[irishgirliexo]

That I was diagnosed as having schizoaffective disorder when I was 18. I am so confused. I never knew what the diagnosis was from that hospital stay.

When I finally got out of that hospital I was taken off all meds by my outpatient pdoc at the time. She said that I am not diagnosed as what they said and then diagnosed me as having Social Anxiety.

Then in 2009 I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder.

I went from 2009 til 2011 with that diagnosis and then was hospitalized with a severe manic episode. And now I am diagnosed as Bipolar I.

I am just a little confused because they were on the right path when I was 18 and I never knew til now. I requested the information from when I stayed at the hospital in 2005. I suppose things turned out the way they were supposed to. Although I believe it may have gone better if I was properly diagnosed.

It's somewhat unusual to diagnose an eighteen year-old for a major mental illness because the personality is still changing and growing during the teen years. It's very possible that whatever you had at 18 materialized into Bipolar I as you grew older.

Be encouraged; there are many excellent medications now to treat bipolar I, and you may even find yourself later in life as a bipolar II, a much less severe form of the illness that does not have the psychotic features of Bipolar I when it is severe.

You have been given a smart psychiatrist this time. It's obvious from the prescribed medications that the doctor really is trying to look out for you well. Lithium, for example, is better taken in divided doses as your doctor has prescribed than it is at
one single dose per day.

Take care and good wishes. You will have some adjustment to make taking the medications, but they are designed to help you through difficult times if they occur.

Be more careful about your diet, as well. Keep your foods slightly more alkaline than
acidic in digestion. (See Alkaline Foods.com to see which are good ones.) The good diet thing has to do with keeping the fluids and tissues of your system saturated with alkaline fluids rather so much acid in fluids. Talk to your doctor about that, please. I'm not talking about the whole body system; that has a static state
that doesn't change except in minuscule ways. The fluids and tissues are another thing entirely.

Try to keep your life filled with as little stress as possible.

Good wishes,

Genetic

[Confusedinomicon]

Imo bipolar 2 is as severe as bipolar 1. You can have depression with psychotic features. Plus, how is having a debilitating depression not as bad as mania? Both disrupt your life.

I was diagnosed at 19. Good luck with treatment! I hope you get better care now that you know what's going on.

[Anneinside]

I was originally diagnosed with Bipolar II, which later changed to Bipolar I. I still have depression frequently and am completely debilitated. Mania for me is expensive while depression (more common with Bipolar II) is dangerous as I become suicidal. I hate it when people say Bipolar I is worse than Bipolar II... what is true is that the mania of Bipolar I is more intense and worse than the hypomania of Bipolar II. But since people with bipolar II tend to have more depression episodes, I believe it is just as bad as bipolar I.. just in a different way.

[irishgirliexo]

Thank you all for the insight. I will look into the alkaline foods, genetic. Also thanks for letting me know that the prescribed medicine is a smart choice.

[BuggsBunny]

Originally Posted by genetic

and you may even find yourself later in life as a bipolar II, a much less severe form of the illness

You are joking, right? You're going to compare severity of apples and oranges? Have you ever been in one of these depressions where you are so far gone you stare at the hospital curtain and lose track of reality? Who ever said you can't be psychotic and bipolar II? Certainly bp2 is not as flamboyant as bp1, but less severe? Bah!

[sugahorse1]

I have never been manic. The hypomanic episodes I've had have been fine. But the depression....I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I cannot compare BP I and II, but I also would like to agree that BP II is definitely not an easy thing to live with.
I hope your pdoc is now on the correct path and the meds help you

[Trippin2.0]

Re:bp2 and psychosis.
I'm dxd bp2, and have had frequent bouts of psychosis, so whoever said that or wherever you read it Genetic, its pure BS. Also, the terms bp1 and bp2 do not refer to severity, they merely differentiate between hypo/mania. Severity can't be calculated on a spectrum disorder.

[sugahorse1]

I have psychosis in depression.

[Tsunamisurfer]

Originally Posted by Trippin2.0

Re:bp2 and psychosis.
...Also, the terms bp1 and bp2 do not refer to severity, they merely differentiate between hypo/mania. Severity can't be calculated on a spectrum disorder.

Interesting point, Trippin.

There are people who regularly hear voices and are not bothered by them, while there are others who are significantly incapacitated by anxiety or depression.

[Trippin2.0]

Originally Posted by Tsunamisurfer

Interesting point, Trippin.

There are people who regularly hear voices and are not bothered by them, while there are others who are significantly incapacitated by anxiety or depression.

Interesting point you make too Pete. I experience both sides of the coin you mentioned. I have no idea why I have 2 very different reactions to the same thing... Sometimes I can ignore it, heavens even laugh at them, and other times I'm scared shitless, thinking I'm definitly losing it this time... Wish I knew why it is so.

Well, for those of you who question my statement that bipolar, type II illness is a less severe form of the illness, my information came from my psychiatrist who is a graduate of Duke University with a doctorate in psychiatry, who also lectures on the subject.

Now, I've had bipolar, type II illness for many, many years--never had a psychotic break, never been hospitalized and had the course of the illness altered by diet changes prescribed and now take only 10 mg Prozac to relieve symptoms of stress when that happens, and I take large doses of vitamin C to maintain effective levels of it to avoid illnesses associated with lower levels of C as a result of medication drain on vitamin and mineral levels. For me, a large part of altering the course of Bipolar illness was changes in diet and big changes in medication reduction.

I have known the wife of a Bipolar, type I patient whose husband ran up and down the streets nude when in an episode. That's what I mean by Bipolar type I behavior in a psychotic mood.

I am very aware that depression is painful.

Please allow for the degrees in illness that people have in Bipolar I and Bipolar II. There is a greater severity of illness in bipolar I than there is in bipolar II. The hypomania of bipolar II is not as severe as in bipolar I, and, I think, in many cases the depression is less severe, although it may not feel like it at times.

I'm sorry that some of you have had episodes of depression so severe that you were
hospitalized and had to lie there and stare out the window. Frankly, I almost think that some might have been misdiagnosed as Bipolar, type II, when they were actually Bipolar, type I. Diet has such a vital importance in bringing one out of the pain of depression.
(The medications affect the system so much that I think they sometimes exacerbate the
severity, as well.)

You may not believe this, but some psychiatrists make diagnoses based on first time interviews and make mistakes, as all humans do from time to time.

I wish you all the best health possible.

Please look into diet changes to help your illness. Read all you can about the use
of alkaline foods, acid residue of medications and their effects, the use of higher doses of Vitamin C to help relieve symptoms and avoidance of certain foods known to make the illness worse if one is sensitive to them: e.g., caffeine in any form, alcohol.

For example, read Ruth Whalen's article on "Caffeine Allergy" as it is posted on the forum DoctorYourself.com (Look for it in the left-hand index.) She is a retired medical laboratory
technician turned writer who has examined the brains of many in after-death analyses
to determine illness. Her observations on caffeine sensitivity are astounding and true.

My psychiatrist informed me not to use either which means no alcohol, no coffee, no tea (which has caffeine in it) no chocolate, or anything else with caffeine in it. I was also told to take my medications, establish a routine sleep schedule and adhere to it.

If there were anything else I could say that would help you understand why I write
and say what I do, I would be glad to write it. I can only tell you the truth as I was
told it by experts in the field of psychiatry.

Much of what happens in the course of Bipolar, type II illness is the direct result of one's care for one's diet and making sure that the lowest dose of medication possible to sustain correct brain chemistry should be used. Pumping high doses of chemicals to the system causes loss of important vitamins and both macro and micro minerals the system needs to remain healthy.

Try like the dickens to avoid stress; it really plays havoc with the emotions in bipolar illness.

Take an active role in care for yourselves and good wishes.

Genetic.

[Trippin2.0]

I'm not going to comment on the severity topic, cos this isn't a mental health pissing contest. Would just like to leave you with this question regarding bp2 and psychosis: what makes your pdoc more qualified than any of ours? (who DO suffer psychosis and are dxd bp2) from my understanding you have to have a fullblown mania for a bp1 dx. Where does that leave us? Food for thought... Your pdoc does not speak the gospel, I suggest you pay some attention to the people living it for YEARS, instead of hanging onto every word from the people just reading it.

Wow, Trippin2.0.

I can integrate information--I'm not an alcoholic and I've had bipolar illness for many, many years, as I posted earlier on the thread.

The point is that I do listen to everything people write in their threads and do care for people and wish them well. That's the only purpose I have in writing here.

I quoted my psychiatrist because I believed her and know that she is a person of real integrity.

I don't respond well to argumentative leads.

genetic

[Trippin2.0]

I wasn't being argumentative, and me responding now just makes it look otherwise, but I believe in clarity... I was merely pointing out that you CAN have a bp2 label and experience psychosis. Psychotic features do N0T mean you're now bp1. I suggested you look at us fellow bp'ers who KN0W this, contrary to what some pdocs still think. I didn't EVER imply you don't care, your caring nature is evident in your posts... How or why you misunderstood my post,idk, but for the sake of clarity, I know you don't know me, so I'll assure you that you can take my posts at face value, cos I mean what I say, and say what I mean. No alternative motives, no hidden agendas or hidden meanings. That I can assure you. Sorry for the misunderstanding

[Confusedinomicon]

I take lithium and dont really adhere to any specific diet. Coffee gives me bowl issues so I dont drink it much. I can get away with drinking on occasions without problems. You cant avoid stress unless you intend to be a hermit. The way they are looking at bp with the new dsm will be different.

I see my pdoc today so i will ask her about your post.

[BNLsMOM]

My understanding is that the one and the two at the end of the diagnosis is for clarification rather than severity. Bipolar 1, from what I understand involves mania, hypomania, depression and psychosis or psychotic features in either the manic or depressive states. Also, Bipolar 1 can involve mixed episodes. I am not sure if Bipolar 2 has mixed episodes. Bipolar 2 does not involve full on mania, but involves hypomania, and tends to involve depression more often than hypomania, can have psychosis and psychotic features during depression.

Genetic, I appreciate your advice on diet and sleep. I don't know much about acid and alkaline, but I have heard that for people even not on meds that an alkaline diet is more gentle on the body and can reduce the chances of cancer. So I can see how it would help alleviate other diseases and be generally healthier. I will check out the website you recommend.

IrishGirl, I have had pdocs tell me that the treatment for schizoaffective and bipolar 1 are pretty much the same, and the treatment for bipolar 1 and bipolar 2 are pretty much the same. Mood stabilizer, antidepressant if needed, antipsychotic if needed and other meds if needed to support other symptoms such as anxiety, etc. Diet and sleep, routine and stress relief techniques. I think it is nearly impossible to eliminate stress, but there are great coping mechanisms to deal with it. Also, therapy is essential, be it talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) group therapy, etc. I even participated in journalling therapy which was great for me.

What it all comes down to is that we take care of ourselves in such a way that helps us feel better. We are all different, so different things will work for different people. It is worth looking into, with the guidance of your pdoc, anything that might help us manange our bipolar, 1 or 2, schizoaffective, depression, Social Anxiety, or whatever it is we are dealing with. Diagnoses may change, treatments change, but the idea is to be proactive so that we feel the best we can.

A very nice post, Bnlsmom,

The question is really whether one doctor thinks this or that in his/her evaluation, and the other factor that's important to remember is that there are degrees of illness in both bipolar I and bipolar II. I suppose the severity of the illness one has is the major identifiable basis for diagnosis.

While you are checking out the diet thing, please also look into the benefits of sea salt--not the kind of sea salt refined in this country, but the type called Himalayan or French or Hawaiian sea salt. See the benefits of sea salt.com

The major benefit I see (although there are many) is that the sea salt has the ability to break down acids around brain cells and consequently is of real help in any condition which needs the trace minerals of unrefined sea salt. It's also a soporific(sleep inducer). I use it often when not being able to get to sleep readily.

Why not take a sleeping pill? I just do not like taking medications. They do so much harm to the psyche as well as to the whole system in some cases.

I really like your style.

Genetic

[irishgirliexo]

Thanks BNLsMOM! It's good to know that the treatments are simliar. I've been looking into finding group therapy in my area. I already see a therapist and sometimes wish I didn't have to keep going after 4+ years. I know I have to go though so I try to forget those feelings.

Genetic, I have been using sea salt but not the right kind. Do you find the other types of sea salt at a regular supermarket?