[WendyAussie]

I'm interested to know about other psychiatric illnesses people have on top of Bipolar. At current diagnosis I have PTSD (which I think is more likely CPTSD due to long term abuse and neglect), Panic and Anxiety Disorders and OCD, and I guess the four sleep conditions I have too, as well as sober alcoholism.

I'm interested in how your illnesses interact with each other, trigger each other etc. And also how your meds interactions, help or exascerbate the illnesses they aren't primarily caring for.

[sugahorse1]

My pdoc thinks I may have ADD/ADHD too. But I found that Ritalin didn't help much, so I don't take anything for it. I do battle with anxiety, but take Klonopin for that as needed.
At times I battle to sleep, but I have a sleeping aid.
I think it can be hard to actually give each dx an individual label, but we just try treat the symptoms as they pop up

[sjane23]

I've been diagnosed with bipolar, ptsd and borderline personality disorder as well as chronic insomnia

[palemoss]

oh well where do i begin - when you go through different therapists and doctors you are bound to be diagnosed with different disorders

since i was 15:

substance abuse (coke/speed)
major depression
bipolar (at 20)
borderline personality disorder
generalized anxiety disorder
dysthymia

but my friends think i'm normal, just a bit of a hot mess when i go out and/or recluse once n a while

and i feel okay with my life NOW. who knows 6+ months from now... though

[jack123]

I could write a book. Different doctors have different opinions so they get added. I have PTSD, major depression bipolar 2, borderline personality disorder, eating disorder, DID

[WendyAussie]

Thanks guys. Yes, sugahorse, I agree with dealing with each symptom as they come up. I started with a new psychdoc recently and I said I have been diagnoased with Bipolar 1 and also Bipolar 2 at different times by different doctors - even the same doctor!! lol But the new guy said don't worry about it, it's a moot point, it doesn't matter because the treatement is the same, and I think he's right.

sugarhorse, do you know much about ADD/ADHD? This isn't for myself but one of my brothers. He's a very sick man from alcohol and drug addiction as well as mental illness and he has been unable to get clean and sober. He is violent, aggressive and unable to control his aggression. He has serious unaddressed psych issues and one thing he has been diagnosed with is ADHD. I am very ignorant about it and I thought it was only aout attention issues - but read recently that it can also include an inability to hold in strong emotions and aggression. I sort of thought, maybe that's part of why he's so out of control and maybe why he can't get sober ad clean, and also why every single person or organisation he comes into contact with ends up in a huge fight?

sjane and palemoss and jack, if you can or wish to, could you give me a little bit of info on borderline, because I think it is one of the lesser understoof illnessess, certainly by me - I'm just asking that so I'm better educated.

I know a new DSM is coming out and I think as the science gets better all these labels will get clearer. For one thing, I feel Bipolar is a title, but under it is a whole serious of illnesses. And if there was more clarity than that, maybe the wider community would at least have a glimpse of what a complicated and devastating illnesses it is - where were are fighting on so many different fronts every day - thus twice the mortality rate of Unipolar depression.

[BlackPup]

I'm boring with only one diagnosis - BP2. So maybe I'm not the best to comment, but I will anyway!!!!
1. I think labels can be good and bad: they can give an explaination for what is happening, help guide treatment and give an idea of prognosis but they can be applied wrongly, cause stigma, and be used as an excuse.
2. Exact diagnoses are difficult with something as complicated as the mind, with spectrums of disease and different problems presenting in similar ways. Also so much is based on the doctors opinion that there is variation between what different doctors say.
3. More exact diagnoses may become possible for problems with a genetic/biochemical basis like some people with BP, some forms of depression, schitzophrenia, ADHD; but I think it is likely to remain subjective and difficult to diagnose disorders that are related to our interactions with society like BPD, PTSD, some forms of depression etc
Just some ideas

[Merlin]

I have, or at least had, PTSD

[WendyAussie]

I agree with everything you said BlackPup. (No, I'm not being a suck!! lol)

[madisgram]

lots of good question, imho. my PTSD can trigger anxiety. meds definitely help plus using the tools i've learned in therapy. i have 4 dx's. some events can cause the depressive side of my bipolar. i have some tools but the depression overrides my meds. this also triggers my anxiety disorder. some meds for my bipolar help with my sleep disorder and racing mind. i would have to say my therapy has really helped to use the tools i was taught. other than depression i am able most times to not allow my dx's to overlap.

[lotusflames]

bipolar, gad, bpd, ednos

[jack123]

For me the borderline diagnosis was cutting to relieve anxiety. I finally did get to a point that I quit doing that. I was diagnosed as bipolar due to all the sui....attempts.

[Trippin2.0]

BP2,OCD,BPD... My bp has been under c0ntrol 4 the better part of the last 8m0nths n0w. My OCD doesn't bug me unless I get depressed and my bf triggers my BPD.. At the m0ment, i'm coping with meds 4 my BP,which alleviate the other sympt0ms 2. I d0n't sleep very well,but it's the n0rm 4 me since I was 15y.o. Thanx 4 starting this thread,you've reminded me that i need 2b xtra vigilant :-)

[SingDanceRunLife]

BP II, OCD and GAD. I tend to have more OCD symptoms when I'm more on the manic side, and more GAD symptoms when I'm more on the depressed side.

[Icantsleep]

BP I and BPD

[dragonfly2]

While my primary diagnosis is BPI ("Rapid cycling, Severe with Psychotic Features" as my pdoc likes to say...), I also suffer from Depersonalization Disorder. Sometimes the DPD comes up on its own, other times it's a response to the severe depressions. For a while, it would happen while I was switching between mood states, sort of like that eerie feeling you get when the eye of a hurricane passes over or a massive thunderstorm is about to break.

At other times in my life, I was diagnosed with ED NOS, and at one point, they also said Borderline, but that has been basically disproven by other pdocs.

And to answer your question about ADHD (hope I'm not stepping on toes, sugarhorse...just wanted to say this while I'm here....)....

My husband and daughter both have ADHD, and yes, aggression and impulsivity can be a big part of it. Before he was effectively treated, my husband got into all sorts of interpersonal problems at work and lost a lot of jobs because he was basically perceived as a belligerent a$$hole. The funny thing about the inattention piece is that they can actually hyperfocus on something they really enjoy, but watch out if you interrupt them in any way...all hell breaks loose.

My daughter has had issues with impulsivity, especially at school. She's never really been the "run around the room uncontrollably" type, but would jump out of her seat at any moment and talk incessantly. Raising her hand in class was not part of her vocabulary. The Intuniv she takes now has helped a lot of that (extended-release guanfacine here in the US), but she still has a lot of inattention. If you send her into another room to do a task and a mote of dust floats by, she completely gets lost in it. There was a funny t-shirt we saw once that said it perfectly: "My doctor says I have ADHD, but I don't think....oh look...a chicken!" Now that my husband is doing better and it's not affecting his (and our) life as much, we try to have a sense of humor about it.

[thinker22]

I have been diagnosed with BPI, PTSD, anxiety, major depression, and a dash of psychosis when I have auditory hallucinations. All my meds have finally put these into check. I'm feeling great. I wake up happy and with hope, not with dread and that heavy leaden feeling that I used to. Hugs to anyone who needs some. I know I do every day. Being strong is tough when your own brain is attacking you.

[mgran]

When I was a kid I was diagnosed with autism. As an adult I was originally diagnosed with major depressive disorder, then psychotic depression, then bipolar two, and now they've settled on schizoaffective. I am almost sure I have post traumatic stress as well, and the psydoc did say that she thought I had still autistic and obsessive compulsive traits.
So I guess my current diagnoses would be schizoaffective disorder, HFA and OCD.

[WendyAussie]

Thank you everyone. Dragonfly, all of that info about ADHD is very illuminating for me and so much of it just so reflective of my brother, so that help me understand him more. And I loved the line about the chicken.

[Confusedinomicon]

I am just BP1 NOS. I get some auditory and visual hallucinations and mixed states. Some sleep problems, too.

Though I've gotten a lot better since I've found a mix of meds that is currently working for me.

[sugahorse1]

I unfortunately don't know too much about ADHD/ADD, I did look up some info on the net to help me understand.
I don't use my meds anymore, as I didn't notice enough improvement. I really cannot concentrate well and tend to switch off. I do many tasks at once and never seem to finish any. I cannot work on strict guidelines...
Though when I hear what your brother experiences, I certainly can relate. I am a "hot head".