I think I have bipolar

[Emzbyrne]

Any advice would be great from people who suffer from bipolar. I have suffered with many depressive episodes that interfere with my life and family, so bad are these episodes that i cannot function as normal. I also have strange episodes of utter excitement with weird creative moments and spend a lot. There are so many other things such as racing thoughts where I feel my head is going to explode! My mum is pretty convinced I have bipolar and so are other people close to me. Stupidly I never followed up on the counselling and have requested to see someone now to get a proper diagnosis. Any advice on how I can voice my concerns would be great.

[Emzbyrne]

Thank u very much. It's helpful to know that I'm not alone. The mood tracker has been great and Im shocked at how my moods shift throughout the day! I do want help because it does feel like a death sentence when I'm down. Having another down day today so your positive words are a huge help. Thank u again :)

[Anneinside]

It is good that you are getting help now. There are two things you can do, one is to use the mood tracker to show your mental health specialist. The other (which could be done on mood tracker too) is to keep a journal of what is happening to and around you. I would suggest a written journal just because you can take it with you. To tell the psychiatrist (pdoc) or psychologist (tdoc) about what is happening with you then you can highlight the symptoms you have written in your journal. Also, the pdoc/tdoc will take a history from you and will ask you questions.

[anothernana]

I grew up with a mother who was bipolar and I honestly think had someone taken the time to get me diagnosed in my early years I too would have been diagnosed as BP back then. However, it was only about 8 years ago that I was diagnosed and it turned out to be Major Depressive Disorder.
I have a grandson with early onset BP that I am raising, and I am pretty sure my youngest daughter (his mom) is BP, and I know my oldest daughter is BP, she has been diagnosed.
It is not a death sentence, but it can be if you don't get some meds and get treatment. Believe it or not you are in a group of some very famous people, of whom I can't name right off the top of my head, but it's pretty awesome. Do yourself a great big favor and get help. You will be glad you did when you level off and start doing well!