[Mi Amor]

Hello,

I have my therapist who thinks I'm bipolar but hasn't given the diagnosis as of yet. I'm not quite understanding/relating to it either. How. Can I tell if I am?

[Yaowen]

I wish I knew how to help but I suffer unipolar, not bipolar depression. There are probably popular ad scholarly articles available for free on the Internet and perhaps even self-tests you can take. They can't substitute for a professional medical diagnosis but perhaps they might offer you some helpful clues. What do you think?

[Soupe du jour]

Hi Mi Amor. I'm afraid that we are not qualified to diagnose ourselves. The diagnostic process is a bit more complex than simply looking at a symptoms list and saying "Yea, I'm like (or had) that!" Nevertheless, since most mental illnesses can't be diagnosed by anything like a blood test or scan, psychiatrists and psychologists do diagnose based on reported symptoms and/or observation. Sometimes to ourselves we under report symptoms or even exaggerate on occasion.

My suggestion as a start is to briefly summarize occasions in your life when you had very STRONG feelings either elated, depressed, anxious, agitated and/or severely angry. How those feelings affected your life and any strong feedback others gave you, at the times. Think back to times when your sleep was notably affected for more than just a few days. Then present that to your doc or therapist. Be sure they ask you plenty of questions. A firm diagnosis usually requires more than a few sessions. Simply be happy, sad, or anxious at times doesn't make for diagnosable illness, either.

Being medicated for a mental illness like bipolar disorder is serious business. It should offer more help than harm, in the long run. Also, there is stigma attached to it. That shouldn't mean denial is best, though.

I hope you get the right answers in the end, for your well-being. Either way it goes.

[Pinny]

It might help to talk to your therapist again, would you feel comfortable taking someone with you?
That way, there’s two people to listen/hear/interpret what was said.
You could ask their reasonings.
I hope you are doing ok after being told something like that

[BeyondtheRainbow]

This won't help diagnose yourself because that's not really possible but you can learn more (a lot) about bipolar from Psych Education It helped me understand what was going on when I was being diagnosed and 20 years later I still go there if I want reliable information. It's written by a psychiatrist who specializes in bipolar and is full of iinformation.