[Tangerine87]

My therapist seems to suggest I'm bipolar but idk...I mean yea I have mood swings but they're always triggered by something. I also can never get up in the mornings. Don't people with bipolar sleep less? I could literally sleep for 24 hours if I wanted to (I'm exaggerating a bit)

[~Christina]

Well keeping a mood chart is helpful , patterns can appear" and most Pdoc's love to see there patients doing so.

Routine sleep is optimal for helping keep Bipolar patients more stable of course.

The only person that can really diagnose you is a Pdoc ... Often it can take a long time to make the actual diagnosis and that is a great thing .. You dont want tagged with something like Bipolar unless you really have it.

Good Luck

[SickCycleCarousel]

I had the opposite from the last 5 psychiatrists i saw, they all thought i was just an atypical case of mild to moderate depression, none of them could quite work me out in the last 3-4 years! I suggested Bipolar to discuss whether i was in the spectrum or not, no word of a lie, i got laughed at! My moods are erractic, i can go raging from 0-2 secs all of a sudden, have very crazy lows where i can become suicidal, i have self harmed alot in the past, heard voices, hallucinations, things crawling on my skin etc etc, was fed many many different anti d's & anti p's & nothing worked & i became that much more aggravated with life! I finally went to see a psych again for the first time in 2 years, i told the psych half of whats happenend in the first session & he picked it straight away! Ive been rediagnosed as Bipolar II + Cyclothymia + Psychosis now, depending i guess dont quote me here coz im still learning about all this myself but i think it depends on your cycle of moods etc like your highs & lows to which spectrum of Bipolar they class you as? Im not too sure, im so sorry if i got this wrong!!! Example with me i get very crazy lows for months but inbetween i will go into hypomania where i cant sleep, i have trouble trying to get myself to sleep because my mind is constantly racing, i go into a state of euphoria sometimes with it as well, when im very low i can sleep for days!!! I dont wanna get out of bed, i can never wake myself up etc I hope this helps!!! If you wanna discuss more just yell out!! =)

I don't think a therapist is the best at diagnosing bipolar, although they can suspect enough to suggest you see a pdoc for confirmation. In my case, I was diagnosed as a result of taking an anti-depressant that caused hypomania. I have argued that I don't have bp because it was caused by medication, but I guess that's one way people find out. Now, I can't take AD's without a mood stabilizer or I go off the rails. My moods are independent of anything happening real life, but they can be made worse by stressors.

[Tangerine87]

I've also had manic reactions to anti d's before. I went crazy.

Originally Posted by licketysplit

I don't think a therapist is the best at diagnosing bipolar, although they can suspect enough to suggest you see a pdoc for confirmation. In my case, I was diagnosed as a result of taking an anti-depressant that caused hypomania. I have argued that I don't have bp because it was caused by medication, but I guess that's one way people find out. Now, I can't take AD's without a mood stabilizer or I go off the rails. My moods are independent of anything happening real life, but they can be made worse by stressors.

[wiretwister]

Ad's put me in lock down. Still doubt my Dx of BP but family says I am better on Lamital,, so I guess it's right,, find the right pdoc for you, a good t and work your butt off to be stable. good luck

[Sprite22]

I went for years thinking I did not have bipolar...it is a fine line between having it and thinking you have it. And yes we don't sleep well sometimes. I also heard it can take 10 years to fully diagnose. But admitting what it is helps. Both ups and downs are Bipolar. I also believe an MD must make this diagnoses.

[lilypup]

You know you are bipolar if you hang out in this forum because that's the place you feel at home and it all makes sense.