According to new GP Im not BP...

....but simply suffer from dysothymia (depression) As soon as I recieve the medical assistance Im going to see a psychiatrist...just to be on the safe side. I would be glad to accept that dx, however, what about the "mild" mood swings?

Everyone gets moodswings. It depends on the severity and how much it impacts a persons ability to function.

I've been told by my GP that GP's really shouldn't be making calls on people's mental issues, that should be left to doctors who actually know about mental issues. GP doctors are general doctors, as their name suggests. So they have a general idea or view on depression, bipolar, etc., but a professional opinion is probably the best one to take. So it's good that you plan to take it to the next level.

Oh yes, while moodswings are normal, everyone has them, if I really felt like it was hindering my functioning I would want to see a psychiatrist, not a GP. When I went to see my GP about all this he made an app with a psychiatrist immediately. My GP put me on lithium as he didn't want to give me an antidepressant and make matters worse, he counselled me until my app with the pdoc, but he knew that this was out of his scope. That is after all why we have psychiatrists. GP's have to know so much across the board but they cannot be a specialist in everything.

For me I had a prior dx of bipolar 1 but I hadn't accept it and didn't go back to the dr for 10 years. So I'm sure my GP was a little more confident that he was dealing with Bipolar. But like you wouldn't let a GP treat you for cancer or something else that requires a specialist, mental health dx should be left to those who are adequately educated to make the dx.

I hope you get to see a psychiatrist soon, also sometimes it can take a while to make a dx, so I'm not sure why your GP is telling you no, so soon off the bat. The answer might be no, but I would think it would take some time to really be certain. Either way I hope you get the treatment you need to get things running smoothly again.

it's all subjective.

depends on how much it effects you and your life.

if "mild" mood swings cause you to be suicidal, then it's just as bad as a bipolar 1 who maxes out their credit cards.

I still think the average GP is unqualified to diagnose anything in the psych arena that's more complex than depression. I'll be glad for you when you get in to see an actual psychiatrist.

Honestly though...and I think I'm going to **** some people off...

But a psychiatrist is trained to see symptoms and give out medication.
A GP can do the same thing without as much training.
Even patients can look at the list of symptoms and identify where they are on the spectrum. (Depressed /Mixed / Normal / Hypo / Manic) Though it is a lot harder to identify anything with psychosis involved.

The DSM-IV is just a list of symptoms. A psychiatrist is there to look at the symptoms and compare it to your CURRENT behavior or any PREVIOUS behavior YOU tell them. They have a very narrow viewpoint and rely on patients to understand symptoms. If they could tell by looking at you, they would never ask about past behaviors. It's SUBJECTIVE. You can EASILY lie to the psychiatrist and be prescribed x medication if you understand the disease enough and can replicate it and be misdiagnosed.

This is applicable to any doctor. Sometimes doctors themselves cannot identify the problem even if you see multiple specialist. Doctors are trained to look for specific symptoms to rule out various diseases. If you are suffering from something that is more uncommon, it's more likely that the doctor will struggle because of the availability heuristic. They know what they see more often. BP and Depression are becoming diagnosed enough that a GP would still see and prescribe enough to them. I have read various posts where the patient only sees their GP for their medication. I have read topics where patients can influence the medication given to them by a psychiatrist. My last psychiatrist always bargained with me to see what I would and wouldn't take. (She knew I read a lot about medications in general and knew I would never take a high dose for a long period of time) Doctors don't know all. They may be an authoritarian figure but we still need to be assertive in our care...and I totally went on a tangent.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosenhan_experiment

This study was done in 1973. Although they have made extra efforts to prevent something like this from happening...it can still happen.

4 years ago, when I was hospitalized a girl was getting ready to be discharged. She wasn't suicidal at all, but had gotten in there to get some more stimulants along with anti-depressants.

I wouldn't totally discount the GP, but she could be making a mistake. It's worthwhile to see a psychiatrist, but don't go in there looking for a diagnosis. A therapist could probably help you too. They see you more often and have enough training to see red flags. If you're seeing a therapist and they don't think you have BP, you probably don't have it.

I agree with that Confused. My go told me he didn't know enough to to do my meds, my new GP told me the same thing when I was manic with psychosis and my pdoc was out of town. And some GP's will better at this than others. Even my psychiatrist seems like he is just taking stabs on the dark with my meds. Yes because that's what they do. It is guess work. Right noe I feel about as confidant with my pdoc as I do with my GP, so alot of it boils down to the dr and their experience and quality of care, education and might I say listening skills.

But it's true, and my GP's have sent me to various specialists for physical problems and no one have any answers because I don't present with what they commonly see in their set of symptoms for illnesses, I'm guessing.

I think it depends on the GP, some have more experience than others depending on their patients. However, lots of healthcare people who are not psychiatrists/psychologists are not capable of making the diagnosis. Many do not even believe in mental illness, just like in the rest of society.

So if this is a new physician to you, then I would say be cautious. Don't take the dx for sure just yet. See a psychiatrist.

When you say "mild" mood swings what do you mean? Happy now, sad later? Track your moods more closely with a tracking tool that is actually made to track symptoms of bipolar as well. Not just the smile for good day, frown for bad. You need to have symptoms and not just mood. Racing thoughts, eating and sleeping changes, poor judgement, difficulty concentrating, irrtiability, changes in eating or sleeping patterns, etc. Because bipolar may be called a "mood" disorder, but there is more to it than that.

My GP actually knows how to treat my conditions better than my PDOC.

From: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dysthymia/DS01111

Perna, i disagree.

I think your quote is misleading.

thats pretty messed up... Could cause the person to become scared into taking unnecessary medication and get all tangled up.

IMO.