Questioning the diagnosis

I wasn’t diagnosed until age 43... it explained soooo much of my life, lol

I don’t doubt it at all and I’m totallly okay with it.

Me too. Diagnosed at 43 also.

For those that question there bipolar diagnosis there is a "test" that can pretty sccurately in about 90% of patients that doctors found by accident , put a bipolar on an SSRI without a mood stabilizer or AP and the will generally go manic within about a year , some much faster than that , that's why they cocktail people to stabilise them , now if you don't mind a small hospital stay with lousy food that is the unscientific litmus test of bipolar , but i really dont recommend you put yourself and your relationships through it .

I was on SSRIs throughout much of my teenage years so I feel like it should have been triggered then. Then again, I was never taking them consistently so who knows.

I have started doubting my diagnosis as Bipolar 2 more and more lately.
Sure, when I first started treatment I was not doing well, but I think that was stress, too much alcohol and a bad environment.

I got the ADHD innatentive type diagnosed last Christmas and started taking ritalin. In january I decided that I probably don't have Bipolar 2 and quit all meds.. (Lamictal and Stemetil). I am "completely fine". I am even more stable now than during medication for Bipolar.

I still have my issues, and I'm starting to wonder if maybe Borderline is the thing? As my thought patterns concerning myself and others are not healthy at all. Too bad the psychatrists diagnosed me with ADHD, gave me a running prescription of Ritalin and ended all further sessions.

But I think a lot of people diagnosed with Bipolar doubt their diagnosis. That's like a thing with "us" is it not? At least I was told I was going to doubt it and stop taking my meds (which I did)....

From what I've read, diagnosis doubting is a common phenomenon in many mental illnesses, particularly schizophrenia, bipolar, and several personality disorders.

You may have been misdiagnosed but skipping meds without consequences means nothing in the near term. I went 8 months before my symptoms came roaring back.

I don’t doubt it so much as I question the appropriate method of handling it. I read a few months ago that all of the major shootings have occurred in people with exposure to psych meds. Psych meds have made me sooooo much worse in the past. Of course my mental illness has been trying to take my life as long as I can remember so gamble we must.

Honestly as of the latest studies people who get less or no AP's During first incident psychosis or bipolar have fared much better in recovery overb the long term then those who get exteded courses or high continous doses of AP'S .
And please don't anyone think I'm anti psychiatry or anti medidication person , i am not, i'm a book worm on tons of stuff and stay as up to date as possible on any health issues that affect my friends or myself .So I am not a denier of anything or conspiracy hoaxist but I am in favor of using science and study to learn the optimal interventions for the best quality of life.

Yes doubting is a hallmark trait of many who lack insight in to themselves and there behaviour,but most people either are gifted with insight at birth or spend lots of time in therapy exploring their inner selves , how do you get into potential diagnosis of MI so it's a vicious circle .
There are people on this forum and peeps I am friends with IRL who have NO down to a point where they know there feelings and moods so well , there doctors give them a variety of medications to have on hand so that if thry feel a problem starting they can shut it down without the "men in white coats"( and no this not men without hats follow up album) hauling them away .

So there are extremes of people that can't see the problem and others who can see it coming and shut down , somewhere in the middle is the grey area of the grey matter ( Sorry I am in joking mood today) that most find themselves in .

I passed (failed?) that test rather quickly. I was on Prozac for maybe two weeks for my first major depressive episode in university and went hypomanic. Unfortunately, I really enjoyed it so I didn't make a big deal about it and subsequently went undiagnosed until I was 41. That's when the dysphoric hypomanias kicked in and I went from being a patient, even-keeled guy to a snapping, angry jerk. The contrast was so stark to my personality that I finally clued in that maybe I was having mood swings.

I don't anymore.

Yes there have been a number of books and supporting articles to this effect. If you read something like "Mad in America", the most prominent book promoting this idea, it looks like there's tons of supporting evidence. Look deeper and you'll find reputable sources evaluating this "evidence" and interpreting the data differently or disputing it altogether.

Okay, so after a few weeks of accepting this whole thing, I'm back to denying it. Does anyone know of a way to put thoughts like these to rest? It's really eating away at me; the thought of taking all these meds for no reason. I'd love it if there were some way I could 'prove' whether or not this is real.

You could get another opinion. If you did, you might want to start fresh. By this I mean telling the new pdoc that you need a fresh pair of eyes on the situation and you want to start from scratch (not forwarding a copy of your current records so the pdoc doesn’t have a preconceived notion). In the meantime you could be thinking about and listing out your psychiatric history as you remember it with input from valued family and friends. Good luck on getting your questions answered.

If I could find a way to do just that, I would. I forgot to mention however, that I've been diagnosed not only by my therapist, but by my old pdoc and after some extensive neuropsychiatric evaluation by a neurologist. So that's three opinions. I'm not sure if getting a fourth would yield different results, but maybe. I honestly wouldn't even know how to go about doing that as I'm not totally independent in my treatment as of right now.

I understand.

Another problem with going to a new provider with no records isvthe new psychiatric patient database that will list your diagnosis and meds and previous treatment that is confidential among P doc, registering patients on the system from what i understand is once and forever accessible kind of like the system states gave that track patients who utilize benzo or opiate meds who prescribes them last datebof fill etc , to prevent "doctor shopping" this new database is national , you cant hide from it , without complete false identification and insurance cards for each provider encounter. This database and its use earns doctors bonuses for use and easier paperwork compliance .

Same! lol