[Lady_Doom]

I'm sure you get these kinds of topics everyday, but bear with me.

I suffer from freak moodswings varying from depression to hyperactivity and everything inbetween. I go through at least five of these a day. I'll feel suicidal in the mornings, have a total rebound by noon, and be back in sulk for afternoon tea. I really drive myself crazy, but I can't help myself from feeling this way.

So of course I've looked up a lot of stuff on the net. There's a lot of scary stuff out there, and it's hard not to panic about what you read. I can't diagnose myself, of course, but I do show signs of bipolar disorder. I'll read an artiicle on it and think; that's me, even though I'd rather not be.

Is my story familiar? Do I sound too much like a teenager wanting a mental health problem for attention? I'm nearing my 20th and to be honest I'm terrified of myself and my moods; I cripple my daily life with how I am and over the past year or two things have only gotten worse. I don't know what to do, will doctors take me seriously if I tell them how I am with myself? I'm afraid what might happen if I do nothing, I definitely need help.

If you've read this far and are willing to give me some pointers, advice, cue cards, whatever, thank you!! Now I'm going to go browse through whatever this forum provides on information...though I'd like some personal experiences, if anyone's willing.

It's nice to be able to pour out my problems, even though it's "only" the internet...

[Rhapsody]

Dear Lady Doom, ((((((( HUGS ))))))) ~ ~ ~ ((((((( HUGS )))))))

May I ask? - are these 5 days of living HELL in your life near or around the time of your monthly period? I ask for....... I suffer from PMDD and it sounds just like the symptoms you are describing here in this thread.

BTW - I am presently taking Celexa for my Mood Swings & Aniety.... now living and being in love is worth having again.

LoVe,
Rhapsody -

[darkeyes]

Okay, welcome to PC,
Let me tell you, first a proper and real DX should be through a psychiatrist, a psychologist is okay, but a pdoc can then further prescribe meds to help stabilize you.
The longer you do not seek professional help the worse things may get, if you truly are Bipolar.
Self-DXing, is not good, leads to more unecessary stress.
We all know that, I'm sure. So many things can mimic Bipolar, physical and not always psychological stuff, so first step is have a physical, rule out thyroid,diabetes, and hormonal stuff, they are huge factors in whether you are or are not Bipolar.
Sad to say, GP's today start writing out scripts for AD's and not looking deep into the fact there may be some underlying physical problem, so first rule out any physical stuff.
Then see a T or best, a pdoc, but see what the T says, if that does not hit it,you are uncomfortable, go to the next step . . . a pdoc.
This may have come across to be overwhelming, but if my advice can save you a few years of anguish,frustration,depression,wondering, and pain, then I feel I have made some point, no matter how minute it may be.
Lots of luck with this, and feel free to come here and let us know how all goes.
Take care,
DE

BTW
Yes, life is tough, and as one grows older, matures, things may start to make more sense . . . I'm still learning, and I'm 49yo.
Life is tough, but you also have to work at it, yes, it's a challenge at times, but either you do it or not, no one is going do it for you, maybe a few days/months, but not for the rest of your life.
And if you get to be so weak,not get help,then it is all a cop out. There is help, go grab it, if you need help, then ask for it. We've been there and done that, and if you wish to overcome or beat this monster half way, you have to work at it, if you can't alone, ask for help.
I learned, the hard way, being "too proud", gets you no where, when it comes to mental health issues.

[crazymusiclvr]

You sound just like me when I hit 21 . It's a common age for this disorder to start to shine thru due to stress and other factors that can start around this age. There is so much help out there for you! Find a GOOD doctor. Not a therapist but a doctor that perscribes medication. It's important to be stable before addressing any issues. If you don't care for the first doctor that you see, fire him/her and see another one. Keep refering to online for information on the disorder and the drugs as well. Lots of good stuff out there. Most importantly, take one day at a time and be patient with yourself. Remember your not alone. I hope you feel better soon.

~Lia

[Lady_Doom]

Thank you so much!!

It's been very hard for me this past year, and less than a month ago I moved from Europe back to America. The stress has caused my moodswings to increase in number; I'm not happy for a week and then sad for a week, I go through several different fases a DAY. It's really maddening.

When I was younger I'd be happy for a long time, then depressed for a long time, but over the years the fluctuatons have changed to where I can change moods up to ten times a day. It's very hard to live like this.

I still also haven't found much about treatment and medication. Also what the costs are or if they're compensated in any way, and if they'll take instant effect or take a long time to build up, what certain side effects might be, I'm still very new to that side.

Of course, I still need to take the step to find a doctor and open up to him/her; I find it very hard to talk about, but I also see I can't rightly go on like this.

But thank you so much for making me feel less alone, I feel much more confident!!

[MartheH]

Dear Lady...have heart...things can and will improve if you take the right steps. One in five people will have experience of depression in their life time. It is so common that you will find most doctors are open minded about discussing your problem and will not judge you as attnetion seeking. They know these difficulties are real. It is useful to go to the doctor armed with as much information as possible. Many suggest a "mood Diary". You can search for one on the net or just keep a little journal yourself. While tracking your moods also keep note of what you eat, how much you sleep and when. Sometimes symptons can be due to food allergies our other physical problems that Darkeyes mentioned. Tracking other information besides moods will help rule these out. When you see your family doctor be sure to ask for a referral to a psychiatrist if any mood stablizing drugs are perscribed.They are the specialists regarding the types of drugs that might be prescribed for a possible mental health difficulty. It is impossible to tell you how the drugs will work without knowing which drug, but in general mood stablizing medications are not instant and may take two to six weeks to "kick in" completely. On the other hand if you do not seek treatment and you DO have rapid cycling bi-polar or some other disorder your symptons can become worse, last a life time and create complete havoc in your life. Do not be embarrassed about mental health problems...you are not to blame any more than if you had diabeties. Good luck on your jouney to wellness and hope to hear from you again sometime soon.

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crazymusiclvr said:
You sound just like me when I hit 21 . It's a common age for this disorder to start to shine thru due to stress and other factors that can start around this age. There is so much help out there for you! Find a GOOD doctor. Not a therapist but a doctor that perscribes medication. It's important to be stable before addressing any issues. If you don't care for the first doctor that you see, fire him/her and see another one. Keep refering to online for information on the disorder and the drugs as well. Lots of good stuff out there. Most importantly, take one day at a time and be patient with yourself. Remember your not alone. I hope you feel better soon.

~Lia

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I too am just like this, and I too am 23 and newly diagnosed. You are NOT alone. I promise. I have days where I am giddy and silly one minute and then a couple hours later im literally down on my knees crying and begging for the sadness to go away. Mind you, its not ALWAYs terribl swings, most of the time its littler ones and then plus the big general ones every few days. So I definetly know how you feel.