Is bipolar really the cause of your mood swings?

I told my psychiatrist my symptoms and i thought I had cyclothymia. She said "Nope,You have bipolar 1".
I was shocked. As soon as I was diagnosed, I realized that I have had the symptoms since being a teen. She didn't write a diagnosis in the code box for a full year. To me it felt really good to finally understand myself.

I think a diagnosis is helpful.

I agree with this.

A diagnosis should be made carefully. Not all psychiatrists have the ability to observe, ask questions and listen. Often their initial impression or the notes of another clinician blinds them.

The correct diagnosis makes a big difference even if the primary treatment is some form of psychotherapy. I was misdiagnosed with BPD and treated for it. I didn't respond well, because it didn't describe my experiences and feelings. This diagnosis was given to me shortly after I had an adverse reaction to Zoloft at the age of 16. During that time I experimented with self-injury. It was hard to get help after that. Later on, I learned what I really had after a thorough assessment that involved looking into my childhood and academic records. My life profoundly changed and therapy became much more effective.

The correct Dx absolutely matters but the patient has to accept the Dx and work with the system to to get any meaningful help towards cure if BPD or maintenance of stability if BD. My refusals to take AP or stay on a mood stabilizer kept me unstable for years although I made great progress on the PTSD. It wasn't until I accepted an AP that I fully relized how paranoid I had been.

I think in some cases there is room for more error and some there isnt
Like my doc telling me i have a classic case
Many other cases ehhhh
Btw the psych bible changes with the times...,were thy irresponsible when thy first came out....idk but scary stuff
And bipolars are known for going off meds.....especially those with euphoric manic features

And tht mania for me lasts a hell of a long time turning mixed or psychotic
Now if u r just depresssed than angry than depresssed...room for doubt
Neva eva hypo?? Doubt
Ect Ect

There is actually a huge difference in these dx than psychology would like u to believe....thete were never doubts which one until bp became a fad....now the psych community is just trying to get the info out there
Because so much misinformation right now

Actually ptsd is more often the cause of bp symptoms then borderline. ..i met war vets ext...same symptoms but not till after war
Makes sense

I totally, totally agree with this -- that receiving the correct diagnosis is essential. You have to know how to proceed with treatment. Sometimes symptoms can be caused by A. Sometimes they can be caused by B. Or C. Or D. You definitely have to figure out where those symptoms are coming from.

The problem too, with hastily slapping a label on something, is that doctors then sometimes fall prey to confirmation bias, and instead of being open to other possible diagnoses (even brought up by the patient), look for more supporting "evidence" and reasoning for their original diagnosis. Because let's face it. Doctors are human too. They have egos. I'm sure they don't like to be wrong.

BP should definitely not be diagnosed within a few sessions (unless there's a mountain of irrefutable evidence gathered over time brought forth by the patient or his/her family/loved ones/etc.). But, on the other side of the coin, it should also not be disregarded when raised as a possible cause for symptoms after a long period of time in therapy.

What I think is very interesting about the debate about the sudden overdiagnosis of BP is how historically underdiagnosed and hard to diagnose it has been.

Here's something interesting about BP that I just learned: Bipolar II and Rapid Cycling were first included as subtypes of BP in the DSM IV -- published in 1994. That wasn't too long ago.

Major Depressive Disorder used to be included as a type of BP, until the DSM III was published in 1980, and only since then had it been classified as a separate condition -- also, really not too long ago, when you think about it. That was just 2 years before I was born.

Bipolar disorder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia -- See "History"

I wonder...how many here think BPD is mistaken for Rapid Cycling?

I have noticed that oftentimes, a patient is diagnosed with BorderlinePD because the psychiatrist is not tremendously talented at his/her craft and can't come up with a better diagnosis. And that is especially true when the patient is an attractive young woman.