New here and trying to understand my disorder

Hi

Just started on Healingwell a few days ago, and have met nice and helpful people in chat. I started over in the depression forum, because that's where I feel I am at. However, my wife suggested to me - a day or so before kicking me out a week ago - that I may have bi-polar III.

I have read about it and pondered it for the past few days...finally looked up a couple sites that do online tests for it and took a couple. So far all indicators suggest that she is right. The initial symptoms that made me think it possible where Racing Thoughts, High Optimism and Self-Confidence, Depression, and Irritability. Also, for many years, not so much this past year, I could be up until 2am or 3am and get up at 7am or so.

The tests seem to push me more toward the bipolar II area...so I need to check into this. I, as I have noticed some others say, have a spotty work history...have been fired on some occassions, and restless on others. My wife thinks its because of laziness, but I think it is a definite lack of focus. I have never had problems when called upon to do heavy, or hard work, but I find I have a serious lack of focus to carry everything to completion.

Right now I am separated from my wife, out of a job and in debt, so of course I am feeling a lot of the lower spectrum. I am working hard to get a job, and I am doing what I can to bring down the level of debt, and hopefully in time I will be accepted back home, but I realize, if I truly want to get better for the long run I am going to need help. We don't have a psychiatrist here where I am, so I am going to need to find a way to get proper diagnosis and get on my way to being well and balanced.

I have a fear of medications - I have been on Effexor and Lexapro - as prescribed by my regular physician - and they both had some adverse affects on me, and never helped significantly with the depression I was being diagnosed to have. The Effexor half life and withdrawal effects are aweful, and Lexapro was better on those, but was less effective. I realize now that they were probably ineffective because I was not properly diagnosed.

I look forward to whatever advice and support I can get.

Hi conian. Welcome to Healing Well. You do seem to have a lot of traits that many with bipolar do have...but the only way to truly tell is to be properly diagnosed. Do you have a dr. or pdoc appointment scheduled?

what is the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist?

I have none on the island I live on, and on the other island I find 1 psychiatrist and 1 psychologist, and need to decide which is the right one for me to see?

Good Morning Conian! Welcome to Healing Well, I too just joined and have been welcomed with warm and open arms. I am really enjoying and learning from this forum.


http://sites.google.com/site/angelaledckeandbipolar/

Post Edited By Moderator (serafena) : 12/11/2009 8:00:25 AM (GMT-7)