Posted by 2sense on April 21, 2002, at 13:12:46
In reply to Hypomania » 2sense, posted by Ron Hill on April 11, 2002, at 1:52:42
I wrote:
>I am interested to know from any one (some, many, all) of your individual points of view what you as a person (not a/your doctor's interpretation and/or definition) would define, explain, write about, as far as more exactly what your/the symptoms of hypomania are?You responded (and a belated thank you and to all who did) with the following in response to my question: What is hypomania like?:
restlessness
fast thoughts, ideas flowing
high energy
desire to do something
joy in spending
interest in uncharacteristic flirting sexually
markedly disinhibited
overactive
expressing grandiose ideation.I wrote:
>I am also very interested for what it means, as best as one can articulate, what exactly is meant by the term pressured speech -- as I have seen it clinically defined differently -- and my own psychiatrist says it is just talking fast -- any takers?You responded with:
What I call "pressured speech" is when someone else is talking and I feel this overwhelming need to give my verbal response before the other person is finished. It's a social appropriateness issue. It's like I'm afraid I will forget my train of thought if I wait until the other person is finished. And besides, what I need to say is REALLY IMPORTANT, whereas, as far as I'm concerned, all the other person is saying is blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and more blah (i.e. stuff I already know)!You then asked (so for being so belated in responding) …
Sue, I don't know you, so please do not feel that you need to answer my question unless you want to. Here's my question: How do you know that what you think is ADHD is not, in reality, bipolar hypomania (or mania)?
-- Ron
My answer:
My diagnosis of ADHD has come from seven (7) different psychiatrists. Two (2) of those psych-docs believe I have bi-polar because I talk fast (and they term it pressured speech) and I have the Hashimoto’s (which causes hypothyroidism) and thus and so 1 + 1 must equal bi-polar. The only problem is, is that both of these two (2) docs only saw me one time and the first one saw me five or six years ago with his beepers (2 of them) going off constantly and his phones (regular and (2) cell phones) and that is the only time he saw me (I then saw his psych-nurse who moved this past Oct.). The other psych-doc (same practice, head ‘banana’) saw me twice and decided at the end of the first session that I wasn’t bi-polar by hypomanic (which I go through all of this with the eating disorder therpist who works at this practice and she knows a bit about the personal(ity) side of those that work there. Now Klonopin can cause, among other things, hypomania, which is why I asked more preciously what people’s individual experiences were after (or before being diagnosed) with hypomania (or cyclomania) – these manias and mood stabilizer remind me of the early ‘90’s when Prozac and all the other SSRI’s hit the market I was a guinea pig since I had a psych-doc who specialized in eating disorders and so he had me try them all (of course all of my side effects were in my head – I later learned a) that they had ‘tested’ and then reported the side effects based on volunteers who were homeless MEN not women because the side effects for men and women are very well documented (like sexual dysfunction – all in my head for Prozac, Paxil, etc.); b) SSRI’s may work for bulimics but not for anorexics (at least not this one since mine is atypical and a reaction to stress – and my success with it comes with (and I am still learning) in therapy by relearning how to deal with stress given the set of circumstances I am in. Back to the ADHD diagnosis. Out of the CHADD (national web site for ADD/ADHD) 100 symptoms I have like over 90 – does that mean I don’t have other things – well when I started taking the Ritalin it was night and day for me – night and day. I know when I am on it I feel more in control with the ability to listen to someone go on and on and on and seemingly never get to the point, I always (and still do to a lesser degree and not as obvious) carried around a yellow legal pad and 2 number two pencils to write my thoughts so I could really listen to what the other person was saying but still remember what I might want to ask, add, etc. I have found that I can stand in lines for hours (and sometimes during the holidays the grocery lines are VERY long – I can tell my son 15 times, “Sweetheart did you remember to brush your teeth?” – OFF the ritalin I am very, very thin skinned and impatient and apt to blurt out things that will hurt someone when I do not mean to hurt anyone as I know that it is an awful feeling. I don’t know if that answered your question – I do feel like the psych-doc that had the massive stroke may or may not have had some physical issues the two times he saw me, especially the last time since he had the stroke 2 days later – the other guy well I feel much like a guinea pig – it isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last. THAT is why this board is invaluable – it is another resource – real time – to consult – interact with others and feedback to your own doctor from the board – NOT SPECIFICS – please confidentiality is the name of the game – but the problem with labeling me anything polar, or whatever is I don’t have any of the symptoms, my husband has told them, I even brought a close friend who hangs out with me a lot – this guy has decided and it reminds me of a child at Xmas who has decided he is going to wake up and find a pony in his backyard complete with a red bow elegantly tied around its neck. I need to deal with the other issues and the answer may be in finding a neuropsychiatrist – but that may be hard to come by given where I am living and recommendations are difficult to get out of doctors. I have a few “moles” so to speak who I call and ask, “If I were you mother/sister/daughter/aunt/neice, etc. and this was the situation WHAT WOULD YOU DO – WHO WOULD YOU SEE – HOW WOULD YOU PROCEED?” I don’t use them very much because when you have those options you don’t want to exhuast them when you may need them later on down the road. Hope that shed some light – maybe not – I am a perpetual student so I am willing to hear anyone’s input.2sense -- Sue
poster:2sense
thread:102236
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020416/msgs/103717.html