Bipolar Bi polar or ptsd

[joeylittle]

I really need to work out where this is coming from because it's making me horribly unstable and massively effecting my life.

I'm going to be on the other side of the fence from many of the posts in this thread and say that you should go through a few more steps to eliminate bi-polar. Yes, these can be symptoms of PTSD, but you have to have someone also look at it with you in terms of the frequency of your cycling, duration of your up and down phases, things like that. I do think there's more to getting a diagnosis right than just looking at a list of criteria; once you meet criteria, since there's so much overlap, then there's interpreting the nuances of the information.

I have been trying to explain how much this effects me to my T but I am not sure we are quite on the same page. I know there is some over lap with both these things - he just said that everyone has elements of bi polar it's just a matter of degree

Here's where I think your T isn't helping you, and I'm surprised they aren't listening more closely. If I remember right, there are actually 5 types of bi-polar; it really is a spectrum - but no, I would not say that everyone has elements of bi-polar except in that everyone experiences ups and downs.

It's like telling a person with major depression "everyone has bad days".

Your description of this:

I write music, I paint, I can't stop thinking of want I want to do next - my sex drive is sky high - everything is a possibility ( even things that really aren't ) I am impulsive and regret some of things I do afterwards and it all feels manic but other than that it's a real 'up'

Is very very "classic" as a description of a form of clinical mania; and that alone, to me, warrants going to see someone (ideally someone you have a good referral to so that you can know they are at least semi-good) for a few sessions to see if they have a take on whether you should consider addressing some of your symptoms as bi-polar.

It's harder to treat without medication, in my experience (not me, but family with it); but there are ways people have gone at the mania using combinations of amino acids and vitamins, and some of those people claim to have good success.

And who knows? You might be able to deal with all of it from a CBT or DBT place instead - and you might be told, "no, you're not really bi-polar, you are having trouble regulating your PTSD symptoms", or you might hear "Yes, I think you're bi-polar and I want you on these drugs", and then you get to make an informed decision about how you want to proceed next with your treatment.

I'm not a doctor - it's all just my opinion. But I think, whenever possible, it's good at least to get a second opinion on things that are causing you real distress, which this clearly is.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

I have to agree with @joeylittle here, she got it with her post. I have bipolar disorder type 1 and it went untreated for years and then I was in denial and then I did some really stupid things (I stopped taking my medication) which I am still paying for.

So a big question is how long have the ups and downs been happening? And for how long do they happen?

I have been trying to explain how much this effects me to my T but I am not sure we are quite on the same page.

Have you tried explaining your feeling and emotions rather in then the symptoms? This is something I am not sure I know how to explain. If you google bipolar disorder it lists the symptoms but it's nothing like living with the destruction it can create. I was already diagnosed at the time, but I noticed that once I started described my own feeling/emotions instead of just saying 'irritability' 'morbid thoughts' it got much easier to share with my doctors and my doctors understood me better.

Bipolar disorder is serious and it sounds like you have reason to be worried so I would look into a 2nd opinion. I understand your confusion. I was confused too. I wish you the best.

 

[Jane.l]

Thank you for your replies they are really helpful. I think getting a second opinion is a good idea as I think part of the problem maybe that I have totally confused my T as I have really struggled to explain what's happening for months - I didn't know anything about bi polar or much about mood disorders so I started off trying to describe it as feeling like two different people - I do find it hard to talk about feelings and emotions as I am not great at recognising which emotion I am feeling but I have now described it basically how I have here but it's true it's so hard to explain just how it much effects me.

 

[joeylittle]

it's so hard to explain just how it much effects me.

once I started described my own feeling/emotions instead of just saying 'irritability' 'morbid thoughts' it got much easier to share with my doctors and my doctors understood me better.

Just thought it was useful to put these two statements next to each other. @Ayesha, that's a really important thing you brought up. When I was trying to sort out my stuff I thought I was sometimes manic - and it wasn't til I explained it to my psych in terms of how I felt (she led me through that), she was very confident in telling me that it wasn't mania. There were just times when I felt like my thoughts were really confident, I laughed alot, I was silly, and I did things that I would call adventurous, new experiences, stuff like that. It would last for about a day, but to me that was a long time. And...my psych reassured me that those days were just what I could call "a good day", maybe even a new baseline to shoot for. That was it.

@Jane.l, I'm really glad you're of the mind to get a second opinion. And it's not your fault for "confusing" your therapist; unless your therapist is a psychiatrist or psychologist, they aren't really trained to diagnose symptoms, just to address them. I think your therapist is probably trying their best, and they just likely have a limited experience with what bi-polar is and what it can look like. Anyway, it might not be that at all! But seeing someone else will help.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Thank you @Barberian for your reply as I, too, feel that I have symptoms of OCD (which my doctor knows all about), but do not have enough symptoms to warrant a full blown diagnosis. I think its important for people to recognize that they may have symptoms of a disorder (which can cause issues in daily life) without having the full blown disorder.

Jane, of course nobody here can say one way or another, so I think it would be good for you to get a second opinion. If you're only treating your PTSD but you have bipolar disorder as well, I can see how this may hinder your overall healing.

 

[Jane.l]

I can't see a link between my ptsd symptoms and these mood changes - it's not related to flashbacks or nightmares or dissociation as far as I can tell. It just comes out of nowhere.

My T is trying to understand and I know I am not always as clear and concise as I could be - I have written him an email trying to set it out - the only thing I do find slightly disconcerting is that he doesn't seem the slightest bit concerned about how suicidal this can get me on a low - and that's the bit that scares me - it kind of makes me feel he's not taking it very seriously but maybe I am missing something. He seems to get me so well in all other respects that it's bugging me that I can't communicate this in a better way .

I thought maybe keeping a diary and trying to track exactly what's happening might be helpful.

 

[Ghostybear73]

The important thing to remember is that this is about you, not your therapists. If you still have questions and you are not getting through to your therapist, go to another one and get a second opinion.

My mother has been diagnosed bipolar, then psychotic and with my erratic behaviors, I faught the "its PTSD alone, not borderline, not bipolar, not psychosis" for years. Went to many different therapists for second, third and forth opinions. In the long run, I realized when I stopped fighting that, I was able to focus and take care of me. Ironically, a lot of the meds they give you overlap because they are palliative, meaning they only treat the symptoms, not the disease (PTSD) anyways, in fact, I was on lithium for a while there, which was primarily maufactured for bipolar.

I am of course speaking from my own experience as many here are, which gives you lots of ideas to toss around.

I hope you are able to find what the true problem is so you can start trauma work and get to feeling better!!

:)

 

[Jane.l]

Thank you - I was making some ground with trauma work but just haven't been able to get stable enough in the last 6 months to carry on with it. Just need to find a way to level out a little - just get a bit safer.