Twelve years ago I was diagnosed with depression. I was told an antidepressant and psychotherapy would fix me right within two years. When I didn't get better I started to wonder whether this diagnosis was accurate, but the doctors I saw over the years all assured me that unipolar (major depression) was my problem. Then earlier this year (2007) a clinical psychologist I was seeing suggested that it would be worth my while to be assessed for bipolar disorder.
So, I did some research and every book I read on bipolar disorder was like reading a biography of my own life. I am yet to receive the official diagnosis, but I'm reasonably sure that I have developed Bipolar II some time over the last twenty-four years and the reason I haven't been getting better (if anything my condition has deteriorated over the last five years or so) is because I have been treated with an antidepressant, which only makes the problem worse.
So I have taken the clinical psychologist's advice (a big thank you to clinical psychologist, Vanessa Inglis at Rooty Hill in Sydney) and approached the Black Dog Institute at the University of NSW in Sydney, for a diagnostic assessment.
From what I've read, my story is very common because Bipolar II is harder to diagnose than other mood disorders. One reason for this is that the person with Bipolar II only seeks medical treatment when depressed. Who consults a doctor when they are feeling good? When I am experiencing an episode of hypomania I feel great, I'm energised, highly productive and creative--I saw no need to consult a doctor when I was feeling this way. Furthermore, some of the behaviours associated with hypomania (over spending, risky sexual behaviours, indecisiveness/poor judgement) are embarrassing to fess up to and the sufferer of Bipolar II may be very reluctant to talk about them (I know I was). But the medical professional is becoming increasingly aware of the Bipolar II misdiagnosis problem and let's hope that future sufferers of Bipolar II will not have to endure the years of ineffective treatment that so many of today's sufferers of this complex mood disorder have had to endure.
