Do I have bi polar?

[Kez_miller]

Hi guys I have been posting a lot recently I know. I seem to this time of year for some reason. Basically I've noticed over the past few weeks since I have been under extreme amounts of stress that my mood changes quickly. When I say quickly. One moment I'll be thinking something that scares me like about my anxiety an will it ever go away n then just for a few seconds at a time i will feel happy. Not happy as such but it's almost like cheer and happyness is trying to fight itself to the front of the que then the big bullies fear and anxiety shove it right to the back again. That's the best way I can explain it. My anxiety seems to have taken on a different stance in recent weeks though n it's more like depersonalisation but without the visual of seeing things like they're in a dream. So then last night I ended up having a migraine with an aura (visual disturbance) I usually have two or three in a year. But since this extreme stress and frustration started I've had two in a matter of weeks! I really hope it isn't bi polar but I can't seem to think rationally right now! Any thoughts guys?

[MrAndy]

it isnt bi polar i have a good friend that is bipolar and met people in hospital with it.you havent got bipolar

[Rennie1989]

You do not posses the typical symptoms of bipolar disorder but in saying that nobody here is medically qualified to diagnose you with bipolar. You will have to be referred to a psychiatrist who has the ability to test and diagnose you.

[debs71]

Hello Kez,

As I mentioned on your thread yesterday, it does not sound like bipolar to me.

Bipolar is extreme highs and lows. A period of feeling like you can conquer the world, really upbeat and productive, going ten to the dozen, followed by periods of severe lows and depression, often to the point of suicidal thoughts.

You are not bipolar in my opinion.

It just sounds like anxiety. Anxiety doesn't necessarily follow a set path and it often goes in hand with depressive feelings. I've had the same as you. I can wake up feeling positive and relaxed and then suddenly the wind changes and something knocks me and I worry again, feeling very negative. It is not unusual. Those kind of negative thoughts, feelings and doubts can occur with GAD, even in better times.

Anxiety doesn't always stay as you have experienced it before either. You may have just depersonalisation sensations, just physical and not mental sensations, just feeling edgy but not full blown anxious, etc. There is no pattern really, so if it seems that something is off, it really isn't, as it all falls under the umbrella of GAD!

The migraine is understandable if you are stressed and anxious. I get them very infrequently thank goodness, but I have had a niggling headache for days now because I have been feeling edgy....just another joy of anxiety I'm afraid.

I hope you feel better soon.x:hugs:

[PanchoGoz]

Not bipolar. Anxiety and stress can cause mental mood swings.

[darrenleewelsh]

I have exactly the same problem. My highs and lows are a daily occurance but more above the norm in my opinion. I can wake up in the morning and feel like superman and want to conquer the world so I go out spend loads of money I can't afford and then bang like the speed of light my mood changes. I then become so low and suicidal thoughts enter my head and the 'oh here we go again' I have be researching bi-polar recently and for the first time I have pretty much ticked all of the boxes with regards to the symptoms (11 out of the most common 13) and I have also taken an online self assessment. Now I know that this is just a guide but I am seeing my GP next week and I will discuss it with her and get tested once and for all, but for the first time in years I think I have found the cause? I haven't really been given a diagnosis as my previous GP was useless so i avoided him like the plague. When I saw him originally over 5 years ago he prescribed me Citalopram and I was on them for 5 years with no check ups nothing. Only in the last 6 months did I notice my mood and everything was worse then ever. I was even waking up with night terrors and panic attacks which I had never expereinced before. My new GP is wonderful. She immediately took me off the citalopram and put me on Trazodone to deal with the night terrors, along with referring me to talking space. I am 2 weeks into a 4 week course on 'improving your low mood' and whilst I see the logic behind CBT (cognative behaverial therapy) it doesn't seem to work for me. Now I am sure that my issue is a chemical imbalance hence why I am so certain that I have bipolar. Oh and the Trazodone is great i take them at night and I don't wake up until the morning! The only downside is that it takes me a while to wake up. It has helped with my mood in certain instances as in it makes me see things a bit clearer but I think I need mood stabilising medication not antidepressants? We will see????

[little scientist]

It doesn't sound like bipolar to me (but only a trained professional can say), as others have said depression and anxiety can also cause some severe mood swings.

I too believe my issues are purely chemical in nature, not helped by other stresses making them worse!