Worry about being bipolar

[mikey2695]

Now I'm worried about becoming bipolar...Having a good day, smiling a lot, no low mood, but now I'm worried that this is more mania than happiness...Is it really? Or is it normal? I suppose being bipolar isn't something you worry about having when you do have it, right?

[Zeldagirl]

I have this worry as well and have wondered the same thing. I was in a deep depression caused by anxiety and then I started to have days where I would feel great for a little while or even a whole day. I would feel very happy and almost excited. I think it was part of recovering tho. I hope :) I think I was just overjoyed to feel good again. I seem to have balanced out and my mood seems even now for the most part. I have my days, but everyone does. Try not to worry about it. I wasted so much time worrying :weep:

[mikey2695]

Thank you! I honestly do believe that deep inside and keep trying to tell myself that...Like today I was conversing with people at work, but I do still have that "what if?" in the back of my mind, you know? Just yesterday I was in pretty bad despair (not enough to keep me in bed all day; today I tried some coping techniques, and addressed several issues with my therapist and I felt positive the rest of the day). I suppose my mind is just trying to find things to worry about.

And actually, my depression has been caused by anxiety as well (and loads of intrusive thoughts). So, looks like we can both relate to each other lol.

[Zeldagirl]

I have the intusive thoughts too :( it sucks people have to deal with these things. But yes your mind is just looking for something to worry about. I'm always thinking what ifs. It's exhausting.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I've been through some of this myself as my current med gave me loads of mood swings, which I've now resolved with high strength Omega 3. What I learnt was that it's not as simple as just bipolar, it's a category of mood disorders and bipolar is in there but there are lower intensity versions and one where it's based purely on depressive swings only.

There are at least 3 people I know of on here who are bipolar, fluff, mezzaninedoor and yvonne_uk_98. They tend to post on the Depression board. They would understand this much better in terms of how mania feels but I've always had the impression it is hard for the individual to spot themselves. Having said that, the less intensive disorders that are similiar to bipolar may be more easily spotted.

However, we can get a bit hyper with anxiety too. Plus there are specific manic episode disorders outside of the mood disorder category.

[mikey2695]

Yeah, I think the anxiety made me feel jittery and very restless, because once I did some deep breathing the feeling went away and I slept a good 7 hours.