Bipolar New diagnosis of bipolar ii

[Werewoman]

I have had cPTSD for decades, and about 13 years ago a psychiatrist in a DD unit tried to tell me I was bipolar in addition to my PTSD, depression, and drug addiction at the time.

I have long gotten over the drug addiction, and frankly, had I observed my own behavior in that hospital, I would have said I was bipolar, too. However, I refused to listen. Like I didn't already have enough problems. I couldn't deal.

In January, I finally gave in. It was unavoidable. My husband kept telling me that every time I had really high days, they would be followed by a mde about 4 days later. When I finally let him share this info with my psychiatrist, I could no longer deny that I am bipolar on top of everything else.

The thing is, I've discovered since then that what's really happening here is my bipolar feeds off my PTSD and vice-versa. In other words, my PTSD gets triggered which sends me into a bipolar depressive tailspin which triggers my PTSD, etc. etc. etc. Does this happen to anyone else?

 

[Denial-River]

The thing is, I've discovered since then that what's really happening here is my bipolar feeds off my PTSD and vice-versa. In other words, my PTSD gets triggered which sends me into a bipolar depressive tailspin which triggers my PTSD, etc. etc. etc. Does this happen to anyone else?

Hello, there Werewoman! I hope you are doing well-I am sorry to hear you are going through a difficult time. I have been fighting with a therapist who is like a broken record with insisting that I have bipolar II. However, I have a very hard time with her and she has a tendency(I am sure she is not intending to, and when I try to explain it to her she insists it's me becoming 'hypomanic') to trigger things to the point of bringing on major flashbacks during visits that are worse than anything I have ever experienced otherwise. However, she insists that I am not having flashbacks, but just becoming hypomanic based on her constant explanation that sounds almost exactly like the 'tailspin-trigger' effect that you describe. I am not so convinced they aren't just suped-up flash-backs because they aren't the shifts lasting any length of time I think of with bipolarity, and there is no change in mood that isn't PURELY subjective at the moment I am trying to keep my cool with her when she is needling me about specific details in my past intrusively. I am curious if you find something similar happens with you, or are there definite periods of time (short or long) that there is a definite change in mood or energy? I totally think what you both say makes so much sense(one aggravating the other, the other fueling the other's fire), and I definitely think that would be probable, I just wonder how much we can be unaware of with BP? Thanks for your post!
Roxx