View Full Version : Others who have experienced severe anxiety, I need your opinion
So before I go any further, I would like to say that I have consulted therapy prior to this posting. Anyway, I am a college student in need of help with some generalized anxiety and OCD. It's pretty severe. I feel like I am worrying about being anxious, am anxious, or if I am not anxious, I feel like I should be. I worry about everything. Last year, I was misdiagnosed as bipolar 2 because I had mood swings fro my anxiety and was lashing out at people. The therapist, might I add in only 40 minutes, decided to conclude that I am bipolar. Since then I have been insanely anxious and am hyperaware of any mood changes that may indicate hypomania or depression. My new therapist swears I just have Generalized Anxiety and traits of OCD, but I can't shake the misdiagnosis. I am like scared..... like constant what ifs. Am I bipolar and that therapist was right or am I just highly anxious and worry about everything? I literally won't even let myself be happy because I think I am being like hypomanic or something. Like today I was feeling constant anxiety and couldn't focus in my college courses.... I went to visit one of my cousins and felt a reprieve of the anxiety and then I convinced myself that my good mood was hypomania. I don't know. I know that I couldn't really be hypomanic. I get pretty good sleep and I don't really feel grandiose about things, but I don't know. I know I sound ridiculous but I am a mess right now
Dylan
I will admit I don't know much about bi polar so I'm far from qualified but I believe that just simply being happy or excited falls far far short of being hypermanic. Hypermania is something that is noticeable in people. Did your cousin think you were acting odd? I bet not. It all sounds like good old crappy anxiety to me. Try to ditch the bi polar worries and work with your therapist on your GAD and talk to them about your concerns over your last diagnosis.
Yeah I feel like it’s anxiety too but I don’t know when I get these breaks from anxiety I get like ridiculously happy and energized and I don’t know if that’s because my body is trying to get me to calm down or if it really is Hypomania. I don’to know. I talked to her about my concerns and she said she doesn’t think I’m hypomanic. I’m able to sleep for the most part and I don’t feel like overly confident like people with Hypomania do. I don’t know maybe this is a break in the anxiety and depresssed phase.
I think you're over thinking. I get ridiculously happy when my anxiety gives me a break. I'm energised too. It's absolutely bliss when this sh@t gives us a break for a while. I'm a totally different person when I'm free. I never think I'm bi polar. And you wouldn't, if it hadn't have been for that first diagnosis. I think deep down you are aware it's anxiety whispering in your ear. Learning to ignore the devil... now that's the thing:shrug:
Does it matter? Your symptoms are the same regardless of the label they are given.
I do think I’m overthinking it. I talked to my best friend and my therapist and they think maybe I’m afraid to be happy. But my anxious brain is turning it into, “oh, you’re hypomanic and have bipolar disorded.” I’ve also had severe bouts in my past with health anxiety. And my anxiety had gotten so bad 3 years ago that I took a year off school. So I don’t know, I see a therapist on Wednesday and I’m gonna mention it. I don’t know like today I just keep getting this weird sense of wanting to burst out laughing for no reason and I’m not irritable at all like usually am. I have never felt this experience. It’s so weird
busterrufus
25-01-19, 23:11
Like Darksky I feel euphoric sometimes when the anxiety eases, even if its just for a few hours. I think its the relief from the almost constant symptoms.
Good luck.
Yeah I guess that could be it. I just feel strange. Like not myself. I legitimately thought I was going mad or something. Like I am on the fence about the Hypomania situation. When I get a moment to myself, I can talk out loud and I seem completely fine and that energized feeling and weird burst of happiness/laughter just feels irrational. But what I’m wondering is if people who experience mania or Hypomania are aware of their behavior. Like I’m so heavily aware of my own actions and thought processes. Aware to the point of hyper vigilance. In addition to the feeling of Hypomania, I feel really scattered and I can’t focus on anything but what I’m feeling. Like I feel like I want to jump up and down for joy but I know I’m context or situation that would be inappropriate. I’m more than likely overthinking it, I just need to find some semblance of peace. Like I’m in my last year of university as a nursing student and I feel like I can’t focus on my work. It’s almost like I’m borderline apathetic to being responsible.
No I don't think people who are really hypermanic have any idea they are being so. You however are watching every tiny sensation/ feeling in your body. Plus you are watching your mind for the slightest change of mood and when you think you feel it, you are seriously over analysing. The thought of being bi polar fills you with fear and angst, so you have anxious thoughts about it, quite naturally.
You need to give yourself a break from these thoughts, hopefully your therapist will give you help with doing that.
I know I’m just overwhelmed and I don’t feel like myself. Like I can’t concentrate and I feel like everyone thinks I’m being strange. Like I don’t know. And then my ocd and panic are throwing intrusive thoughts in into my brain like “you should text your dad and say you’re suicidal” and random ridiculous things like that. And intrusive thoughts feel so real and I’m like what the hell. I don’t know part of me wants to get checked out. But at the same time I can talk to myself in a rational manner and I know that what I’m feeling is just symptomatic or anxiety or whatever the cause of this hell may be. Who knows
If it helps, I spent ten years with a bipolar boyfriend. He hardly ever got anxiety and he was supremely over confident when he had mania. The exact opposite of us lot who are full of self doubt
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