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Can a bipolar diagnosis change?

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Posted 7/31/2007 1:55 AM (GMT 0)
Hi board-lings. I've got a question. Is it possible for the bipolar diagnosis to change based on varying or worsening symptoms? For example, if I start out with a BPII diagnosis, is it possible for the illness to escalate to a BPI? Can hypomanias worsen into manias over several episodes? Does a mixed episode make a BPII diagnosis automatically a BPI? I don't know why it even makes a difference, I'm just curious if anyone has had this come up.

Thanks,

serafena
Posted 7/31/2007 4:34 AM (GMT 0)
sarafena,

about 2 1/2 years ago, I was diagnosed as Bipolar II, then NOS and about a year ago I was diagnosed as BPI.  for about 5 years before I was diagnosded I used to have hypomanic/depressive symptoms.  But over time I started having really bad mixed-episodes and manic episodes.  So yes, I believe your dignosis can change and that your symptoms can get worse with time also.

I don't know if a mixed episode makes you BP II to  BP I, but I do know my episode were getting worse.  But I think only a Dr. can answer that.

Posted 7/31/2007 9:46 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Olivia,

I see my doc tomorrow. It's not that the label really means anything anyway, it's just that I have the suspicion that I'm having a mixed episode. I don't know. I've never had one before. I've been stable for a few years but things started shaking in April. I've been up and down several times since then, but right now it feels like I'm up and down every other day, sometimes in the course of a day. Yesterday I had the energy to do laundry, clean the kitchen, get groceries, cook dinner, and organize and clean out my office. Today I just want to lie in bed. Somedays I'm cheerful and playful, others I'm so irritable I want to bite my husband's head off, others I just feel hopelessly black. It literally changes every day. Is this what a mixed episode is like? You don't normally get them with BPII, I thought.

serafena
Posted 7/31/2007 10:13 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Serafena.

I don't think it's uncommon for the diagnosis to change. But like you said, there is no sense in giving label's power.

If someone said you were bipolar 1 and someone else said you were bipolar 2 and someone else again said you were neither... it isn't going to affect your mood's in the future- what'll happen will happen no matter what label you put on it.

I'm not too sure what a mixed episode consists of exactly, but your doctor should be able to tell you more about that. I say it's wise to just take one day at a time. If it so happens your irritable today then you can try and see it through knowing that it wont last forever.

Remember the last thing we feel like doing when we're in some negative mood is the things that help us...like exercise or taking a walk or talking to someone. If you can try and keep making progress it makes those negative moods more managable. Good luck tomorrow :-)
Posted 7/31/2007 11:15 PM (GMT 0)
Shine,

I agree with you, the label doesn't matter in the end.  It matters if you are getting the right treatment or not.  When I 1st got diagnosed I used to obsess over the label, but now I obsess more about getting the correct and effective treatment.

Whether it is a hypomanic or a manic episosde, the fact of the matter is that it happens, and it might and usually happens again.

Sarafena, best wishes on your doc visit tomorrow!  :-)

Olivia

Moderator, Bipolar

Posted 8/1/2007 1:24 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the feedback!

I've been playing med roulette with my doc and hopefully we've got a new cocktail going. I'm trying to be patient and let it do it's work. It's only been two weeks. I have no idea what's "real" and what's "med" right now, so I can hardly reclassify what I'm feeling.

You're absolutely right, Shine, it is so hard to do what we ought to when we're feeling negative. I've been working hard today to keep myself up and around. We'll see what tomorrow brings. A walk, a phone call -- these things can just seem impossible, but they do help.

Thanks again.
Serafena
Posted 8/1/2007 6:42 PM (GMT 0)
Sarafena,

I hope your Dr. apptmt went well! :-)

Olivia

Moderator, Bipolar

Posted 8/2/2007 1:31 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Olivia,

It did. She's optimistic. I've had a couple of decent days (not necessarily normal days, but you know what I mean) and she thinks that means the new med is starting to work, so she upped the dosage. So two more weeks and we'll see how it goes. I'm sooooo ready to feel better.

serafena
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