Posted by holymama on April 22, 2004, at 17:36:25
In reply to Re: Bipolar versus depression » zefdie, posted by Penny on April 22, 2004, at 14:19:34
I too also initially went to see a therapist for depression. I am 30, and have for the last 5 years been suffering from longer and longer depressions, with short happy breaks in between. I initially discussed with my therapist the possibility of bipolar; the short breaks of happiness seemed extreme to me (no 'manic', but extreme as in very low depression to very very happy, and back again, over and over, in a cyclical way), but the other bipolar symptoms didn't really fit. I'm not prone to huge spending sprees, for example, or getting very little sleep. Anyway, my psychiatrist decided to try me on an antidepressant, and a few months later I went manic, very religious, very little sleeping or eating...SO, I was rediagnosed as bipolar because of the fact that antidepressants make me manic.
How does that make me feel? Well, very unsure of the diagnosis of bipolar, very unsettled with the idea of classifying myself with other bipolars who may need to be on medication constantly and for the rest of their lives, and whose diagnosis is that the condition worsens with age. I have spent a long time frightened and confused and in denial over it.
But the truth is, a mood stabilizer added to my antidepressant helps me and works the best for me. So who cares and who knows what the 'diagnosis' means? If you are needing and willing to go the antidepressant route, why not try the mood stabilizer if that is what your doctor recommends? THe point is that you feel the best that you can and function in your life as bsat as possible. Who cares what diagnosis a doctor gives you and which classification of medicine you fit into...as long as you are feeling better? That is what I have decided anyway. Best of luck to you. :)
poster:holymama
thread:338839
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040419/msgs/338923.html