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How would I know if I'm bi-polar?
I've suffered from depression for as long as I can remember. I have been through a lot of really difficult things, and have been in therapy from ages 16 to 26 and on medications for the last 15 years. In the last 3 years, things have improved a lot. However, now I seem to be having more extreme mood swings. I rarely feel so bad that I get suicidal, but I do get very low, and can't seem to change my thinking. Sometimes I can't even identify a trigger. I'll cry and think about hurting myself, and then the next day or two days later, I'll be happy and excited. I don't have any urges, don't do things that are extreme like going on spending sprees or anything... But I'm afraid of the severity of my mood swings lately.
I don't currently have mental health coverage, and am on a tight budget. Does this sound like bi-polar, or is it something less severe?
Thanks for your help.
4 Answers
- JodyLv 71 decade agoFavorite Answer
It doesn't sound like bipolar at all.
It sounds like A-typical depression. It allows for happy feelings, but they are temporary.
You don't say if your on meds now or what they are.
If you are coming off them, that may be the problem.
Source(s): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atypical_depression http://en.wikipedia.org/wki/Bipolar_disorder - Anonymous1 decade ago
Try checking out http://www.nami.org/
They can connect you with free resources to help with mental illnesses, possibly diagnosis too.
Your symptoms sound like mine do. Mine started showing up when I was 22-23. I didn't get diagnosed bipolar until I was 24. Do you have a learning problem? That's what helped diagnose my bipolar disorder. I went 10 years with the wrong diagnosis of depression. Anti-depressants made me suicidal. That's what it does for people that have bipolar disorder if you don't take them with a mood stabilizer (lithium, abilify, lamictal, geodone....blah blah blah). Lookup Attention Deficit Disorder and see if you have symptoms of that. If you do, that can really nail a diagnosis for bipolar disorder. You may also have BPD (borderline personality disorder). It's like bipolar disorder, but different too. I may have that or so I've been told.
Track your mood swings too, if you can remember too. Mine were usually every 9 days. I'd get really happy and full of energy for no reason. Then I would be a cranky ***** for a while. I'd also get really depressed too. Most of the time I would have more than one mood type going on. So they diagnosed me with mixed bipolar. It's not a very good diagnosis. People with that usually have a 25% survival rate, suicide being the leading cause of death before the age of 27, I think. I'm 27, so I'm doing ok I guess.
Good luck! NAMI kicks *** at helping, especially for free. Lookup the local NAMI chapter in your area and you can talk to someone there for free. The workers usually have mental illnesses too. They're awesome!
Source(s): silly quacks - Anonymous1 decade ago
Even though your on a tight budget, If this is really bothering you, it would be a good idea to have a Mental Health evaluation. Some places use a sliding scale based on what you can afford. Hopefully you'll receive a proper diagnosis and treatment.
