What age did you become aware that you had Bipolar?

Just wondered what your answers are to the above question...I am 27 :/ should of realised alot sooner!! There were warning signs when I turned 25.

I've probably been BP all my life, but didn't suspect it until about 8-10 years ago. Even then, I didn't know much about it other than I was afraid of being put on lithium, so I ignored the growing evidence of my bipolarity until my first mixed episode last winter. That's when my primary doctor, who'd been treating me for MDD for over a dozen years basically washed his hands of me in the mental health arena and sent me for a psych eval. I was promptly diagnosed with BP-NOS and have finally stabilized after six months of trial-and-error with meds.

Happily, though, lithium hasn't even been mentioned.

I was 33 or so. Yes there were warning signs for years- least back to age 27 when I saw orange triangles in the sky. I thought aliens were attacking. Classic BP!

I'm 45 But looking back in my life I was about 9-10 years old . I so wish I had known way back then I would have gotten treatment sooner.

I suspected bipolar at around 16, wasn't diagnosed until 19 or 20... The first time!

But I grew up during the age of the Zoloft commercial. That little guy was so cute ahahaha.

Yeah now its abilify's sad umbrella guy- for "depression". Yeah right.

35 but I had been sick far earlier than that

Oh, I haven't seen that one! Last psych drug commercial I remember I watched was the one where the woman says, "depression hurts, cymbalta can help" one and I laughed at it....oops!

I was diagnosed with Severe Clinical Depression at 14, though I'd been exhibiting the symptoms since I was about 12.

Until my mid 20s, that's what I thought I had. Then I saw my current P-doc. He diagnosed me Bipolar II. He said if I had one long episode, it would be more like Cyclothemia (I think is the word? Chronic depression), but if one has multiple episodes of depression, they are Bipolar II--this of course meaning one has to have hypo-manic episodes as well. I was off meds for years, doing very well, busy all the time (don't remember, but my fam said I told them I had to stay busy or I would get depressed). Big clue there. I've since had more severe hypomanic episodes--I don't remember if I had them when younger; a lot of that time is a blur.

Truthfully, though, I think I've always been Bipolar. I was so sensitive/intuitive as a small kid. I also believe that hormones have much to do with the emergence of an underlying mental illness (like Schizophrenics getting diagnosed in their teens.). Plus I recently discovered both sides of the family tree are rampant with mental illness. Somehow it skipped much of my immediate family members. Yay me!

Never watching TV, I have missed out on a whole world of psychoactive drug commercials!

Youtube Hamster!

36.... lengthening lengthening post :/

I searched for Abilify on YT and the first result is

Abilify Kills - YouTube

I suspected around 13, my sister was dx'd w/ bp then but probably all my life. I was dx @ 20 than dx. again @ 27

Got it - you oughta search for "youtube abilify commercial" and things do pop up. Now I will be in the know.

Diagnosed at 15, and didn't think 'bipolar' until I was diagnosed. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't know what.

I wasn't diagnosed until I was in my mid-forties. I had had some depression, but didn't get "bipolar" until I started taking anti-depressants. I still contend there's a connection!

I am 44, was diagnosed at about 40, known since I was in my 20's - then it was diagnosed as major depression. I am Bipoloar II and didn't want to take lithium.

28, however growing up there were signs.

I realized sonwthing was wrong in high school. (Around 15) I have had symptons as early as 4th grade. (That i remember)

I was 25 years old. I have probably been bipolar my whole life according to my CPN. I denied I had bipolar as I worked with 2 service users who had bipolar and (a) I didn't want to be like them and (b) I didn't want the meds. 2 years down the line and I am screwed up as ever. When my Psychoatrist gave me the diagnosis I denied it for a well I am still denying it lol!

I'm BP II and like a lot of other BP II folks I spend a lot more time depressed than hypomanic. And I often (but not always) am pretty functional during hypomania. So for many years my pdoc's and t's and I thought it was "just" major depression. My first episode was probably around age 8 and they came and went through the years and became very severe mid-20's.

I wasn't diagnosed BP II until this year (age 33). The amazing thing is that somehow I didn't occur to me sooner and my pdoc's never bothered to fully explore it. The pdoc's always just commented on the fact that the only things which seemed to help me were mood stabilizers and AAP's (hmm.....) and the hypomanic reaction I had to Wellbutrin was quickly forgotten. I also think a lot of my hypomanic behavior was mislabeled as anxiety by me and the folks around me. (I do also have anxiety issues, so that clouded the picture.). I think when we came to the BP II dx, it felt like finding that missing puzzle piece that fit perfectly.

In summary, it has been a long journey, but my answer is 33.

Best,
EJ

8 years old.

yeah.... seriously. that young

I've always known something was wrong with me, but I thought it was just depression. I always had the symptoms though but people just thought I was a very social, outgoing happy person. Then I moved in middle school and spun into depression for several years. I was diagnosed at 18 and wish I was diagnosed in middle school so I could have had a happier high school experience.

35.............. in hindsight I suffered from depression even in my childhood years. I also had significant anxiety. The depressive episodes worsened over time until my severe depressive episode. The hypomania likely did not occur until my 20's, while I was on Paxil. I really miss hypomania, really bad, as I think I am more functional with it.