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Bipolar How does one distinguish bipolar-related anxiety from PTSD related anxiety?

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Sweetleaf

MyPTSD Pro
So, anxiety is a symptom of both bipolar and PTSD. I have bipolar 1, PTSD, and panic disorder.

The problem is, I have a very hard time distinguishing between bipolar-related anxiety, and PTSD anxiety.

When this stuff happens, I can't tell if I'm having a "stress cup is full" sort of problem, a hypomania/mania induced anxious state, trauma-related anxieties, or a combination of those things (or more).

Is it possible to even distinguish the source of the anxiety? Does anyone here have success with that?

Do you think co-morbid disorders tend to feed off of each other/synergize in regards to symptoms? Is that the problem I'm having?

Any advice or input is welcome.
 
I guess from my experience although you have many different diagnosis, you suffer from anxiety symptoms as a result from all of these things. So anxiety will manifest itself in its own way, as I’m sure you are aware physically, anxious thoughts etc. So you are dealing with anxiety itself as a symptom and whether that is related to any or all of these disorders or environment or physical health you won’t know. So personally I would perhaps note down the times if day it occurs, what thoughts you were experiencing at the time and whether you were having any physical anxiety symptoms, racing heart etc.

Also note whether you were stressed during this time, or hypomanic. Perhaps rate your mood 1-10 or anxiety 1-10

From this you might get a better idea of a pattern of your anxiety and may find it fits in with stressful times or hypomanic states.


Just how I would approach it. It’s a difficult one.
 
For me, anxiety on its own isn’t helpful to determine much of what’s going on with my mood. I’m bipolar II, with a dysthymic baseline. Mood goes up and down almost completely independently to my anxiety.

So, sometimes my anxiety may be part of a mood elevation, or a mixed state...or I’m just anxious.

It’s a juggling act, yeah? If anxiety gets too high, it will impact my mood, and the amount I dissociate. So even though there’s 3 seperate disorders (PTSD, DID, Bipolar II)? I manage symptoms and function levels, and track my key markers daily, weekly & seasonally.

For example: I need to keep all 3 conditions under management, all the time. Any one getting dysfunctional will end up impacting all 3. So what are my symptoms and daily function like when I’m well (eg. Showering and moderate exercise daily), elevated (too much of any one thing taking over daily balance), or getting “distressed” (not showering daily, retreating to bed frequently, suicidality increasingly persistent etc).

“Distressed” is my generic term for “something is becoming a problem”. Whether it’s dissociation, mood or my trauma symptoms? The strategies I use to get things okay again tend to be similar: getting back to daily routine, monitoring problematic thoughts & behaviours.

There are more precise tools I use for more specific problems (eg. Anxiety stopping me from buying groceries? Increase short outings with doggo each day). But mostly they’re still tools/skills for specific symptoms or functional issues: “I’m dissociating a lot” = more grounding skills, regardless of whether it’s due to low mood or my switching.

Don’t know that that’s helpful!
 
ADHD & PTSD

Experience means that shared symptoms usually feel different. But a lot of the time either they don’t, or they’re feeding off of each other... That gets complicated. Because I don’t have 3 types of the shared symptoms (ADHD, PTSD, ADHD+PTSD) more like 7 or 8. Because that 3rd combo? Isn’t just plus.
- Sometimes they’re each causing the other one. (Perpetual motion machine)
- Sometimes one is kickstarting the other, but each is independent of the other. (Ignition of an engine)
- Sometimes they both exist in the same space
- Sometimes one is moderating the other, reducing the effects, take care of the wrong one first and smackdown!!!
- Sometimes ...here, I’m avoiding sleep so here’s my most common breakdown ;)

A+B = ABABABABAB (perpetual motion, or dominoes)
A+B = A+B (engine & auto ignition)
A+B = AB (same space)
A+B = Æ (same space weirdly altered / pieces missing from one or both)
A+B = A>B (one is stronger than the other)
A+B = A>(B+A) (one is moderating the other)
A+B = Any of the above with a line through the other, because masking
A+B = C

Yep. See that last one? Sometimes if I have a double symtom is manifests as a third entirely different thing. Like Anxiety squared becomes Depression. Depression tricks won’t budge it. Instead, I have to use Anxiety tricks.

Which leads me into the surprisingly simple way I deal with shared symptoms if I can’t tsll where it’s originating from....

...I use both sets of coping mechanisms. See what sticks
.

Sometimes only one set of skills has any effect. Okay. That was from that. Other times both sets are useless seperately, but useful together. Sometimes parts of this and parts of that. Et cetera. And sometimes I have to just say f*ckkit and start trying off the wall solutions. Because it may LOOK/FEEL like depression, but it’s actually just being overamped, so I’ve faceplanted. The “up” tricks to aid with depression? Just overamp me even more, creating an even “deeper depression”, or appear more intractable, resistant, etc. When it’s not, not really. I’m just trying to use a hammer when I need a screwdriver. Or trying to chop wood with a fish.
 
I am bipolar 1 and PTSD. I have also been diagnosed with GAD (General Anxiety Disorder). That last probably boils down to the fact that my Psychiatrist was unable to determine which disorder was causing my disorder at that time. I felt it was a real life scenario that caused it, as well as a similar thing that had happened to me as a child (bullying in both instances). However, that may have been far too simple of a way at looking at it. I'm not trained in all this stuff, just giving you my opinion.
 
I don't have bipolar but i have Social Anxiety Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Dysphoria. They're definetly co-morbid and feed off each other like crazy. When i first was diagnosed with Social Anxiety it took me a while to realize that it was cause by BDD which i was then diagnosed with. Then we found out the BDD was cause by the Dysphoria.

They synergize very well and it took me a long time to distinguish the symptoms between the different disorders but now it's quite easy.
I don't know exactly how to explain how i do it except that i just try to stay very aware of where the anxiety is coming from/what is causing it. It's probably a lot easier than to differentiate between bipolar anxiety and PTSD anxiety. But it can definetly be done!
 
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