Very interesting topic post John and eerily sorta coincidental, to me anyway
See... I've had 3 full on High Mixed Manic Episodes in my life and I learned during my last one that this alone gave me Bipolar I designation. All the other symptoms and qualifying criteria kinda shored it up EXCEPT for 1 thing I was told at the time.... my primary episodes that cause me the most dysfunction are depressive. So, I was given my first Bipolar diagnosis of Bipolar II with Mixed Features. That was in 2006.
Prior to that I had always been diagnosed with Recurring Moderate to Severe Major Depression - Unipolar. I had also always been treated with standard anti-depressants along with a few anti-anxiety meds and only twice did I get anti-psychotics. The ADs did everything BUT what they were supposed to do and worse.
I say this post is coincidental to me, at the moment, because I've had 4 psychiatrists since that 1 hospital psychiatrist in 2006 each designate me on either the I or the II level of the spectrum (depending on how I presented). All agreed I have psychotic features and mixed features.
I've even had 3 separate therapists all agree. Yet, the one therapist I'm seeing now absolutely refuses to believe the diagnosis.
I've seen her, off and on, since 1993. There have been years that I saw no therapist or psychiatrist and there have been some years where I saw therapists but not her. Still, I've seen her randomly since 1993.
Today, she and I got into yet another argument over the Bipolar. I mentioned how my GP and the Pdocs all believed it being Bipolar and how I needed my GP to prescribe me something now that I've lost my last Pdoc. She got all up in arms, so to speak, once again that I did not have Bipolar. I had Recurring Major Depression and perhaps some rapid cycling of the depression due to having 4 severe suicidal episodes in a 12 month period... but absolutely no Bipolar.
See, I haven't had a full on Manic episode while being treated with her and since I've only had hypomanic episodes that she does not recognize as such.... she is adamant that it is solely unipolar depression. My hypomanic episodes? She views them as my having come out of unipolar depression and feeling better about everything to a greater degree. In that I function highly during these episodes... she sees no hypomania.
So... is it Bipolar or is it just unipolar depression?
All I know is I'm depressed and I want help and I don't much care how it's labelled and I told her so quite flatly.
Between you and I, I know what I know is what I know... it's Bipolar cause when I was diagnosed and being told how and why I fit the diagnosis.... something deep inside just... clicked as being true. I'd never had that before...
re: re: Untitled Comment
just frustrated with the psychiatric world and well... your post just kinda "triggered" some venting. 
Very interesting topic post John and eerily sorta coincidental, to me anyway
See... I've had 3 full on High Mixed Manic Episodes in my life and I learned during my last one that this alone gave me Bipolar I designation. All the other symptoms and qualifying criteria kinda shored it up EXCEPT for 1 thing I was told at the time.... my primary episodes that cause me the most dysfunction are depressive. So, I was given my first Bipolar diagnosis of Bipolar II with Mixed Features. That was in 2006.
Prior to that I had always been diagnosed with Recurring Moderate to Severe Major Depression - Unipolar. I had also always been treated with standard anti-depressants along with a few anti-anxiety meds and only twice did I get anti-psychotics. The ADs did everything BUT what they were supposed to do and worse.
I say this post is coincidental to me, at the moment, because I've had 4 psychiatrists since that 1 hospital psychiatrist in 2006 each designate me on either the I or the II level of the spectrum (depending on how I presented). All agreed I have psychotic features and mixed features.
I've even had 3 separate therapists all agree. Yet, the one therapist I'm seeing now absolutely refuses to believe the diagnosis.
I've seen her, off and on, since 1993. There have been years that I saw no therapist or psychiatrist and there have been some years where I saw therapists but not her. Still, I've seen her randomly since 1993.
Today, she and I got into yet another argument over the Bipolar. I mentioned how my GP and the Pdocs all believed it being Bipolar and how I needed my GP to prescribe me something now that I've lost my last Pdoc. She got all up in arms, so to speak, once again that I did not have Bipolar. I had Recurring Major Depression and perhaps some rapid cycling of the depression due to having 4 severe suicidal episodes in a 12 month period... but absolutely no Bipolar.
See, I haven't had a full on Manic episode while being treated with her and since I've only had hypomanic episodes that she does not recognize as such.... she is adamant that it is solely unipolar depression. My hypomanic episodes? She views them as my having come out of unipolar depression and feeling better about everything to a greater degree. In that I function highly during these episodes... she sees no hypomania.
So... is it Bipolar or is it just unipolar depression?
All I know is I'm depressed and I want help and I don't much care how it's labelled and I told her so quite flatly.
Between you and I, I know what I know is what I know... it's Bipolar cause when I was diagnosed and being told how and why I fit the diagnosis.... something deep inside just... clicked as being true. I'd never had that before...