Posted by Racer on August 30, 2005, at 12:57:09
In reply to Re: Hypomania??? » gardenergirl, posted by fires on August 30, 2005, at 11:30:21
She really does call and pass them on to me...
I can forgive her for almost anything, but "Seasons in the Sun" was stretching the bounds of friendship...
Honestly, fires, it doesn't sound like hypomania to me -- it sounds like anxiety spectrum. I associate hypomania with things like thinking, "Today I will cook six gourmet dishes, do all the laundry, all the ironing, design a new sweater, AND recover that shabby sofa cushion..." You know, kinda over-ambitious, but believing that the energy you feel really can allow you to do all those things in one day. Not so much just having energy.
For what it's worth, I went through a couple of periods when I was examined for mania or hypomania. The first time I was ever put on anti-depressants, the results were so unexpected and extreme that the doctor went through everything she could think of to see if I was BP rather than unipolar. After extensive questioning, her conclusion was that my depression had been masking a high-energy, cheerful, kinda silly personality. Over the years, a couple of other doctors have had a similar reaction to the non-depressed me, and have also tried to find clear-cut signs of bipolar -- and all have come to the same conclusion. I'm unipolar, but I have a very bubbly personality with a lot of energy that sometimes looks like some level of mania if you're not expecting it. And they don't expect it when they see me in my depressed state.
Twenty some years into all this, I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder -- AD-NOS -- which explained a lot to me about my symptoms. Including a fair amount of the energy that can look kinda manic.
Anyway, while I understand that a new doctor has changed your dx, it still sounds more anxiety spectrum to me. Remember, the doctors don't have a magic device for figuring out dx. They just have to use their judgement, which is always fallible. What do you think? Are you manic? Or are you just someone who lives off a lot of anxiety? (One way to check might be to try a low dose of beta blocker for a while, see if lowering the adrenaline might reduce the "hypomania" for you.)
Oh, yeah, and I've discussed "earworms" with Dr CattleProd. He says he gets them, too, so I don't think they're pathological...
poster:Racer
thread:548506
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050827/msgs/548720.html