Bipolar Emotions and Stress versus Regular Life

It's hard to tell. I had a really hard time with my daughter graduating from high school. I had frequent bouts of crying, severe depression, panic attacks and SI. I asked my psychiatrist to prescribe just one or two pills of something to keep me from spiraling and let me be able to be at her graduation. I was really losing it. He said no...it wasn't a bipolar thing...it was a situational thing and normal life transition. It caused hard feelings on my part but that's how he, as a doctor, saw the difference between something fueled by bipolar disorder versus something fueled by situational or external things. I still disagree and he's acting totally opposite with my daughter gone to college (a normal life transition) by adding an AD, increasing another AD and increasing my benzos plus seeing him every 4 weeks and calling in once a week.

Agreed.

My intent was simply to move the thread back towards its original topic which was not a discussion over whether or not BP can be caused or triggered by external things, but how to differentiate between symptoms and run of the mill emotions. I sort of felt like my first post that used the word "external" may have unintentionally started this debate and it felt like it was gettting a bit contentious. For whatever reason certain statements made here hit a nerve for me. Sorry. Anyway here is where I bow out of this thread. Take care everybody.

Well if we move the thread back to the original topic:

Bipolar Emotions and Stress versus Regular Life

I am bipolar and for over 20 years my "stable point" was slightly to moderately depressed. With a recent change in meds, the needle has moved across center and now it is slightly hypo. I have been under a tremendous amount of stress. I don't have a regular life. I am not whining; it is what it is and I am making the best of it.