postpartum depression vs. bipolar

[dindinsmom]

I am so confused! Let's start at the beginning.  At approximately age 8 i was diagnosed with ADHD.  Age 27 (currently) i have a baby and immediately i experience "the baby blues" i went two weeks later to my practitioner who diagnosed me with severe postpartum depression. My husband works away and is only home about 1 week a month.  He left the day after I got home from the hospital so i was alone with a 3 year old and a newborn.  My mom said she would help me if i went to her house but she just was too tired to come and help.  I'm essentially on my own.  I've been in therapy and just saw a psychiatrist (3 months postpartum) who thinks one possible scenario is that shortly after i had the baby i had a breakdown of sorts.  a switch was turned on (bipolar) and now i have that triggered by postpartum.  So was I never ADHD to begin with, a misdiagnosis or can you really just become bipolar one day?  I'm being scheduled for psychological testing.  Are things different now that they can make a   make a proper ADHD or bipolar disorder?

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

personally I do not think the diagnosis is an important element in your treatment.  You have an extremely difficult situation with her husband away and two children in some question about your support from her mother.  That is enough to make anybody depressed.  I would address those issues first and see if you can create any better support during this critical period of motherhood.  I would not worry about the diagnostic label.

[Jaquta]

To my knowledge psychiatry is still relatively subjective and is dependent on others observations and biases.

I think that as an adult that you will be better able to describe your personal experiences (thoughts and feelings, etc) and that this information will allow someone to make a more accurate diagnosis.

I think that people have traits which may predispose them to developing certain illnesses and that sometimes a significant event can trigger that illness.

Those diagnostic questions rarely have a straight-forward answer and people can go crazy just trying to understand.  Sometimes the answers become apparent during treatment and recovery but sometimes they don't.

I think the doctor here believes that labels are extremely damaging and from that perspective it would be more effective to look at addressing symptoms.

Therapy can be a good place to sort out any confusion or internal conflict.

Good luck with this and your family.