktail, and don't stop trying 'till you find it.

Look forward to hearing more from you.

Yep, been searching for several years for that "right" cocktail, and I know that 4-5 years of searching is nothing in the BP world.
I am honestly disappointed with my psych at the moment and don't go to a therapist ($$ reasons) - so I am going to be searching for a new psych doc. I feel like I walk in for refills and that's it, that's not what I need.

So on a side note, if anyone has any BP groups and/or psych doc recommendations in Chicagoland, please PM me. Ironically, finding a new doctor makes me anxious, haha.

From my understanding to be classified as BP 1 you have to have a manic episode that either requires hospitalization or last for at least a week or reach a mixed state sometime in your history. The label isn't the important part, just as the others have said. It's how well the doc responds to you and your situation.

Hi I'm new to this site too. You're definately BiPolar I. Type II is out of the question because your mania is severe. Not everyone has a 50/50 balance between mania & depression..nor is it uncommon for one to be stronger than the other. I'm BiPolar I as well, but mine is the exact opposite of yours. Lots of bad depression w/periodic "irritable" mania. Lithium is a godsend..really try to be consistant with it. Sleep is a big deal too. People w/BiPolar almost always have a Circadian Rhythm disorder (inner clock) Sleep and mood are governed by the same section of the brain. Your sleep gets messed up, your moods get messed up and vice versa. Fun Fun