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I think I’m bipolar

Mental Health | Last Active: May 10 8:25am | Replies (18)

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Hi, I’m going to break this into parts and go long, but as someone who wasn't diagnosed bipolar II until I was 59, I'll offer some thoughts here. The diagnosis explained my entire life and I'm quite convinced it's accurate. I wish I’d known decades ago, my life might very well have been less turbulent. So it’s better that you’re seeking an answer now.

First, this is a very good forum where you'll get sound advice. It's moderated by professionals, which is critical. I'd caution against getting in Facebook groups and other such online resources unless they’re overseen by qualified professionals. People mean well, but un-moderated sites can be rife with misinformation, and that can be harmful.

Second, I'm glad you are reaching out. I never did at your age or for many decades. I've had severe mood swings and deep depressions going back to childhood, and they never let up. This led me into some pretty dangerous places, including sometimes heavy drug use from my late teens well into my mid-twenties that went as far as some experimentation with heroin and nearly killing myself with cocaine. You DON'T want to get to that place or into any other potentially deadly behaviors. So by seeking help right now, you're doing the right thing.

Third, I had passing thoughts of suicide dating back to junior high, and made my first attempt in 9th grade. This is huge, and again, you DON'T want to ignore that. I didn't get actively suicidal again until 59, which landed me in the hospital and finally led me to treatment. It was terrifying to hit that wall. I let my depression go far too long, and hid it as best as possible, an ability I developed fairly early on and stuck with. That was destructive. I wish like you can’t possibly believe that I'd gotten help when I was your age. I experienced decades of severe depressive episodes that perhaps could have been eased or even successfully treated (I'm on a medication now that has brought it completely under control and have been happier and more settled than at any time in my life).

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Replies to "Hi, I’m going to break this into parts and go long, but as someone who wasn't..."

This leads to fourth: do get medical attention now. Whether you are bipolar or not is something only a psychiatrist can hopefully and correctly diagnose. There could be a different condition as well. Self-diagnosis is simply not possible, and even general physicians can miss the underlying issue because they aren't trained to identify it. My doctor put me on antidepressants when I finally reported chronic depression in my forties. They helped for a while but gradually backfired on me and amplified the depression to a suicidal level. I want to stress that this is an extremely rare occurrence, but it is documented in the literature. It was only after I was under the care of a psychiatrist that this was identified, and the medication changed. My personal physician, who I chose to quit seeing after my hospitalization, diagnosis, and medication change, was surprised that the antidepressants were identified as a problem for me, and unaware that the new medication I was placed on could treat bipolar, which he never suspected. So see a psychiatrist. Don't leave it to your general provider to make the call on what your condition is. Ask for a referral instead.

Fifth, find a therapist. This is as essential as finding a good psychiatrist. It’s been an enormous help for me. It can take time to find a good fit for yourself, relationships between therapists and clients are very dependent on the chemistry between them. Someone who works very well with one individual might not work so well with another. It's not because they're incompetent, it's just the nature of therapy and the trust that needs to develop for it to be effective. So if the first one doesn't feel right, don't hesitate to see if someone else does.

Sixth, if you have trusted friends, consider opening up to them. This can be both intimidating and, if the person proves untrustworthy, not so helpful. So be selective. I’ve chosen to be open with a number of people since I was discharged from the hospital and it’s been very very helpful. However, those are friendships dating back many years, sometimes thirty or more, so there’s a history of trust that’s been built up on a level that isn’t available to you at your age. If you have close friends you do trust, however, consider opening up. Especially since you’re reporting struggles with your family.