How long's a piece of string...?

Ok, I know that the answer to this question might be "How long's a piece of string?", but I've been looking at posts where people have been talking about being diagnosed as bipolar, and I wondered how long the diagnosis took. I ask because when I last spoke to my ex (yes, tis I of the "one-month no contact" arrangement...), he'd been seeing his pdoc for 5 weeks I think and she was still working out the diagnosis (though the first things she mentioned were bipolar and manic depression, which seem to be roughly the same thing -- or am I wrong?). This seems a long time to me, but then I think I'm being impatient and that it's best to get it right. So I wondered if any of you could set my mind at (more) ease, or if any of you thought this was long too.

Thanks for reading. I have masses of respect for all of you suffering from this condition. I've only ever suffered from depressions, but that was difficult enough.

All very best,

Rosie x

Hi Rose, Your analogy of "How long is a piece of string" made me chuckle when I think of my recent diagnosis of BP. My Dr. has been treating me for almost 12 years for major depression at the same time trying to convince me I am BP. Because he knew it disturbed me every time he brought it up he kind of backed off and would do it twice a year or so. Finally after a particularly hard manic run I was somehow open to listening to him. So I guess in my case the answer to the string question is.......as long as I make it!

counter,

i'm not sure if my experience is relevant, but here goes.

i have suffered with depression almost all of my life, probably from sexual and emotional abuse as a child.  when i was in my 20s, i went through a really bad divorce ahd spent a month on a psych ward.  i finally started recovering and got remarried.  i fell down a flight of stairs and ended up with debilitating back pain.  a quack botched an epidural steroid injection and i was in the worst pain in my life.  i attempted suicide but my wife stopped me (thank the gods).  i saw a pdoc and he first dxed me as schizophrenic becuae i "heard voices" in my head.  i'm a jewish spiritualist and am expected to hear voices!  at any rate he changed the dx to schizoeffective bahavior.  i went to a psychologist who went through the dsm with me and we came up with bipolar as the closest dx.  my wife and i believe that adult add/adhd may be a better dx, but the pdoc doesn't believe that adult add/adhd exists.  maybe it's time to change pdocs?  i was about 50 when the bipolar dx was given.  i was about 15 when the first dx of depression was given.  i don't really know what's wrong with me.    but as for right now, i'm diagnosed as bi polar and one could say that it took about 40 years.