Am I bipolar?

I've never posted in this category before although I have several times in depression. I don't know what's wrong with me. It seems one week I feel fine, not great, but good enough to get things done and lead a successful life, and some days I feel so depressed and don't care if i live or die. I've been depressed for nearly 15 years but never even thought that it could be bipolar disorder until I started noticing these mood changes a few months ago. It seems like nights are the worst. What makes this more unbearable is that I have absolutely no support whatsoever. I have no true friends and my family does not know about this problem(and I am not going to tell them for many reasons.) I know people are just going to say "you need to see a doctor" but they can't help me. The only thing they'll do is prescribe meds just to make some extra money and I will not be mindlessly dependent on drugs like the majority of humans.

I agree with happy flower. I can honestly tell you that I hate taking meds. I never even took aspirin. But I found a good doctor and if it wasn't for the meds he put me on I probably wouldn't be here today. I am not mindless, far from it but now my thoughts are slowed down enough most of the time that I can actually function. On top of all of that my doc is giving me my meds free because I don't have insurance right now.

Go to the doctor. See what they say and tell them your feelings about meds. Maybe they will say you need them, maybe they will not but either way you don't have to take anything that you do not want to take.

Take a chance and talk to someone. The worst that can happen is you waste an hour but the best that can happen is that you get more control over your life.

Hi vdogg,

I recognized your name from the depression forum. Why kind of mood swings or symptoms are you having besides the depression? Do you have a pdoc? If you are thinking bipolar is something you may be suffering from, it is very very important to get help. I was diagnosed with depression in 2001 and then in 2005 the same pdoc diagnosed me with bipolar type II. Leading up to the change in my diganosis, I was questioning if I was bipolar...and so pdoc and I had much discussion. I mostly deal with depression, but I always had these times where I felt "high" in my moods. I thought back then that these times were just times when I felt better from the depression. I suffer greatly with in times of high stress with depression. So when I was actually hypomanic or manic, I just thought my stress level had backed off and I was feeling "normal". Once the bp diagnosis came and I educated myself on the illness, I learned what all those "high times" were about.

It is very important that you let your doc know and get this figured out; just in case you are in fact dealing with bp....You likely will need meds (I take it, you don't take any now for the depression?)

It took me 5 years to find the right combo of meds, but I am so glad I had the correct diagnosis.

Keep us posted vdogg, and ask us questions if you like. Maybe we can help?


Take care of yourself,
Mogs