[heyitsryan]

Showing excessive deference is a symptom of bipolar disorder? omg WTF.

What negative or oddball trait ISN'T a symptom of bipolar disorder, I ask you all? That's really what I want to know. Is there even one negative or excessive trail that is not a sign? One?

It makes sense that like any other field, psychology has its trends and "it" disorders or syndromes, buzz words and new fads. The decades of the sociopath, borderline personality and ADHD have clearly given way to bipolar disorder. It seems as though everyone who thought they had panic disorder or a personality disorder or ADHD or Asperger's Syndrome now, surprise, suddenly is being told after all these years that they are bipolar. Message boards are littered with posts from people who have been under the care of a psychologist or psychiatrist for YEARS and now, suddenly, they are diagnosed with bipolar disorder? Is this not even a little bit suspect or troubling?

Exhibit any negative trait, and you too could join the club. Talk too fast? Bipolar! Eat too much? Bipolar! Too empathic? Bipolar! Anxious? Yep, bipolar! Respect your boss? Yes, incredibly enough, this also appears to be sign of bipolar disorder, too!

Even sarcasm, folks! : D

The stats, if they are to be believed, suggest 1-2% of the general population is bipolar. I can think of a heck of a lot of people who talk really fast (most of the East Coast; all Jews), and a ton more who are anxious, such as, oh, I don't know... the millions of unemployed peeps out there. Looks like those stats are going to have to be revised slightly upwards.

I hope China doesn't own all the mining rights to lithium, like they do for most other metals, or, apparently, we're all screwed. That is, until the new "it" syndrome comes along. Wonder what it will be called, and what drug company will profit from it? Good times.

[kindachaotic]

Hello & Welcome! Lots of info& resources to take advantage of on here. The forums are extremely helpful & the people are caring & don't judge.

Don't know if you are newly dx'd or your age, if medicated, seeing T or pdoc. But... if you can, try not to get to tangled up (if that's the right phrase) in the word bipolar. It is a dx but doesn't have to be a label. You might have the dx of bipolar but you are "YOU", not the word bipolar.

I am older, 54 & have BP & other dx's Got dx'd 17 yrs ago, so at this point I don't worry too much about what it's called. I do know that if I don't take my meds my brain will get sick & my life becomes VERY unpleasant.

Lithium is one of many rx & there are Pharms in many countries. China is controversial in a lot of areas & understandably upsetting to us here in America. That in itself is a whole other topic of discussion, maybe in chat.

Just know we are here for you whenever you post & will be supportive of your needs or general questions about similarities, ect.

Take care of yourself!!

[Moose72]

I dunno. Spend 6 years as bipolar 1 and you'd quickly find out what is "real" bipolar and what is fake.

[Detach]

Since Bipolar has a wide variety of severity. Not all people with BP will experience the same symptoms or at the same severity. Someone with mild hypomania is going to present clinically very different then someone with acute severe psychotic mania....Yet they are both Bipolar...

[Secretum]

Ryan, your post is a tad bit offensive. The people on this board have suffered greatly, and have come here in search of an accepting environment.

Bipolar is sometimes overdiagnosed. So is depression. So is chronic fatigue syndrome. So is breast cancer. I think you get my point.

Bipolar symptoms can be found in the general population. Many students function on limited sleep. Loads of people feel inadequate and cry about it. The difference between a mentally healthy person and a bipolar person is in both the degree and the co-occurrence of the symptoms.

How many healthy students pull 14 all-nighters (without naps) in a row? How many healthy discouraged people absolutely hate themselves for prolonged periods of time, and contemplate (or even attempt) suicide because everything about them and their lives seems so hopeless? Mania and depression are extreme states of mind.

Bipolar is a syndrome, which means that it is defined by a cluster of symptoms. You are not bipolar for simply yelling at your boss. You might be bipolar if you yell at your boss because you think your IQ is ten times higher than his, because you are the re-incarnation of Isaac Newton, which you know to be true because your daughter's physics textbook told you so (spoke to you) last night, which was the 5th night you've gone without sleep because the racing thoughts keep you awake.

Now, admittedly that is a bit of an extreme example, and many people (including me) have milder symptoms. But the symptoms are still more severe than what would be encountered in the general population, and they still occur in clusters.

And not all psychiatrists are in bed w/ big pharma. I'm bipolar and I'm only on 1 medication. I'm also a pre-med, pre-psychiatry student; I plan to provide therapy and compassion to my patients in addition to meds.

[Secretum]

I checked your profile and noticed that you are bipolar yourself. So, I'm sorry if my previous post was too harsh. I thought you were some random person attacking us with anti-psychiatry.

I understand that it can be difficult to accept a mental health diagnosis. But bipolar truly doesn't have to define you. Also, with help you can gain some degree of control over the highs and the lows. Good luck.

[Anneinside]

Originally Posted by heyitsryan

Showing excessive deference is a symptom of bipolar disorder? omg WTF.

What negative or oddball trait ISN'T a symptom of bipolar disorder, I ask you all? That's really what I want to know. Is there even one negative or excessive trail that is not a sign? One?

It makes sense that like any other field, psychology has its trends and "it" disorders or syndromes, buzz words and new fads. The decades of the sociopath, borderline personality and ADHD have clearly given way to bipolar disorder. It seems as though everyone who thought they had panic disorder or a personality disorder or ADHD or Asperger's Syndrome now, surprise, suddenly is being told after all these years that they are bipolar. Message boards are littered with posts from people who have been under the care of a psychologist or psychiatrist for YEARS and now, suddenly, they are diagnosed with bipolar disorder? Is this not even a little bit suspect or troubling?

Exhibit any negative trait, and you too could join the club. Talk too fast? Bipolar! Eat too much? Bipolar! Too empathic? Bipolar! Anxious? Yep, bipolar! Respect your boss? Yes, incredibly enough, this also appears to be sign of bipolar disorder, too!

Even sarcasm, folks! : D

The stats, if they are to be believed, suggest 1-2% of the general population is bipolar. I can think of a heck of a lot of people who talk really fast (most of the East Coast; all Jews), and a ton more who are anxious, such as, oh, I don't know... the millions of unemployed peeps out there. Looks like those stats are going to have to be revised slightly upwards.

I hope China doesn't own all the mining rights to lithium, like they do for most other metals, or, apparently, we're all screwed. That is, until the new "it" syndrome comes along. Wonder what it will be called, and what drug company will profit from it? Good times.

Example: talking fast.... that's why you have to have a number of symptoms in order to be diagnosed as having bipolar. What started this rant? Did something happen?

[heyitsryan]

Sorry so long.... I hope I am not writing too fast.

Secretum, no apologies necessary. But I'm not sure whose profile you read b/c I didn't specifically create one and I am not self-identifying as bp yet. The reason for this is that a psychologist during my one and only visit suggested it as a "theory" as to why I have been experiencing chronic pain. He stated he thought the pain might stem from mania. Since this session w/ him I have been researching bp disorder and am pretty frustrated.

I took several self assessments online, and scored on the lowest end of the scale (little to no chance of being bp), but posters on another board were quick to remind me that this means very little, that I could indeed have full-blown bp and still score low on such tests.

Since bp is so difficult to diagnose, and there are so many potential symptoms, the whole diagnostic process appears quite subjective. For this reason, I could be told by an internationally respected, board certified doctor renown in the field of mood disorders that I am not bp and I would still have doubts. The toothpaste is out of the tube, I guess, and there's no putting it back.

I am going through a lot right now with pain that shoots up from neck into my face directly related to a dangerously loud noise exposure, and I have always suffered from a moderate case of OCD and to a lesser degree (esp. lately, b/c of the pain) anxiety. Now I must try to find a decent doctor and make an appointment (where I am from, even with great health insurance, appt. times are into December I found out today) as I attempt to ascertain whether or not I am bipolar on top of my other appts. for neck CT scans and possibly another MRI.

I do have my doubts about the bp dx: I only sleep fewer than 8 hrs. a night against my will and I always feel tired when I don't get my usual amount of sleep. I have had the same job for the past 12 years, have never been fired, have never been arrested and have never even been close to being institutionalized. Basically, I am a lot like my mom in terms of temperament and she has held one job as a teacher for 30 years, never been arrested either, been married to the same man for 40 years, has won all kinds of teaching awards and has also never even been close to being hospitalized. Neither of us is perfect and we both have our share of issues -- perfectionists, very critical of self and others, anger issues (I know, I'm 100% sure all of these are all signs of bp -- see original post), but we do have very consistent temperaments, predictably moody in the morning but otherwise pretty even keel throughout the day.

What also frustrates me is that I read on a reputable site (either mayo.com or John Hopkins) that if a person has an OCD/ bp co-morbidity, the bp tends to be very pronounced. And even if it is determined I am bp, I probably won't go on lithium, or any other bp med. I don't want to be a lithium zombie for the rest of my life and from what I have read, lithium can affect memory and cognitive function.

I tried Zoloft a few months ago (rx'd by family doc after telling him the chronic pain was bumming me out) but could not stand the side effects, even on the lowest dose. In fact, I believe the psychologist may have come up with his theory because I told him the Zoloft made me "high." What I should have said was that it made me zoned out and lethargic, because later I read that patients who get "high," as in buzzed and hyper, on anti-depression meds might be exhibiting bp/ manic phase. Who knows...he didn't state why he has this theory.

Anyway, I'm sure a lot of you probably just think I'm in denial and that's perfectly okay and certainly you have that right. It's a "the lady doth protest too much" kind of thing; I get that. But really, this does suck... having to wait months to get in with a psychiatrist, and even then, knowing I will always have my doubts whichever way I am dx'd.

Well, thanks for reading this manifesto/ rant!

[venusss]

Meh, look... I will get yelled, but let's say it... BP is ADHD of today. Tomorrow it will be some other diagnostical bandwagon.

Even the Holy Bible of Psychiatry, DSM says the symptoms have to cause significant distress or disturbal of your life to for the diagnosis to apply. So if you honestly feel this is none of your problem... move on, get second opinion and address the symptoms that bother you.

Peace out.

[nacht]

Originally Posted by VenusHalley

So if you honestly feel this is none of your problem... move on, get second opinion and address the symptoms that bother you.

Peace out.

This is very sound advice. If you don't agree with it, a second opinion is always an option.

[Detach]

I agree... actually you should if you don't agree or feel you don't have BP symptoms.

[SunReach]

I agree with Venus.
Every time I checked in with my pdoc she asked about how the symptoms had been affecting my day to day life and my general outlook for the future to see where I'm standing and if I need change in the medication or other kinds of support.
Unfortunately the first pdoc I had wasn't anything like that and who knows about the next one I'll get (as I moved a few weeks ago) but the bottom line is: the diagnosis is supposed to help you find treatment for your cluster of symptoms, not to get you trapped in DSM lists and labels. Reading about BP might also help you - whether you have it or not.
I hope you manage to see a doctor who knows how to help and thinks outside the box
Take care.

[heyitsryan]

thanks guys. i actually got in sooner w/ another psychiatrist, but it's a cold call -- no idea how good he is or what his specialties are. i'm keeping my fingers crossed this guy works out.

it's very sound advice....to treat symptoms I feel are bothersome or causing quality of life issues versus being tied to or defined by a diagnosis and viewing a diagnosis/ label as some sort of holy grail.

simply thinking about things from this perspective is really helpful to me in reducing the frustration i was feeling over the past few days.

i am happy i found this forum.

[AniManiac]

The advice to treat symptoms and not worry about labels is generally good. There are some different treatment directions depending on dx, though, especially if you start looking at long-term plans.

My last pdoc would never give me a straight story on whether her recommendations had to do with a dx or symptoms or what, nor was she clear enough or direct enough about the reasons to do what she suggested. If she'd said, "you have to stop drinking because you're bipolar and alcohol is just going to keep making everything worse" then I would have stopped for longer than a month! Instead, I found my moods were lower when I was sober and decided that abstinence had to be the cause - but my moods were probably lower because I'm always miserable in February and March, and I tend to drink a lot more when I'm hypomanic like I was in December and January. Since I quit seeing that pdoc, I'm a lot less confused; it just wasn't a good therapeutic relationship at all.

So I guess what I'm trying to get at is that having a good pdoc/tdoc relationship is important - whether it's a dx or symptoms that are being treated, you should know why you're following some recommendation or other, and what the expected short and long terms benefits should be. I definitely second SunReach's recommendation to read up - whether you identify with the dx or not, knowing more about it helps you feel like you can take more control. In my case, it was only when I started reading up on bipolar that I realized it was definitely an accurate description; many symptoms and behaviors described in books were things I had experienced but never thought to mention because I had no idea they weren't "normal."