How are these symtops of bipolar and what do they mean?

Hello everyone,

I got a psych report done a couple years ago and wasn't diagnosed with any mental illnesses, but it did say I had some symptoms of bipolar 2, but that I didn't have enough symptoms for a diagnosis. Can you help me make sense of them though, I went to therapy afterwards and the therapist said I was fine, but I'm still curious as to how these symptoms are of bipolar and what this could mean.

Mr.X responses to the PAI indicate that he tends to take on more responsibilities than he can handle, and to react in a hostile manner to suggestions to reduce his activities. Individuals with similar profiles experience significant impulsivity, with little ability to delay gratification. They also experience poor judgment, which may lead to difficulty in fulfilling their roles. His responses also indicate that he tends to be overly suspicious of others. Individuals with similar profiles tend to be distrustful of close relationships and likely have few close friends.

Emotionally, Mr.X responses to objective assessment were noteworthy for grandiosity, impulsivity, and suspiciousness. No significant concerns were present in behavioral rating scales completed by his mother and father.

Overall, Mr.X symptoms of grandiosity, impulsivity, and suspiciousness are most consistent with a bipolar disorder, although he does not appear to meet full criteria for this diagnosis. There was no strong evidence to suggest the presence of significant symptoms of ADHD, depression, or anxiety.

Other Specified Bipolar and Related Disorder (DSM-5; 296.89)

Hello monsieurben: I see this is your first post here on PC. So... welcome to Psych Central.

I'm sorry I cannot offer anything with regard to your concern. Perhaps there will be other members who will have some thoughts they can offer. In the meantime, here are links to 3 articles, from Psych Central's archives, that talk about Bipolar 2:

What Bipolar II Disorder Really Looks & Feels Like

How Bipolar II is Different | Bipolar Laid Bare

Bipolar II: Anger, Angst & Understanding

I hope you find PC to be of benefit.

Hello monsieurben! Welcome

Those symptoms are definitely things that fit into the realm of bipolar but just because you might take on big projects and not like people telling you its a bad idea doesnt mean you are bipolar.(not saying you arent, just generally people have different personalities, we arent all the same but it doesnt necessarily mean it is a symptom of something)

It is possible you checked the right boxes but in reality those things were not quite how it looks on a checklist and your therapist had more info from talking to you more in depth or on the other end that your therapist didnt know very much about bipolar and/or you and therefore couldnt see it.

Definitely spend some time reading up on symptoms. I am not sure how else I can help right now but you are certainly welcome to ask more questions if you have any

Maybe seeing a psychiatrist again will get you a clearer diagnosis if any fit you.

Most Psychiarist won’t give you a diagnosis first visit. To diagnose Bipolar it can take numerous visits and Therapy is helpful too..

Welcome to PC

Plus your diagnosis can change over time. I went from Bipolar 1 to Bipolar NOS

And I went from bipolar NOS to bipolar 1. BP can and does change over the course of time. Wishing you the best, and welcome to PC!

It's not unusual for me to try to do many projects at the same time for sure. I am really into personality psychology and this is definitely a trait of mine, I just felt that it was a bit odd. From what I've studied, taking on many projects is associated with manic symptoms, however it is described in a way where a person is delusional, not simply idealistic or has many goals.

As far as the other things like suspiciousness, grandiosity, and impulsiveness, the only one I can see for myself is being impulsive, but for the other ones it's harder for me to identify in my life. I grew up in a cult like environment so I can understand suspiciousness in that specific environment, but I was very surprised with grandiosity because if I were to struggle with self esteem, it would be more with low self esteem, not narcissism.

What is bipolar NOS, or how does it differ from bipolar 1 if you don't mind me asking?

If you see the goals and projects as a personality thing I am guessing it is consistent. I could be misunderstanding though. I get that way when hypo or manic so it is episodic(I really hate goals and normally am not someone who wants to do much never mind more than one thing at a time) and it leads me to take on too many things at once with no experience. I guess that could be classified as delusional because it is far from realistic and then I burn out and am not able to finish any of them.

Here is an example: I have demolished rooms unfinished and jackhammered holes in our basement floor from 2 years ago and my husband had to really push back hard to stop me from starting anything else when I did that.

The traits the pdoc seen are written in a very weird way. As if you showed certain things and they filled in the rest with what other people with those traits might be like. Not sure about any of that

Bipolar NOS is pretty much what you described. Some symptoms but not fitting exactly into bipolar 1 or 2. What the pdoc wrote, symptoms consistent but not meeting full criteria.

Not otherwise specified

The report states no mental illness so as your Therapist said you're fine by that test report.

If your concerned about the some symptoms of bipolar note, dont be. I have some symptoms of a psychopath but I'm not diagnosed as one.

For bipolar it's irrelevant whether your self esteem is generally high or low, the question is if it changes. If you have periods of high optimism with a clear and realistic view on goals in life, in no way delusional, then decide to enroll in professional certification programs with fixed annual exam dates, and you know it's not an intellectual challenge, just a commitment to work, but then a month later all your energy is gone and you can't make progress with the study material, it could be an indicator for a bipolar disorder.

I suffer from very low self-esteem, and yet I had episodes with visions of grandiosity. One doesn't exclude the other. If your self evaluation flips from being a loser who won't ever get anything done in life to being an overachieving genius, that's a bipolar red flag.