Bipolar diagnosis experience

[violicorn]

Has anyone here been diagnosed? How did it come about? If it was through GP what are they like more generally?

I’m fairly confident that I have bipolar disorder and have been confident for years but have never bothered seeking help because I forget about it (I stop wallowing and worrying and become ‘a new person’) soon after the realisation. This time I’ve very nearly totally fucked my life up on an ‘up’ episode and I’ve had enough. But my gp surgery is awful and I don’t know what to do.

Diagnosed around 20 years ago in hospital, I’d never heard of it and it came as a total shock. Still not convinced it’s the best explanation for me but it’s stuck, with subsequent psychiatrists reluctant to explore alternatives.

Your gp will probably need to refer you to a psychiatrist. Good luck!

My DH has a diagnosis of bipolar, type 2. He had had periods of depression occasionally since early teenager years, and had been on ADs on and and off for years, but had never previously been involved with any MH professionals. He saw the GP while very depressed, and the GP decided there might be more to it than "just" depression, and referred him. I believe there was some initial assessment, which lead to proper long assessment with a psychiatrist. I believe it was a year of appointments with her, until he was finally diagnosed.

He's doing very well, has medication that suits him, and has had some counselling, too, to help him cope with it, and his work have been brilliant. He also found our local Bipolar UK support meetings a really good place to chat with others with more experience with the diagnosis. I'm very proud how well he's been looking after himself, even if things are sometimes obviously still hard for him.