Bipolar disorder, is often not recognized as an illness, and people may suffer for years before it is properly diagnosed and treated and it is more likely to affect the children of parents who have the illness.

You've mentioned that you keep your self busy to avoid negative thoughts.
Do you feel full of energy at that moment?
Do you have periods when you feel increased energy, activity, and restlessness?
Do you found yourself extremely irritable sometimes?
Are there days when you have provocative, intrusive, or aggressive behavior?

Probably, you doctor is thinking for you that you may have bipolar II disorder.
It's a form of bipolar disorder when people never develop severe mania but instead experience milder episodes of hypomania that alternate with depression.

Did your doctor mentioned the need to monitors your symptom for a week or two?

No.. I don't think I ever feel full of energy, but I am very restless and extremely irritable with mood swings. And yes I have aggressive behavior days... some worse than others. And no my doctor didn't mention monitoring my symptoms. Other things I have noticed, is I don't like being around alot of noise anymore.... it sends me into a frenzy. About provocative behavior, I had plenty of them days when I was younger... Now I don't even care about the things I once enjoyed...
If it is bipolar 2 ..how do they treat it? Thanks for answering my questions.

Bipolar is diagnosed jsut like depression is: psychiatrists have a book called the DSM IV that has lists of characteriststics that must be present in order for each illness to be diagnosed. The quick and dirty definition for bipolar is "extreme highs and lows." But, as many people who HAVE bipolar can tell you, it is WAY more complicated than that.

Restlessness and irritibility with mood swings coudl be EITHER bipolar I or II. The trouble is that the "highs" can be what they call "dysphoric" which means NOT up, but exactly irritible and agitated as you describe. And of course you know the mood swings go with the whole thing. Aggressiveness CAN be a part of it, but coupled with your intolerance of noises lately, I would want to check with a doctor. There are other disorders in which these are a problem--the area I'm thinking of is the autism spectrum. People with autism often have great sensitivity to physical stimuli such as sound, and will even cover their ears when they hear loud noises. It is possible to be a functioning person who has autism or another illness related to it. Of course, there is much more to that...I jsut picked up on those two things kind of as an example, because the sensitivity to noises is not something I have ever known to be related to bipolar.

Generally Bipolar II is treated by giving an antidepressant, a mood stabilizer, and often an atypical antipsychotic (helps with mood stabilization.) Of course their are TONS of variations on the theme. The main thing is if all this is interfering with your day to day functioning. Are you able to get up and go to school or work and get done the things you need to do? If you can't, you really need to try to see a doctor about it. And MandMS has a good point. Try to keep a record for a couple weeks of symptoms--you can jsut jot down a few things--aggresive today, or so down I couldnt' get out of bed. Or it coudl include incidents that occur surrounding how you felt. But this will really help any doctor you see to determine what is going on with you.

Good luck.

I went to the Doctor today.. He really didn't listen to what I was telling him. That makes me mad as hell. I told him I had been on Wellbutrin before and it didn't work and guess what the hell he wrote out. Wellbutrin.. nothing for anything else. I just wanted to slap his head off. It really took alot for me to get out of my house and go to the doctor. Then they don't listen. My chest started feeling tight as soon as he gave me the prescription. I know that crap don't help me. So, it was a wasted trip. I need help now.. I don't have time for trial and error. I guess they think you want drugs or something... I don't do any form of drugs. I don't even drink alcohol. I just want to feel better. I guess I will have to find another Doctor. I'm just really aggrivated right now. Thanks for all the replies.

How long you are taking Wellbutrin?
Do you take some other meds?
I understand your disappointment and angry.
But, please, don't let the doctor's attitude affects your feelings and mood too much.
I agree with you that most of the time doctors don't listen.
So, it's right decision to seek a second opinion.
I admire you for your will and energy to find the right doctor and the right therapy.

Best wishes!
Marija

I just turned 18 yesterday and have been diagnosed for about 4 year. I started showing signs very early on. It took me 4 trips and about 20 differen't anit-depressants t'll i figured out what was going on with me. If your moods fit the symptoms of bipolar/ manic depression they diagnose you with it. You can find a lot of books about it.

Do you have little or no dream recall?
Are you experiencing poor morning appetite and tendency to skip breakfast?
Do you have reading or writing difficulties (e.g. dyslexia)?
Do you feel much higher capability and alertness in the evening, compared to mornings?

I dream alot. I am usually hungry about dinner time every day. I don't have reading or writing problems and I do feel more alert in the evenings. I don't understant why he just wanted to write something I have already had that didn't work. I was on Welbutrin for 6 months with no help from it. He could have at least tried something different.

MandMs,
i have all of those things you listed. what does that mean?

sadie1,
i think diagnosis comes about in several ways. mine was dealing with PTSD to chronic major depressive disorder to bipolar 1. it's confusing though because your body is constantly and chemically being changed and manipulated. i was diagnosed a little over a week ago after having 1, that i can recall, manic episode. i'm almost 33 and it wants to ruin me. but i refuse to let it!!! i'm more of a ill mood manic person too.

i don't understand why he would keep you on the same medicine if he knew it didn't work. i understand what it feels like to be a lab rat, so to speak. keep searching for a better dr or one that you connect with. it's hard to trust dr's because of crap like this.

People with bipolar disorder actually spend much more time in a depressive episode than in a manic episode (time spent depressed is 2 or 3 times more common than that spent in a manic state) and the symptoms of clinical depression and bipolar depression can be very similar, that's why so many people with bipolar disorder report being diagnosed first with clinical depression instead of bipolar disorder.

Just wanted to mention that it is actually normal to not feel well. Ask 10 people around you how they feel, and check your point of reference as to what is actually "normal".

Most people feel discontent, sad, stressed, angry, dissapointed, disinterested, and have trouble sleeping at some point in their life. Does that mean that everyone is bipolar?

No, it just means that we are human. If taking anti-depressants makes you feel better in the short term, it may actually cause more neural brain damage in the long run than you may be aware of. Some known side effects of withdrawal from anti-depressants includes suicidal thinking.

Solutions to emotional problems in life don't have to come in the form of a diagnosis or a pill. Try to talk to someone who is close to you to see what aspects of your life may be causing the behaviours you describe rather than try to blame your chemical makeup for the way you feel.

I was diagnosed as Bipolar, ADHD, and many other things for many years. None of them turned out to be true.

All the best.
Daniel

The questions I asked sadie1 and you answered positively to all of them, are linked to something that can be considered as subtype of bipolar disorder.
I came to some info about it after I got the information from sadie1 that a lot of noises sends her into a frenzy.

I don't wanna give unbiased conclusion, so asking few more questions will be helpful.
Do you have white spots on finger nails, pale and dry skin with poor tanning and burning easily in sun?
Are you sensitivity to bright light?
Do you usually have poor ability to cope with stress?
are you experiencing emotional outbursts?
Are you argumentative?
Are you prone to dramatic reactions?
Do you feel anxiousness?
Do you have poor short term memory?
Do you have abnormal body fat distribution (e.g. protruding abdomen)?
Are you suffering from sleep deprivation?

Best wishes!
Marija

no worries, feel free. quite used to questions at this stage

nails - are not thick, sometimes they look a bit off but mostly they are normal.

i'm a little pail and i have freckles. i do ok in the sun. i burn the first time out but not in certain areas of my body... those tan. i tan easily

yes, sensitive to bright light

i thought i had great coping skills but lately i know that i'm not coping with several things. ugh.

outbursts - yes

argumentative - yes

dramatic reactions - yes

anxious - yes

memory problems - yes, both... i think

YES, my abdomen is crazy big. it started hurting just a while ago. it got bigger over night. keep in mind i had major abdominal surgery oct. 19. but swelling should be gone by now..... i just know it's not from surgery. it is hard to breath it's so big. and i'm a size 2!

sleep - i thought the seroquel would help but it really doesn't for very long. i take 600mg at night.

Pyroluria (originally known as malvaria) is a genetic condition resulting in an abnormality in hemoglobin synthesis. People with pyroluria produce excess amounts of a byproduct from hemoglobin synthesis. In these people an excess amount of pyrrole is found in the urine. 18%of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder have Pyroluria.
http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/tes timonials/bipolar4.htm
http://www.nutritional-healing.com.au/cont ent/condition.php?condition=Bipolar Disord er
look under Pyrrole Disorder or Pyroluria

Sadie 1,

You have the right to refuse medication. Either go back (or call) the same doctor and tell him you demand a different approach in ur treatment or go to another doctor til u find the one that suits u. Trust me having a doctor u like and approve of means a lot if u are willing to get help, ur recovery is not overnight it may take time and ur psychiatrist is going to be part of it, so I suggest first u find a psychiatrist u like and will listen to.

Another thing is that there are many different types of bipolar disorder. U may hear I and II but there are more then that and sometimes u may have another disorder along with that. Most people are mis diagnosed at first. To me it sounds like depression with anger, not necessarily bipolar. Be careful with that because if u tell a doctor u may be bipolar and he gives u bipolar medicines then u might get worse. Medicine for bipolar are downers (mood stablelizers)because most with it have manic episodes. If u are already down then u will be even more down. For bipolar people in their depression state they give them antidepressant. Just ask for another anti depressant.
I was diagnosed with many things before I actually got my right diagnosis. Finally at 19-20 years old I found out I was bipolar with psychotic features (manic psychosis) bassically borderline schitzo. I hate my meds antipsychotics. There is more to bipolar then anger and depression there are the racing thoughts, compulsive feelings, sometimes halucinations, thinking u are untouchable, not sleeping or eating for days, thinking u have some type of power u don't.

You also have the right to find a different doctor, one who you trust and you really believe will help you!

Do you see a general doctor or an actual psychiatrist?