[ara35]

Good morning. I'd like to start by saying I have not been diagnosed as bipolar and I am concerned that I experience a lot of the symptoms and listed them below. The family doctor heard all this and prescribed me Prozac and said I was not bipolar or depressed, that it was just anxiety. Please help me with a couple of the questions I have now.

1. Do you agree with the family doctor or should I follow up?
2. If I were to follow up, who would I contact and where do I schedule/request the 6 hour exam that is performed?
3. I have taken multiple tests and quizzes, including the one on PyschCentral, and I score very high on all of them. Are these quizzes accurate enough to be concerned with following up?
4. Do the symptoms below align with symptoms of anyone who has been diagnosed?

Please ask me any questions for more information.

Here is a list of the symptoms:

Depression - Sad, empty, anxious, fear, irritability, appetite/weight fluctuations (10-15lbs in a month), sleeping issues, thoughts of death and suicide, sluggishness, guilt and low sex drive

Mania - Rapid speech, thoughts, impulse followed by guilt, start thinking about a hobby and become extremely obsessed and excited and then loose interest and feel embarrassed for even thinking i could do something. this happens even without failing. times where i feel on top of the world, nothing could go wrong.

Also, I have a constant fear of bad things happening, constant nightmares of dying and thoughts of death throughout the day.

[Keegan2015]

Why would your doctor prescribe Prozac for "anxiety"? that doesn't make sense to me.

online assessments are not accurate / reliable diagnostic tools, don't let them influence your self-perception too much.

Not sure what this 6 hour assessment you reference is. I've never had to take one like that (I did as a kid, but not as an adult).

I'd recommend finding a psychiatrist who takes your insurance and soliciting their opinion. they will probably be more helpful than a GP.

How long do your depressed episodes and "manic" (possibly) phases last? How old are you / does anyone else in your family have a history of mental illness ?

[ara35]

I am not sure why Prozac was prescribed. I am not overly familiar with medication and i am no expert on mental health. The internet quizzes are all I really have to go on for the short term. I understand they are not a true diagnosis, but I'm wondering if I should continue to pursue this.

Talking to a coworker, he said his gf performed 6 hour tests for children to diagnose them. I apologize if this is for kids only.

The manic phase (if it even is) seems like a couple days to a week. Depressed can go for 2-4 weeks. I also have days when I seem to go from very excited about something and then ashamed of that same thing for no reason whatsoever. I am 28 and I dont know anyone in my family that has this, but I don't think anyone has been open to discuss it. When I realized these behaviors were affecting my wife, I opened up and we are trying to research what we can. I would never pursue this on my own because I always felt like I can deal with it, but apparently it affects those around me.

Thanks for your quick response. Feel free to PM any questions. I'd love to understand more. Thanks

[Hashi/bipolar mom]

Originally Posted by ara35

Good morning. I'd like to start by saying I have not been diagnosed as bipolar and I am concerned that I experience a lot of the symptoms and listed them below. The family doctor heard all this and prescribed me Prozac and said I was not bipolar or depressed, that it was just anxiety. Please help me with a couple of the questions I have now.

1. Do you agree with the family doctor or should I follow up?
2. If I were to follow up, who would I contact and where do I schedule/request the 6 hour exam that is performed?
3. I have taken multiple tests and quizzes, including the one on PyschCentral, and I score very high on all of them. Are these quizzes accurate enough to be concerned with following up?
4. Do the symptoms below align with symptoms of anyone who has been diagnosed?

Please ask me any questions for more information.

Here is a list of the symptoms:

Depression - Sad, empty, anxious, fear, irritability, appetite/weight fluctuations (10-15lbs in a month), sleeping issues, thoughts of death and suicide, sluggishness, guilt and low sex drive

Mania - Rapid speech, thoughts, impulse followed by guilt, start thinking about a hobby and become extremely obsessed and excited and then loose interest and feel embarrassed for even thinking i could do something. this happens even without failing. times where i feel on top of the world, nothing could go wrong.

Also, I have a constant fear of bad things happening, constant nightmares of dying and thoughts of death throughout the day.

I'll be honest, that infuriates me that a GP thinks he/she can diagnose psychiatric disorders! I don't go to my pdoc for a stomach ache/flu! Prozac usually isn't used for anxiety. I would find a great psychiatrist and have them do a complete psychological work up. As far as quizzes, you have to not take them as gospel. It's like putting your symptoms into WEBMD, you'll get lots of diagnosis!

[Ocean Swimmer]

I agree. I don't go to
Y dogs vet for medication. A gp can not know what a pdoc knows.

[ara35]

So based on these responses, I should follow up with a pyschiatrist? Thanks for the responses

[gina_re]

Originally Posted by Keegan2015

Why would your doctor prescribe Prozac for "anxiety"? that doesn't make sense to me.

Some antidepressants are prescribed for anxiety as well. Paxil helped with my depression and anxiety. And Effexor seems to be working also.

[Nammu]

If you are bipolar the antidepressant can exacerbate that condition. I'd ask to see a specilist to rule out any diagnosises. It could be any number of things, your GP though should have at least ruled out physical causes such as thyroid and aneimia. There's a number of physical illness that can mimic psych illness, they need to be ruled out first. For your doc to dismiss it all and write a scrip for a drug that can come with severe withdrawal problems sounds misguided. He's not a specilist in psych and should send you to a pdoc to rule it out. Depression and bipolar are not the only two illnesses it could be, that's why you need to see a pdoc.

[ara35]

I am not sure why i was prescribed Prozac. I also understand the online assessments are not accurate, but it is the only tool I can use until I see someone. And more than anything, I am curious whether it seems likely or possible that I have bipolar disorder.

The 6 hour test I referred to was for children, I thought they also did that for adults. I am trying to find a psychiatrist but the wait time is very long (3 months). I will continue to look. I am 29 and no one in my family has any known mental illness.

Depressed can last anywhere from a couple days to over a month, most commonly 2-4 weeks. Mania seems to only last for a couple days at a time. It is hard to tell because I was less aware and didn't really keep track of the durations.

Thanks for all the responses.

[scatterbrained04]

I definitely wouldn't rule out bipolar disorder. Your symptoms remind me of bipolar 2. The only thing that might make me think you are not is how short the episodes are, but everyone experiences bipolar a little differently. I would definitely go see a psychiatrist as everyone else has mentioned. GP aren't always very skilled at diagnosing mental health issues.

Originally Posted by ara35

So based on these responses, I should follow up with a psychiatrist?

Yes. If you are bipolar as you suspect, prozac without a mood stabilizer might not be your best option.

[Ocean Swimmer]

I'm bipolar and Paxil gave me horrible anxiety and depression.

[luvyrself]

[QUOTE=Keegan2015;4903574]Why would your doctor prescribe Prozac for "anxiety"? that doesn't make sense to me.

online assessments are not accurate / reliable diagnostic tools, don't let them influence your self-perception too much.

Not sure what this 6 hour assessment you reference is. I've never had to take one like that (I did as a kid, but not as an adult).

I'd recommend finding a psychiatrist who takes your insurance and soliciting their opinion. they will probably be more helpful than a GP.

How long do your depressed episodes and "manic" (possibly) phases last? How old are you / does anyone else in your family have a history of mental illness ?
XxxxxxPlease don't waste time analyzing what a gp said. He is Not not not qualified on this subject. You need a p doc asap also one visit will not be enuf for him to know u.