How has having a diagnosis of a mental illness affected you?

I'm interested in other people's experiences e.g. does it change how you view yourself or how others treat you?

I was diagnosed with bipolar, altho that dx is now in question. the thing is while I believed it was true I lived up to the label. I became MORE outrageous and explained everything that happened to me in terms of my illness. It would have been better for me not to have that label as I believed I couldn't help myself, that being crazy was the way I was LOL

Has anyone found the same thing?

I believe that there is some truth in your post... being diagnosed as bipolar certainly causes a person to constantly evaluate their mood, behavior, etc...

However I believe if you are TRULY bipolar it makes itself very evident. In my case the instances of mania grew more intense, getting to the point where i was up for 4-5 days at a time with no sleep whatsoever. It certainly wasn't psychosomatic or brought on by anything else, these were true manic episodes, which are now under control via medications which are almost as bad as any manic episode. The side-effects are just horrible and haven't helped the depression side of my situation at all.

To sum up I understand what you are saying. The cure is almost as bad as the disease, and I am sure many mood disorders including bipolar are misdiagnosed every day. Unfortunately in my case I am sure the diagnosis is correct, the episodes of mania and depression have increased significantly since I was first diagonsed. Luckily there are trial studies of non-invasive techniques (MRI's for example), invasive techniques (vagus nerve stimulation, which was approved for depression in April of 2005) and new medications that seem very promising.

For the last 8 years I have been on anxiety and depression meds. My wait gain has been steady since then. I've been on one particular drug - Effexor, for the last 5 years. One day missed will throw me into a "madwoman" almost devil mode. I do EVERYTHING to not miss that pill each day, it's very expensive and I have no ins. To go along with that med. I also have 2 anti-anxiety meds. as well as a BP med.

This was all very confusing when I was first diagnosed. I went to the ER several times with chest pains, blurred vision, etc. They finally diagnosed me as "depressed" and "anxious". I've read a ton about bipolar. I believe that I am. I've told my doctor about the mood swings at a certain time of the month. About four years ago I suggested that maybe I was going into early menopause, (going on things that I had read) I was tested as negative. Over the last two years I've just kind of skated along, being tired all of the time and overweight.

I'm a single mother with two jobs so I'm not at all the typical "depressed and lazy" case. I've read that bipolar is hard to diagnose. Is there any one certain thing that made you know for sure? I'm pretty sure, I hope I'm wrong, but I also want to get the correct meds because I think I've been just supplementing for too long.

Tammy

hi everyone

there are different types of bipolar so to understand you need to read about those types and see how it fits. i got told i was mixed state bipolar which is apparently similar to anxious depression so it is confusing to diagnose

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What Are the Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder causes dramatic mood swings—from overly "high" and/or irritable to sad and hopeless, and then back again, often with periods of normal mood in between. Severe changes in energy and behavior go along with these changes in mood. The periods of highs and lows are called episodes of mania and depression.

Signs and symptoms of mania (or a manic episode) include:

Increased energy, activity, and restlessness
Excessively "high," overly good, euphoric mood
Extreme irritability
Racing thoughts and talking very fast, jumping from one idea to another
Distractibility, can't concentrate well
Little sleep needed
Unrealistic beliefs in one's abilities and powers
Poor judgment
Spending sprees
A lasting period of behavior that is different from usual
Increased sexual drive
Abuse of drugs, particularly cocaine, alcohol, and sleeping medications
Provocative, intrusive, or aggressive behavior
Denial that anything is wrong
A manic episode is diagnosed if elevated mood occurs with 3 or more of the other symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, for 1 week or longer. If the mood is irritable, 4 additional symptoms must be present.

Signs and symptoms of depression (or a depressive episode) include:

Lasting sad, anxious, or empty mood
Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed, including sex
Decreased energy, a feeling of fatigue or of being "slowed down"
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
Restlessness or irritability
Sleeping too much, or can't sleep
Change in appetite and/or unintended weight loss or gain
Chronic pain or other persistent bodily symptoms that are not caused by physical illness or injury
Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts
A depressive episode is diagnosed if 5 or more of these symptoms last most of the day, nearly every day, for a period of 2 weeks or longer.

A mild to moderate level of mania is called hypomania. Hypomania may feel good to the person who experiences it and may even be associated with good functioning and enhanced productivity. Thus even when family and friends learn to recognize the mood swings as possible bipolar disorder, the person may deny that anything is wrong. Without proper treatment, however, hypomania can become severe mania in some people or can switch into depression.

Sometimes, severe episodes of mania or depression include symptoms of psychosis (or psychotic symptoms). Common psychotic symptoms are hallucinations (hearing, seeing, or otherwise sensing the presence of things not actually there) and delusions (false, strongly held beliefs not influenced by logical reasoning or explained by a person's usual cultural concepts). Psychotic symptoms in bipolar disorder tend to reflect the extreme mood state at the time. For example, delusions of grandiosity, such as believing one is the President or has special powers or wealth, may occur during mania; delusions of guilt or worthlessness, such as believing that one is ruined and penniless or has committed some terrible crime, may appear during depression. People with bipolar disorder who have these symptoms are sometimes incorrectly diagnosed as having schizophrenia, another severe mental illness.

It may be helpful to think of the various mood states in bipolar disorder as a spectrum or continuous range. At one end is severe depression, above which is moderate depression and then mild low mood, which many people call "the blues" when it is short-lived but is termed "dysthymia" when it is chronic. Then there is normal or balanced mood, above which comes hypomania (mild to moderate mania), and then severe mania.

In some people, however, symptoms of mania and depression may occur together in what is called a mixed bipolar state. Symptoms of a mixed state often include agitation, trouble sleeping, significant change in appetite, psychosis, and suicidal thinking. A person may have a very sad, hopeless mood while at the same time feeling extremely energized.

Bipolar disorder may appear to be a problem other than mental illness—for instance, alcohol or drug abuse, poor school or work performance, or strained interpersonal relationships. Such problems in fact may be signs of an underlying mood disorder.

Since I've been diagnosed I now understand a lot of things that have happened to me over the last couple years and the problems I had. When I feel I've recovered from this I want to help other teens going through the same thing because being a teenager these days is NOT easy and depression and anxiety only make it worse. There is so much more pressure on teens these days, which has only caused the incidences of teen depression to rise. Also, I think there are a lot of teens out there who are depressed but don't know it. I think I'd had depression for probably two years or more before I knew what was wrong with me.

I don't mind talking about it so much anymore, and I think next trimester when I take Psychology class I may ask if I can talk to the class about it so they can better understand these illnesses.

hey lessthan that's a great idea to spread the word among teens!

good luck with the psych class. i have a psych degree and it's a fascinating subject

Thanks I've actually thought about maybe making a website directed towards teens with depression and anxiety because most resources out there aren't written from experience and aren't written from actual young people who've gone through this. It's a hard thing to deal with at this age, and I know for a long time my mom shrugged it off as "teenage hormones". Now I know that what I was feeling was not just hormonal!! Dealing with school while trying to recover is a difficult thing, also. When you're out of school for a month or two people start asking questions and it becomes embarassing at first.

I'm really excited to learn more about psychology. It's pretty interesting to me, although I don't think I'd ever major in it. I could NEVER be a psychologist!! It'd depress me too much I would empathize too much with people going through such hard times.

there are websites out there for teens but perhaps they aren't well advertised. it's certainly worth looking into

i have a lifelong interest in psychology

i have also spent some time talking to people about my illness(es) so i know where you're coming from. I don’t really care what people think of me so telling that stuff is ok, and I control what I say so it’s on my terms. It’s the aftermath. When people come up and want to talk about the people they know that have mental illnesses or want to ask questions or whatever.

You know one time after I was on a tv doco about mental illness this guy roger phoned and said all about the doco and how interesting it was and how he worked with a guy who was bipolar. But not like me of course. The guy was MAD! He described all these things the guy did and I thought hmmm that does sound a little like me. People are so insensitive. He was telling me I was mad. It made me really angry and I never spoke to him again. What a dork. So yeah it’s not so much telling people it’s people then using that as the only basis they talk to me. For example they only talk to me about their obsessive compulsive cousin or suicidal sister or depressed boss and I’m no longer a person. The label thing is part of it. It's part of why I asked this question

I've actually been wondering about capitalising on it. Calling myself The Manic Diva or something like that because whether people intend to or not that's how they will forever talk about you. Oh she's the depressed one, or the one who's partner left her or whatever. People can't help but label you.

I've been giving it a lot of thought lately as I have been writing a book that is part autobiographical and I have to ask myself do I want to put myself through that. Is it worth it. etc etc

less than i see you have the msn symbol on your profile. is it ok if i add you to my msn contact list?

Sure, go ahead

Here in the US, people have all been taught about depression but I've realized that many people don't know how to deal with friends or family who are depressed or they don't understand what I'm going through. We're taught in school that "depression is *this*, and the symptoms are *this*" and that's all.

People have been pretty sensetive otherwise, but it's just difficult when people don't really understand that this is an illness and not just some sort of "phase". I also had problems with some friends who didn't think I should go on antidepressants. It hurt me so bad when I was going through such difficult things that these people who I thought of as good friends turned their backs on me because of my medication. There's a HUGE stigma about antidepressants among young people. They think of them as "happy pills" and they think that by taking them it'll change who they are on the inside which is NOT true. I'll admit that doctors sometimes give them to people who don't really need them, which is wrong, but for those who are seriously depressed they are an excellent thing to help them cope.

About that guy who called you and treated you that way, that's very sad that someone would be so ignorant like that. We are all people, and every person will deal with some medical problem throughout their lifetime and they shouldn't be labeled because of it. You don't see people going around like, "Hey, there's that kid who broke his leg!" or "This is the diabetes girl," and they shouldn't label you because of your illness, either. It's cool that you're willing to talk to people and help them deal with these things, though

A label means that I finally know what is wrong with me and why I've had terrible mood swings for most of my life.

I'm bipolar, but I don't get manic, just hypomanic. I have very severe depressions. Thankfully I'm on the right combination of medications and I'm stable for once.

I'm a labels person. Always have been and always will be.

i've decided to write a speech about being dx with bipolar which having read the criteria i now find i was incorrectly diagnosed. it specifically excludes people who have experienced a mixed state episode in the first 2 years and that was how i got dx - mixed state. so that was interesting. i checked the DSM and found the dx was wrong

lessthan - there are so many ignorant people. i was written up in a huge weekly woman's magazine and people were going well done on getting promotion but noone talked to me about the content of it. they all just saw it as clever self promotion! well not strictly true, some people were responsive. actually i was silly, i didn't read the letters to the editor for the following weeks. that would have told me whether anyone wrote to say that it had helped them. something i didn't think of at the time

we have a pretty good program of advertising to inform people that depression can happen to anyone. it features high profile people in sports music etc talking about their experiences. it has changed perceptions but not completely. also some people differentiate. so depression is sort of okay but bipolar or schizophrenic must mean you are an axe murderer

less than. okay weird according to MSN you aren't on messenger???
i sent you a message anyway. we'll see what happens

I just got a message saying you'd added me and I added you Talk to you later!

Hi there. I too was dx last year with BP II. I went through a severe mood enrage. One minute I was great and the next I was the She Devil herself. I then learned that I have ADD also. Once I was put on the meds for that and taken off everything but my Celexa, my moods have steadied. Although my mornings are terrible until I get my meds in me.
I wasn't sure how I was supposed to act anymore, once I was told what I had. I thought great, atleast I can be treated. But then again, OMG I really am crazy! I really had to say to myself that I was still the same and just because I have a mental disease (I hate the term illness) that it doesn't define me. That I have to try every minute of every day to stay the person who I choose to be and not what the disease makes me. You are you and not the disease.
Good Luck on your journey.