So its memoo again! GP thinks I have symptoms of bipolar

[memoo]

But said only psychiatrist can give me a proper diaganosis.

DH came with me to the appointment this morning. I always tell the GP about my depressed episodes but DH was able to tell him about the times when I am 'manic' for want of a better word.

GP said it sounds like i have 'hypomania' rather than full blown mania. I don't really understand what any of this means.

GP is going to contact psychiatrist to try and bring my appointment forward to asap

I am really scared now, terrified!

Anyone with any experience of bipolar? what is going to happen to me

hi memoo
no experience sorry. Not surprised you are scared but i think you should see this as a positive step - closer to being properly treated/managed. Hopefully the psychiatrist should be able to answer all your questions & reassure you. Hope you get the appointment through soon.
I don't know for sure what will 'happen' to you but i imagine sessions with psychiatrist and/or medication

No experience personally but please try not to worry too much. This might help answer some of your questions.

Hi memoo My Dad is bipolar. He takes medication, and has been symptom free for many years now. If you are bipolar, getting the diagnosis and the meds started is a really positive step. My Dad always says that he didn't realise how scary a place his head was until he felt better and looked back. He got used to the rollercoaster. He is a much happier person now, and can build decent relationships (something which is difficult when in the grip of the illness).

hi stealth, thats exactly what DH said. That we should think of this as a positive because then my illness can be properly managed.

GP also said it is very managable once the right combination of drugs have been found.

Thanks for replies guys, xposts. Iklboo, will go hand have a look at that link thanks. Chickens, thats a lovely positive post! very reassuring

Iklboo, I can't get that link to work

AFAIK is very manageable with right medication- you might need to try a few first.

I second others here that it's great you're moving towards having a diagnosis and proper treatment.

There's a few famous people with it- I think Stephen Fry is one of them.

I knew a couple of people with it and they were ok with treatment.

None of the links have been working. you need to go old fashions or remove something form the code.

hope you are ok today.

oh is that right DEM? I've noticed none of the links I've tried have worked today but I thought it was just those ones. Think Tech will be in trouble - he's also been bolding half of the big threads

when do you expect to hear from the GP about your appointment? It's horrible being in limbo waiting for this sort of stuff to get sorted.

If you can get hold of the documentary Stephen Fry made about it I think you'd find it very reassuring.

GP said he is going to ring the psychiatrist this afternoon. He didn't say what he'd do then, am assuming I will get a letter from the psych. Might actually phone surgery at the end of the day and see if I can speak to GP, find out whats happening.

I hardly asked any questions and now I have loads!! I was a bit shocked tbh! I never imagined it would be something like that.

I love Stephen fry just had a quick look on amazon and I can buy the DVD of the documentary on there

Not surprised you didn't get round to asking your questions. Why not ask if you can make another appointment late this afternoon to have them answered? Do you think he'd be OK with that? You can write them down and take your DH.

Oh yes, the Stephen Fry documentary was brilliant. Definately worth a watch

I think bipolar is just what they used to call manic depression

memoo - sorry links aren't working. Google NHS Choices & type bipolar in the search box. Choose Bipolar Affective Disorder and then 'Bipolar Disorder - Introduction - Health A-Z'. It's very in depth with pages on symptoms, treatment etc

memoo - it's a positive thing, it really is. Imagine you had been feeling really ill, listless and tired, putting on loads of weight. The GP diagnoses you with underactive thyroid and can do something to make it better. Now wouldn't that be a good thing? This is the same.

Good luck.

Exactly Orm! You are a tentative diagnosis closer to life getting back to normal

Hi memoo ,my sister is bipolar.i have written about her several times on mn.She did go through a bad time ,but happily for the last 3yrs she has been completely stable,with no hint of it around at all.She had two long bad episodes,but with the right help and different medications she has come out of the bad stuff and is now very happy with her life.Of course we dont know if it will come back again.but once you know the symptoms,it is easier to help her through it all.Good luck and i hope you get your diagnosis soon then you can start on the road to recovery if this is what you have .

It just sounds so full on! especially when its called manic depression. Makes you think about someone who is really unstable.

I am going to try and remain positive though. I felt like I had hit a brick wall before, being treated for depression but not really getting any better.

Now with the correct diagnosis I can get the right meds and get better! wow, thats actually a rather amazing thought! I was actually thinking I would never get better!

Thanks for your posts mummylin, so glad your sister is well. It gives me a huge boost to hear such a positive story.

i wont say it was easy memoo,but it was very important to her to always have someone available to listen to her at any time.she says now that helped her such a lot.We had some difficult times ,made worse by the fact i was the only one she would talk to,she would hide from our mum and everyone else.But as i said she is now very happy ,not least because she has a young boyfriend!I do worry about that because he was not around when she was going through this ,so im not sure how he would cope with it,and she would be devastated if he left her ,but we will cross that bridge if/ when it happens.

memoo: managing your mental health is not just about 'getting the right label' and 'getting the right meds'

You need a therapist and you need to commit to that therapy if you want to manage your mental health properly

the rest can help you manage some symptoms in the short term, but you really need to address the underlying issues if you want to live as full a life as possible

But I don't know what the under lying issues are MP. I have no reason to be as messed up as I am. My GP keeps talking about counselling but I don't want to talk about it because if I open the flood gates I don't think I'll ever be able to close them again and then where will I be

Memmoo therapy IS really hard, and if you would rather try and find a medical solution then of course you can do so - but as others have said on similar threads, a more holistic approach will massively improve your chances of managing your mental health in the long term