Can anyone help?

I have been trying to figure out if I have bp, sometimes it seems to describe me perfectly while other times I'm not so sure. There are times when I am so depressed that I don't want to get out of bed much less talk to anybody and other times when I can't stop fidgeting. I don't really bounce off walls but I get very antsy and irritable. I'm not sure what to do, I can't keep going like this, I have two young boys and I don't want them growing up thinking I'm completely insane, but I can't afford to go see a doc.. Can anyone help? Please!?

Hi babe, you have come to the right place for support but it would be remiss for anyone to try and diagnose you.

In saying that the symptoms you have listed could be any number of things.....It could be Bipolar, it could be severe depression as irritability is a symptom of that, it could be symptomatic of a personality disorder. It could also be symptomatic of a physical ailment or if you have a chronic illness. Serious hormone changes could explain it as well. How long ago did you have your children? Is there bipolar in your family or other disorders?

If you could provide a bit more info, we might be able to provide a bit more support in the process of helping you get help.

Do you have a general practitioner or family doctor that you trust? If you cant afford a therapist.....they are a good first port of call. Do you have access to a "help/crisis line" that is free of charge?

I was dx borderline personality disorder and schizoffective 15 years ago. I was dx bipolar II 2007. My son is now 14 and he is fine. Your kids do not think you are insane. My boy just thinks I am a bit "nutty".

Have hope......many people here know exactly what you are going through....there is nothing more horrible than not knowing what is wrong.

Treat us like a soft blanket.......we will try to provide as much comfort as we can.

You really need to see a psychiatrist, psychologist or therapist to make a diagnosis. The quiz for bi-polar can help in measuring problems but don't think of them as a diagnosis. My guess is you have the mentioned depression and everything else is a result of that depression. So with mental health they can prescribe an antidepressant and talk to you about lifestyle and environment that often causes depression. Even a doctor cannot diagnose on line though. They need to have you present. Look into your county health department or any number of counseling places. They have programs for pay according to ability.

My oldest is 2 yrs and my youngest is 4 months, but I have been feeling like this for yrs now even before I got pregnant with my first. My father is OCD but nobody else in my family has beem diagnosed. I was diagnosed with ADD as a child but this is nothing like what i'm used to from my ADD.

Do you still suffer from ADD and if you are, are you medicated? OCD is a bit out of my league so I don't know if it is genetic or not but certainly you could have picked up behavioural attributes from living with your dad(environmental).

Have you had thyroid/sex hormones(eostrogen, testosterone, LHFSH etc.) levels done? Bit out of left field, but I thought of your children being quite young and increase of hormones post partum may trigger an increase in depressive symptoms. Just musing aloud.

You really need to see a professional. This is probably not something that will just go away.

Good luck, babe and keep us posted.......

I thnk before you decide that you are BP, you really need to get a checkup to see if there is not something else going on with you body that is causing these symptoms. Unfortunately, there are many underlying illnesses and deficiencies that can cause depression, anxiety, mood swings, etc.

Depending upon your age, it could be perimenopause...which means that your female hormones are starting to fluctuate. Pay attention to your cycle and when the depression is getting worse...if it gets worse around your cycle or right before then it could just be hormonal. I know you said you don't have the funds right now but you need to have your estradiol, progesterone, testosterone tested. In addition, thyroid problems can cause the same symtpoms. In that case you need to have your TSH, T3, T4, Free T3, Free T4, and sometimes thyroid antibodies tested to see if you have Graves or Hashimotos disease...both thyroid disorders! Hashimotos disease swings back and forth between being hyper and being hypo...sounds EXACTLY like BIPOLAR DISORDER! You can find further information about thyroid disease at stopthethyroidmadness.com and doctors here http://www.thyroid-info.com/topdrs/. Also Adrenal problems can also cause symptoms of depression and mood swings!!!

Also vitamin and mineral deficiencies can cause these symptoms as well, vitamin d, magnesium, etc...

Start using a calendar to track how you feel...that should at least give you a clue. Also, processed foods could make things worse...and food allergies can also cause depression... In that case, you can use an elimination diet to see if you are allergic to any of the foods that you eat on a regular basis...

It is very complex, and unless you really press doctors to check all of these things, you can go undiagnosed for years or forever and simply MISDIAGNOSED WITH depression or bipolar disorder...

The problem is getting doctors to delve into these matters, as well as interpreting the lab testing CORRECTLY. Sometimes you can be told that your hormones...in my case...thyroid is normal. But when I asked for copies of the tests they were at the LOW END of the normal range... Now upon further investigation and further research, I learned that the symptoms were consistent with bipolar disease...hyperthyroidism.... Unfortunately, it is hard to find a doctor to treat the symptoms unless the labs are COMPLETELY out of the range... So most people have to see Alternative/DO's/Naturopaths to get proper treatment!

Tell you what, check out power-surge.com and see if any of what they are talking about sounds familiar...it is a site for those in perimenopause or menopause... You might think that you are too young to be in perimenopause, however, some women start in their early 30's... I started at 36!!!

TJ

I'm only 25 I think I'm a little young for menopause but thankyou for the thought I will still look into it, you never know what it could be. Thanks

there are already some good suggestions here but i would like to add mine too. it could be your thyroid is not functioning properly. this requires a blood test as the previous post stated. i'm not a doc but i do feel after the thyroid test u should try to get evaluated for bp or perhaps some other dx if one exists. many universities have a psychiatric dept. and see patients on a sliding scale. would this work for you? also check with your county health dept. to see if they have someone you could speak with about your symptoms. slliding scale usually applies there too.good luck and keep us posted, k?

YEs, I forgot about thyroid Madi....great suggestion! Most often thyroid disorders are overlooked, especially in women... Hyperthyroidism in general has been misdiagnosed as BP... If you go for testing, please make sure you get your TSH, T3, T4, FREE T3, FREE T4, and Thyroid antibodies checked. Also, make sure you get copies of the results, sometimes the doctors will call you and tell you that things are "normal" but you could be borderline...which means since you are symptomatic that you should be on thyroid meds...

I hate to break it to you, however, there are women at your age who have hormonal imbalances...a number of them are attributed to being on the pill!

Have a great day!!!

TJ