[MRT6211]

I was recently officially diagnosed bipolar, after a string of hospitalizations and an attempt on my life. This led to a discussion between a friend and I about how all of the people with bipolar that we know ended up hospitalized multiple times before they got their diagnosis. So I was curious...what was your experience with bipolar diagnosis?

How were you diagnosed? After how many years of therapy? Was it the first diagnosis you received?

For me, it was 3 years into therapy and after 4 hospitalizations within a 5 month period. Even after that, it took another 8 months until I was officially diagnosed, a few days ago, but back in January was when I started getting medication for bipolar to evaluate if it helped.

I’m excited to hear the experiences of others!

[Victoria'smom]

I went into a new GP office and he asked why I wasn't on my AD. I got really mad and said "Do I look like I need my antidepressant?" I walked out with a BP2 DX and depokote and later a referral to a pdoc. That was about 10 years ago. Before that I was treated with Anti depressants and was psychotic most of the time without knowing it. always quitting my meds when things got really bad.

My diagnosis is ever changing at times it's BP, or Sza, or mood disorder NOS. I've stopped asking. I've been diagnosed with PD nos, and IED at times. I've been in and out of therapy 20 years.

[Northchild]

Yep. Was really really depressed in July 1993, went to the hospital, got a bipolar diagnosis some time in the first week

My first inpatient hospitalization was one year after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 32. I refused medications and quit the pdoc when he diagnosed me, because I thought I was fine, when in reality I was growing manic. About 8 years before, I was once taken to a hospital in Taichung, Taiwan because of severe depression (I wasn't going to work because I was so depressed that I couldn't leave my bed). My insurance coverage was only for emergency hospitals. My boss and a few Taiwanese teaching assistants dragged me there. I was given bags of numerous pills and sent back to my apartment the same day. Clearly the pills included an antidepressant and/or other stimulating medications. I quickly became manic, quit my job (losing hundreds of dollars breaking my work and apartment rental agreements), and started traveling around Asia on my own as a 24 year old woman. That mania didn't lead to any hospitalization or doctor visit. It passed after about 4-6 weeks of wild behavior, though.

Prior to my diagnosis, I was the typical case of a bipolar person going to a GP (or other MD) only when depressed. They'd give me an antidepressant, which I took only for a few days to a week before having a mood switch. My two worst episodes before Taiwan were one at 15, where the school ordered therapy, which my parents sent me to only twice. Another during college where the health center sent me to the university pdoc. I saw him once. He gave me Prozac, which I took for max two days. Again, I'd have a mood switch that didn't lead to hospitalizations at the time.

The pdoc that diagnosed me was one my GP wanted me to see. At first he only saw depression and anxiety, but he had me attending group therapy. After about three weeks in the group therapy he himself saw me getting manic.

At 34, my manias grew exponentially worse. Seven of my 10 inpatient psych hospital stays were for mania (some psychotic and many with mixed features). They we're my worst episodes of my life.

[Blueberrybook]

Yes. They should have diagnosed me with bipolar then because I hadn’t slept in 3 days. But I also had severe anorexia, and when you have an eating disorder that bad, it seems to trump all other diagnoses, so they just wrote down depression.

Years later, I was again hospitalized for panic disorder after being an unintentional victim of a shooting. They just went with the previous diagnosis of depression, didn’t even attemp to rediagnose me. By that point my eating disorder was under control, and it seems like they should have taken my extreme lack of sleep and my problem of overspending which I mentioned to the pdoc. into account.

I only got diagnosed as bipolar after roughly 10 years in the mental health system when I showed up to a pdoc appointment with full-blown mania. My diagnosis was then changed immediately, and I very narrowly escaped hospitalization.

[rwwff]

I was diagnosed by simply calling for an appointment with a pdoc at the same time a manic episode was starting after a few months long depressive period. A few days later I'm in the office being evaluated in an obviously up state that already had the features and duration of mania. Tada, diag BP1.

Going in was pretty hard, but I still knew the difference between want and need. Good thing as well, as I started to hallucinate a little before the meds really kicked in.

I am thankful she let me go without hospitalization as I hadn't told anyone I was going to see a psychiatrist, but I'm sure it was kinda a close decision. If I'd gone in depressed I'm sure I would have been as I was definitely full up on SI...

So... just luck. lol

[Miss Laura]

How were you diagnosed? I was diagnosed by my GP who had a hint that I had Bipolar after 6 months of symptoms I was referred to a Psychiatrist who diagnosed me after 2 visits. I had to keep a mood diary after my 1st visit and go back but he said he's sure I have Bipolar. Just unsure what type. After doing the mood diary he confirmed it was Bipolar Type 1.

After how many years of therapy? I had suffered from depression for about 10 years prior to the Bipolar diagnosis. I had Counselling through my work for a year during which I was going through depression and mania. I then went through an 8 week session of Counselling through a charity in my local area who thought I had Bipolar too.

Was it the first diagnosis you received? No I was diagnosed with Clinical Depression 6 months before I was diagnosed with Bipolar

[hopeless2015]

Yep, diagnosed at my first ip stay in 2015.

I was hospitalized after a suicide attempt and diagnosed with depression. Bipolar came much later via my doctor originally when I went manic. Got my borderline diagnosis in hospital.

[SorryShaped]

In and out of treatments for behaviour problems at 8 and 9, though I first was suicidal at 7 and had said so. Hospitalized at 17 for a month with no plan for treatment after and no diagnosis. I had made a lot of silent attempts by then. Diagnosed depressed at 22, antidepressants. No therapy. Partial hospital shortly after, depression only. 24 dx depression and ADHD. Antidepressants and amphetamines and various benzos for sleep. Stayed in this course of treatment until 30, after full crash and a week of unnoticed and unshared attempts. DX bipolar on leaving the hospital. Been in treatment medically ever since and therapy off and on, but solid therapy for almost 15 full months! Kind of proud of staying in therapy. I have a GREAT T now, and even though he makes me anxious and cry we work through the why of it all. It's really my emotions coming to the surface in a safe environment.
Crikey, I could own a nice Porsche for all this money spent! I'd rather own me. Cars come and go. I'm stuck with me forever. Here's an acceptable joke...
Is there a Porsche that isn't nice to own? 944, 924, or any slant nose I suppose. They aren't a proper Porsche.

[franz kafka]

I was diagnosed the first time as a teenager after a manic switch from an antidepressant. I was hospitalized a year or so later due to severe depression and psychosis. After a few years I ditched psychiatry entirely and thought my diagnosis was wrong. Turns out I was wrong. After some years of remission my moods got worse. I was originally diagnosed with depression but that quickly changed to bipolar again after a manic switch from antidepressants.

My first hospitalization was after being diagnosed with psychosis NOS, but before being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

[Unrigged64072835]

I was hospitalized for depression several times before I received my BP1 diagnosis in 2013. My pdoc at the time didn't tell me the diagnosis (she just changed meds) but an IP doc did.

[BipolaRNurse]

I was diagnosed BP-NOS when I was referred to a psychiatrist by my PCP, who said I had something too complicated for him to treat after years of experimenting with different antidepressants. Then in 2014 I went IP for depression with suicideal ideation/intent, and received my BP 1 diagnosis. I've since been re-diagnosed with that several times.

I was hospitalised before being diagnosed

I actually tried suicide before diagnoses, and that's what prompted the hospital stay- much to my parents disgust

if it was up to them I'd have no treatment at all

[cool09]

Yes. On average it takes 8 years to be dx'd correctly with BP. I was hospitalized in the early 90's with depression/anxiety and I don't think my doctor could come up with a good diagnosis because he had me on all sorts of meds. He told my father I was the worst patient he ever had.