Bipolar vs DID: telling them apart

Omg, these 2 brain conditions are so hard to tell apart!

Of course, I'm diagnosed bipolar, but that's waaaay before this multiple condition came into focus.

Intrusive thoughts: now I wonder what an intrusive thought is because every other's thoughts intrudes on my thinking 24/7. It's like....I don't know.

Mood swings: differing moods from others alternating through switching can mimic ultra-rapid to ultradian mood cycles....especially if you are like me, a switchaholic. I mean, I've got my deep down depressed others and also my sparkly super happy others that get all excited and glittery keep me up late kinds...
We've also been accused of being Borderline just because the mood switches can be triggered.

But I do have them automatic mood swings that seems to follow a wave pattern that overrides any other triggered mood which the pills help keep stopped.

Spending money: I so love shopping! We just don't have enough of it! Yes our credit cards are maxed and we have nice looking stuff, but like I need bipolar to help me spend money.

Hyper sexuality: we've got others for that, quite a few even, so that's hard to tell because some of these others really go at it if you know what I mean

SH suicidal: once again, we have others that are hell bent on hurting us and some that just wish that they were dead. I feel sorry for them that they got to feel that way. They are best kept sober.

Depression: we have some moody others with different levels of depression that once again mimics the 3 different elements of ultra rapid cycling.

Hypomania: okay, this one is hard to explain. The best that I can say is too much coffee seeing that's the only stimulant we now take now that we are off the adderoll kick. Plus some super excited others jump in very now and then. Oh...I want to add that a high dose of AD kicks it off, too.

Psychosis: who doesn't have a few delusional others laying around? Anywhere from paranoia to believing that they are God's holiest of holies? I know "I do!"

Okay, there are a few examples. Like I mentioned earlier was I had them seemingly rhythmic automatic mood swing waves. Plus AD by it's self drives me manic. Those are the only 2 clues that I have that I'm bipolar affected. Oh yeah, I forgot, bipolar meds work. That's it. That's all I know.

yes it is complicated when getting diagnosed with more than one mental disorder,, for me Im glad that the USA has recently moved away from the multi -axial (multiple diagnosis's )diagnosis process, because now with the new standards everyone getting diagnosed will know from the get go what symptoms they have belong with each of their problems.

one way my treatment providers and I could tell the symptoms and problems apart was like this....

intrusive thoughts are thoughts and images that are scary\threatening\ that are obsessions on things like what if this happens what if that happens, what if...what if....

example sometimes I will get depressed and the thought of self injury will be like an obsessive thought never letting up.. doing dishes my mind slips into what if I take this utensil..... what if I just do this...what will happen if.... and looking at my soapy hands I can picture in my mind actually carrying out the self injury action, these thoughts and images have the first person sound, voice of my own.

where as thoughts from others inside did not come from no where, there was always a trigger attached (something positive or negative) that made them think or say in my mind something) the sound of the thought and point of view of the image\thought is that of someone else.

example making dinner and the planned vegie is beets. i would hear in a voice .....not my own.... saying lets have turnips with this. the trigger is that an alter doesnt want beets.

works the same way with mood swings. if it was my mood swings it would be perceived as mine and if it was an alters mood coming through it would be perceived as theirs.

my mood swing....I hate it when Im feeling happy then the next moment I feel sad.

an alters mood swing....I hate it when rainy feels sad.

see what I mean if its a DID related thing with the alters its perceived as ....their mood swing.. if it was mine related to bipolar it was perceived as mine. its one of those automatic "distinctions" about DID called perception.

my suggestion is that when things get confusing take a breath and think in terms of perception.

does this thought /image repeat over and over again and is an obsession and am I perceiving these obsessive thoughts and images as mine (first person point of view) or other point of view perception.

this reality testing will set you straight because reality testing (who is who, what is real\what point of view\perception of me vs them\....all that stuff) remains intact with dissociative problems.

I was first diagnosed as bipolar, then that was dropped when I actually got tested. Of course that was done under DSM IV, so I got some other diagnoses with the DID. That included personality disorders, but I believe that some parts of me have Dependent, Avoidant, Schizoid personality traits. And the whole system was MDD. That's how I think about it-with the definitions changing I don't know that it matters what my diagnosis is. If I retested I would have new labels (probably) but that wouldn't change my day to day existence nor my treatment. My treatment providers only have experience treating people diagnosed under DSM IV (just because 5 is so new-there is no track record) so it's probably better that I stay with my DSM IV diagnoses anyway

The only reason I keep taking the meds is because it makes me stabile. It has no effect on the mood of others, just the automatic ones. It also helps keeping us from drinking because we feel "right".