Ahh im sorry but i really need to get something off my chest. And need some advice. Today I went to see one of my therapists and he told me that I may have a personality problem/disorder or bipolar ! does anyone know what these are and what it means because im totally baffled and do not really agree with what they are saying, if anyone knows what thesse are please can you reply.
i know, becus i have bipolar disorder + went through all those baffled stages when they don't tell you anything.
bipolar disorder is when you have extreme changes in emotional patterns which can be called highs + lows, but mostly are called manic stages (when your really focused, energetic + although not always, can make you really happy) + depressions (where you go into stages of deep depression. evryone disagnosed with this disorder has there own way of showin it + stuff. so some people might go on impulse spending-sprees whereas some might not sleep for days on end + focus ALOT on there work + things like that, during there manic stages. depressions usually manifest themselves similarly across the rage of bipolar sufferers, so it can be really hard even to get out of bed + can feel as it theres a sort of massive wall between them + evryone around them, making it really difficult to reach out to others for help (which is why a lot of these people need medication to balance these moods correctly).
there are a few split personality disorders i think. the only one i've actually heard of (becus the doctors thought i had it at first) was DID (disassociative identity disorder) where sufferers display certain characteristics or two or more personalitys at different times. less severe cases can be like 2 personalitys and they one which is, in a sense, 'made up' only comes out in times where the sufferer is experiencing a certain strong emotion -so they may have been neglected as a child + made up an imaginary friend to keep them company for when they were alone for long periods of time + this 'friend' then made its way into the childs personality + the couldnt let it go. then whenever they felt lonely or neglected, this personality might come out. stuff like that.
i hope that helped hun. don't worry too much. they are trying to help you. maddi x
[= littlesheep adopted me + LolaStar is my buddy [=
personality disorders don't necessarily mean you have split personality. there are eight or so personality disorders, which range from dependant personality disorder (you have trouble being independant) to schizoaffective personality disorder (like schizophrenia, but not quite) to borderline personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder. i'm not sure if dissociative disorder (of any type) is a personality disorder. its a continuum of dissociation.
at one end you have normal dissociation (getting lost in a book), on the other, you have dissociative identity disorder, which used to be known as multiple personality disorder. there are other disorders in between those two.
i'm currently running around with the diagnosis of bi-polar disorder with psychotic symptoms, which is not a personality disorder (at least it wasn't last time i checked), for official purposes. they don't really know what to call me at them moment, its just the closest to what they think is wrong with me most of the time, but i don't really fit in that box.
i wouldn't worry so much about the names. i know this is difficult cos i was obsessed for a while about wanting a "label". but in the long run, its only the treatment that matters. you know your symptoms, you know what they do to you, they know how to treat it.
personality disorders are generally treated with psychotherapy of some sort, with the possiblity of medication to support you thru the therapy, as they are considered to be mental rather than physical or chemical. bipolar on the other hand, is generally treated with medication as its considered to be a chemical imbalance in the brain.
honestly, sometimes being 'labelled' is a pain in the bum. better to say i have a mental illness than i am psychotic. less stigma. for official purposes its only a uncomprehensible illness on a piece of paper so they can give you meds or benefits. it doesn't define who you are. don't let it try to define you.
hope that makes you feel better.
Jen hun, remember your "Therapist" ( we both know who you're talking about) is not qualified to make a final diagnosis- only your psychiatrist can do that.
As for PD, you can join me because they have told me that so you're not alone! I would suggest you ask our GP because she will be able to explain but basically:
Bipolar is where you can rapidly swing between moods of extreme mania and extreme depression. If you have a look on the Mind website or College of Royal Psychiatrists website under their "INFORMATION" or "mental health" section, they have leaflets about personality disorders and about bipolar explained very nice and simply in easy language!
Personality disorder as said above comes in lots of different varieties. The way they explained it to me was that you possess an eduring set of characteristics that make life difficult for you.
I know it must be quite scary for you, but remember diagnosis is only a label what matters is helping you find a way to get better and deal with whatever is going on in your head. Talk to our GP, she will explain and have a look at the Mind and RPsych websites.
xxx
the only thing i can add is that although diagnoses are horrible at leaast now you can have treatment for them and learn how to cope with that specific illness.
(sorry if you cant make sense of that)
If it helps, I'm on the dissociative identity-PTSD-borderline continuum. [Although I certainly don't have Bipolar.] You're welcome to ask me any specific questions. :)
