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#1
Dec 29, 2008, 04:34 AM
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Ok soooooo...
I was diagnosed with general Anxiety Disroder, depression, and OCD. Unfortunatley I originaly thiought I was going to be diagnosed with bipolar before I actually got help. I still think that I could be misdiagnosed because I have alot of Bipolar symptoms. I usually will be depressed for days and then go into a manic state. I actually think I am in my manic state right now because I can't sleep and I want to go and ride my bike to the store to buy some fruit and drinks (to make margaritas, pinia...). It is 3:13 AM here and it is 28 degrees outside. Also I am 18. Here are some of the things that make me think I could have Bipolar as well.
 Thanks' soo much,Roman James Last edited by romanjames2004; Dec 29, 2008 at 04:54 AM. Reason: I forgot stuff |
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#2
Dec 29, 2008, 04:51 AM
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hi james,
i think it was you who posted in the sexuality forum too, yes? i was going to suggest there that maybe being promiscuous could be indicative of bipolar disorder because some people loose inhibitions when they get into a manic state. i then thought "who am i to give medical advice" and deleted my post there. so i'm interested to see you posting here. did you see a psychiatrist about your diagnosis? or was it just a GP? did the doc ask about manic states at all? what are you being treated with at the moment? i ask these things because (as i understand it) some ppl with bipolar disorder should avoid certain types of anti-depressants/anxiety meds, because that might tip them over in a manic high. i guess another possibility could be borderline personality disorder (again, my understanding is that BPD and BP share some common characteristics?). i need you to understand however that i have *no* medical training, i'm just talking from my own experience, and i could be blatantly wrong. i hope i don't cause harm by this post. i think what i would do in your situation would be to go back to the doctor who diagnosed me, and bring up bipolar as a possibility and see what they have to say. if you feel you aren't being heard, then it might be an option to seek a second opinion, also. good luck, james. try not to get into trouble tonight  .xo deli |
 romanjames2004
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#3
Dec 29, 2008, 05:15 AM
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 Thanks for the feed back. Yes, I have been thinking baout it for a long time and i have just been wondering what all these symptoms could mean. Ive had all these symptoms since I was about 13 or 14 and I finaley got help and told my mom what was goinon this past summer on my 18th birthday. So she rushed me to the hospitol (i told her i was suicidal) and thye assigned me a doctor. He diagnosed me with OCD Depression and Anxiety. I didnt really tell him much about the manic stuff becasue I kind of thought it was just my peronsality. I am not on any medications because of other reasons but thats a good point that you stated about anti-depressants. Becasue I am depressed slot of when i gointo these mood swings and manic states Prozac would be really bad for me. Also, you brought up Borderline. I don;t think im really borderline but you have good points. Sry anout the spelling lol I am thinking faster than i can type  Thanks sooo much! Roman |
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#4
Dec 29, 2008, 08:44 AM
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hey roman,
i would also like to bring borderline up too... when i was 18 (i'm now 20), i also thought there was no way in hell i would have borderline, but later on i can see how that fits me, and is easily confused with bipolar. but, it doesn't matter which diagnosis you have, it's just tags and labels for the professionals to use. bipolar and borderline have a lot of symptoms in common and some bipolars and borderliners have same types of medication. (mood stabilizers, antipsychotics etc, these days they'll use anything) if you think you could benefit from meds, and the reasons for which you are not on any right now would allow you to - try it. but also remember that if the meds make you feel bad you can always ask for a change and that is your right. (cynical me talking who was forced to take medication that made me feel terrible) also give psychotherapy a thought. maybe seeing a psych nurse would help you too? you're in college right? sorry i haven't read all the posts, been a little out there as well, but if you have a school counselor (psychologist? whatever they're called in the states? i'm in europe so i wouldn't know, but when i went to high school i saw a school psychologist and it was very helpful) try to get a hold of them and see if it could work out. hope any of this was helpful / got you any new ideas, you deserve help and should imho look for it before you're in the eye of the storm.  twilight
__________________
花鳥風月
c'est tout ce que j'aime |
| romanjames2004
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#5
Dec 29, 2008, 06:23 PM
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Quote:
My point is this, concentrate solely on getting a more thorough investigation, both physically and mentally. Once you have a "name" for how you feel you can treat it. It will not be an easy path but it is alot easier than living with the fear of the unknown. You owe it to yourself babe, and, U CAN DO IT!
__________________
For all things Light and Dark.......http://thedemonrun.wordpress.com/  The only Truth that exists..... .........Is that there is no absolute Truth. |
| romanjames2004
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#6
Dec 30, 2008, 01:54 AM
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Hi. I just barely found out that I'm bipolr 2. I was told for years that I was just depressed, but I started seeing signs of bipolar in myself and everything fit except the high part of bipolar. I don't ever get that. For me it depressed and really depressed. But the first sign that I noticed was the anger. Like I would just snap at some random person. Then I also notice the compulsiveness. It sounds to me like you are bipolar. Like your doctor doesn't know you as well as you know yourself. Also I found out from my family that almost half of them are also bipolar which I was completely clueless to before. So, I would talk to your parents or brothers and sisters and see if anyone else has been diagnosed with it. You'll feel so much better just to put a name to your symptoms. I sure do. Best of luck.
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| romanjames2004
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#7
Dec 30, 2008, 11:36 AM
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romanjames2004, how eerily those symptoms mirror my own. I find it wonderful that you can identify these issues and are comfortable enough to share them. When i was your age I couldn't imagine that something was wrong with me, so I spent 12 years in a self destructive state. I quit college, became an alcoholic and spent much of my 20s in and out of jail. Thankfully I received the help I needed 8 years ago but how I wish I had had the guts to expose it at your age. Kudos, you have identified your concerns and I sense that you're determined to rectify them!
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| romanjames2004
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#8
Dec 30, 2008, 02:49 PM
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It's possible you are misdiagnosed, but it's possible you are also really impulsive and that is made worse by your anxiety.
Also, Quote:
That doesn't necessarily sound manic. It sounds a little loopy maybe, but not manic. There's gotta be more there. That plus a few more things could be manic. That could be one aspect of a manic episode. But that by itself isn't mania. Have sudden urges to do random things is an impulsivity problem which is related to BP, but not necessarily pointing toward or away from it. But you wanting to quit college and wanting to do something else, be something else, and not know what or maybe even why might reflect you being 18 or just not being sure of what they want as much as one being bipolar. Being scheming doesn't really have much to do with being bipolar. It's not part of the criterianor is it common or uncommon. I guess I just wanted to give you a couple examples of the opposite view. But, my suggestion would be to make a list similar to this one [which is very well put together] with symptoms and then examples and bring it into your doctor and see what they say if it bothers you so much. Do you feel the current treatment is just way off and not targeting your symptoms at all? If you haven't told the doctor about the "speedy" type symptoms, that is a problem. I'm not sure why you won't take meds and maybe I misunderstood that part or am confused on that point, but that is treatment for bipolar, so you really should reconsider that since it's possible that you may be diagnosed. If you are, that will be part of your treatment plan. |
| romanjames2004
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#9
Dec 30, 2008, 08:36 PM
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roman,
just hoping you will come back and let us know how you are going. i've been thinking of you and wishing you well. xo deli. |
| romanjames2004
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#10
Dec 31, 2008, 08:23 AM
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Your behavior reminds me of the way I behaved when I was 14-15, completely out of control. I'm bipolar type 2.
My advice to you is to ask people around you to keep an eye on your behavior, cos it's usually pretty hard to tell in the moment if you're being manic or depressed - it clouds up our perspective. Ask your psychiatrist for the SCID-II test. And note that bipolars can (and do) have more diagnoses than just bipolar disorder. The diagnose you should focus on is 'depression'. If you experience mania (which I'd say that you do, based on what you described), then 'depression' isn't sufficient. I was diagnosed with winter depression, teen depression and normal depression before I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. And I too behaved the way you do. Anyway, there are criterias for what defines a major depressive episode, a manic episode and a hypomanic episode - and pretty strict criterias for the different type diagnoses. I don't think a lot of people are aware of the DSM-IV criterias for the episodes. Bipolar disorder isn't just about having dramatic mood swings or behaving in a certain way, it's not that simple. Alternatives to bipolar disorder are cyclocthymic disorder and borderline personality disorder. The latter is pretty much exactly like bipolar disorder, with the difference that borderlines cycle a lot more often than bipolars. A bipolar with rapid cycling will cycle 3-4 times in a year.. yeah that's considered RAPID. I usually only have 2 cycles per year, the hypomanic ones last the shortest. One cycle can last as long as 9 months. Cycling several times in one week is known as 'mixed state', if you've experienced a manic episode in addition to that - bipolar type 1 sounds about right. For me I might cycle more frequently when I'm going from one episode to another. "More frequently" means that I'll be hypomanic for a couple days, then depressed for two weeks, then a couple days of hypomania, maybe some baseline in there as well, then either full-blown hypomania or depression. I can spend 1-2 months cycling like that before my brain makes up its mind. If you cycle every day, or every week, or several times per week (and haven't met the criterias for a manic episode in addition) - I'd put my bet on borderline personality disorder. BP also shares characteristics with schizofrenia and ADHD. It's a tough job diagnosing a bipolar, so they don't take it lightly - they won't throw the word "bipolar" around unless they're confident that it's the right diagnose. Diagnosing someone with bipolar disorder is like diagnosing someone with cancer - so psychiatrists are careful with that. My cycles this year: January-March (continuance from November 2007): Hypomanic March-September: Depressed and chronic suicidal September-October: Baseline/hypomanic due to new medication (doesn't count as a cycle when it's caused by medication) October-December: Hypomania peaking My medication suppresses my depression so much that I doubt I'll ever fully feel a depressive episode again, but I can feel the difference between when my hypomania is peaking and when I'm just acting "normal" due to medication treating my depression. Criteria for bipolar type 1: Needs to have had one or more manic or mixed episodes without a major depressive episode (though it occurs, it's not needed for diagnose) Bipolar type 2: Needs to have had at least one major depressive episode, followed by hypomanic episodes - no manic or mixed episodes. Manic episode: A) A distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive or irritable mood, lasting at least 1 week (or any duration if hospitalization is necessary) B) During the period of mood disturbance, three (or more) of the following symptoms have persisted (four if the mood is only irritable) and have been present to a significant degree: 1) inflated self-esteem or grandiosity 2) decreased need for sleep (e.g., feels rested after only 3 hours of sleep) 3) more talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking 4) flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing 5) distractibility (i.e., attention too easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant external stimuli) 6) increase in goal-directed activity (at work, at school, or sexually) or psychomotor agitation 7) excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (e.g., engaging in unrestrained buying sprees, sexual indiscretions, or foolish business investments) C) The symptoms do not meet criteria for a Mixed Episode D) The mood disturbance is sufficiently severe to cause marked impairment in occupational functioning or in usual social activities or relationships with others, or to necessitate hospitalization to prevent harm to self or others, or there are psychotic features. E) The symptoms are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication or other treatment) or a general medical condition (e.g., hyperthyroidism) Hypomanic episode: A) A distinct period of persistently elevated, expansive or irritable mood, lasting throughout at least 4 days, that is clearly different from the usual nondepressed mood. B) During the period of mood disturbance, three (or more) of the following symptoms have persisted (four if the mood is only irritable) and have been present to a significant degree: 1) inflated self-esteem or grandiosity 2) decreased need for sleep (e.g., feels rested after only 3 hours of sleep) 3) more talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking 4) flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing 5) distractibility (i.e., attention too easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant external stimuli) 6) increase in goal-directed activity (at work, at school, or sexually) or psychomotor agitation 7) excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (e.g., engaging in unrestrained buying sprees, sexual indiscretions, or foolish business investments) C) The episode is associated with an unequivocal change in functioning that is uncharacteristic of the person when not symptomatic. D) The disturbance in mood and the change in functioning are observable by others. E) The mood disturbance not severe enough to cause marked impairment in social or occupational functioning, or to necessitate hospitalization, and there are no psychotic features. F) The symptoms are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication or other treatment) or a general medical condition (e.g., hyperthyroidism) Major depressive episode: A) Five (or more) of the following symptoms have been present during the same 2-week period and represent a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure Note: Do not include symptoms that are clearly due to a general medical condition, or mood-incongruent delusions or hallucinations 1) depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g., feels sad or empty) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful). Note: In children and adolescents, can be irritable mood. 2) markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day (as indicated by either subjective account or observation made by others) 3) significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (e.g., a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day. Note: In children, consider failure to make expected weight gains. 4) insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day 5) psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down) 6) fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day 7) feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional) nearly every day (not merely self-reproach or guilt about being sick) 8) diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day (either by subjective account or as observed by others) 9) recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide B) The symptoms do not meet criteria for a Mixed Episode C) The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. D) The symptoms are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., hypothyroidism) E) The symptoms are not better accounted for by Bereavement, i.e., after the loss of a loved one, the symptoms persist for longer than 2 months or are characterized by marked functional impairment, morbid preoccupation with worthlessness, suicidal ideation, psychotic symptoms, or psychomotor retardation. Mixed episode: (Note: this is often referred to as "rapidly cycling bipolar" - but technically Rapid Cycling refers to at least 4 episodes in the previous 12 months that meet criteria for a Major Depressive, Manic, Mixed or Hypomanic Episode, and the Episodes are demarcated either by partial or full remission for at least 2 months or a switch to an episode of opposite polarity - e.g., Major Depressive Episode to Manic Episode) A. The criteria are met both for a Manic Episode and for a Major Depressive Episode (except for duration) nearly every day during at least a 1-week period. B. The mood disturbance is sufficiently severe to cause marked impairment in occupational functioning or in usual social activities or relationships with others, or to necessitate hospitalization to prevent harm to self or others, or there are psychotic features. C. The symptoms are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication, or other treatment), or a general medical condition (e.g., hyperthyroidism) Long post, but maybe it helped - you as well as others. A lot of people seem to think that they have bipolar disorder, but the majority of them don't know what the disorder really is about; and most of them probably have borderline personality disorder, not bipolar disorder. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you DON'T have bipolar disorder. Just take a look at your behavior from now on (and in retrospect), keeping a journal is a good idea, and "map" your cycles. There are some websites designed for that purpose, I don't remember the urls right now but just google and you'll find them. |
| romanjames2004
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This is an old thread. You probably should not post your reply to it, as the original poster is unlikely to see it.|
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