told I dont have Bipolar. I think I do

My psychiatrist told me I don't have Bipolar because my mania "doesn't last enough"... it usually only lasts anywhere from a few hours to all day, but then I have major depression crashes. And then I also have really bad anger outbursts that come outta nowhere. I'll be fine one second and then ready to scream and throw something the next. My psychiatrist says it just sounds like "uni-polar depression" and on the days that I think that I am manic, he said "maybe you are just less depressed on those days"

I am looking for others opinions, do you think he's right or do think I have Bipolar? Does anyone else have symptoms like this that has been diagnosed as Bipolar?

I'm not sure how any of us could tell if you have bipolar or not - we're not experts and there certainly isn't enough information in your posts for us to even make wild guesses!

What are your ups like? How long have you gone to see that pdoc?

sorry I should have specified. My ups are when my mind races 10000 miles a hour and often my mouth does to. I will babble on and on about anything and everything. I can't sit still. I am extremely restless. I can't sit still. I have to be moving. I feel like nothing can touch or hurt me. Like I can do anything. I often make impulse (and sometimes dangerous) decisions.

I have been seeing this pdoc since late December.

Well... personally I'd ask the pdoc for more reasons as to why they don't think it's bipolar. There is rapid cycling and ultraradian cycling. Bipolar can also often be confused with Borderline personality disorder.... is there any chance that your pdoc things you might have that instead?

Do you have states that are between depressed and racing?

I guess you just have to talk to your pdoc about it more... maybe even ask for a second pdoc if you're not comfortable with this one?

Of course I don't know if this is the case with you, but I read somewhere that some people who are often depressed, when they are in a good mood, it's so radically different from what they are used to feeling, it feels a lot 'better than good.' Perhaps this is what your psychiatrist is referring to.

We can't diagnose you with bipolar (or not diagnose you), but what I think is important to keep in mind is that it is, at its core, an episodic illness. A constellation of symptoms (I think 3 or more) occur over a period of time; for example, outbursts of anger would be part of a constellation of other symptoms that persist over a period of time and are not a reaction to something in the environment.

If you do not agree with the diagnosis, you could seek out another psychiatrist for a second opinion.

I don't know if you're in therapy, but it can often help with mood dysregulation of all kinds.

Meanwhile, these are the DSM criteria for bipolar disorder mania and hypomania. Keep in mind that symptoms appear episodically with "normal" (whatever is normal for you, different for everyone) periods in between.

DSM IV Diagnostic Criteria for Bipolar Disorder | |

Do you suffer from anxiety? Some people with anxiety experience some of these things as well. It can be difficult to distinguish the one thing from the other, but I would try to be mindful of what is going on in your life at the time of your symptoms. Bipolar disorder is a very difficult diagnosis to make. I would have another conversation with your pdoc -for example, what would he attribute the above symptoms to and how long they would need to last, etc., etc. I think he/she is your best bet for understanding all of this better. Maybe you can bring in a list of questions to your next appointment, I know for me sometimes it's hard to remember the questions/concerns I have in the moment of the appointment.

What's the longest your "up" phase has lasted? An entire day or has it ever been a series of days?

For me *personally* I don't cycle that rapidly, and my "up" phases last anywhere between 3 or 4 days up to a full month.

I used to have FAR worse anger outbursts as well prior to starting my mood stabilizer. However Lamictal typically only helps with depressive cycles (or so I understand) so I believe that a LOT of irritability came out of depression. So really, anger and irritability (to ME at least) was a product of depression. (That's not to say that they've gone completely away. My husband will tell you that they certainly haven't. )

How often do you experience these "up" phases?

Like others have said, it's really hard to say either way. But if you're asking if I personally experience "ups" like you describe, yes, that is similar to how I see hypomania (not mania though). However mine last much longer. How do you sleep? Usually if I have any doubts as to whether or not I'm in my typical "up" phase vs. just a good mood I look at how I've been sleeping.

Nessa, sometimes I am really starting to think that we are kindred spirits - I could have easily written that post! Except for the husband part. Don't have that yet.

Hi Miracle1986! I had ups that were very short in the beginning, typically 1-2 days or even just half a day. Then my ups decided to last longer for some reason, and my longest one so far is three weeks. I got the bipolar 2 dx when my therapist and pdoc saw me in hypomania. From what you've written I really doubt what you're experiencing is "normal", as opposed to depressed. That seems like a far fetch. I hope you and your doctor figure this out. Good luck! :-)

Also, you don't have to have a lot of normal periods to have bipolar. Mine are short, few and only "normal" because I deem them closer to that than to depressed or hypo.

My pdoc firmly believes I have BP1. And I asked at an emergency appointment last week, why I can go for years w/ no problems, and then all of sudden all hell breaks loose. He explain my type of BP like an earth quake. "For years, the fault line can me nice and quiet, and than bam, a massive quake, and now you are feeling the after shocks." Little short term episodes of mania where I am almost completely out of control w/ no external stressors. And that makes sense to me, b/c before this last episode that started in October, I went almost 5 years w/o any mania.

yes I do. I have severe anxiety.

the longest one I had was 3 days. Usually its just a single day though.

I'd say once, maybe twice every other week.

Horribly. I either sleep way too much or not at all. I've gone for about 3 days on no sleep before, but sometimes I can sleep 14+ hours.

My ups have bebome longer in durration over the years... id get second opinion

I couldn't really tell you. It took me years to see my hypomania as that. I thought it was just the awesome side of me. While I've had multiple pDocs diagnose me as BP, my current pDoc told me that the label doesn't matter and that the profession is beginning to see things on a spectrum rather than black and white....what matters is what works. Now, I strongly resist my diagnosis, so maybe he was just telling me that so I would deal. IDK. I think the point I want to make though is try the meds he's prescribing and see how you do. He'll keep adjusting until you fell better and that's what matters. Work on knocking out the nasty D and then see where you go from there. Even if he called it BiPolar, you'd essentially be going through the same process with slightly different meds. It's just that, a process. Good luck!