[pacman_789]

Is it normal to question your diagnosis from time to time? My initial bipolar diagnosis was after I took an antidepressant. Because of that, I always have this doubt in the back of my mind that maybe it was only medicine induced mania, not genetic. Deep down,I know my mood shifts even without meds, but I spent so long without taking anything that it “feels” normal to me even if it isn’t what others would consider normal. I also have OCD, which is sometimes called the doubting disease, so each time I make a med change, I have to take a few days off or more to remind myself that I need meds.

[Jedi67]

I absolutely question my diagnosis from time to time. I fought hard in the beginning to accept that I was going to live with bipolar disorder. During some of the more level stretches, I would begin to doubt that I was sick at all. And during some med changes, if I was not doing well, I still would believe that I was well and didn't have a mental illness to deal with. There are times I feel that the meds did maybe cause symptoms and that the meds were the enemy. I learned the hard way that I had to buckle down and accept things the way they are. But I think it's part of the process to question our diagnoses. All the best. Stay strong!

[wiretwister]

it took me six years to accept my dx , mine is so well managed by my meds I feel much of the time to not need my meds at all , but I have learned to keep taking them ,

[Ezrigirl]

Originally Posted by pacman_789

Is it normal to question your diagnosis from time to time? My initial bipolar diagnosis was after I took an antidepressant. Because of that, I always have this doubt in the back of my mind that maybe it was only medicine induced mania, not genetic. Deep down,I know my mood shifts even without meds, but I spent so long without taking anything that it “feels” normal to me even if it isn’t what others would consider normal. I also have OCD, which is sometimes called the doubting disease, so each time I make a med change, I have to take a few days off or more to remind myself that I need meds.

There is drug induced mania, and some doctors will not say your bipolar because of that. I have had more drug induced mania than natural mania. Going from one doctor to the next, you will get different answers to the same question.

[fern46]

I do question my diagnosis. I have only ever had one episode. It was manic and psychotic. I've never been depressed. The same thing happened to my mother about 20 years ago. She suffered a major break and was manic for about a week before the heavy psychosis set in. She had also never been depressed. The doctors diagnosed her as bipolar because of the mania, but she's never had another episode since the first one. So far, I've been stable as well. It has been 8 months since my episode and my mood is neither manic or depressed.

Because of the mania, I was also diagnosed as bipolar like my mother. However, my doctors and my therapist have all now said I am atypical and they aren't sure what to diagnose me with if anything. My doctor said that all she can say for sure is that I experienced brief reactive psychosis. She thinks the cause was perhaps hormonal or adrenal. I don't know what to think. I wish I had answers.

I manage myself day to day as if I am bipolar. It feels like the safest way to avoid a relapse as severe as my first episode. My doctor said the cognitive behavioral therapy and the lifestyle changes I have made will serve me well no matter what caused my break.

There is talk of taking me off the antipsychotic I'm currently on. I'm not sure how to feel about that. I do not like ingesting even Tylenol, so taking meds every day has been hard on me. The thought of living without meds sounds great for my body. I'm scared though that the meds are what has kept me stable and I am fearful my family will have to suffer again if I am taken off them and it kicks me back into mania. I'm hopeful though that the coping skills I have learned will help me recognize what is happening sooner should I ever relapse again.

I stick around here because I relate to so much of what is posted. Thanks to you all for letting me tag along while I try to figure out what's truly going on with me.

[Scooter9]

I was diagnosed with bipolar the same way as you - after getting manic on an antidepressant. I'm depressed most of the time but looking back at it I did experience hypomania much earlier in my teens and onwards.

When I was diagnosed I asked whether it was just because of the meds and that I wasn't really bipolar. But the doctor said the antidepressants just caused it to surface - it was there all along. So I don't question it especially since some treatments worked well for me.

[MickeyCheeky]

I'm sure everyone has doubted their own diagnoses at some point, pacman_789 If you have any doubts perhaps you can try to talk to your doctor for reassurance. They'll likely know for sure whether your Bipolar episode was caused by the Meds or not. You make a REALLY great point about OCD. Perhaps that may increase your doubts about your own diagnosis. Just some thoughts for you! Perhaps I'm TOTALLY wrong In any case, what matters is that the treatment you're getting is benefiting you, in my opinion at least. Keep track of your symptoms just to make sure. I'm sure your Doctors will gladly help you with your doubts so try to talk to them about ALL of this and see how it goes from there. Wish you the BEST of luck in BOTH your healing and your life! Sending many safe, warm hugs to you, pacman_789, and to ALL the people you Love and who TRULY Love you for who you TRULY are! KEEP ROCKING AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN!

[~Christina]

I was treated off and on for depression most all of my life. On off AD’s numerous times.

My life imploded at 43 and I wound up IP, got me set up with a Pdoc and T before discharge.

4-5 sessions of T and he says.. your history screams of Bipolar. I thought about it for 30 seconds and finally everything made perfect sense. I have never doubted it. I guess I’m lucky that way.

Meh... I thought everyone had a racing mind , seldom slept more than a couple hours or none at all , worked 2 if not 3 jobs at a time, let my daughter at age 6 pick out what color new car I was going to buy , then turn around and do it again when she was 8 .... I didn’t have the internet at my finger tips like now. So to me that was “ normal”

[downandlonely]

If you don't have bipolar, anti-depressants won't induce mania. I have depression, have been on anti-depressants for over 20 years, and have never had a manic episode. The anti-depressants may cause the mania to surface, but they can't cause bipolar.

I think questioning bipolar is more common than questioning depression. It's pretty obvious to me that I suffer from depression.

[still_crazy]

i...don't know. go to 2 psychiatrists, get 3 opinions. it'd be funny if it wasn't...true.

[Blue_Bird]

Doesn't hurt to get a second or third opinion if you still feel unsure or concerned about it. Either way, if the meds are helping you that's good. In my abnormal psych class we learned about drug induced manic episodes and that they're different sometimes than organic bipolar disorder but who knows. different doctors have different opinions, if the treatment works I'd just stick with it, what matters most is that you're stable

[yellow_fleurs]

I have a similar situation, diagnosed after an SSRI reaction, questioning it, and also pretty sure I have OCD according to discussions with my therapist/psychiatrist. Thing is for me, my therapist also says she doesn't see bipolar which further make me question the diagnosis. I do have mood changes with seasons, hormones, just randomly. I just don't think I really get to the level of mania/hypomania without meds. Do you think you have had mania/hypomania since the med reaction? You could always get another opinion if you have not already. Does the bipolar treatment such as mood stabilizers help you? Treatment that works might be more important than the diagnosis, but the right diagnosis does help us to know what's going on in our brains and find the right treatment.

[pacman_789]

Originally Posted by still_crazy

i...don't know. go to 2 psychiatrists, get 3 opinions. it'd be funny if it wasn't...true.

This one got me lol

[pacman_789]

Thanks, all. I think the key for me is accept the diagnosis and resist the urge to reassure myself (which is OCD driven). My first doctor mentioned it was a possibility and gave me some mood stabilizers, but she never officially diagnosed me. I got a second opinion, and he was more convinced and officially diagnosed me as bipolar 2. He echoed some of the comments on here that a non bipolar patient might have mania during antidepressant use, but it would go away after stopping it. Mine continued even after I discontinued antidepressants.

Any way, I feel pretty good about the diagnosis overall because I can see instances of hypomania even in childhood. It’s just so easy for me to second guess it each time I take a bipolar meds that doesn’t work or that makes me feel not like myself. Perhaps I need to get used to the new me!

[franz kafka]

I used to doubt the bipolar diagnosis because it didn't quite fit. Even when manic I would sleep 5-6 hours per night, for example. That and no mood stabilizers ever helped me.

Schizoaffective, on the other hand, makes perfect sense. Getting this diagnosis was life changing because I was now eligible for clozapine. Clozapine is the only drug I've ever taken that has worked for me. So I'm pretty sure SZA is the right diagnosis.

[BipolaRNurse]

Four different mental healthcare providers have diagnosed me with bipolar 1 over the years, and yet I still question the diagnosis sometimes. I tend to think "oh, I must have overexaggerated my symptoms" or "maybe they're just making it up as they go along". Neither of which is true, of course. I don't know why I can't seem to accept it totally, there's certainly no shame in being BP 1 (or any other kind of bipolar). Most of the time I'm OK with it, but when I'm stable for long periods I start questioning it again. Silly me!

[Ezrigirl]

Originally Posted by BipolaRNurse

I'm OK with it, but when I'm stable for long periods I start questioning it again. Silly me!

With me, it has been years since I had a major manic problem to warrant being bipolar I over say being bipolar II. I have been manic, but not at the level I need to go into the hospital for it. I have been in mixed states, and now I am more depressed over weeks and months at a time. Some times, I wish I was manic again. Still, if you have only one manic time to warrant being bipolar I, your bipolar I for life.

[sarahsweets]

You wouldnt be a "true" BP I or II if you didnt question your diagnosis.

[Ezrigirl]

Originally Posted by sarahsweets

You wouldnt be a "true" BP I or II if you didnt question your diagnosis.

When I first was declared bipolar, I went and checked my family tree. My parents did not have any mental illness, and my mother family did not bring up any red flags. My father died in a car accident when I was a little girl. I never had any contact with my fathers family. When I was digging into that nest of people, red flags were coming up. With his family tree, and checking cousins he had. During the 20th century, I was able to find 26 suicides, and a number of questionable deaths. Like parking your car in a garage, leaving the car running, and still call it a accidental death. The strangest death, in 1960, she was a nurse working the night shift alone. They found her dead in the morning, after spending hours alone taken every type of medication from the medicine area. Do have a family member who dyed in a mental hospital. Sure, you can get a lobotomy to cure your manic moods, but for him, having so much brain damage you had to spend the rest of your life in a mental hospital is no fun in the park.

[Cornucopia]

I do, and most certainly when I’m on medication and stable.
Some time ago: I sure need help, maybe I need to take my meds again.
A month later (when medicated and stable): am I really sure I have any illness at all? Maybe I am perfectly fine, and I just imagine there is something defected in my brain.

Until I fall again, or stop medication (which I said I would never do, and I didn’t understand why people did that- until I suddenly decided it was a good idea myself…) and realize I can’t be stable on my own. I need help- atm both therapy and medication and doing all the hard work it takes to try to keep stable.

So yes- I do question my diagnosis, even earlier today , which made me think of this thread.

[Dysphoria]

I question mine often. I feel like I have a lot of symptoms of a personality disorder (specifically BPD) and that perhaps the docs have misdiagnosed me. Then again at least 4 docs have interviewed me and studied my chart and all seem to agree I am bipolar. Perhaps I have a comorbid personality disorder along with it which is really disheartening because my prospects of ever living a normal life are slim.