Anyone have experience with bipolar?

[BippityBoppity87]

Sorry, already posted this on another thread, but I would be greatful for answers!

There had been mention of a bipolar diagnosis, don't know what to do. Ok I was a bit hyper in therapy today, but I'm just happy. I have to fill out a mood/depression chart thing and I have honestly had nothing to grumble about the past few weeks.

I've picked up more shifts at work, I don't need as much sleep, my spending has been a bit bad ok, I'll admit that, but I'm not in huge debt or anything. I get by. My DP said I sounded hyper on the phone after I left CBT this morning, but I was just being chatty? Nothing wrong with being a bit happy and chatty surely!

Does anyone have any experience of this?

Hiya, sounds like hypomania. True mania needs intervention to stop you wrecking your life. What has made you feel happy? I have bipolar and mania is induced by antidepressants mainly. Or no sleep.
Be careful of not being influenced by the mention of a diagnosis. Don't let it affect how you behave, or they cannot get a true insight and get appropriate treatment-not saying you are btw!
They will want to get an impression of you over time. There is nothing you can 'do'-just go along with the process and be yourself. Are you the person on the hospital thread who said 4 different diagnoses have been mentioned so far? That must feel quite overwhelming. Don't try and question what it is or isn't, that will come out in time. xx

Thank you for the response. Yes that was me on the other thread.

I don't know what made me happy, when I start taking on too many things at once and I'm rushing about, adrenaline kicks in and I get butterflies in my stomach and I can't calm down. It can be a bit unnerving at the same time if that makes sense? Like built up nervous energy?

Usually happens when I've had about 2/3 hours sleep and a busy day.

When I first started taking sertraline a couple of months ago, for the first couple of weeks it sent me through the roof. Really bad. I thought I was the bees knees. Then I crashed again and it was horrible.

I thought it had calmed down now but I seem to be on the up again.

Well I don't do internet diagnosis Bippity but it sounds a possibility. Over time my episodes became more severe, depression lasted longer, mania was higher. On the other hand anxiety can cause excess energy.
I hope you get the support you need very soon xx

I understand. It's something that has been going on for a while now, the last 10 years or so.

University was a big trigger with me (which I brought up in the therapy session) I just put it down to being young and stupid, first independence etc.

Long story short, I ended until spending thousands of pounds, going out drinking every night, sleeping with anyone, lost friends. This lasted about a year and then the crashing low came and that's when I went to the gp who prescribed me with anti depressants, which sent me sky high. Came off them after about a month.

This is what's triggered the possible diagnosis, but I'm not sure. There has been other times on and off but probably not as bad as that one.

I've always just put it down to hormones as that can trigger things as well. I would like to say it came as quite a shock when it was mentioned, but it really didn't.

But at the same time, I think it must be something else that's going on and I'm fine.

Very similar here, down to the university experience. Dropped out after 6months and a hospitalisation for depression. Also had mh problems with each pregnancy, from literally getting pregnant.as thought something had switched.
Much better now I'm medicated.

I had pnd with my DC, I didn't realise at the time, but the hv picked up on it, never mentioned it to me, but told my gp who brought it up at the 6 week check up.

I just brushed it off as I thought I was fine. And also breastfeeding wasn't working out and I wanted to switch to formula and she wouldn't let me, so that stressed me out a lot.

Now I can't imagine being without my DC, I feel guilty as to how I felt when he was born. That night I cried in hospital and if someone had taken him away, I wouldn't have cared. Horrible thinking about that now.

I have almost been hospitalised twice for depression as well, but thankfully just had a crisis team come round instead, which lasted for about 6 weeks.

But surely a therapist can't diagnose? I thought if there was a definite inclination, I would have to be seen by a psychiatrist again, who I've already seen twice in the past.

IME therapists cannot diagnose no. Only psychiatrists can do that.
However I had a private therapist who told me I had it about 2 years before I was diagnosed and in that time I had many quite significant mood swings.
I was only referred because of psychosis and had totally lost a sense of reality.
Perhaps you ought to talk to your therapist about seeing a psychiatrist? Because with therapists, they don't work to a diagnosis, rather manage the problems you are having and working to a better way of living.

Where I have my CBT sessions, it's in the same building where I saw the psychiatrist, literally a couple of doors away (it's a small building)

I thought that. When I was really bad, and I saw the psychiatrist, I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone and quite frankly didn't want to be there in the first place. Was given a prescription and then had to see him again after I took an OD. Was handed over to the crisis team as I was apparently too unwell to speak to him. It was all a bit of a blur to be honest.

I didn't think a therapist could diagnose.

Basic conversation 'have you been diagnosed with bipolar disorder?'
Me 'no, I haven't'
'Hmm..I'll have a look through your notes'

Again, no I haven't!

I'd keep with the CBT and see how it goes. How many sessions do you get?
I think if there are a lot of overdoses and or self harm sometimes they look at the possibility of bpd, and overlook the moods as just being behavioural. The crisis team are good in the short term, but cannot stay with you for long enough to focus on more than a presenting problem.
I've had CBT and it really helped, I am sure that by the end of it there will be an impression which can be put into your notes if and when you need to see a psychiatrist. Bear in mind bipolar diagnosis has implications, I said on the other thread I lost my driving licence, and other stuff. However being medicated I am almost normal, and can live quite well.

I know. This is what I'm concerned about. I don't drive anymore, haven't driven in about 9 years, had a history of reckless driving too which wasn't great.

I have self harmed a lot and recurrent OD's in the past. BPD has never been mentioned, but I have thought that as a possibility in the past. I know two people who have been diagnosed with it, and I don't think I'm anything like that. Very temperamental, moods would switch pretty quickly in the space of minutes.

My mood's tend to last longer, usually over the course of a few weeks or months rather than a day.

I know with the crisis team, I never found them particularly helpful tbh. I think they just made everything worse, as I didn't know what was wrong. And always feeling the need that there must have been something to trigger it off, and sometimes no, not really.

Are you on meds Bip?
I'm just wondering if you'd benefit from being on a mood stabiliser? I've never related to rapid changing moods either, my depressions last months.
I also have a history of OD and SH but not for 20 years.

I'm currently taking sertraline 100mg. I have wondered that too.

I was on mirtazapine before that as I had trouble with sleeping. It made me ten times worse, anxiety went through the roof, to the point I couldn't leave the house on my own. Was only on it for about 3 weeks and ended up in a&e a couple of times during that time as well. It wasn't nice.

And it made me feel like a zombie. Didn't know what was going on.

That's reminds me, also when I was at uni, I thought I had to control was I was eating, so I would only eat 500 calories a day and would write everything down, I would spend hours on what I would eat and how much would be in it. That lasted quite a while too in the time when everything else was going on, and then I got tonsillitis and was quite ill for a couple of weeks, lost even more weight as I couldn't eat.

That scared me. I stopped with the crazy dieting after that.

I've never been offered a mood stabiliser, just bog standard anti depressants and temporary sleeping tablets to help me sleep at night. But I don't take them anymore. People at work have noticed that I'm bit more happy and talkative, but tbh, the way I was feeling a few months ago, it hasn't really taken much to notice a difference!

I have a medication review on Wednesday. Apparently they didn't think I was stable enough, so wanted to see me this week. Saw my gp about a month ago. I felt like saying, well if you don't think I'm stable now, you should have seen me 3 months ago!

I can't remember what else I was going to say. That is going to annoy me!

How did meds review go OP? This thread is on my watch list for some reason - diagnosed bipolar many years ago, on lithium, maybe thought I had some wisdom to share 😊

Bop I read you on another thread. 25mg Sertraline had me hospitalised for mania, that's a shit ton of ADs for someone who may have bipolar. x

Hi Why
I also have bipolar. Not a thread hijack, but feeling rubbish.
It's a crap illness.

Terribly. The GP didn't seem concerned. Ended up texting a crisis team number as I was in no state to talk on the phone, awful.

I had my therapy session today and she said I seemed a bit agitated and hyper, I think it's the sertraline. I feel like I've had about 10 espressos mixed with speed!

So I have to see the psychiatrist again, no idea when that will be, but I can't carry on like this. I almost bought £100 headphones today, wouldn't normally do that, but I'm quite impulsive anyway. Bought a few other things, treated myself to lunch. I dread to think how much I've spent today!

She's mentioned bipolar before, but didn't mention why I had to see the psychiatrist. I'm assuming it's for the same thought. I really wish I'd asked, but I couldn't focus. I don't think I took in half the things she was saying to me today I couldn't take my eyes off her trousers! I was trying not to laugh but they were so jazzy! And then I was sitting cheesing on the bus like a Cheshire Cat. Makes a change I suppose, before I've had to usually hold back the tears.

I remember now. I was getting on the bus and for some reason I blurted out '16! 16!' 'No wait, day, day...no what arrgh! Single!' You know what I mean, I'll just sit down now and was trying not to laugh at myself.

I started off on 50mg and I ended up wanting to paint the house at 3am in the morning then I was going to dye my hair blonde. So glad I didn't! Then they increased it after about a month.

OMG I cheese like a loon, you sound hypomanic.
I reckon you're type 2 bipolar. You deffo need a mood stabiliser mate!
I've said some absolute clangers when manic and found it hilarious. Behaved dreadfully shagged too many people
Please talk to them seriously, whilst cheesing, as the trajectory of bipolar is more serious when it's unmedicated, the relapses damage the brain I read, and depressions are more severe.
Honestly the meds have changed my life other than this week now I gave my job up because life's too much