Bipolar Disorder Forum - Do I have Bipolar Disorder ?

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Q: Do I have Bipolar Disorder ?

asked by: rph on May 24th, 2008

New User

Hello

I'm new here just registered.
I was reading an article on a website

http://www.newsweek.com/id/137517/page/1

And i came across Bipolar Disorder (never knew anything about it before).

So i started reading the symptoms and as per what it says on this link:

http://www.newsweek.com/harvardhealth/show AZdetail.aspx?id=196§ionIndex=1

This is what the article says:

Periods of high or irritable moods are called "manic" episodes. The person becomes very active, but in a scattered and unproductive way, sometimes with painful or embarrassing consequences. Examples are spending more money than is wise or getting involved in sexual adventures that are regretted later. A person in a manic state is full of energy or very irritable, may sleep far less than normal, and may dream up grand plans that could never be carried out. The person may develop thinking that is out of step with reality — psychotic symptoms — such as false beliefs (delusions) or false perceptions (hallucinations). During manic periods, a person may run into trouble with the law. If a person has milder symptoms of mania and does not have psychotic symptoms, it is called a "hypomanic" episode.

And then in the symptoms they said the following:

During the manic phase, symptoms can include:

High level of energy and activity **
Irritable mood **
Decreased need for sleep **
Exaggerated, puffed-up self-esteem**
Rapid or "pressured" speech
Rapid thoughts **
Tendency to be easily distracted **
Increased recklessness
False beliefs (delusions) or false perceptions** (hallucinations)

During elated moods, a person may have delusions of grandeur, while irritable moods are often accompanied by paranoid or suspicious feelings**.

During a depressive period, symptoms may include:

Distinctly low or irritable mood **
Loss of interest or pleasure **
Eating more or less than normal **
Gaining or losing weight **
Sleeping more or less than normal **
Appearing slowed or agitated **
Fatigue and loss of energy **
Feeling worthless or guilty **
Poor concentration **

Indecisiveness
Thoughts of death, suicide attempts or plans

It felt like it was talking about me in several issues. I almost feel all the things that are mentioned, does that mean i have bipolar disorder ???

The things I have marked with “**” are mainly what I feel. I never had suicide thoughts at all though.

I'm 27 years old and I work for a company as a consultant.

Now the thing that bothers me mostly is the inability to concentrate on my work and i'm distracted all the time. I'm always thinking about things that are not work related about buying stuff and dreaming things...

So does that mean I have Bipolar Disorder???

Thanks.

Replies(6)

antigone

replied on May 24th, 2008

Extremely eHealthy

You should consider going to see a psychiatrist and getting evaluated for bipolar disorder if these symptoms are consistent with your moods. Bipolar disorder causes mood swings. These moods swings can be mild to severe. This is a spectrum disorder meaning the symptoms can range from severe to mild depending upon each person. Medication can help to regain control over the moods and lessen the symptoms that result. There is strong medical and scientific evidence that suggests these moods swings are a result of a chemical imbalance with the neurotransmitters in the brain. There is no cure for bipolar disorder. It is managed with medication and therapy. If you are concerned you should see a doctor to determine if you have any disorder. All the best.

diamondsz

replied on May 29th, 2008

Extremely eHealthy

What you have to becarful of is that ADHD and bipolar share similar charactheristics, you can have ADHD or BP but you really need to see a doctor to get a final diagnoses.

lala12

replied on June 15th, 2008

New User

See a doc.

Looks like you put asterisks next to everything on the list except suicidal thoughts, recklessness, and pressured speech. These do tend to be more extreme symptoms, as not all depressed people want to kill themselves, sometimes its more of just a feeling of not wanting to be here. And recklessness is often an acting out of the grandiose thoughts that might plague you. (i.e. I just have to buy that "thing" so I can do this "project" that will make all the difference for "so and so")

As far as pressured speech, would your friends agree with you? Sometimes it's hard to recognize your own mannerisms. Pressured speech could manifest itself you feel an urge to interrupt others, and it can be hard to listen since you have so many of your own good ideas to share.

My understanding of BP is it is a progressive disease, and can get worse if left untreated. And life stressors can be a trigger to make things worse. As a consultant (I was one), you likely travel a lot, keep long hours, and get involved in stressful situations at work. Watch out for this. Make sure you maintain good sleep patterns. I've seen how lack of sleep can cause someone to get manic.

Watch out for your diet too. I just read about MSG and NutraSweet as a neurotoxin. So if you're on the road a lot, pay attention to many fast food lunches, sugar-free lattes, diet sodas.

bbey31

replied on August 6th, 2008

New User

i need to know

Hi, first of all i'm sorry if my English language is bad.

Straight to the point. lately i feel like i'm being bad person. I always got mad to anything, i feel sad, suddenly i cry because i feel lonely, useless and i feel empty. people say that i'm modest person, and i admit that. but lately i can't control my feeling and my mood, i always angry for no reason and sometime it hurt people all around me especially my family.

at first i think that its because all of my problem but i realize that my problem it's not that big a deal to make me like this, i can handle my problem.

and also sometime i'm talking to someone that inside of me, not a person just someone else inside of me. I always think negative to people around me, my family, friends and i'm not easily trust people. because in my mind people always tell lies to me. I can't think positive to people or anything that happend in my life.

i'm sorry if u can't understand what i mean, i just got confused and stress about this. But i have a feeling that something happening to me, mentally.
i just want to know that if possible that i have bipolar disorder or not?

i hope you can help me to figure this out. Thank you so much.

antigone

replied on August 10th, 2008

Extremely eHealthy

bbey31 you should consult with a doctor about your moods. Some of what you describe suggests depression. A psychiatrist can help you sort out what is going on. Mental health disorders can be treated. Try to find a psychiatrist and get evaluated.

NightStar

replied on August 11th, 2008

Experienced User

Could be a mood disorder you should make an appointment as soon as possible. Tell them everything you have been feeling they will start you out on a med, they may need to take blood work depending on what they try. It might not work at first they may need to have you come in for adjustments. It might take a bit of time to get this under control. Good luck and take care.

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