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473760 tn?1215219977

Possibly a lame question.....

I was diagnosed about six months ago as having bipolar 1.  The more research I have been doing the more I think that I may have some other issues too.  When I went for the diagnosis I told my psychatrist everything there was to tell him, and he mentioned nothing else but the bipolar disorder.  Should I bring up my concerns about thinking there are other things wrong, or should I just accept his diagnosis and see if things get any better?  
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Avatar universal
Borderline personality
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Avatar universal
I am new to all this. Does BPD stand for Bipolar dissorder or Borderline Personality Dissorder?
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Avatar universal
You are so insightful into what is going on with you and sounds like you are really interested in feeling better. I would recommend getting a good therapist to address the relationship issues you have. There is also a BPD forum here that may be able to help you. The spending of the money is a classic bipolar symptom, but the other things you described do sound like the "all or none thinking" that accompanies BPD. Medications for the depression and anxiety that often accompanies BPD can be helpful, but alot of the interactions with others can be addressed with your therapist so you can learn how to build and maintain healthy relaionships and not freak out when something normal happens. But I do want to reiterate, you have alot of insight into yourself and that is a step in the right direction to changing the things that are bothering you. Hang in there!
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447130 tn?1225470866
Hi there, you know you are probably right, you may have more than 1 diagnosis. I know I do but it started as Panic Disorder and then went into major depression for 2 years, then they said wow you have a mood disorder. But some docs don't label BP because it can be similar to other disorders. I would ask your doc. Usually the treatment is similar but like for me SSRI antidepressants are a huge NO NO, they make me manic or very depressive and sleepy. I've tried them all. A mood disorder covers a lot of ground and gives the doctor more mediation options to try.
Don't be afraid to ask and if you need to cling to someone, I'm here!
Erin
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462570 tn?1273632977
Other physical and psychiatric conditions often mimic or accompany bipolar disorder.  When you have two entirely different conditions simultaneously, doctors call them co-occuring or comorbid conditions.  A list of disorders you can have that mimic or can co-occur are: autoimmune disorders, cancer and tumors, endocrine disorders, infectious diseases, neurological disorders, other psychiatric disorders such as: Anxiety disorders: OCD, Panic, Social, Generalized and PTSD, ADHD, ADD, Eating Disorders, PMDD, and schizophrenia.
A good psychiatrist will work with your General Practioner.  They should be in contact with one another.  You should have medical tests before starting medications and if you feel that you have other issues - you need to address that to your GP and your Psych.  Your liver and kidney functions should always be tested before starting medications for BIPolar (or any psychiatric disorder) and should be tested during the course of treatment.
Hope this helps...
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473760 tn?1215219977
I know that I've been correctly diagnosed about the bipolar disorder, but I seem to have every one of the 'symptoms' of BPD.  I feel like I'm a classic example.  I get really clingy to people really fast and then I get paranoid that they will leave, even if there is nothing wrong with the relationship.  I'm always making up these extravagant things to tell friends just so they will be interested and stick around (now please don't get me wrong!!!  I don't go around lying all of the time).  I tell people way too personal things at the beginning of a relationship because I feel like I am super close to them after having talked to them for 5 minutes. If I have plans with someone and they go wrong or they get cancelled I immediatly think that it's because I've done something wrong, and that's all I can think about.  Because of this I have horribly unstable relationships.  I am really compulsive as far as spending money is concerned (I spent over ten grand in 3 months). I always feel like I have to buy something or I don't feel right. At one point in time I was addicted to pain killers (thank goodness that has come to a halt!!).  Now I know this is related to depression, but I feel like I am 'nothing' all of the time, but especially when I don't have any friends to be around, or when I have burned every bridge there was and I don't have anyone around that I feel 'cares' about me.  And then, when I don't feel entirely empty I just feel like I am a horrible person all of the time.  I have changed my mind about what I want to do with my life about a million times (mostly because I don't have the drive), but for a better example, I have decided to go back to school in the Fall.  The idea came to me one night, that night I applied for Financial aid, and decided on a whim that I wanted to teach High School.  Two weeks later, still wanting to go back to school, another whim came to me and I wanted to go into speech pathology in the school instead.  I get angry for no reason at all...it will last for half a day or so and then disappear. The list could go on and on and on.....

I know that a lot of the above issues can be directly related to having bipolar disorder, I am just concerned that there are too many correlations with BPD to not at least check into it.  I know it's hard to pinpoint and even harder to treat.  I just feel like maybe a different course of counseling or even meds or anything might be beneficial.  I would hate to go through life not knowing and then find out later that some things were the way they were because I didn't address the issue.
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Avatar universal
You are a good consumer to always keep questioning. What other things are you concerned about?
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