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I have reason to believe I may suffer from bipolar disorder

But I'd like some sort of confirmation of it. Just so I know for sure what I'm dealing with.

For quite a while (at least a couple of years) I've been experiencing extreme emotions. I feel like every emotion I feel is over the top, be it anger, sadness, lust, laughter....but in general I feel quite low emotionally.

'How I'm feeling' is almost always on my mind. I constantly worry about death, and the threat of. Hearing about potential threats (Nuclear attacks, the apparent world's end of 2012) cause me to feel really anxious, and even attempting to watch the news events of the world causes me to feel really 'depressed'. And any time I suffer a very minor set back (for example, spilling a drink or failing to pluck up the courage to ask a girl for her number) I experience an overwhelming feeling of failure and pointlessness. "Nothing ever goes well for me", "I can't do anything right" etc.

I'm an 18 year old male, so to be abnormally emotional doesn't bode well in terms of social acceptance, and therefore I really believe people struggle to connect with me on my level, and I doubt anyone I know understands why my emotions are so extreme and varied. Although not initially so serious, I'm finding that my problems are starting to seriously interfere with my ability to function adequately, as not only do I spend unusual amount of times worrying and considering my emotions, I'm nearly always flat in terms of motivation so I do not generally get a lot of college work done.

I hear that it is very difficult to 'diagnose' bipolar disorder, but after reading up a bit and considering my symptoms I believe this is the most likely cause for them.

I'd appreciate your thoughts,

hitlocis.
Best Answer
1398919 tn?1293841604
Hi:
I was misdiagnosed at one time with bipolar because of some family history. As a social worker who lives with a diagnosis of major depression, I have a great deal of sympathy for what you are going through.

But you need a competant psychatric diagnotician to go into detail with you about your symptoms. a full exam should take about an hour.

I just want to want you to be careful of another very dangerous mental illness I learned about in my freshman psychology class. It's called;

MEDICAL STUDENT'S SYNDROME

Medical students (or lay people) read a list of symptoms and "diagnose' themselves with all kinds of things, from "beri-beri" to "the Plague". It sounds funny, but it's serious. It's a form of anxiety, and the sufferer often self medicates inappropriately.

Bi-polar is marked by great highs and impulsive behavior. Part of my misdiagnosis was because the psychiatrist examining me didn't think to ask me about my alcohol intake. Actually, I'm a periodic alcoholic (the great highs with impulsive behavior) (in recovery) with major depression. The two wee unrelated, but I was so young, the inexperienced psychiatrist didn't think to examine me for alcoholism.

Good luck, buddy, and stay in touch.

Ike
4 Responses
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Avatar universal
i understand what you are going threw i have bipolar and it does not run in my family but one minute i am happy running around and the next i am angry hate the world snapping at people,you do need to see someone to help you because if you do have bipolar it is best to get a medicine to help your chemical imbalances if you do have it thats all i can say sorry if i didnt help much but if you do have any questions feel free to ask!
Helpful - 0
1394203 tn?1280288148
hello i agree with the last member u need to get in to see someone about it i know were u r coming from i have been dx bi-polar since early teens and it runs in my family but there r also other dx that have the same symptoms it is not an easy thing to live with when u dont understand any kind of medical problem my advise with having a friend rite now dealing with the same thing u r go talk to someone he went to his family doc and they gave him something to help his moods till he can get in to see someone
  i also wanted to say im proud of u for being 18 and realizing u have a problem if its just stress r what ever there r not many ppl that will admit to that so kudos to u
Helpful - 0
1174869 tn?1441311668
Hi, I'm sorry to hear you have been suffering, I know what its like. As you mentioned bi-polar is very difficult to diagnose as it can interlink with other causes such alike bpd and major depression or other mood disorders. This is why I would recommend going to your local GP and being referred to a psychiatrist for a full evaluation as he would be the only one that would be able to diagnose the illness. However saying this any major mood jumps do indicate bi-polar. I'm sorry I could not help you anymore. The best thing would be to be referred to a psychiatrist for treatment and diagnosis.
Helpful - 0
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