[Prozak-Nation]

I'm slightley confused about Bi-Polar.
Like I mean I know what it is and everything I'm just not so sure how I could have it.
I know my shrink says I do without a doubt have it, But it all seems so odd to me.
Is there anything you guys can tell me that I'm doing that for sure means I have it.
Like is there any specific thing that would Most likely point to Bi-Polar??
Thanks.

[Berries]

This site is a really good one. It explains a lot about bipolar.

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/bipo..._treatment.htm

This site has the definitions of a lot of the psychobabble words.
http://www.abess.com/glossary.html#P
On the definition website, these pertain to Bipolar:
Dysphoric mood An unpleasant mood, such as sadness, anxiety, or irritability.
Euthymicmood in the "normal" range, which implies the absence of depressed or elevated mood.
ExpansivemoodLack of restraint in expressing one's feelings & thoughts, frequently with an overvaluation of one's significance or importance. Irritable easily annoyed and provoked
Elevated mood An exaggerated feeling of well-being, or euphoria or elation. A person with elevated mood may describe feeling "high," "ecstatic," "on top of the world," or "up in the clouds."
ApathyLack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern.
Depressed Mood low energy, sluggish…

Circumstantiality Pattern of speech that is indirect and delayed in reaching its goal because of excessive or irrelevant detail or parenthetical remarks. The speaker does not lose the point, as is characteristic of loosening of associations, and clauses remain logically connected, but to the listener it seems that the end will never be reached.
Distractibility the shifting from one area or topic to another with minimal provocation, and/or attention being drawn too frequently or easily to unimportant or irrelevant external stimuli and expanding & embellishing in great detail.
Elaboration An unconscious process consisting of expansion and embellishment of detail, especially with reference to a symbol or representation in a dream.
Flight of ideasA nearly continuous flow of accelerated speech with abrupt changes from topic to topic that are usually based on understandable associations, distracting stimuli, or plays on words. When severe, speech may be disorganized and incoherent.
Pressured speech increased in amount, faster than usual, virtually nonstop and difficult or impossible to interrupt. seemingly driven Usually it is also loud and emphatic. The apparent digressions more abundant and noticeable.
Psychomotor agitation Excessive motor activity that accompanies and is associated with a feeling of inner tension. The activity is usually nonproductive and repetitious and consists of such behavior as pacing, fidgeting, wringing of the hands, pulling of clothes, and inability to sit still.

I hope this helps!

[AnnHertel]

It is so hard to put a simple outline on what qualifies as a symptom of BP. It's tricky to diagnose... for one each person expresses symptoms in a different way. Second, bipolar symptoms are on a spectrum, from severe depression to severe mania and everything in between. there are different types of BP - BP I (full blown manic episodes) and BP II (depression and hypomania without full blown manic episodes), as well as other mood disorders, such as dysthymia (a milder form of depression, where a sad mood persist fro two years without manic or hypomanic episodes, and without more than two months without the symptoms) and cyclothymia (which is a milder version of bipolar where the mood swing from dysphoric to hypomanic, without have any episodes of full blown mania or depression in between).

Has your therapist given you more details about why he/she thinks you have BP? Have you seen a psychiatrist? Are you on any meds?

I think a good way to help yourself find what current symptoms you may present is to keep a mood journal. You can always email me (Annhertel@gmail.com) if you want to ask questions in more detail. Feel free to look at my own personal journal entries and bipolar articles (on my blog page), you may find that they help you with more information and you may be able to relate to some of my symptoms. Some of the things I write are in the midst of an emotional cycle so the words are very true to the symptom I am expressing at that time.

[AnnHertel]

Some more questions...

Are you currently taking Prozac? Is it for depression? Some of the side effects of the Prozac can include mania and hypomania. If you are BP, the use of antidepressants without a mood stabilizer can bring about a manic/hypomanic episode.

Are you male or female? Male's first episode is usually mania, while females usually first present with a depression episode.

How old are you? The typical age of onset for bipolar disorder is late teens and early twenties.

Is there a history of mental illness in your family? BP has been shown to have genetic predispositions, especially if you have a first degree family member with depression, any other mood disorder, or alcoholism.

[Moose72]

Also know that you can have some symptoms of bipolar but not be diagnosed until later in life. I am pretty sure I heard voices as a teenager and I definitely remember being depressed and calling for help but getting nowhere around age 20. I'm 36 now and was diagnosed bipolar I only 2 years ago. That's a big stretch of time. Of course, it was only 2 years ago that my symptoms got really bad. I had been diagnosed with depression since at least 1997, and also in 2001 I had some "horror movie hallucinations"- visions of people being maimed graphically, including my kids which were not in my control- which is part of bipolar and STILL wasn't diagnosed!

A good book you can see if its at your library, the psych. dr's office library, or maybe a bookstore- its called "The Bipolar Handbook" by Wes Burgess, M.D., Ph.D. and is in a question and answer format. I started reading it at the bookstore right after I was diagnosed and bought it- nearly everything I read I could relate to! It was uncanny.

[Martina]

For me it was the impulsivity. For you it could be something else.

By definition, Bipolar is periods of highs and lows, mania (bipolar I) or hypomania (bipolar II), or mixed episodes, alternating with depressive episodes. It's also possible to have just manic and not depressive episodes, but less common. Many people with Bipolar spend a vast majority of time in the depressed side, not manic.

Symptoms of mania and/or hypomania include:

- Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity

- Decreased need for sleep (e.g., feels rested after only 3 hours of sleep)

- More talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking

- Flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing

- Distractibility (e.g., attention too easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant external stimuli)

- Increase in goal-directed activity (either socially, at work or school, or sexually) or psychomotor agitation

- Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (e.g., the person engages in unrestrained buying sprees, sexual indiscretions, or foolish business investments)

Anyway...I'm sure you've probably heard the symptoms before, but just take a look, and think, what describes me? What am I like?

And it wouldn't hurt to simply ask your pdoc - WHY is he/she so certain that you are Bipolar - what signs are the most important to them?

Also, you can be dxed with bipolar 1 WITHOUT HAVING A FULL BLOWN MANIC EPISODE. I have bipolar 1, as I had delusional thinking, paranoia, mixed episodes, but I only had hypo mania. Right now I am dxed as bp 1 mixed-moderate (296.62). I've been having some trouble with mood since an overdose 2 1/2 yrs. ago.

I take Abilify (which really helped with the delusional thinking & paranoia), Lamictal, Trazodone, Topamax, Klonopin & Provigil. My mother had a severe case of bipolar & was not able to be helped & committed suicide when I was 15. I have had some suicide attempts myself, the last one 2 1/2 yrs. ago so I also do indiv. therapy & dialectical behavioral therapy (which is helping immensely).

I'm grateful for all the medications & treatments available today. I think if they were available in my mother's day, she might have been able to be helped. I'm confident I will be returned to a stable mood eventually.--Suzy