(June 4, 2013 at 6:32 pm)Creed of Heresy Wrote: Well, I finally went to go to see a psychologist. I've been putting it off like so much else, been trying to convince myself it'll go away but, really, after this much time, it's only getting worse. So, I went to see a psychologist, and the general gist of it is, yes. I'm bipolar. Color me unsurprised.Consider a second opinion. Bipolar is frequently misdiagnosed, particularly when the patient self-medicates with recreational drugs. Drug abuse is sometimes misdiagnosed as bipolar, and vice versa. Go to another psychologist and be completely upfront about it - hey doc, I was diagnosed as bipolar, but I use recreational drugs and heard this can cause a misdiagnosis, and see what he says. At worst it's one wasted afternoon, but it could save years of incorrect treatment.
So, I contacted a psychiatrist, and I'm going to set up an appointment, and...we'll see where to go from there. I also have PTSD, and the psychologist is going to help me work through that, too. So, finally, after a long time dealing with this crap, I'm finally going to get it treated. Over the next couple months, I'm probably going to start being less aggressive, and hopefully less emo. Hopefully now I can get my life together, and get on with it.
I know a few people on here have bipolar disorder, I'm just curious how it affects y'all, and how you guys deal with it, and what recommendations anyone might have for me moving forward.
Comments and claims about psychiatric treatment being invalid for whatever stupid reasons anyone might have will be ignored unless viable alternatives can be suggested.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2945875/
Quote:Bipolar disorder is often misdiagnosed.
Two surveys, one taken in 1994 and one taken in 2000, reveal little change in the rate of misdiagnosis.
As per the survey taken by the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association (DMDA), 69 percent of patients with bipolar disorder are misdiagnosed initially and more than one-third remained misdiagnosed for 10 years or more. Similarly, a survey done in Europe on 1000 people with bipolar disorder found a mean time of 5.7 years from the initial misdiagnosis to the correct diagnosis, while another study reported that on average patients remain misdiagnosed for 7.5 years.
Diagnosis of patients with bipolar illness can be challenging as most of these patients seek treatment only for depressive symptoms, and more often than not, the first episode of mood disturbance is depression rather than mania. Two studies in 1999 and 2000 concluded that almost 40 percent of bipolar disorder patients are initially diagnosed with unipolar depression. By DSM-IV criteria, patients need to have an episode of hypomania or mania and an episode of depression in order to be given the diagnosis of bipolar disorder I. The diagnosis of bipolar II disorder can be even more challenging as the criteria in DSM-IV can be overly restrictive, requiring a full symptomatic picture of mania with a duration of four days, while many experts believe that the average duration of the hypomanic state is 1 to 3 days. Furthermore, in bipolar II, it can be difficult to elicit a past history of hypomanic episodes from the patients. An episode of hypomania has a milder presentation than mania and can happen without impairment in functioning at work or in a patient's social life, which may be why hypomanic episodes are unreported by the patients. In other words, the increased energy and heightened activity often experienced during hypomanic episodes may not be considered negative events by the patients who experience them.
High comorbidity of bipolar disorder with other psychiatric and medical diagnoses also makes diagnosis difficult. A study that examined patients with bipolar disorder showed that 46 percent of the patients suffered from alcohol abuse or dependence and 41 percent had comorbid drug abuse and dependence. Some studies have even reported rates of alcohol abuse up to 69 percent and rates of drug abuse as high as 60 percent in patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Research also supports high comorbidity of bipolar disorder with panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social phobia, eating disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and axis II personality disorders. Association of bipolar disorder with medical conditions like thyroid disease and multiple sclerosis can also complicate the diagnosis.
