How Do I Know Which Diagnosis Is Correct?

[PureBliss]

Hi guys,

I have been through five professionals who diagnosed me with different things.
1) psychiatrist - Depression and Anxiety (Later said I actually don't have a problem but I was just stressed like a usual teenager)
2) psychiatrist - Bipolar 2. Diagnosed me within 2 sessions but stick with the diagnosis for two years and don't bother changing it no matter what I said
3) psychologist - Said I don't have a problem, but I was just struggling to grow up
4) psychologist - PTSD and complicated grief

How do I know which diagnosis is correct? If any at all? Have you all experienced this? I have not told the first 3 professionals everything about me. The fourth one is by far the one that I have disclosed the most to.

 

[EveHarrington]

Read the DSM criteria for PTSD.

Does it seem to fit or does it seem totally wrong to you?

Bipolar is often diagnosed instead of PTSD (mistakenly).

Read up on mania and hypomania.

Do you have easily identifiable manic/hypo manic episodes (in the absence of all drugs/medications)?

MANY docs mistakenly think that trauma induced mood disturbances mean bipolar but this isn't usually true.

Anxiety/depression (alone) may be true if you can rule out PTSD and bipolar.

 

[PureBliss]

Read the DSM criteria for PTSD.

Does it seem to fit or does it seem totally wrong to you?

Bipol...

I have read the Dsm 5 criteria for Ptsd. Does seem to fit. I definitely believe I did have depression some years ago but it sort of changed into anger and frustration over the years.

 

[Panda Bear]

A lot of issues can and do co-exist with PTSD, it can often times be difficult to know what is what. Especially when you've received so many different diagnosis.

I haven't experienced this because until I started seeing T, he was the only mental health professional that I had ever seen in my life. Initially, he gave me a general diagnosises of anxiety so that my insurance would pay. After he got to know me better, it was changed to PTSD. It was always PTSD, but since I was so unable to work with him in the beginning, we just went with what would get me treatment.

It is important to have the most acurate diagnosises so that proper treatment can be obtained. If I hadn't told my T anything about me or my past, no, I wouldn't have gotten the PTSD disagnosis and probably would have ended up with some pretty hefty labels.

 

[EveHarrington]

I think like 90% of us with PTSD also get the MDD dx as well. It kind of goes with the territory.