Bipolar diagnosis

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Any experience of this?

I've had depression since early teenage years, officially diagnosed several years ago and took anti depressants for a couple of years for it. Over the last couple of years I've realised that I probably have bipolar, I'm at the point where I can no long try to control it/live like this anymore as I'm exhausted with it, the highs and low are insane and can happen several time at day at the moment, I can go from having suicidal thoughts and total optimism for life several times in one day.

What is people experience of being diagnosed? Ideally I want to walk into the Doctors office say I have bipolar and them send me off with some tablets that will drastically even my moods out, in reality is it a long drawn out process? I don't think I can go through with that at the moment.

Bump! Anyone about?

No experience of this but have you been to GP yet? Think you probably need to start there and keep on at them until they listen.

Thanks for reply. No I haven't been yet, haven't felt like I can or felt like I've been managing but today it's all come to a head and I think I really need to, just feeling anxious about it and wondering what the next step would be, don't think I could bear loads of questions or suggestion of counselling at the moment.

I can only speak from what happened to me, but I got referred to Adult mental health services by my GP (who is fab) went from anxiety, OCD traits and depression and then it kept changing, finally got a diagnoises (at my worse) of GAD, rapid cycling bipolar and OCD. Next month a new shrink and got mild depression and slight anxiety.

If you can afford go private and see the same person everytime. They will give a better idea of what you are and you are not based on that

Thanks @sobeyondthehills sound like an awful experience, that's what I'm worried about, can't afford to go private really as feel I can't justify the expense.

It was and it wasn't, I have condensed a year worth of treatment, I did go through 5 different people as well.

However when I first had help for mental health problems I was in a different county (five minutes drive from where I live now) and I saw the same guy every week, then every two weeks and then every month. I was really sad when he discharged me although I also knew it was time.

I honestly think it is a postcode lottery, however at that point our main focus was the anxiety whereas this time round it was for the highs and low moods

Its definately worth speaking to your GP, they will likely refer you to a psychiatrist for formal assessment. Unfortunately with mental health disgnosis often overlap each other which can mean different diagnoses from different people or changing diagnoses over time as they learn more about you. On the plus side though a lot of mental health seems to be about treating the symptoms regardless of the diagnosis and for many people bipolar, if thats what it is can be effectively managed, so it if definately worth taking this next step to get properly assessed.