I have bipolar but they won't diagnose me!

haz25a

I have "Severe Recurrent Depression" and "Panic Disorder with agoraphobia", oh and "Generalised Anxiety Disorder".

Many medical experts believe that it is impossible to have Depression without also suffering from Anxiety. Often, one is more prevalent than the other.

Common symptoms of Depression include loss of appetite (or overeating), sleep disturbance (sleeping almost constantly or hardly sleeping at all), panic attacks.

When I am having an "episode" of Depression I feel sad, worthless, suicidal, anxious, irritable all of the time.

However, Depression is a fluctuating illness and you can have good days and bad days.

System

Ames wrote: »

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

I've been having a mixed episode recently

Its hard to explain thats whilst i've had aspects of hypomania (racing thoughts, paranoia, anxiety) i've also had parts of depression (hypersomnia, low mood etc)

I've not been fully up, or fully down, just a mix of both

poppy12345

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!

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

I've suffered with depression off and on for 20 years and when i do have it i'm not depressed 24/7 that's a fact, even if those times where i feel happy are very short, they are still there. Saying this... "Those who say they are not I would query even describing themselves to be depressed" is nonsense!

dori2o

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!

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

What a completely idiotic post.

If you feel joy at any time you cannot be depressed?????? Don't talk rubbish.

I've suffered from depression now for 6 years. In that time I've had days that were not so bad, I've had times of great joy, the majority of the time I've had problems with my mood and most of these are unfortunately expressed as anger.

My problems with depression don't stem from unhealthy thoughts, or past traumas, but are a secondary issue caused by being in pain 24 hours a day 365 days a year with very little in the way of relief.

Just as with any illness the way each individual feels and the way the illness manifests is completely different. Just because a person can have episodes of joy/happiness doesn't mean at all that they are not depressed, neither does in mean they cannot be suffering from MDD.

You also seem to be confusing different diagnosis'. Clinical Depression (MDD) is a different issue to Dysthymia (chronic/minor depression) and is different to BiPolar disorder. All have differing symptoms and characteristics, but nowhere in any literature can it be found where it says anyone who has some sentsations of joy/relief from these symptoms is not sufferring from these illnesses.

I find your attitude towards other peoples illness which is different to your own rather crass.

poppy12345

dori2o wrote: »

What a completely idiotic post.

If you feel joy at any time you cannot be depressed?????? Don't talk rubbish.

I've suffered from depression now for 6 years. In that time I've had days that were not so bad, I've had times of great joy, the majority of the time I've had problems with my mood and most of these are unfortunately expressed as anger.

My problems with depression don't stem from unhealthy thoughts, or past traumas, but are a secondary issue caused by being in pain 24 hours a day 365 days a year with very little in the way of relief.

Just as with any illness the way each individual feels and the way the illness manifests is completely different. Just because a person can have episodes of joy/happiness doesn't mean at all that they are not depressed, neither does in mean they cannot be suffering from MDD.

You also seem to be confusing different diagnosis'. Clinical Depression (MDD) is a different issue to Dysthymia (chronic/minor depression) and is different to BiPolar disorder. All have differing symptoms and characteristics, but nowhere in any literature can it be found where it says anyone who has some sentsations of joy/relief from these symptoms is not sufferring from these illnesses.

I find your attitude towards other peoples illness which is different to your own rather crass.

Well said! I completely agree with you!