I have bipolar but they won't diagnose me!
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I'm one of them, my original diagnosis was recurrent depression, followed by borderline personality disorder, it was only when i happened to have a psychiatrist appointment during a manic phase that she changed my diagnosis to bipolar, although at my initial assessment a few years previous she had said i was on the bipolar spectrum.OP. I understand your frustration. I know a few people who were treated for depression for years before receiving a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
Diagnosis of psychotic illnesses such as bipolar disorder and paranoid schizophrenia can take years to be properly diagnosed.0 -
kittykat17 wrote: »I would think the OP wants help, treatment, etc. It's horrendous to know or think there's something wrong with you but not get a diagnosis. If the OP feels there's more wrong than has been diagnosed then they should ask for a second opinion and explain why they feel they have been misdiagnosed. If the MH professional still feels that it is depression and not bi-polar they should explain their reasoning.
A friend was finally diagnosed with bi-polar after 10 years of being told it was 'just' depression. Since finally getting diagnosed and being on a treatment plan the improvement has been amazing. Her manic episodes have reduced and aren't anywhere near as bad as previously. It's taken over a year since her diagnosis for the doctors to get her meds right and although she knows she'll never be cured her life is so much better now - partly due to the relief that she has been diagnosed and the doctors, etc, finally believe her.
Same situation for Bill Oddie where once he got his diagnosis for Bipolar ( through the NHS) things made sense and fell into place and he is feeling so much better on the appropriate medication.
http://www.totalpolitics.com/articles/445897/bill-oddie-gets-even-interview.thtmlHere dead we lie because we did not choose
To live and shame the land from which we sprung.
Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose,
But young men think it is,
And we were young.
A E Housman0 -
You can't always trust a professional to make the correct diagnosis.
This is my story in brief.
I have always suffered with my mental health and 16 years ago the s**t hit the fan so to speak. I won't go into detail, suffice to say I ended up on a psyc ward for well over 3 months. After that I did see a psychiatrist and cpn on a fairly regular basis. Then I was discharged.
Unfortunately my mental health never really got any better. I was back and forward to the doctors, who then referred me back to mental health services. They'd discharge me and so the cycle went on.
I endured assessment after assessment. It was a complete head buster. Also referred to the crisis team on many occasions, who I may add, were completely useless and often made me feel worse. In fact, I decided never to see them again no matter how bad things got.
Anyway, eventually my other half got really miffed about the whole fiasco and demanded a 2nd opinion. Obviously mental health services weren't best pleased, but referred me. I saw a Professor who was an expert in the field of affective disorders. He had a team of professionals with him. Before my appointment, he asked if I could write down a time line of my life from being a child to present day. I took this with me to the appointment.
In less than 2 hours, he diagnosed me with Bipolar 2. He couldn't understand how it had been missed. He then prescribed the medication he thought I needed. I was so relieved and so was my other half. The diagnosis gave me the insight to understand myself and it was so helpful to know what was causing me to act the way I did.
Push for a second opinion. I'm so glad I did.0 -
Just to add...I don't think mental health services like giving out Bipolar diagnosis as it then means they have a duty of care to the client and can't discharge people.0
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since when did doctors get it right,,they only guess on what u tell them,then give u tablets on there thoughts0
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I'm no fan of psychiatrists, but this does come across as '(mis) diagnosis by Google'.
OP when was your last manic episode, you say it happened years ago? Has your manic behaviour ever resulted in police intervention?
Sometimes people want a diagnosis when the reality is it won't change a thing. NHS funding for mental health care is abysmal, you're not suddenly going to get more help based on a diagnosis. Plus do you really want bipolar disorder in your medical notes? That diagnosis will never leave you once it is there, and will cause far more difficulties than one of depression.
Nonsense!! If you don't know what you're talking about then I suggest you say nothing at all.
If the OP does have Bipolar Disorder, and it has already been explained in this thread that the diagnosis is not one which consultants give out lightly, then the OP will receive the correct medication (which is different to that of depression), the correct care and can go onto leading a better quality of life.0 -
If the OP does have Bipolar Disorder, and it has already been explained in this thread that the diagnosis is not one which consultants give out lightly, then the OP will receive the correct medication (which is different to that of depression), the correct care and can go onto leading a better quality of life.
This isn't always true.
I used to know someone who was diagnosed as Bi Polar and was given Lithium. After some 10 years, the Lithium started to affect her physically, although no-one was aware for ages this was the cause and suspected something like MS. The Lithium was slowly poisoning her. She was then taken off it and some of her physical health returned to normal, although she's now left with some serious physical damage. Her psychiatrist then told her she doesn't have Bi Polar and it's most like Autism. Do also have a friend who was told he's Bi Polar and was then also diagnosed with Autism.
There are some (and I've met one of them) people out there who, even after a diagnosis, aren't given the correct care and it can take forever to get the medication right.Sealed pot challenge #232. Gold stars from Sue-UU - :staradmin :staradmin £75.29 banked
50p saver #40 £20 banked
Virtual sealed pot #178 £80.250 -
Autism and Bipoalr share a genetic link and also exhibit many of the same symptoms.This isn't always true.
I used to know someone who was diagnosed as Bi Polar and was given Lithium. After some 10 years, the Lithium started to affect her physically, although no-one was aware for ages this was the cause and suspected something like MS. The Lithium was slowly poisoning her. She was then taken off it and some of her physical health returned to normal, although she's now left with some serious physical damage. Her psychiatrist then told her she doesn't have Bi Polar and it's most like Autism. Do also have a friend who was told he's Bi Polar and was then also diagnosed with Autism.
There are some (and I've met one of them) people out there who, even after a diagnosis, aren't given the correct care and it can take forever to get the medication right.
Here is a link - American.
http://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/2014/05/22/there-connection-between-autism-and-bipolar-disorder
http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/gm102.pdfHere dead we lie because we did not choose
To live and shame the land from which we sprung.
Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose,
But young men think it is,
And we were young.
A E Housman0 -
The mania, I believe is fundamental to a bi polar diagnosis.
You are right but mania and depression hence it's more descriptive old name Manic Depression.:)Here dead we lie because we did not choose
To live and shame the land from which we sprung.
Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose,
But young men think it is,
And we were young.
A E Housman0 -
This isn't always true.
I used to know someone who was diagnosed as Bi Polar and was given Lithium. After some 10 years, the Lithium started to affect her physically, although no-one was aware for ages this was the cause and suspected something like MS. The Lithium was slowly poisoning her. She was then taken off it and some of her physical health returned to normal, although she's now left with some serious physical damage. Her psychiatrist then told her she doesn't have Bi Polar and it's most like Autism. Do also have a friend who was told he's Bi Polar and was then also diagnosed with Autism.
There are some (and I've met one of them) people out there who, even after a diagnosis, aren't given the correct care and it can take forever to get the medication right.
I've been on lithium myself. I had to have regular blood test done to ensure the lithium levels were correct. Did your friend also have these tests done?
There are much newer mood stabilisers used to treat Bipolar Disorder now and the newer anti-depressants can have a detrimental effect on Bipolar in the "mania" phase and are not usually recommended.
I know from personal experience that it can also take forever to get the medication right for any mental health condition, what suits one person does not necessarily suit another, it's a case of trial and error with different meds and dosages until one can be found which suits the individual so I don't agree with your argument on that.
I also know people who, after years of being unsucessfully treated for depression, were given a diagnosis for Bipolar and treated for it. Their lives are now much better as a result.0
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