I've been told by a couple of friends that they think i might be bipolar...am going to the doctors on friday because i'm beginning to worry about my mental/emotional state as well....alomst like i'm looking at myself from outside...
any suggestions on what to say?
am thinking of trying to find a friend to go with me...do you think it might be a good idea?
this is the first time i've really even considered the possibility i might have an actual problem so any helpful suggestions would be welcome
Everyone needs someone to lean on, so lets stand in a circle and all lean on each other. That way no one will fall down.
Well for a start I wouldn't go in and say "I think I'm bipolar". Leave the diagnosing to the doctor, you just have to tell him what your symptoms are. If you're nervous about it maybe right a list of bullet points. Having a friend with you might be useful, but then equally may be a hindrance, it depends on your friends relationship with you. If there are things your friends don't know, e.g suicidal thoughts or self harm, then you either would need to tell your friend beforehand so they weren't surprised when you brought it up at the doctors, or not tell them.
As much as they are your friends, I wouldn't trust them to suggest you had a mental illness. You're still a teenager & your hormones & things will be all over the place, it could just be that, i still have awful mood swings which aren't mental illness but my brain still growing, so try not to worry yourself.
what concerns you about your behavior that you feel would be necessary to bring up to a doctor? as, like Heidi said, you can't just walk in saying "I think i'm bipolar". But good luck.
i'm all over the place - i can wake up in the morning feeling amazingly hyper and ready for whatever the day throws at me and by the end of the day i can be really low.
i self harmed for a year or so on and off and spent a lot of that time feeling suicidal at times, whereas at other times during that year i would be as high as a kite, confident happy and enjoying life. i dont seem to do calm at all...my life seems to either be fast lane constantly or quite bad depression, anger and self hatred...
i'm worried about going back to self harm if i have another really bad depression episode because i've been free of it for several months now..but i can feel it beginning to creep back that way...
to an extent i've always had mood swings..or at least for as far back as i remember
when i'm feeling good i seem to have abundent amounts of energy but when i feel low i just want to hide in a corner and cry...and atm i find myself starting to cry for no real reason except that i'm just feeling low and feel full of self hatred...
Everyone needs someone to lean on, so lets stand in a circle and all lean on each other. That way no one will fall down.
I agree with Heidi, write down all of the symptoms you are experiencing and mention them to your doctor. He may or may not give you a diagnosis, chances are he'll either want to see you a few more times or refer you to a psychiatrist for an assessment.
Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back, everything is different…
you once called your brain a hard drive, well say hello to the virus.
Sounds like maybe something is draining your energy - stress levels, for example. Do you always wake up full of energy?
Seems to me that you find it hard to keep still - maybe you're worried what you'll find in the stillness?
All the best for seeing your doc. :)
If I were you, I'd be looking more at getting some counselling or therapy to help explore what's going on, before looking for any medical based diagnosis.
i dont always wake up full of energy...sometimes it can be the other way round..and sometimes i feel high for several days before it switches...or the other way round
Everyone needs someone to lean on, so lets stand in a circle and all lean on each other. That way no one will fall down.
Hello,
i agree with everyone else in the way that no one here can diagnose you. and i wouldnt advise you say to yourself that you think you have Bi-Polar. there are a lot of symptoms of that illness that you dont mention. your still young and mood swings could be cause by a number of things, a mood disorder could be one of them (there are other mood disorders other than bi-polar that causes shifts in moods) you also have some personatily disorders that cause shifts in moods. out with mental health spectrum you have physical illnesses that cause mood swings and what your discribing could be mearly a part of normal human development or it could be caused by a whole host of illnesses.
all you can do at this point is go into your doc appointment and be ready to sit down and discuss your symptoms, how there are affecting you and take it from there.
had doctors this morning - she's asked me to get an appointment and arrange sessions with the uni councelling team, and to have another appointment with her in a couple of weeks so she can keep an eye on me and get to know me better...she mentioned meds but wants to keep them 'in the cupboard' until she is certain i need them...so appart from the fact it means i have to talk to yet more people about my issues and such, which always makes me feel ill and nervous it seems to have gone alright...still not feeling 100% about having opened up to a new person about stuff but beginning to feel a bit better now...appointment was at 9.20...she gave me a load of sheets and leaflets about healthy eating helping with depression and the services available on campus etc which i guess is a good thing, but i dunno, a part of me still feels really uncomfortable about it all and am still scared about facing up to myself and dealing with things...
Everyone needs someone to lean on, so lets stand in a circle and all lean on each other. That way no one will fall down.
well done on going to the appointment. its hard at the start to open up and be honest but it gets easier as you build trust with your doctor. keep being honest as you possibly can.
I agree with Heidi, write down all of the symptoms you are experiencing and mention them to your doctor. He may or may not give you a diagnosis, chances are he'll either want to see you a few more times or refer you to a psychiatrist for an assessment.
^This^
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dolphin
i'm all over the place - i can wake up in the morning feeling amazingly hyper and ready for whatever the day throws at me and by the end of the day i can be really low.
i self harmed for a year or so on and off and spent a lot of that time feeling suicidal at times, whereas at other times during that year i would be as high as a kite, confident happy and enjoying life. i dont seem to do calm at all...my life seems to either be fast lane constantly or quite bad depression, anger and self hatred...
i'm worried about going back to self harm if i have another really bad depression episode because i've been free of it for several months now..but i can feel it beginning to creep back that way...
to an extent i've always had mood swings..or at least for as far back as i remember
when i'm feeling good i seem to have abundent amounts of energy but when i feel low i just want to hide in a corner and cry...and atm i find myself starting to cry for no real reason except that i'm just feeling low and feel full of self hatred...
To be honest, as others have said, these can be symptoms of many things, including not having a mental illness at all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by boobie
Hello,
i agree with everyone else in the way that no one here can diagnose you. and i wouldnt advise you say to yourself that you think you have Bi-Polar. there are a lot of symptoms of that illness that you dont mention. your still young and mood swings could be cause by a number of things, a mood disorder could be one of them (there are other mood disorders other than bi-polar that causes shifts in moods) you also have some personatily disorders that cause shifts in moods. out with mental health spectrum you have physical illnesses that cause mood swings and what your discribing could be mearly a part of normal human development or it could be caused by a whole host of illnesses.
Also this, I have many of the symptoms you describe but I am not bi-polar, I have a pd.
I'm glad you went to your appointment and was so open with the dr. The dr sounds really helpful, pointing you in the direction of some help whilst also wanting to help you herself.
Re the opening up thing, I am terrible at it. However, I am much better than I used to be. Firstly I started opening up on here which gave me the confidence (and the support) to open up to my then cpn and psych. Now, I am in a 1 day a week TC, which requires another level of openness, which I am learning. It is really difficult but it can be done, becoming more open is a gradual process but you have made a great start.
xxx
"Everything is possible through Christ, who gives me strength". Phillipians 4:13
thanks guys, had an appointment with the councellor this morning, then had to go have a cry coz i felt so crappy about talking it all out. they're arranging a regular appointment for me so i can have sessions with the same councellor for about 8 weeks. going back to see the doctor again next week.........not sure how i feel about it but i know i have to go and try and sort things out
Everyone needs someone to lean on, so lets stand in a circle and all lean on each other. That way no one will fall down.
