Are you bothered by your Dx?

Random question... Are you bothered by your Dx?

Let me explain... Maybe you feel that your medical file is "tainted" because the Dx is plastered all over it and then non-psychiatric professionals treat you like sh_t because of the stigma. Or, maybe you are relieved that you finally have something to explain your symptoms/feelings/emotions. Or, maybe it upsets you knowing that you have a chronic condition. Maybe you even have mixed feelings.

I feel pretty relieved by my Dx. I have been fortunate enough and very grateful to have been treated very well by my healthcare professionals across the board. even my ortho, neurologist and GP know and accept my Dx and have treated my fairly and with great attention. I know it isn't the case for many though. that is why I am very grateful to have these people in my life treating me so well. I haven't had to "explain" away my symptoms and illness to anyone. they were all very supportive.

In the beginning, though, I had some reservations as to how the Dx would look when others came across my file and my chart. I was very afraid of stigma and I honestly even fought my Dx. It was a hard realization for me at the onset. hope I made sense.

Yeah. Im bothered that I have a diagnosis because the diagnosis I have scares me. It makes me wonder what kind of life Ill be able to have

I'm bothered that I don't have a concrete diagnosis. How am I supposed to treat something if we can't nail down what it is? I got to acceptance phase on my bipolar diagnosis, so I'll be ok if it turns out I do have a mood disorder. I just want to be healthy no matter what label it comes with or what I need to do to treat it.

I really don't care about any label. I do care what the disorder does to me and how it has limited me in recent years. That pisses me off and sort of saddens me at times, but I've tried to move on. I'll keep moving on.

Bipolar disorder doesn't define me. I am me. I'm an energetic, humor-loving, curly-haired, gapped toothed, smiling, caring, curious, pleasure-seeking woman who loves to dance, spend time in nature, kiss my hubby, smile at people, and do all sorts of mischief.

I like to hang out here because I like to support others, appreciate being supported, and enjoy the cool and interesting crowd

I’m fine with my diagnosis ..BP 1 with psychotic features, OCD, Ptsd , insomnia, anorexia .. And of course all the panic and anxiety that all people who have Bipolar get as fun add ons !

My GP was actually a Therapist that decided to go to medical school so he’s wonderful.

My NP is kind caring and has hugged me more times than I can count.

My rheumatologist at our first appt was going over my medical history and actually said he was sorry that I have to deal with Bipolar and if I ever need to talk he’s there.

My Dermatologist said I’m a Bad ***** for managing it.

So.... honestly I’m happy that for my health team they understand and are supportive.

Now when I lived for those 8 months in Florida I felt judged by everyone but my Pdoc , thank god I found a good one.

I have noticed the few times I have gotten hell sick on a weekend and needed a walk in clinic I swear they look at me like I’m going to turn into a monster and attack, I gave up listing my psych meds if I ever have to go, screw them.

I have a huge paper trail, well it’s all electronic now. Saving trees rocks!

I’m much more that a label. I’m a wonderful human being that has a hell of a sarcastic sense of humor, a great husband and a beautiful, kind daughter with a enormous heart. I’m blessed

I was misdiagnosed as having schizophrenia by a PhD psychologist. It got into my electronic file and every provider I see believes I have schizophrenia. It makes it worse when you tell them you don't have schizophrenia. They look at you like, ya, everyone with schizophrenia says that. When my psychiatrist found out, he was not happy. I have bipolar 1 disorder with psychosis and DID, not schizophrenia. He tried to clean up the problem but every once and a while, I see a provider who brings it up. It makes me very angry to be told I have a diagnosis I don't have. Especially since I grew up with schizophrenics. I know what the illness means.

Even with the diagnoses I’m still looked at as a drama queen that needs to grow up and get a life. Like my regular docs who think all my physical illnesses will magically go away if I just diet and exercise more.

I'm not bothered by it because I've accepted it over the years but sometimes I do feel worried about ever going to a medical doctor for anything because the dx begins with "schiz (schizoaffective)" and I feel like that makes people automatically think whatever you're there for is in your head. It's also a little embarrassing having to discuss the medications I'm on

took many years to finally believe the pdoc's . . . does not bother me now . . . just how it is . . .

I don't mind the diagnoses I have except for the fact that I already have had issues in the past getting doctors to take me seriously when I went many years before getting a proper diagnosis for my joint pain and other symptoms. I think I appeared as an anxious young woman with various symptoms and got boxed into the "just stressed" category.

I did feel a little brushed off by the rheumatologist I saw recently (didn't help that I was coming down with some flu-like illness that day and was super out of it at the appointment, plus I was wearing a mask to keep others from getting sick and I think she thought I was just a hypochondriac :/). My gynecologist was awesome though, discussing the bipolar and the PMDD diagnoses with me openly and saying so genuinely "gosh how are you dealing with this?"

I do find it helpful to get the OCD diagnosis, though. I had no idea anyone was experiencing similar thoughts and problems as I was so I feel less alone and confused.

I don’t mind the diagnosis anymore. I also don’t care who knows my diagnosis even though I have lost IRL friends since I owned up to having Bipolar.
When I was first diagnosed i spent the first 2 yrs telling most people I had a brain injury.

Yes.

Not because of the "label" because no one really knows 'officially' that I'm BP.

But because of how dangerous it has been for me (in the past, when manic or depressed)

I am relieved by my DX

the only reason I say this is that I didn't really have much of an oppotunity to plan future, plan life, know what I want to do so I'm not really losing anything in the first place

okay: so I can never work and be a theme park engineer (which is one thing I did think about doing), but it could be a lot worse. their are a lot more complex severe illnesses to have

re: the original poster, I often get wound up that my medical file is in complete, or as complete as it should be (meaning I don't get the treatment I need a lot of the time)

it's frustrating

I guess I don’t mind so much because I’ve had years to
Deal with it.

This is an interesting question.

I am more accepting of my dx than I have been over the years. I think the BPII dx fits me better than other dx I have had in the past.

I have , just this past week, had to disclose my diagnoses to a perfect stranger. It felt a it anxiety-provoking. I had to talk about BPII, PTSD and dissociation. FUN! Once I was done (she was listening intently), she spoke up and asked me if I know my triggers? Wow! This from a someone who is not a mental health professional. Maybe she is living with PTSD as well? We just never know!

I do not tell everyone about my dx, ,any of them. I do share with a few people I feel are safe and are sane about mental health issues. People I trust are likely to know much more than people I do not trust.

As for sharing info with other doctors, I have some reservations. I get my medical care at a large university hospital. We have electronic records. Anyone with a password can access my chart, even though they are not "supposed to do so." This is a relatively rural area and the hospital is the biggest employer in our state. Thus everyone knows many working at the hospital and vice versa.

I know a nursing supervisor who's ex-husband had skipped out of town and was not paying child support. Nobody could find him in a timely manner. She accessed the electronic system and "admitted" her ex to the hospital. The insurer popped up for some reason. His address also became available, even though he lived in a different state. (It came from the insurer.)
She took down the info and them discharged him. Although I think this was a very creative method to address her predicament, I 'd guess HIPPA regs were violated.

My niece works for the local university hospital. She codes visits/procedures for billing. She often gets files of mine and of other family members. She can read the entire chart. There is no regulation against reading the chart or looking at all diagnoses. Policy states they can code the procedure or they can pass the chart off to a colleague for coding. She says she chooses to pass off the charts of family members. Yet, what if she did not do so? I trust her, yet there are others I do not trust.

Someone in this community who works for the hospital can access my records anytime, even though they are not supposed to do so.

Wow WC that's awful. I go to a big university too and they have psych records passcoded so that nobody can get into them but psych staff. The hospital used paper records for years after the regular hospital used computers until they could isolate those records. I think maybe my diagnoses show up but no details and definitely no access to the records. My GI will have to ask questions to know anything helpful and that's the way it should be.

As I understand things here: If one gets their psychiatric care at the university hospital, or a satellite office, or in IOP or PHP, then their records are passcoded. If one has care outside of the system and it comes in onto the record somehow, it is in the regular chart and not protected. Maybe it is this way everywhere?

I know people who work at the university hospital/health center and they will not get involved with the university health care system because they know how the records are "open," despite HIPPA regulations.

Do people realize that HIPPA regulations say we cannot view our own charts when we are meeting with a doctor? My rheumy, who still has partial paper records, has to close the file or has to flip it over, so I cannot see it, especially if she leaves the room momentarily... and it is MY record and my insurance pays for the generation of the record! Hello?

Yet, others can have access without any problem! Makes all kinds of sense!

I do not like having a diagnosis but am thankful it's treatable. It greatly limits me for that I'm angry.

I think I don't have any formal diagnosis yet. My doctor just told me it's probably bipolar.

But there's a problem and I have very mixed feelings about it. I really struggle with accepting it. Sometimes I think that it's not real and I must have made it up. Sometimes it really scares me. When I heard from the doctor for the first time that I'm probably bipolar, I thought that it was the end of my life. But I'm also relieved by the idea that my problem has a name and there are ways how to treat it. It's complicated.

Now I'm trying hard to understand that bipolar (or whatever it is) is not my only characteristic.

Just wanted to say hi and wanted to let you know it gets easier with time.
Many of us can attest to the fact that getting a BP diagnosis is not the end of your life. It is likely that the more you and your doctor know about your diagnosis, you may be treated better and may have a better life!

I hope you feel at home to participate here.
I also hope to see you around here more often!

There are some things that bother me about having mental illness...like having to be on meds for the past 32 years. I don't even know who I really am, and I'm sleepy all of the time.

I'm glad there are names for the various dx's. What bothers me most of all is that I still don't understand why I'm told I have BD. My pdoc is 100% sure of it. My T said she sees that I'm more manic than depressive. My daughter has always agreed with my diagnosis.

I really don't understand it all, though. For example, when I am excited about something I express being excited. I talk more and more rapidly. I use my hands to express myself more. and so on. Well, why is that "mania"? Maybe it's just how I express being excited (I make sense and people can understand me).

So that is what bothers me about my dx.

The problem with depression is that it's too broad a term, so a lot of people think it's not that serious. I have major depressive disorder, which means it's a chronic ongoing thing. Some people don't understand that.

It took me about five years to accept my bipolar diagnosis. I was pretty sure I had it even before I was diagnosed, but didn't do anything about it until my GP forced me into a psych consult after I failed my fourth antidepressant. I'd still like to believe I'm in some sort of long-term existential crisis, but I know better now and I don't question the dx anymore. I don't even mess with my meds or skip appointments with my pdoc. It's not worth getting sick again.

BD ? BP ( Bipolar ) or do you mean BPD (borderline personality disorder) ? I’m guessing BP

Those of us with BP can have every emotion under the sun, I can be over the moon happy and excited and giddy I found a new nail polish color I don’t have , is that BP ? No it’s just my being happy.

I was absolutely furious over something a person said to me a few weeks ago . Was that BP? No I had every right to be furious.

So my advice is don’t waste a lot of time analyzing a mood but just a quick 2 second self check if your thinking whatever is BP.