I might have bipolar disorder? Serious answers only please!?
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Hi: you are wise to be concerned. I applaud your wanting to get help. Having parents who are bipolar definitely puts you at risk. Realize there are variations and degrees of bipolar disorder. Your paranoia may or may not factor into this. You could just be very aware and therefore vigilant of your own actions and reactions to other people and your environment.
You may not be bipolar but could have some other mood disorder or, you could as I said, have a variation of bipolar disorder. The good news is this: there is treatment for this. Bipolar disorder is highly treatable. I suggest you get yourself to a psychiatrist (NOT a regular doctor) for assessment and then treatment if it is warranted. You already something is not right with you. Yes, while we all have our off days and bad moments, the fact that you have sudden mood swings for no apparent reason could be a sign of needing assessment and then treatment.
Please do so. Bipolar disorder is very, very treatable.
I see this disorder every day. People get well.
If you are bipolar you would know without questioning yourself... You might just have some chronic anxiety and depression. Surround yourself with optimistic people and dont think about it so much.
The best solution is to see your doctor and have him refer you to a psychiatrist. Some disorders follow through famillies.
Anything else is just a guess.
hi
i have bipolar, and have only recently been diagnosed some of the things you are experiencin are very simular to my self. there are many different forms of depresstion and all need to be treated! speak to your doctor he will be alble to help! its eacy to manage once you know how. i left mine for a long time and it got much worse, the disorder gives you negitive thoughts about hurting yourself, one of the biggest sighns is mania which is when energy levels increase so much you cant sleep or sit still the next minute you are so low you wanna jump out the window, talk to the people you are close let them know how you are feeling pople find it hard to understand the disorder as it makes you act strange but you loved ones will support you abd your doctor will give you all the infomatio you need to live as normal take care x
From my understanding and experience with bi polar, the mood swings are not sudden and do not suddenly appear then disappear. It doesn't just appear at a mature age, children can be bi polar, but it is more difficult to diagnose.
It is possible to be just plain moody, without it being some mental disfunction. It seems that these days with mental illness not being so hush-hush, that so many people that visit Yahoo actually want their behaviour labelled. Bi polar is a very unkind mental health issue, especially in old age.
If you think you have symptoms, no matter what your parents experienced, the responsible thing to do is talk to your doctor and also get referred to therapy. Symptoms are manageable and should be managed. You grew up in a life laced with mental health issues and it is possible you have adopted the symptoms. Be sure, one way or another...life doesn't stop for a diagnosed mental health issue.
Seeing as how there is a family history I'd go see my Dr. He will probably refer you to a psychiatrist as they are the only ones who treat such disorders.
My sister in law is bipolar and it has gotten progressively worse over the years. She is fine for periods of time when she sticks to her meds but then she goes off them and all hell breaks loose.
I'd get it checked out though, my s-i-l does not have mood swings like you describe. Before being diagnosed she would go through long periods of depression and then suddenly go manic and this would last for weeks and even months before she would crash and burn, falling into deep depression again. She gets suicidal and I can't count the number of times she has ended up in hospital.
Like I said, your mood swings don't sound that drastic, it could very well be something else, but to ease your mind or deal with things head on. I'd go to a doctor. Good luck.
First consider this. Your mom has been diagnosised with it, could you be just empathic to her and unconsciencely feeling stuff that she does? Another thing is that all "Bipolar really is,
is it's just a mix of disorders that are not let's say full blown disorders not all the signs and syptoms are there so they display multiple signs of differnent disorders and somewhere along the way some doctor created this new disorder called Bipolar. It is not difinitive. It's a little of this and a little of that. I think your just psyching yourself out thinking about you rmom and feeling what she is. Let me tell you I work in a Psych Center and I see people come in everyday that are just depressed because they lost a loved one recently and the doctors so very easily label them as bipolar and throw drugs at them. What people don't realize is that your mental records follow you for life and can effect alot of things in your life like work and credit. Not to mention what all those meds will do to you. As little as 50 years ago the psych drugs were not regulated by the FDA like they are now and alot of people who were on this meds that did or didn't need them became hooked on them and they didn't know that this drugs were honeycombing their brains and killing them. And alot of you r psych meds now are highly addictive and sold on the streets along side meth and cocaine. So sure go get tested and don't be suprised to be dianosised the same as your mom and get put on multiple drugs!
Without knowing much about your life the symptoms may be signs of anything from mild anxiety of an adjustment to something to an anxiety disorder.
If you are not having extreme periods of activity or deopression and have not experienced any serious suicdal or homocidal behaviors/hospitalizations you may not need to go and give yourself that serious of a MH lable.
If you are concerned about your mental health and how you are functioning, a trip to a good Mental health counsellor could help.
They could give you thoughts on your coping skills, emotional stability and ideas on how to care for yourself. They may also give you an insight into your mental health and would be able to better determine if you may need any further assessments or psychiatry.
there is no real test to say you are bipolar (no blood test or anything like that,it comes down to fitting in to the DMV criteria) the best thing you can do is see a doctor as they will be the best to tell you if you have it. please also get a second opinion as its not always best to go off what the first doctor tells you. there has been clear genetic links found with such disorders as bipolar so you are at high risk of having it but that does not mean you will have it just you are at higher risk. below is some info on bipolar I hope it helps
Bipolar disorder is also called manic-depression. People with bipolar disorder experience mood swings from "high" episodes of mania to "low" periods of depression. When between these "highs" and "lows", people with BP often have the normal range of moods. In most cases, people with bipolar disorder experience more periods of depression than periods of mania. Bipolar disorder can be either severe or mild, and can have either frequent or infrequent mood swings. Depending upon their symptoms, bipolars are diagnosed as having bipolar I, bipolar II, or cyclothymic disorder.
Bipolar I and Mania
Most people with bipolar I have episodes of both depression and mania. In very rare cases, they experience only mania. Bipolar I is distinguished from bipolar II by the severity and duration of the manic phase, which can last anywhere from a week to several months, and the experience of delusions. Risky behavior is common in manic episodes and patients often require hospitalization for their own safety.
The symptoms of mania can include rapid speech, insomnia, disconnected thoughts, grandiose ideas, hallucinations, extreme irritability, feelings of omnipotence, paranoia, violent behavior, a marked increase in strength, and openly promiscuous activity. (see Bipolar Screening)
Bipolar II and Hypomania
People with bipolar II suffer primarily from episodes of severe depression with occasional episode of "mild" mania, called hypomania. Hypomania differs from mania in that no delusions are experienced.
Like mania, hypomania can cause severely impaired functioning. The hypomanic episode often feels so good that bipolar patients often discontinue their medication in quest of a hypomanic episode. This is especially problematic because symptoms that come back after stopping drug treatment are often much harder to get back under control a second time.
While Bipolar II has sometimes been described as a "milder" form of bipolar disorder than Bipolar I, the suicide rate among people suffering form Bipolar II is actually higher than that for those suffering from Bipolar I.
Cyclothymic Disorder
People with cyclothymic disorder alternate between hypomania and mild depression. It is not as severe as bipolar I and II, but persists for longer periods with no break in symptoms. Cyclothymic disorder can later become full-blown bipolar disorder in some people, or can continue as a low-grade chronic condition.
Rapid Cycling
Most people with bipolar disorder have an average of 8 to 10 manic or depressive episodes over a lifetime. Some, however, experience much more severe symptoms called rapid cycling. They can swing (cycle) between "highs" and "lows" many times in one day. To be considered a rapid cycler, you must have at leat 4 mood swings in a year.
Mixed Episode
During a Mixed Episode, symptoms of both mania and depression occur at the same time. The excitability and agitation of mania is coupled with depression and irritability. This combination of high energy and agitation along with depression makes the mixed episode the most dangerous for risk of suicide
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