how did you all find out about your bipolar?

I'm curious bc I have tried to doctors 4 times about it and they all just say your not. My sister has some type of mental disorder, my mom has panic disorder and severe depression. I got EPC because I simply didn't want to exist. Not that I would kill myself I was just down in the depths of despair. then I woke up this morning with All types of energy bouncing off walls so to speak. Then some stress came at me and Icrashed so fast. I don't know what to do and I'm hoping I can get into the psychologist sometime to get evaluated. I feel like a day/night hopper.

There is no bipolar in my family but I was diagnosed 2007 with bp II. I also have BPD and was dx schizoeffective 15 years ago. Your symptoms sound awful and I bet you really need to get to the bottom of it. Do you have a psychiatrist? Sometimes they can help with dx and also if you need meds. Your psychologist can help you with coping strategies.

It took 6 months for my psychiatrist to actually diagnose me and that was because I was on lithium and it was working. Both my shrinks agreed that I had a mood disorder. I had delusions, no sleep, no eat, hallucinations, anxiety and ran amok and ended up in hospital then I came crashing down and ended up in a deep depression for about 2 months until the lithium kicked in. I was on an anti-psychotic this whole time.

So don't know about others symptoms but that was my experience. Hope you get it sorted babe, keep talking about it.......it helps

first let me encourage you to see a psychologist or psychiatrist about these severe mood swings. if there is a dx to be found, they should be able to dx and possibly meds to stabilize your mood swings...i'm what they call a rapid cycler...sort of like what's goin' on with you,up/down/up/down, and i'm dx BPD with hypomania.
i always thought of myself as depressed...as a child...had a lot of anxiety too. as an adult i went into a severe depression, then feeling like i could do anything/manic. was hospitalized and dx'ed. it was interfering with my life to the extent i knew i had to get help. it took so much mental energy to exist. i knew something was wrong. hope this helps.

I know how you feel. I honestley think I am bipolar becasue thogh I suffer from Major depression, I have manic episodes. Two of my thereapists say that I could be (they wern't docs) and my GP doc says that I could just be having a hradtime after whats been happening in my life. (little does he know this has been happening for 4+ years now). It all depends on who you ask. Usually GP docs will say yes so that they can write out the RX when really you should ask a Psychiatist becasu they have waaaay more knowledge of the matter. Also you should be honest as you can be. Don;t feel that you have to hide anything. Thats why I was originaly diagnosed with just Major Depression because I kinda didn't tell all (some of my manic episodes are embaressing). But as for me I havn't been able to really get diagnosed with it from my doctor yet (due to finacial reasons) but I know I have it so I just deal with it as best as I can.

I originally didn't realize I was in a hypomanic state, I went to the doc when I crashed into depression. Was given an antidep. within 6 weeks I was crazy manic (what I call it). I went over the top, delusion and all. It still took another month for my doc to figure me out, when I seriously crashed, went to the hosp er and all. I was dxed bp 2 from my first doc, my second one said bp 1 (because of the delusion). I was diagnosed finally at age 43. I know I suffered it all my life, but I was able to function until 2006. Two ups and two downs. I was sucidal the second time and it took 7 months to get pulled out of it, with meds, ther. and doc.
I also have GAD and ADD, how fun.

Bipolar runs in my family, although only a few of us are actively seeking treatment. Tourettes, OCD and depression run on both sides of the family as well (thank you, genetics).

I went from one psychiatrist to another until I once again dialed a random number in my health provider directory and finally got lucky. I have been seeing her for 5 years now. She immediately diagnosed me with depression, for which I've been taking Zoloft since then. I was drinking a lot, so she didn't even mention the bipolar to me, although she'd recognized it right away. She wanted to make sure that that's what it was though, and to see how much my mood swings were exacerbated by the alcohol. Once I stopped drinking she did diagnose me, and I've been going through treatment for the past year now.

When she diagnosed me, I was depressed for a couple of days, but once I got over that initial sadness and self pitying, I realized that a HUGE burden had been lifted off my shoulders. Just being able to put a name to what seemed like unpredictable and random symptoms, was a very, very big relief.

Girlfriend of three years told me I was getting stranger and stranger, and that she thought I was basically nuts. A college professor I had pulled me aside and suggested I see someone because she saw me struggling to deal with life. Doctors confirmed and I was put on meds.

Before this I had a history of behavior that was of concern to many people, but I was oblivious to until I got medicated and started talking/remembering things from my past.

You could be, but there also could be underlying reasons why you and your family have these issues...other underlying health issues that are not being addressed...

See my post here...http://forums.psychcentral.com/showt...513#post930513

TJ

I'd had some disassociating and other manic-type things. I'd had my celexa doubled and that's when mania kicked in. I was then referred to my pdoc and diagnosed as bipolar I. I can't remember exactly, but I think that's when i told her I saw a little girl "disappear", and I have heard voices several times since.

I was diagnosis with Bipolar II when I entered into a mental health place for overdosing and they did a physc evaluation on me.
Before that regular doctors just told me i was depressed and gave me antidepressants.

After years and years of family jokes and speculations ..."oh yeah, S. was up all night cleaning her oven, paste waxing and buffing her floors...when was the last time you slept" to "oh yeah, S. is "pouting" again, not talking to anybody or answering her phone" I was diagnosised Bipolar I Rapid Cycling in 2005 at the age of 52 yrs old.

My Internist had treated me for years for depression and insomnia then finally suggested I see a psycholgist. Then the really out of character behavior started...it was actually a 5 day stent of not sleeping (at all) that freaked both my Internist and Psychologist out....sent me to the hospital for "a couple of days for monitoring"...they thought I was not taking my meds at all or not correctly. I wound up spending 1 solid month on the Psych Floor of the hospital where I worked as a nurse!

Go to someone who can truly diagnose a possible psych condition....or have you GP do the blood work Skeeweeaka mentioned...My son has Hashimotos Disease (rare in males) and acts as Bipolar as his mom when Synthroid dose needs adjustment !!!

I wish you well in your journey.

Wow...Nurse...thanks for the insight that you bring to the table, especially your personal experience with Hashimoto's Disease... My mother and sister are uncertain what they have in terms of thyroid disease, but since their thyroids were removed I think they were hyperthyroid... I'm trying to get my antibodies tested to see if I have Hashimotos...

Been on many a psych floor, I'm sure you were devastated to have to visit your own...

Peace and blessings to you...

TJ

Well for me it was a long time coming. I had my first suicide attempt at 15, but my mother was severely bipolar--in & out of mental institutions, attempting suicide, finally threatening to kill us children & herself (after many treatments including meds, ECT's, therapy, etc.) so my father (I wouldn't call him "Dad" as he was pretty much trying to get rid of all of us as we cramped his yacht club partying--functioning alcoholic) was going to get her involuntarily committed to the mental institution. She found out & then asphyxiated herself with a plastic bag over her head. That was 3 mos. after my 1st suicide attempt, though she had attempted so many times before with overdoses that it seemed normal. Mother commitose--call cops again.

So my father sent us off to a boarding school--a couple more suicide attempts for me. School didn't like it & wanted me to have some kind of treatment. Father mad as hell & sick of me causing him trouble & inconvenience.

Ugh--luckily I met my future husband at this boarding school & managed to hang on to him despite his parents trying to tear us apart with all their might. Do you blame them? Mother suicide; daughter some attempts;stomach pumps--sounds like a great dauther- in- law & they were like high society debutaunaute (can't even spell it) kind of people (their daughters). I kind of didn't fit the mold!!

Anyway--fast forward--much trouble with depression. Some hypomania which for me was GREAT so I never went to the doc in that condition. LOVED HYPOMANIA--didn't know what it was. Was only going to GP & he was only seeing me acutely depressed so prescribing anti-depressants which sent me into hypomania & I thought wow--these things really work!! You should have seen my killer tennis game. I ended up on TV (I'm a shy person) for one of my "crusades" I took up while hypomanic.

But I would crash so he would up the dose or change the med & on & on. Finally I changed to an internal med doc & I was in a mixed state--crying & agitated & she dxed me as bipolar with my mother's dx & put me on Depakote & sent me to a pdoc.

Ended up not staying with him. He thought I should be satisfied with "not hearing the radio giving me special messages" which was never one of my symptoms!! The Depakote helped with the agitation not the depression, though.

Found a nurse-practioner who works under a pdoc & specializes in bipolar & took a yr. of trial & error but she didn't give up & we got it--a combo that got me stable for 5 yrs. Then had 5 mos. of hypomanic (ah, bliss) didn't know it was so dangerous & didn't report it. Sudddenly crashed & overdosed. So trying to recover from that.

54 yrs. old. All I can say is see a specialist & if you don't think you are getting a good quality of life or have a collaborative relationship--find another provider. Keep looking. You are worth it.

Don't let "them" treat you as "less then" or brush you off. My provider spends at least 45 min. with me. She knows my life, what books I am reading, how I spend my day, if I am crying... I have her cell phone # & she is my exercise buddy--she says exercise is as important as meds so if I need motivation to call her.

Don't give up until you find relief. The dx doesn't really matter except for ins. purposes & maybe to better understand what is going on with you, but it is all a continuium. I do indiv. therapy & dialectical behavioral therapy; everyone there has borderline personality disorder. I fit right in!

All my best! Suzy