anxiety and bipolar??

[bethyboo]

I have been on medication for 8 years on and off for acute anxiety and panick attacks and depression. I have 2 children and when im ok i am extremely bubbly and outgoing, i ahve alot of freinds and am known for being loud and funny. But these only ever last for short periods of time, i can then for no apparent reason become depressed, anxious, and if im ina relationship i immediately find a way out fo that relationship. I then turn to drink and drugs which i ahve abused many tiems over the years, I have a very unhealthy sex life and it has been commente don that i put myself into dangerous situations becasue of my sexual tendancies. it is not that i am a deviant , just that i ahve many partners at one time and am careless and unaware of other peoples feelings. when im in one of these phases i feel almost powerfull.....but at the same time i loathe myself for my beahviour but cannot seem to stop it. it is almost liek a quick fix and for a short time i will feel confident and can come across as very happy and almost hyperactive. within days my moods can change and i once again feel depressed and self loathing. My moods are very up and down and i ahve always found relationships very hard to cope with. often having severe mood swings and ending relationships becasue of this. A few ex parteners have told em they think i am scitzophrenic and my most recent told me he thinks i am bipolar????? he is a very lovely bloke and it was not said in malice. I am now seriously wondering if i am??? i was diagnosed over 10 years ago with anxiety and always assumed my mood swings were due to depression but now i think he could be right???? when my anxiety has been acute i suffer from pyscosis (nothing is real and i feel completely detactched form reality) and i always go back to abusing alchohol and drugs and become sexualy irresponsible. a freidn told me this is possible and are signs of bipolar. im goign to go to my doctors on monday but would eb very grateful for any advice??

[Magpie]

Hi Bethyboo, I suffer many of the same symptoms and patterns of mood swings as you do. I thought for many years that I was bipolar, however I have only recently sought help and (although it took three medical professionals to come up with a diagnosis) it was eventually decided that I have an anxiety disorder. Having studied psychology, I can see why they decided on that as it's really a matter of seeing how many boxes are ticked under a particular label and then assigning that label. However, these labels are just that - words to describe conditions which are often very similar in nature, meaning that people are rarely ever a 'textbook example'. Like autism, people with bipolarity are sometimes described as being on 'the bipolar spectrum'. To be honest, who's to say if some of us who have anxiety disorders couldn't also be described as being on that 'spectrum'?

Happily, psychiatry isn't what it was and, rather than paying too much attention to the labels they've given you, treatment is likely to focus on your symptoms and how to alleviate them.

Basically, it's important that the Doc knows the full range of symptoms you've had, and it may or may not be decided that the label that fits you best is 'bipolar'. But remember, it's only a label!