Misdiagnosed?
 

About 1 year ago my family physician diagnosed me with bipolar disorder. He based this on the fact that I often talk fast, jump from one thought to another, and tend to have a "risk-taking" attitude (i.e. some problems with drinking/promiscuity in college). I have also struggled with depression/anxiety since I was about 13 years old-- I'm 21 now.

I was hospitalized in Oct. 2006 for severe panic attacks. I also went through a rehab program in Jan. 2007.

Since my diagnosis last summer I have been on and off at least 10 different medications. (Fam. physician prescribed some, the hospital changed prescriptions and put me on FIVE different meds--can you say overmedicated!?--Rehab center changed scripts AGAIN--different M.D. changed them AGAIN.. etc etc). On none of these meds have I felt any change in mood, either up or down. I am currently on 300 mg Seroquel and want to get off as soon as I am able.

The problem is I feel that I have been misdiagnosed. My fam. physician is convinced that it is bipolar and will hear no disagreements. Same with my parents. I have done research on bipolar and it is my understanding that it is characterized by periods of extremely high moods (mania or hypomania) and periods of extremely low moods (depression), and periods of normal moods in between, or alternating between the three. The thing is, I don't experience this. I tend to talk fast & loud, jump from one thought to another, AND feel low and down at the same time. I have NEVER experienced a period with just one or the other. Also, I think that my alcohol problem influenced some of my actions that my fam. dr. is considering as bipolar symptoms.

I believe that my personality is just such that I tend to talk a lot and fast (I have done this since I was able to speak!) and that I am really suffering from depression and anxiety. I never feel an extremely uplifted or happy mood. I feel down and depressed all the time. I am tired of being a guinea pig trying tons of meds for a couple of weeks or months and then having them arbitrarily changed by some Dr. who has known me for an hour or a couple of days.

I don't have anyone to talk to about this because everyone assumes that "thinking I don't have a problem" is just a SYMPTOM of the problem! It is so maddening...

This whole issue is so disheartening to me, I don't even feel like I'm being treated like a real person, just some "mentally ill" person whose words and opinions you shouldn't trust. I am so depressed, I am crying right now. I cry at the drop of a hat... sad song, commercial, etc...

I know you guys are not medical professionals but I really need some advice/support...

Sorry for dumping all of this...

Sounds like you might be wise to request a referral to a specialist. Good Luck.

It's always good to get a second opinion, especially from a specialist.

However, one thing to know about bipolar disorder is that it can have many forms. The extremes do not have to cycle, or even when they do, have a predictable cycle. Some people cycle over months, others days, and some never really experience cycling at all, and are more like you describe yourself. Manic-depressive disorder is now called bipolar disorder, in part because of the fact that some people with bipolar disorder never cycle, may not ever experience extreme mania or extreme depression, or may experience both simultaneously.

I had a very good friend in college who was diagnosed bipolar in college. His father had been diagnosed many years before, and experienced cycles, but my friend was much more like you describe yourself. He absolutely hated taking medications, because he didn't feel like they did much besides make him less himself, but without the medications he couldn't function very well (he was a pre-med student). It took him a while to find a medication he could live with, but last I heard he was doing great.

A second opinion is definitely in order. I really hate the feeling that some doctors/specialists/professionals are patronizing. I wouldn't feel good about ANY diagnosis from a doctor I didn't trust or who rubbed me the wrong way. I'm assuming that part of the treatment for this is counseling. What does the counselor suggest?

Well thank you all for responding. I am so frustrated by this situation. I am not denying that I have emotional issues, rather it's the way that for a year I have not had any improvement with or without medication. What is so frustrating to me is that the several doctors I have seen over the past year just give me a questionnaire to answer... they don't seem to want to hear what I have to say, or even my own description of my moods! Check, check, check, here's your prescription, see ya in a month. Some of these medications have made me feel very physically ill or mentally--strange, I can't really explain it. But my depression does not seem to be lifting.

I have to make an appointment with a psychologist (court-ordered) tomorrow, and I'm just already wary that this appt will be just like the rest. I would not object to medication if it actually helped, but none of it seems to!

P.S. I have not have trouble functioning in life (except when I was very deep into alcohol abuse, which I am not anymore)-- my moods do not seem to impede on my ability to make friends, do homework, go to classes, etc.

I was misdiagnosed as bipolar myself. At one point I was on 8 different medications at the same time to treat the bipolarism, and had physical side effects to where I was embarassed to even leave my room in the apartment I lived at with my mom at the time. Losing my bladder function was the last straw especially after my psychiatrist refused to take me off the medication that was causing that. I should have reported him but didn't due to plain ignorance. The best thing I did was I got MAD and I took action and did a lot of research and I got a second opinion. I did not experience the high moods or the extreme lows but still was diagnosed to be bipolar for whatever reason. The best thing to do is get another opinion and also counseling really helps, in both alleviating stress just by having someone nonjudgmental and objective to talk to and also your counselor can also teach you life management skills in how to recognize that you're becoming depressed again and how to take steps to prevent from hitting rock bottom and all sorts of things.

I just now noticed you said you're going to a court ordered doctor and your description of your appointments. This is just me but I would find your own doctor and most likely they are going to be better than a court appointed one since those people are overloaded with so many cases and that may be why you're just getting a five minute appointment and just filling out a questionnaire. You may think you can't afford to go to one on your own but when there's a will there is a way and there is no price on being happy and at peace with yourself! Just something to think about! What worked for me is that I found a counselor that also has her own psychiatrist degree and can prescribe medication as well. But the bulk of her practice is counseling. Sorry this is so long but unfortunately in the mental health field you often have to learn things the hard way and that's why I'm telling you all of this since I certainly would have liked it if someone had told me all these things! :-)

bbb17, thanks for the response. I am not saying I definitely HAVE been misdiagnosed but I have a strong opinion that I may have been. My main concern is getting a proper diagnosis and getting on the right meds, or at least off the wrong ones!

I have researched the disorder, concentrating esp. on the DSM-IV, and I just don't fit the criteria...

I feel like just because I am a very outgoing and talkative person I have been labeled as "manic" by my doc... no one else seems to think it's odd, I actually have a lot of friends and do very well in my classes at college, and have never found my moods such that they interfered with my life or made me feel "abnormal" or "strange".

Anyways, it's good to know that misdiagnoses do happen, gives me a new hope seeing as I'm going to this new psychologist soon.

Interference with ability to function should be one of the first, not last components to a psychiatric diagnoses, particularly if medication is going to be prescribed. Really, a general practitioner should not be diagnosing mental health conditions. He should have referred you to a psychiatrist. That you report some substance abuse issues, makes it even more difficult for a trained psychiatrist (let alone a family doctor) to sort through the issues.

I have my master's degree in developmental psychology, not counseling psych, but I've done a little counseling (and had a little counseling in order to obtain disability, and as a result of needing counseling to cope with the disability), and the best advice I can give you is not to think of a counselor or psychiatrist any differently than any health care professional. If you didn't like or trust your dentist, you would find another dentist. Some people have had one (or even a lot more) bad experiences with different counselors, and believed that counseling wasn't for them, but they only hadn't found the right counselor. Don't be afraid to experiment with counselors. I would give any counselor at least a few sessions "benefit of the doubt," because it can take a while to feel comfortable and build a relationship with someone, but if after a few sessions, you're still not comfortable with the person, you might consider trying to find another counselor.

Isn't that part of some manic phases, though? You feel great, you think you're the life of the party.

What struck me from your first post was that your family physician and your parents seem to be calling the shots. Once you are past the age of 18 you have a legal right to privacy with regard to your medical treatment. Would it be helpful for you to take more control over your treatment options?

Good luck.

kaplods--thanks for the input. I, too, was a little put off by my fam. physician (a nice guy, regardless) diagnosing and prescribing meds.

MariaMaria--as a result of my alcohol abuse problems (which led to some legal/medical problems) I have been forced to live with my parents even though I am 21. I am working to get on my own two feet but I am just starting. For the time being they ARE calling the shots, both financially and otherwise. They have always been very strict, and my dad esp. is very controlling (lots of background there that I won't get into, including his active alcoholism/job as a prison guard/rough upbringing). I am under their insurance as a "dependent student", so basically they get to 'okay' or 'nay' all medical information, on the basis that they are paying for the treatment.

I could see my outgoing-ness, having lots of good friends, parcitipating a lot in class discussions, could be characteristic of hypomania, but that seems to be a static element of my personality, it never wavers, decreases, or increases over a period of time. I'm not trying to argue with you, in fact I am trying to be as objective as possible about this whole thing. It's really hard to be objective about yourself though!

It is very hard to be objective about yourself, I so completely agree. I know you said that what you feel as just your natural personality hasn't impacted on your ability to function or interfered with your life, but there are hints in your post that this might not be true. Alcohol problems that have resulted in legal AND medical problems before the age of 21 are huge red flags that you're not functioning at the level you believe you are. While you may consider the alcohol abuse to be the cause of the problems, it's just as likely that bipolar personality characteristics (like impulse control, lack of judgement...) contributed to your alcohol use, and either directly or indirectly the result of your legal and medical problems.

To a certain degree, especially with legal consequences, you're in a situation where you have to find a counselor and psychiatrist you trust, and then put your trust their judgement. Mental health conditions are no different than physical ones, sometimes it's hard to wrap your head around a diagnoses, or get outside yourself to see the effects that are obvious to others closest to you.

Before I was diagnosed with fibromayalgia, and even afterwards, and sometimes even now, I have a hard time realizing when I am in a flare with cognitive symptoms (symptoms of fibromyalgia include fatigue and short term memory and cognitive function problems - it's like feeling tipsy and sometimes even drunk without having had any alcohol to explain it).

I get easily confused and have a hard time thinking as quickly or as clearly as I normally would. But the strangest thing is, I rarely notice unless it's pointed out to me (and sometimes not even then), because I can only access the mind I have at the moment. When I'm not thinking clearly, I'm not thinking clearly enough to know that I'm not thinking clearly.

My situation obviously isn't the same as yours, and I'm not saying you're wrong about yourself. I don't know you well enough to say, but I think that's why it's important that you get the diagnosis from someone you trust who has been trained in making these diagnoses.

The best thing would be to see a psychiatrist, I personally would not just see one, i would probably see two or three and see what they say. You need to know what your issues are so that you can be properly treated and live your life fully and enjoy life.
*hugs*
*hugs*
don't give up

Just think if you had a heart condition you wouldn't go to a regular doctor, you'd go to a cardiologist. A specialist.
*hugs*

Many larger churces have certified mental health counselors that can talk with you -often for free....check it out.

God Bless

I am also bipolar and agree that you should be seen by a psychiatrist not a family doctor. With bipolar it is possible to have what is know as mixed periods where your both depressed and manic at the same time. Does this sound like you?

I would advise against reading the DSM its so tempting to self diagnose and be like hmmm which one do I want to be and it becomes harder to be more honest with your care team when you know what features they are looking for.

I was just about to say a similar thing to tasche13 - there are two main forms of bipolar disorder, bipolar 1 being the type most people are aware of - the highs and lows cycling. But there are variances within that too, like rapid cycling bipolar, where instead of cycle through years or months, you cycle within days, sometimes even hours.

Then there's bipolar 2 where you get lows, but never get as manic as type 1, so you get that hypomania. My boyfriend is bipolar 1, and he didn't even have textbook symptoms a lot of the time. He never drank, gambled, or behaved recklessly (aside from driving too fast), but he had a terrible temper, and would go into rages. It was pretty scary.

So when I read the books and stuff, I'd be thinking "well that isnt' quite him", but he's found his right mix of medications, and is a new man. It's worth noting that most bipolar people actually see several different doctors before they get the correct diagnosis/medication.

My point is, whoever is right, perhaps your journey isn't done yet until you feel better! Let that be your aim always. Good luck, love to you, I know it's so hard. :hug:

Thanks for the support. I know about rapid-cycling and mixed episodes. Just doesn't seem like me-- or at least how I feel. I mean mixed episodes yes, but that seems like a constant thing in my life, never changing.

I guess another part of the story, that I didn't really want to get into, is the problems with my home environment. I have not gotten along with my parents for at least 10 years. They are the ones who went to my family physician and said that I had "mood swings" and got irritated easily, which in part led to the diagnosis. My dad however has a very abusive tendency (mental & physical at times) and I live in a state of constant tension that I will set him off--it takes literally, nothing. A small mistake, one word said in the wrong tone. So am I easily irritable? Yes, but I imagine most people in my position would be. Do I act subdued and down around my parents? Yes, because I don't want to speak my mind and tell them how fed up I am. Do I occasionally scream and rage? Yes, but usually only after I've been hit, slapped, dumped out of my chair, or called a fat pig, slob, *******, or *****.

In front of the dr's my parents act like the perfect parents and say as if clueless, "She is just so irritable and argues with us so much! We don't know what to do?!" and I feel like screaming because I have been reprimanded, controlled, manipulated, called names, and been directed cruelty from at least one if not both parents for as long as I can remember. No one seems to care about that. I never am irritable or mean or full of rage around anyone else besides my parents. Doesn't that say something in and of itself?

I'm just so irritated, I am not trying to play the victim but this is REAL and no one seems to want to believe it. It's easier to say that I'm mentally ill than to admit that my parents are wrong and have been wrong for years in the way they raised me.

My husband went through this with his parents. Before they finally divorced when he was 17, they had him to see counselors because of his acting out. One psychologist even diagnosed him as paranoid schizophrenic (my husband was SOOO mad at his parents that he would deliberately act crazy to manipulate teachers and counselors).

Most counselors are pretty savvy and realize that a person doesn't develop in a vaccuum, and their environment plays a large role, but they can't know what you don't tell them. Even if you're bipolar (heck, it sounds like your dad may be also), medicine isn't going to solve your problems with all of the family stress going on. Your parents' ablility to maintain a squeaky clean image for others has made you the scapegoat to distract ousiders (and even themselves) from everything else wrong in the family.

This is why the court ordered counselor is probably your absolute best chance at getting help. You need someone to confide in, and you need to let the counselor see the whole picture of your life. The counselor may be able to persuade the courts that you need to live in a different environment. Whether you're bipolar or not, really isn't the most important issue you're dealing with right now. Even if your depression is situationally based, some antidepressant medications could be of benefit, but you'd want to talk to a psychiatrist about that, not a family doctor. For example, neither my husband nor I are clinically depressed, but I have fibromyalgia, and am taking amitryptiline to reduce pain and help me get a restful sleep (fibromyalgia often involves disruptive sleep and other sleep disorders). My husband takes Cymbalta for nerve and degenerative joint pain.

I do wish you the best, and really encourage you to find a psychiatrist and counselor you trust. It is so true that your environment may be creating your problems, but if you don't address them, the problems are going to get worse and be harder to get rid of, even after you move out of that house.

Oh, man, this sounds familiar. I talk fast, walk faster than most people jog, think fast, rapidly switch from big picture to details as well as from idea to idea. I start conversations without context and inaccurately assume people are following my problem-solving process when I toss out solutions. I occasionally get anxiety or have anxiety dreams when I am overly tired or just hip-deep in a stressful project. In my experience, I'm just thinking so fast about so many things that, when my body starts to slow down, my brain doesn't want to and things can get thrown in a loop.

I've never been diagnosed with anything other than being "smarter than the average bear." My other friends who are above average intelligence experience very similar things. Do you have a job, school, or hobby you can immerse yourself in? By challenging myself intellectually, I've managed to turn my high-energy personality into a pretty lucrative career ;) and I've calmed down considerably in the process by knowing I've found my niche and I'm not alone.

I, too, worry about a mental health diagnosis from a general practitioner. My mother received anti-depressants but no therapy and, without the drugs, she quickly slips back to square one. My friend got both drugs and therapy and has been able to recognize the symptoms and use coping strategies to carry herself through. Not saying this would work for everyone, but the GP never even bothered to try for my mom. There are just too many tools a specialist has that the GP's simply just don't know about because of the nature of their practice.

Keep fighting!

Thank you both, kaplods & Lafayette. I have several hobbies that I enjoy immensely... for example, reading and knitting. I am extremely fast and proficient at both of them. When I read, I feel like I am being taken to another world. I make friends with the characters. I also devote myself to my school work (most of the time) and I have always been a great student. I don't seem to have "social problems" relating with my peers or relatives (other than my parents). I have a knack for problem solving which has lead me to major in Math & Science in college.

I am just at the end of my rope with my parents. I acknowledge that our relationship is extremely strained-- much of it is my fault, I have put them through a lot emotionally and financially as a result of my previous hard-partying past. My temper is often short and I am extremely sensitive to any criticism. This I attribute to the nature of our relationship. It is hard NOT to be sensitive to criticism when it feels like I can do nothing right. I find myself wanting and needing to be praised for everything I do "right".

I am constantly battling myself about my relationship of my parents. As the old saying goes, there are two sides to every story. Surely my parents are wrong to demean and sometimes physically lash out at me (both my mom and dad have been known to hit or slap me out of anger, with a few episodes far exceding that severity). Yet I acknowledge that my (previous) habit of binge drinking, crashing my car, and getting arrested I have put a great deal of pressure on them as well.

I have given up drinking completely, and I have no real desire to do it any more, other than occassionally wanting a glass of wine with dinner (which I don't do). I have also been using anger management techniques to control my knee-jerk reactions to being criticized. As I have put most of my time into my schoolwork our arguments have been fewer and further between. I feel that I am finally getting my life together-- going to school, looking for a job, better controlling my "temper", working out & eating right, etc. Also I am starting counseling soon. Yet I am under the constant threat of being kicked out of the house. It's extremely difficult.

I wish I had advice for dealing with your parents but the reality is that, until they are willing to look at themselves and make some changes, you're stuck dealing with the same people, not matter how you change yourself. I know it's hard to regain trust as a recovering addict. Keep working on yourself and you'll get there!

I'm glad to hear you're in school. I found a lot of outlets in extracurricular activities- everything from academic competitions to a sorority. Sounds like you're working on your path, too. Way to go!

MissChris,

You sound exactly like my 28 year old nephew (in your first post) he was diagnosed with depression and ADHD (which is what I have). Just like you, he does the fast talking, he's done that ever since he was about 5.

Good luck with your counseling and I pray that some one can diagnose you properly...... I honestly believe you that you feel you are being misdiagnosed...who knows our bodies better than we do, right.

:hug:

.

Well, I have some really good news. I got an appointment with an actual liscenced psychologist in my area! And he's going to do an evaluation for me... a real, 3-hour psych evaluation! My appt is this Wednesday (Oct. 3) and I am so, so, so happy to actually be having a real eval with a specialist. I really want to hear what he has to say and follow his recommendations. YAY!

Good luck! This could be it!

Wow.. Your parents sound just like mine. My dad at times was physically abusive to the point where I would be in fear for my life, he tried to strangle me once to just give you an idea of how bad it could get, and my mom would just stand there and watch, then out in public we were just a "perfect family" and I would get yelled at for telling the truth and I was labeled "the liar and the mentally unstable one that was just telling these lies to get back at my parents for something I was mad about". When my parents got divorced when I was in high school it got even worse due to the fact that my mom became physically abusive as well since she was so depressed and mad at my dad for leaving and would take it out on me and would actually lock me in my bedroom and prevent me from doing the things that I had committed to doing or going to school. I missed a lot of school my senior year because of that and I actually had to go to court and beg not to be thrown in jail for my "truancy". It also affected me not being able to graduate and I was not allowed to wear my cap and gown and walk across the stage. She did lots of other stuff like took away my car that I had bought ( unfortunately, the car was in her name to help on keeping insurance costs down) and sold it and used the money to go and have fun with her new boyfriend. My advice is to keep doing what you're doing and as soon as you can afford it move out! You can only change yourself and not others. For me to keep my sanity and not be depressed and be happy, I no longer really go around my family or mom on a daily basis and when I do visit I keep it very short and light hearted and I generally ignore their judgmental comments which infuriates them. I just recently had to tell my mom I would no longer take care of her anymore due to how she treats me and she is now able to afford to hire a professional healthcare home nurse, (she has had health issues since I've been out of high school and my dad's also been deceased since HS) and that I would be looking and finally getting a "real" part time job. Needless to say she threw a fit and tried to guilt trip me.

I hope your appointment went well and that you are on your way to getting a correct diagnosis!

Wow a 3hr evaluation thats a long time (but worth it). Is this the first time you are actually seeing a metal health professional as opposed to a primary care or family doctor. Most family/pcp drs don't. Mine gave be a trial pack effexor xr and I went hypomanic without knowing it until I had my first appointment with a psychiatrist 2 weeks later (luckily she referred me bc of my family history)

Chris,
just read this thread and noticed you haven't posted here in 27 days....how are you doing?

Hope things are going well for you.

I feel for you