[harasm]

I have suspected I have Bipolar for about a year now. I have extreme mood swings and meet all the criteria. About 6 months ago I went to a psychiatrist and she said I don't have it because there is no change in my sleep patterns when I experience what I feel to be mania. Is this essential to a diagnosis? I am wondering if I should get a second opinion as I am still experiencing extreme symptoms. I tried Effexor recently and had about 48 hours of feeling extremely hyper, and then felt no emotion at all to the point I was ignoring my bosses phone calls because I simply did not care to answer, so I am currently not taking any medication.
I also wonder if it's possible I have borderline personality disorder. I've read that it also causes extreme mood swings and hypomania, but the bipolar criteria seem to apply to me more other than the lack of sleep.
I am not looking for a diagnosis, just wondering if anyone on here with bipolar disorder does not have problems sleeping. I don't feel that my doctor talked to me long enough to give me a proper diagnosis before simply writing me a prescription.
Thanks for taking the time to read and reply.

[January]

Hello, and welcome to P.C. I have problems with my sleep, but I urge you to go get a second opinion. If you feel something is wrong, there usually is something to it.

I wish you the very best,

Jan

[pawn78]

Could be borderline. I don't know that deeply about it though.
Bipolar disorder almost ALWAYS has whacked out sleeping patterns. I am bipolar type 1, and when I accelerate into full mania, I basically stop sleeping altogether and end up psychotic.

[Phoenix.]

My sleep gets pretty messed up in my manic cycles as well. Actually, my sleep is ALWAYS sort of messed up: either I'm getting too much or too little. But I think everyone experiences Bipolar a little bit differently and while it sounds like you have most of the textbook symptoms, getting a second opinion is definitely worth your time if everything you're experiencing is negatively affecting your life. I was tagged with Borderline when I received my Bipolar diagnosis; it's pretty common for those two to go hand-in-hand considering they share a lot of symptoms. Good luck! <3

[BlackPup]

I have crazy sleep patterns as my first and most reliable indicator of an episode. I would investigate another doctor and get a Therapist. BPD really is helped by counselling and it doesn't hurt for BP too. The drugs for BP are sometimes used for BPD but therapy is the most important treatment for it.

[Alice Noodle]

Nah I am pretty sure sleep has to be messed up for it to be bipolar. Borderline has moodswings but they are much quicker than bipolar. You can get several a day, which is extremely EXTREMELY rare in bipolar. (In fact, almost all doctors would say it simply wouldn't happen) you are diagnosed with ultra rapid cycling if you have 4 or more mood episodes in a year. But bpd causes extreme emotions also. I actually sleep a lot for a manic person, some nights I get 4 hours sleep. When I'm depressed I need 12+

[Alice Noodle]

Also your 48 hours of feeling hyper is not long enough to be hypomania (not to mention it was brought on by your antidepressant)

[Double Edge]

Could be substance/medication induced bipolar, or like others have suggested, borderline PD. I was misdiagnosed with BPD and given prozac, which sent me into two mixed episodes, one with psychotic features. Only difference is my first two manic episodes occurred unmedicated for me. For BP II, you need to experience hypomania for at least 4 days, unless psychotic features are present or you get hospitalized. Then hypomania crashes into depression, and the stats on BP II are that most people with it are depressed most of the time, which is why the DSM-V no longer considers BP II as a "less severe form of BP." The very treatment resistant depression causes major work and social problems. Do you have alternating bouts of depression with your suspected hypomania/mania? How long are these episodes lasting? I'd definitely get a second opinion if you don't feel right about the one you got. I had neuropsychs tell me I had BP I, now my psychiatrist tells me that he disagrees and I have BP II. It really comes down to how different clinicians are interpreting the diagnostic criteria, which unfortunately IS left up to some open interpretation, especially if any other comorbid dx exist (I have PTSD, MDD, and PMDD, though i now question the PMDD as maybe just being hypomania... but it's way dampened during my depressive episodes, so it gets really hard to tell...PMDD when not depressed is an amazing *****). I wish you the best and hope you can find a good pdoc you can trust and have an open dialog with.