okay, so i finally went to a Dr last week to seek help for my depression...
however after spending quite a long time with her, and answering questions about things i wouldnt have ever have thought relevant enough to bring up on my own.... she thinks i have bipolar disorder
i was then sent to the counselling service as they thought i qualified for an emergency appointment as i was at risk for SIing. he also thought i am likely to have bipolar disorder aswell....they both really wanted me to go to the psychiatrist to get a formal diagnosis
they both seemed to particularly want me to get a formal diagnosis so that they could give me medication which might help, however they were worried about giving me antidepressants incase it triggered mania
im not entirely sure where im going with this, as until friday when i had the appointments, id never considered my good moods a problem. however the more i think about...the more i realise it seems to be when im in a good mood for me to get into strife (i tend to be unable to associate my actions with consequences until much later so i do thinks like spending a months rent on clothes i dont need, drinking much more, experimenting with drugs, and my sex drive goes through the roof. also things like hardly sleeping, because i get really paranoid theres someone watching me sleep)
does this sound like bipolar? the few people i have talked to have seemed relieved that i am getting help, and seem to be of the opinion that i have very intense, obvious mood swings every few weeks/months. though i tend to be in a good mood (manic?) less frequently, and for shorter periods than my depression.
i guess what im really wondering about is what i can expect from the diagnosis process, and also what kinds of medications i am likely to be on/what sort of side affects i may experience
sorry this is so long and rambly...im in a good mood atm, and cant type fast enough to keep up with my thoughts
thanks for taking the time to sort through this
xoxo
kaye
Hi. People on ryl cannot diagnose, so I suggest going to a psych. It's a good thing you went to a doctor about this, though. As far as medicine goes, it depends on which one it is. Different meds have different side affects and affect people differently. My mom has bipolar, so I kinda understand what you're going through. Good luck with everything and take care. (:
hey sorry if it sounded like i was looking for a diagnosis from here, im actually going2 a psychiatrist for a diagnosis soon
what i really meant, was what can i expect when i get there? like will they ask me lotsa questions? or get me to fill out a questionnaire? or just talk to me about stuff? im just quite nervous about it, so thought if i kinda know what to expect it might help
sorry about the confusion, im all over the place atm so not very clear
Hi. People on ryl cannot diagnose, so I suggest going to a psych. It's a good thing you went to a doctor about this, though. As far as medicine goes, it depends on which one it is. Different meds have different side affects and affect people differently. My mom has bipolar, so I kinda understand what you're going through. Good luck with everything and take care. (:
She wasn't looking for a diagnosis..she's already pretty much got one. She was just looking for advice on where to go from here and what to expect.
Your best bet is to go to this psychiatric appointment and see what happens. He may give you the necessary medication to help you with both your depression and manic episodes, along with offering you therapy alternatives - possibly group therapy, it really all depends on the individual.
If you can try and comply as much as you can with the psychiatrist as they're there to help you. If you have any questions you want to ask, write them down and take it with you so you don't forget - if you're anything like me you will get tongue tied and forget these things!
when i had my psych appt he just asked me some basic history and then a bit about my symptoms etc. their main aim is to get some sort of meds that suit you so i wouldnt expect too much out of it supportwise although i know some psych's are better than others for this.
they should then refer you for therapy but if they dont then ask because sometimes its the only way to make sure everything gets sorted for you.
The psych will ask you a lot of questions about yourself, your moods , family history etc. They will also talk to you about how you feel, sorry I can't really remember mny frist appointment with them, but they try to get an idea of how hings have been.
okay thanks guys, from what youv all said, it doesnt sound so scarey :) infact it may almost be a relief to have it all out in the open...though i may have to admit to some kind of embarrassing things
though, its sounding like itl be quite alot like my consultation with the Dr i saw, and i have to admit she was absolutely wonderful, so itl be okay if the psych isnt quite as supportive, since i now have a lovely dr on my side
iv already been referred to a therapist, though iv only had one session with him, but he seems really good too
im still quite overwhelmed by the whole idea, and tbh i was half expecting to be sent home from the drs being told to get more rest and get over it, so its a relief to have someone finally take me sersiously...though my friends have been encouraging me to seek help, so apparently its quite obvious something is wrong
i really like the idea of writing down questions to make sure i remeber, cause i always get really shy and nervous. i might also write down a couple things that i want to bring up..to see if they might be relevant. sometimes when im actually in the situation i sort of down-play the extent of the symptoms iv been experiencing because im embarrassed, but i know thats not in my best interest.
thanks so much for the support and the kind responses, it means alot
and its nice to know that other people have been in similar situations aswell lol
Hi :)
I'd ask your Dr and counsellor to write a letter to the psych you're going to see if they're not doing that already, to explain whats going on for you. That way you might not be repeating yourself so much. Writing down questions to ask and points you want to bring up is a really good idea too :) They'll probably just ask you things you've been asked before to be honest, so don't worry that it'll be anything scary.
Medication wise, the first thing they normally try you on for bipolar is lithium, it's meant to be pretty good but you need regular blood tests while you take it as there needs to be a certain level of it in your blood for it to work.
If you get a proper diagnosis it might help with your therapy too as they'll have a clearer picture of what you're going through which will make it easier for them to help you.
It sounds like you're going the right way about things and I'm glad you're getting some professional support for this, hope things start getting better for you soon!
Take care :)
I've had two bipolar diagnoses (don't ask!). It usually comes down to how often your mood switches occur. For me a manic period is once every year/few years, and last a few months. They've also told me that bipolar is usually very responsive to medication, whereas borderline personality (etc) doesn't respond well. I'm on Lithium, and tbh it's an absolute godsend. I still feel sh**ty about my life and all the cr@p I've had to deal with, but right now that is my only problem, without having to deal with the big manic blowouts I used to have.
thanks for all the feed back guys, im still kinda freaked out bout the whole thing
i have another appointment with the Dr on wednesday and was sposed to have seen the psych by the cause she wanted to start me on meds asap...but they havnt been in touch.
i guess mayb there isnt anything wrong with me and i really was just being pathetic as usual
