wanting to get counseling...

I have some issues that I want to talk to a therapist about but I am very leary about choosing one because 6 years ago I was diagnosed as bipolar. I believe this to be a mistaken diagnosis due to a reaction to Paxil. I have had no more symptoms of bipolar since 2000. However, I am scared to get help now because the situation surround the paxil episode left me with a fear of mental health workers, like psychiatrist, psychologists, etc... I am afraid I will go to get help and the person will just look at the bipolar diagnosis and not treat my real issues. I feel that I have anxiety disorders. I would appreciate advice from anyone on where to get help when you have been misdiagnosed with a mental illness. I tried to get some help soon after my first bipolar diagnosis and the doctors wouldn't listen to me. They just wanted me to keep taking my prescribed medication and all would be well. I want real help!

How about going to a therapist and not disclosing you had therapy before and was diagnosied Bipolar and just told her what things you want to work on. Therapists only work on what the client brings into the sessions. getting therapy is like buying something in a store - you are the one purchasing a service - that of a therapist.

And if you think bipolar is not your correct diagnosis you can ask the therapist to refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist for a comprehensive psychological evaluation. once the evaluation is done and the computerized parts of the test has come back scored the psychiatrist or psychologist writes a report of you test scores and you will know what your exact diagnosis is on the multiaxil chart, and possible treatment plans.

If you want hamburgers, don't go to Red Lobster--they're going to sell you fish. They're equipped to sell seafood, and that's what they do best. Likewise, if you go to a doctor, you're probably walking out of that office with a prescription. That's what they're set up for. They don't have the "equipment" for counseling.

Get yourself to a burger shack--find a clinical social worker, professional counselor, psychologist, or marriage and family therapist. Not to say they won't refer you to a doctor to discuss medications, but they'll also give you the counseling that you're looking for.

(I'm so hungry now.)

cool analogy with the hamburger -red lobster just ben

Great for you that you are thinking of taking steps toward improved mental health!
I'd certainly not tell my new therapist that I'd been diagnosed with bi-polar. Neither would I seek initial help from a psychiatrist. I would seek the services of a psychologist.
At some point in treatment when I was deluged by stress my psychologist referred me to a psychiatrist for an evaluation for meds. Well, as you know, if you come to a psychiatrist with a complaint of anxiety, depression, or the likes, the psychiatrist will most likely, probably certainly, hand you a prescrition. I mean, why then did you come to him/her? right?
Anyway, I went to this psychiatrist. She seemed really understanding of what I was saying to her, and she diagnosed me with I-can't-remember-what, maybe manic depression, and prescribed lithium!
I went back to my psychologist and reported on the psychiatric visit. She felt the psychiatrist had misdiagnosed me! My psychologist was saying this based on knowing me for 4 years, and the psychiatrist had only "known" me for a mere 45 minutes before arriving at her diagnosis! The lithium did not work out for me. I had trials of a host of different meds, all of which failed to help me feel better. I suffered more side effects than benefits. In the end I got off all of the meds and got onto a good nutritional program. That seems to help a lot.

Okay then...you get to the point where you decide you can't do it on your own, so you go to some one, who gets paid very well to help you, for that help, but you either have to leave out things about you, or you have to down right lie????? OH yeh...that's right!!!...now I remember why I stopped going to them...sigh

Not that I would necessarily keep the bi-polar diagnosis a secret, I just wouldn't rush to talk about it during the first few sessions. At least let the new therapist come to her own conclusions before handing the bi-polar misdiagnosis to her. The first order of business is to develop rapport and establish trust, then use your judgment about the ripe time to tell him/her of the misdiagnosis.
Best of luck to you!

will there not be history/folder from other doc to the new one?

You are not the first one nor the last one to be mis-diagnosed. I had a classmate who had a person try to give her a personality disorder to turn out to have no disorder (I think). She ended up having a Christian counselor set her straight. I would probably want to try to find a good counselor who is open to re-thinking a diagnosis. If a counselor/psychiatrist isn't open to the possibility of a mistaken diagnosis, I would be uncomfortable with that person. We are all humans and when a counselor/psychiatrist makes a diagnosis, it is based on talk. "Manic-like episodes that are clearly caused by somatic antidepressant treatment (eg.,medication,electroconvulsive therapy, light therapy) should not count toward a diagnosis of Bipolar I Disorder. (DSM-IV-TR) I am not a counselor nor do I play one on tv. However, it sounds like you are describing this. I think a good counselor should consider this in making any diagnosis and treatment decisions.
I hope you find a counselor who will listen to your concern and be open to this possibillity.

Hey. When you go to therapy... The first session should be about you telling them what you want to work on. If you want to work on anxiety then that is great. Most therapists are happy about working on anxiety.

Dx typically isn't so very important to them... If they ask about your history it is up to you what you say...

I've done a little of both being upfront and saying that I'd rather they assess me on the basis of my current symptoms and not disclosing anything.

Advantages of disclosure are that (some people find) it cuts short the assessment process because when you mention dx the t starts to form a picture of what to work on because they use the dx as a heuristic for figuring your likely symptoms.

Advantages of not disclosing are that (some people find) it doesn't cut short the assessment process because they don't make assumptions about your likely symptoms on the basis of a dx category.