[WhatInThe]

This may be long, so if y’all just want the key info pertaining to my question, skip to the last couple paragraphs.
When I was 13 I was diagnosed as bipolar disorder after a suicide attempt. I wasn’t actually given psychological testing to get this diagnosis; it was based on my parents telling a psychiatrist about my mood swings/temper tantrums that started when I was 11 years old. By 16 years old my psychiatrist had found a medicine that seemed to “work” for me that didn’t have any crazy side effects: Lamotrigine.

When I was 20 I moved out of state all on my own. The new psychiatrist I started seeing questioned my bipolar diagnosis, but I insisted I keep taking the lamotrogine because my parents & childhood psychiatrist said bad things would happen if I stopped taking the medicine (they made it seem like I’d go into mania and become addicted to drugs and do other life-ruining things).
A year after that I switched psychiatrists because my insurance changed. The new psychiatrist also doubted my bipolar diagnosis, but I was still scared to stop taking the lamotrigine.

Another year later I moved states again and therefore switched psychiatrists again. This new psychiatrist also said I don’t fit the bipolar description and I was at a point in my life where I felt comfortable weaning off the lamotrigine.
A year after I started seeing him he wanted me to get psychological testing done for ADHD. The psychologist who administered the testing said my IQ was too high to have ADHD, but that I have depression.
So they started me on Wellbutrin and I suppose it’s helped with my random depression cycles.
In August I agreed to let a residency student be my psychiatrist so he can get experience. From our first encounter he noted strong signs of ADHD. So he put me on Ritalin.
Fast forward to this month. He was asking if I’ve ever had a manic episode. I told him the closest thing I can think of is when my childhood psychiatrist put me on Latuda for a month when I was 16. I remember feeling my thoughts rushing and swear words invaded my vocabulary on that medicine. It felt like my brain was soup being stirred pretty fast. As soon as I stopped taking Latuda I felt like my normal self again.
After disclosing this experience to the residency psychiatrist, he said I very well may actually be bipolar, because apparently even having one manic episode makes you bipolar. He was talking too fast for me to correct some of the key points that support his theory, so I just politely declined his offer to do a trial run on Lithium.

Is it true having one manic episode makes you bipolar? Shouldn’t the circumstances surrounding the episode also be considered before making a diagnosis?

Originally Posted by WhatInThe

The psychologist who administered the testing said my IQ was too high to have ADHD, but that I have depression.

Huh?? I've taken two IQ tests on two separate occasions -- the WAIS IV in 2015 and WASI (I forget which version) in 2016 -- and the psychologists who administered them noted that I have "marked" attention and concentration impairments. My overall IQ was determined to be in the 130s for both, with my attention/concentration IQ subscores residing below 100, and I met the criteria for both bipolar and ADHD.

I'm not tooting my own horn, but my intelligence is definitely not below average, and I would strongly argue that having ADHD does not imply you are "not very intelligent" (or however you want to phrase it). So, if you still do think you have ADHD, I strongly recommend that you look into getting retested somehow. Of course, I don't think anyone "needs" to pay for expensive psychological testing, but I did both because I had no idea wtf was wrong with me. (First test was during a depressive episode; the second test was when my mood was euthymic.)

But that aside, if you do have concerns regarding ADHD vs bipolar diagnoses, you should definitely get another opinion. I mean, I'm obviously not a doctor, but any "doctor" who says you are "too intelligent" to have ADHD is full of it because nowhere in the DSM does it say that it's impossible for someone to be "too intelligent to have ADHD." In fact, a GOOD doctor will look for discrepancies in all of your IQ subscores and make his or her ADHD determination based on the extent of those discrepancies, if such discrepancies exist. If your doctor was trying to say that such discrepancies are small or non-existent, that's different. But to say your IQ was "too high"? Yeahhhhhh, no. Big red flag. If you don't believe me, then look up the DSM-5 criteria for ADHD.

Originally Posted by WhatInThe

Is it true having one manic episode makes you bipolar? Shouldn’t the circumstances surrounding the episode also be considered before making a diagnosis?

That statement is both true and false. If a medication is said to have caused a manic episode *AND* you have zero history of manic episodes, then you are said to have "substance-induced bipolar disorder" or "substance-induced mania." That's different from having naturally-occurring manic episodes. However, assuming that you did have a manic episode without the "assistance" of a substance, then yes, all it takes is 1 manic episode to be diagnosed with bipolar. But do know that people with bipolar *can and do* have manic episodes triggered by antidepressants, st john's wort, and stimulants, among other things.

[Victoria'smom]

The psychologist who administered the testing said my IQ was too high to have ADHD Same thing was said about my son when he was tested. Look into bipolar 2. Your "regular" moods maybe higher then average.

[sarahsweets]

Intelligence does not prohibit one from having adhd or any other mental illness. That is hogwash and I would have gotten up and left.

[Tucson]

My doctor told a class of lawyers that those with BP tend to have above average intelligence. I think this is BS.

[WhatInThe]

Originally Posted by bluebicycle

Huh?? I've taken two IQ tests on two separate occasions -- the WAIS IV in 2015 and WASI (I forget which version) in 2016 -- and the psychologists who administered them noted that I have "marked" attention and concentration impairments. My overall IQ was determined to be in the 130s for both, with my attention/concentration IQ subscores residing below 100, and I met the criteria for both bipolar and ADHD.

I'm not tooting my own horn, but my intelligence is definitely not below average, and I would strongly argue that having ADHD does not imply you are "not very intelligent" (or however you want to phrase it). So, if you still do think you have ADHD, I strongly recommend that you look into getting retested somehow. Of course, I don't think anyone "needs" to pay for expensive psychological testing, but I did both because I had no idea wtf was wrong with me. (First test was during a depressive episode; the second test was when my mood was euthymic.)

But that aside, if you do have concerns regarding ADHD vs bipolar diagnoses, you should definitely get another opinion. I mean, I'm obviously not a doctor, but any "doctor" who says you are "too intelligent" to have ADHD is full of it because nowhere in the DSM does it say that it's impossible for someone to be "too intelligent to have ADHD." In fact, a GOOD doctor will look for discrepancies in all of your IQ subscores and make his or her ADHD determination based on the extent of those discrepancies, if such discrepancies exist. If your doctor was trying to say that such discrepancies are small or non-existent, that's different. But to say your IQ was "too high"? Yeahhhhhh, no. Big red flag. If you don't believe me, then look up the DSM-5 criteria for ADHD.


That statement is both true and false. If a medication is said to have caused a manic episode *AND* you have zero history of manic episodes, then you are said to have "substance-induced bipolar disorder" or "substance-induced mania." That's different from having naturally-occurring manic episodes. However, assuming that you did have a manic episode without the "assistance" of a substance, then yes, all it takes is 1 manic episode to be diagnosed with bipolar. But do know that people with bipolar *can and do* have manic episodes triggered by antidepressants, st john's wort, and stimulants, among other things.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and give a thoughtful reply 🤗
Yes, the WAIS-IV was the test they administered to me as well and since I performed well on each task they determined my executive functioning was “too good” (I guess they didn’t take into account that the test was administered in an empty/distraction-free room and at a time in the morning when I’m usually too tired to think about much).
What you wrote about “substance induced mania” is very interesting, and I’ll be sure to ask the residency psychiatrist about it when I see him in February. Maybe it will help expand his knowledge/understanding of some of this stuff lol.
I’ve been doing some research on lithium and read it’s also good for anger issues. The 2 weeks leading up to my period (sorry if TMI) I seem to be irritable and also incredibly anxious, so I’m going to ask if maybe the lithium can help that. I’m tired of starting pointless fights with my boyfriend all because my body is overdosing on hormones 😖

[WhatInThe]

Originally Posted by Miguel'smom

The psychologist who administered the testing said my IQ was too high to have ADHD Same thing was said about my son when he was tested. Look into bipolar 2. Your "regular" moods maybe higher then average.

Lol I like your username; very straightforward :P
Maybe it is bipolar 2. Most days I wake up like “okay time to do what I always do”. But once in a blue moon I’ll wake up like “today is going to be a good day” (not to an extreme extent like doctors have described their other manic patients; more just like I feel well-rested and rejuvenated). So maybe I have experienced hypomania, but I’m not sure if it’s due to the anti-depressant I’m on or an actual underlying “issue”.

[WhatInThe]

Originally Posted by sarahsweets

Intelligence does not prohibit one from having adhd or any other mental illness. That is hogwash and I would have gotten up and left.

Yeah I wanted to roll my eyes, buuuut instead I just made a joke about being a modern day female Andy Warhol (since my doctor mentioned I have a high IQ and mild depression).

[WhatInThe]

Originally Posted by Tucson

My doctor told a class of lawyers that those with BP tend to have above average intelligence. I think this is BS.

I’ve heard something similar about schizophrenia patients having high IQ’s. I wonder if that’s why doctors theorize bipolar patients have above average intelligence, since schizophrenia and bipolar affect some of the same brain chemicals and have some of the same symptoms.