[widowlost]

Every shrink I see seems to find it hard to beleive that I never had a drinking problem of sexcapades while manic. Well my dad was an abusive drunk who raped me once, so neither are even close to my thing. I drugged myself with shopping and food.

[Victoria'smom]

You may want to find a new pdoc but if you like the pdoc why does it matter? Be forceful with the issue.

[hamster-bamster]

Drinking and drug abuse in general are so widespread in the bipolar population that some doctors feel that almost everyone has them, and if a patient denies having addictions, doctors first suspect that the patient is too embarrassed to admit. I agree with MM: be forceful, explain in very clear terms that your manic symptoms are a,b,c and not x,y,z, however common x,y,z might be in the population in general. Also, do tell your providers about the crime perpetrated by your dad: this is a piece of your history that they most definitely need to be aware of.

Also, you might have had a comorbid eating disorder and you might benefit from finding someone who specializes in treating EDs. They are a whole area of their own. Not every shrink understands them.

[Blue Poppy]

I do not have the typical history of drug/drinking/sexcapades either. I attribute it to my Christian upbringing. I wondered at first if my pdoc believed me, but I know he does now.

[widowlost]

I never thought about maybe they thought I was too embarrased to tell. Also I have been labeled with a binge eating disorder. I just got out of a 20 day inpatient ed unit.

[Passion222]

I had the drinking and sexcapade thing but understand its not needed to be DX with BP. There seems to be soooooo many forms of BP

[mommyof2girls]

Originally Posted by hamster-bamster

Drinking and drug abuse in general are so widespread in the bipolar population that some doctors feel that almost everyone has them, and if a patient denies having addictions, doctors first suspect that the patient is too embarrassed to admit. I agree with MM: be forceful, explain in very clear terms that your manic symptoms are a,b,c and not x,y,z, however common x,y,z might be in the population in general. Also, do tell your providers about the crime perpetrated by your dad: this is a piece of your history that they most definitely need to be aware of.

Also, you might have had a comorbid eating disorder and you might benefit from finding someone who specializes in treating EDs. They are a whole area of their own. Not every shrink understands them.

I deff disagree with you generalizing .... I have never had any drinkling or drug abuse in my hypomania....

[OutlawedSpirit]

Originally Posted by mommyof2girls

I deff disagree with you generalizing .... I have never had any drinkling or drug abuse in my hypomania....

Hamster wasn't saying that everyone has problems with drinking or drug abuse, but in general there is a high instance of abuse. In fact, according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 60.7% of people diagnosed with Bipolar I have a substance use disorder and 48.1% of people diagnosed with Bipolar II have a substance use disorder.

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publicatio...-2/103-108.htm

Statistics like those are why people tend to assume that people with bp are using either drugs or alcohol. Combine that with the fact that a lot of people are not going to come out and say, "I have a substance abuse problem", and you have a situation where professionals, at times, have to pry and maybe assume when they wouldn't with the general population.

[widowlost]

For me there would be great shame in alcoholism, so I aid with food. I had a lanlord once that spread i was a drunk because i was always sleeping when he came or was incoherent adjusting to meds. I was so horrified and angry for the lie that Almost killedmyself, but he truely thought I s a drunk.

[moremi]

Probably because it is something that most of us have done at one time or another in a manic episode. I know I have. Just once but it was a long one and I had no idea what was even going on while it was happening. It was like I turned into a different person.