Is there a possiblity of bipolar disorder going away, or a misdiagnosis?

Hi,
  I was diagnosed with bipolar two years ago after being treated for "complicated" depression for some time. The signs were there, extremely suicidal depession and symptoms of hypomanias. As well as defined triggers such as starting a job where the mania kicks in and followed by depression. I have been on meds and counseling weekly. I am in tuned with my body, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors now and have not had a full blown episode for almost a year. Granted I have small bats of depression that I can pull myself out before they become to much. So here is my question, my cousnelor, who by the way is OVERLY optimistic about life, told me that my bipolar disorer could just be gone since I haven't had a "real" episode. Does this happen? Could it have gone away? Or could I have been misdiagnosed?

[ILADVOCATE]

There is a whole spectrum of different types of bipolar. At the same time, moodswings and their intensity can change over a life time. And of course a person can be misdiagnosed. Bipolar does not "go away" if those were the terms used. It can be treated and a person recover to an extent but there will always be some remaining aspects of it. I would tend to think any conversation about bipolar and how it will improve over a life time might best be discussed with a psychiatrist as they would have a better clinical understanding of it than a counselor.

[HoneyNut]

Back in high school, I had a Psychiatrist who diagnosed me as Bipolar, but also told me that I could probably stop taking ny medication once I went to college.  He claimed that because of the different environment (being away from home and my mother) that I could be fine.  He was right in my diagnosis (as I have seen three other Psychiatrists since him, and they all diagnosed me the same); however, it was the only thing he was right about.

Like ILADVOCATE said, if you truly have Bipolar, it won't go away.  The symptoms can become less severe, which it sounds like they are, but once you stop taking your meds, you better have a soft mattress to land on.  The landing is hard.  This is also where Bipolars fall into their well-made trap.  They feel as if they are cured and no longer need to take any medication -- it soon becomes a vicious cycle.  I did manage my first three years of college, grant it, I could have done a lot better, but I passed.  Come my fourth year, last semester, I broke down entirely.  I was very afraid I wasn't going to graduate, but luck and understanding professors made it possible.  That period of time was the absolutely lowest I have ever been.  It took four years of not being medicated, but it was the harsh wake-up call that I needed.  Bipolar does not simple go away, but it can be misdiagnosed.  Please talk with your Psychiatrist first about a misdiagnosis, before going off your meds.  If your Psychiatrist claims that Bipolar can "disappear", please seek a new one.

[sydneylou]

I really identify with what you described. I was 'treated' for depression for years before being diagnosed with BP2. For the last couple of years I have been doing quite well; experiencing very few blips of hypomania and only a handful of dips of depression, all of which, like you, I was able to pull out of. So here I am, feeling "normal", able to recognize & acknowledge triggers and appear to no longer exhibit signs or symptoms of bipolar.

So are we "cured"?

I tend to think our medication is doing its job! Perhaps we have learned to identify our triggers and differentiate between what we feel vs. what is. I would love to discontinue  my medication and just walk away from mental illness all together but the reality is - I still have BP. I don't like it, I don't want to have it but such is life. I do know if I stopped taking my medication, I would begin to sink and be pulled under. What scares me is the thought of not coming back up to the surface or becoming manic.

Just a thought.... if a person who has diabetes, successfully manages their illness with insulin, do they no longer have diabetes? I'm all for optimism BUT bipolar disorder does not simply go away but WE CAN SUCCESSFULLY MANAGE IT!!!!

Wishing you good health and sunny days!

[monkeyc]

I went 15 years unmedicated.

Bipolar can appear to go away but its just hiding, stress triggers can and will bring it back and its when we think its gone away that it whacks us.

The meds can do it but every med has a point where it stops working

[bpchrisb]

Earlier this year, I started to wonder if I wasn't more mildly BP than I (my shrink) originally thought. I worked 40-50 hours weeks, coached football, and took a college class. I wasn't manic, by any means; I was just stable, accepted the SEs of my meds and pushed on. Even around January, I was starting to fee like I was very, very over medicated.

However, a few weeks back, I had a relapse with no external trigger. I just started to cycle again. It was a real down turn and some of it was exacerbated by an increase in one medication.

Honestly, it all comes down to a balance in medication for me; finding the right combination of medications to minimize the mood swings and make them manageable. My brother has GAD and after years of heavily medicating him, they finally found a small combination of meds that work for him.

I have many friends with MI that suddenly start feeling better, they dislike the SEs of medication, and they take themselves off of them. Life goes down the toilet for awhile and they get back on everything. Some of them learn their lesson, some of them don't. I was one of these folks a few years back and I paid for it dearly when I came off of meds.

So, again, it all comes down to understanding that BP doesn't go away, it's like having Type 1 Diabetes; you have ti have your insulin. It's something that you're going to deal with your whole life and you'll have to do so with medication.