[hardtimes101]

How can you start off with being traumatized and have ptsd then they tell you that you have bipolar disorder?? Are they that similar??

[Amazonmom]

Some of the symptoms may be similar, but it is possible to have both bipo II and ptsd, like a lot of us do here. Finding a good diagnosis takes some time and patience i have found...

[wing]

Bipolar Disorder and PTSD are two separate diagnoses, and a person can have both at the same time. Often a trauma of some kind will trigger bipolar in a person already predisposed to it.

[mgran]

I have been told that trauma can trigger bipolar disorder in people already prone to this condition.

[setemfree]

PTSD occurs alongside many other diagnoses. The incident that brings on PTSD often is a causitive factor in other difficulties as well. Even after PTSD issues are resolved (if you are lucky enough to have that happen), the co-occuring difficulties will persist unles they are also diagnosed and addressed.

Unfortunately, many therapists have little success with PTSD treatment. I have heard that EMDR is sometimes effective.

[hardtimes101]

They are saying all of those things. That I have Bipolar II and PTSD and that I most likely had B II the entire time, but the traumatic experience that I went through could have caused my symptoms of bipolar II to come to the surface and become more noticable. That's what they think. The tragedy of the incident and the grief I feel cause me a lot of stress and they think that triggered it all. That's so fair.