I have bipolar but they won't diagnose me!

Ames

the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »

Ames...it totally sounds as if you are being neglected in terms of your mental health and I totally feel for you. It makes no sense to treat you in such a manner and dismiss how your feeing/what you experience. You shouldn't have to just muddle on and you shouldn't feel that you have to either. Nobody should have to, but plenty of us are doing.


Have you considered maybe changing your GP/GP practise? Is it even an option? It could be worth looking into if you have no confidence in the GP your registered with. I was waiting till I moved house, as it didn't make sense to move while I was on the waiting list for a new place and might have to move anyway. It's top of my list of things to do when I'm settled though. My last GP was fantastic, but she left the practice in February and it's gone downhill since.


I hear things too, but same with you, they just get dismissed. It is very scary when these things happen because you can't rationalise it. I would try and speak to your friends tho'. They might surprise you. It does sound like you really need a shoulder to lean on.


I really hope that somewhere down the line, you are taken seriously and get the help and support you deserve.

the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »

Totally agree with you. It is all about passing the book and ticking boxes. It certainly appears that they provide just enough care to say they have done something and whatever happens once you leave the building isn't there responsibility...ie: if you say during your appointment that your not suicidal, then walk out the door and kill yourself, they will say that you were fine before you left.

Last year it was in the news that the crisis team had visited someone at home and found he'd tied a noose to the bannisters. They spoke to him then left, with the noose in place, and he killed himself. I vaguely recall the report saying that he'd refused their help so there was nothing they could do but leave.

haz25a

Some very interesting stories here. I have been under psychiatric care for 25 years but I suspect I'm going to be discharged back to my GP.

It seems that some areas are better than others but to be honest I think that ALL mental health resources in the UK are under serious threat which poses a real risk to patients.

I've had 3 great psychs over these 25 years up until 2 years ago when my last psych left for a different post.

My experience of being in psych wards is - get the patient discharged asap - we need the beds!

My experience of Crisis Team - keep them out of hospital!

My experience as an out-patient - get them back under the care of their GP!

My experience of CPNS - get the patient discharged from CPN care asap!

They have already closed down psych wards recently in my area and are closing more next year.

There is simply not enough NHS mental health resources to cope with demand in my opinion.

Good luck and best wishes to you all.

Natty68

the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »

As for what my care co-ordinator has advised me regarding the fact that they can't discharge me back to my GP, I don't get what you mean by them not telling me the full story. Full story about what? As I said, I was informed that I will not be discharged from mental health services due to the medication I take. This needs to be monitored by a psych on a regular basis. Although I may not see my CC on as regular basis as I have been, I will be allocated a cpn to monitor my condition on a less frequent basis unless things take a turn and I need to be seen more often.

Unfortunately in my part of the country, Kent, mental health care is almost non existent. I got discharged from the CMHT straight into my GP's care, and when we didn't have a continual GP at my surgery due to various change overs etc, that was interesting. I'm on mood stabilisers and antidepressants and have a note on file that says I'm only allowed a specific amount due to my suicidal tendencies because of my bipolar, BPD and clinical depression, they still give me more than I need and don't see me as often as they should - heck I was discharged from CMHT 2 years ago and I have seen a GP once in that time. Thankfully due to my husband and myself kicking up a fuss because I was dropping rather rapidly I finally got the help, although this wasn't given to me without a fuss from the mental health team. And much to their annoyance I am under the care of a specific place for 4 years now - as in 4 years of intense therapy. Although I will add who I am with now is not under the CMHT, it is a totally separate funded group (The Brenchley Group), although still NHS. But it has taken in total 15 years to get this help after my bipolar diagnosis. All they were wanting to do before now was stick a plaster on the problem, not get to the problem.

And don't talk to me about CPN, Care-cordinators - they are useless and don't know what they are doing half the time in this area.

But as I say I am now finally getting the help I need, although damage was done 20 years when I got ill first of all and was sectioned..it took 2 years to get to this stage after being palmed off with tablets.

Sueinbirmingham

I have bipolar disorder. I was first diagnosed with what they then called manic depression over 40 years ago. (Oops! Am I showing my age?)

I am on a cocktail of medication and haven't seen a psychiatrist for years.

My personal experience of CPNs was that they were worse than useless, probably because most of the ones I had were more burnt out than I was.

I also have some views about what help people with mental illness should get that not everyone agrees with. When you get very ill, your job can go out of the window, or, if retired, your voluntary work, and either way your social life can suffer.

There can be all sorts of problems with things like benefits, the ability to pay bills and the ability to go shopping; and frankly I'd rather have someone working to ensure that I had a roof over my head, food in my belly and enough heat to stop me getting hypothermia than a nice chat with someone supposedly monitoring my condition.

As for a depression vs. bipolar diagnosis, often the simplest way to deal with it if you're told you've got unipolar depression and you think you've got bipolar disorder, is to take the antidepressants prescribed. If you are bipolar and take antidepressants without any sort of mood stabilisers or antipsychotics or tranquillisers, you'll soon go manic. If you don't go high, the psychiatrist's diagnosis was probably right.

But I'd say to anyone seeking a bipolar diagnosis that whilst it can indeed help you to get appropriate treatment, subject to local funding constraints, you might be surprised and even horrified where the diagnosis later pops up and comes back to haunt you.

peterpan01

OMG! so many replies, I havent been on as my email/computer got hack/had a virus!

i have read all the replies.

My course of action is to get a second opinion and write a letter of complaint, the mental health team in Luton is awful. I do hope i will get seen by a professor or the like.

in the past i have had to odd manic experience, one is well documented, (i.e all of a sudden i packed the bags and took the kids to Scotland for two weeks without telling anyone).
however, the consultants never really read my records. i been in hospital a few time due to high suicidal risks. i never thought of reporting manic experiences in full as i always thought they were a kind of blessing and relief from my depression.

now after 10 year living like this i want it sorted, i have never really cared about my diagnoses as i was scared they will change my medication (i have awful side effects)!

I know 100% i dont just have depression I a more complex mental health problems.


Best of luck to everyone else too.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

I think part of the problem is: how many people seek help during a hyper/manic episode? It's only when it gets really out of hand that people seek/are forced to seek help.


Many people seek help when going through a period of depression and as such hyper/manic episodes are missed.

belladonna13

I have bipolar 1 and I can assure you when I am in a depressive episode I am depressed 24/7. Even those I know who suffer with depression without a bipolar diagnosis are depressed 24/7. Those who say they are not I would query even describing themselves to be depressed!

Bipolar is diagnosed on depression and at least one manic episode. I had had depression 24/7 for 5 months 10 years before I was diagnosed. I had had a few months of depression and then a manic episode that changed into psychosis in 1995. I was sectioned and diagnosed bipolar 1.

I spent a long time in the unit and those with depression never got a feeling that they were OK at times. You cannot be partly depressed. You either are or are not. If you feel all right at times you do not have clinical depression!

I hope you can find the answer to your experiences. Like the devil made me do it says it is hard because people do not present in mania until, like in my case, it gets really out of hand and you end up on a section. Then they diagnose on the behaviour you display.

There is nothing funny about it when you are struggling to find the answer. Only now can I laugh at some of the very crazy things I did.

I wish you luck and would suggest you take your questions to a bipolar forum those there will have more compassion than some here will ever know!

Take care X

Ames

Although it is possible to have depression without feeling down. Which is a really strange feeling.

925dancer

Well, it took me 20 years to even be taken seriously about my concerns over my mental health and six months ago I was finally diagnosed with bipolar II.

A lot of what people have written here is true, some of it a bit simplistic. I was chronically depressed for a year before diagnosis and was put on several anti-depressants, only one of which, a newer one, triggered a hypo. The others just did diddly squat.

I have been on long waiting lists but luckily the people I have eventually seen have been brilliant. My first psychiatrist, who diagnosed me, is qualified out his backside but he also listens and was totally inclusive at every appointment and medication change. He is the reason I am very lucky to be stable and thinking about rebuilding my life.

Second psychiatrist I have just seen as they didn't renew last one's contract (good old budget cuts) was also brilliant, listened to me and is quite happy for me to just get on with things but still technically under their care for repeat prescriptions and if/when I relapse or need more support again.

Sadly I am 1 year into a 2 year waiting list for talking therapies but had I not had the great care from two psychiatrists I might not even be here now. I blog and frequent twitter and some of the stories I see day in day out are truly shocking and only highlight further how lucky I am to finally have an accurate diagnosis.

Indie_Kid

belladonna13 wrote: »

I have bipolar 1 and I can assure you when I am in a depressive episode I am depressed 24/7. Even those I know who suffer with depression without a bipolar diagnosis are depressed 24/7. Those who say they are not I would query even describing themselves to be depressed!

When I've had depression, I've not been depressed 24/7. Funny how my GP and others who witnessed my behaviour (which amongst other awful things, included self harm, threatening suicide and running away) claim I did indeed have depression...

I am sure many others with depression are the same.