I was diagnosed several years ago as bp type II. I had what I called manic type episodes where I felt drunk or high and then lots of depression. But last year a new dr said that I was misdiagnosed and that my real problem was depression with ADHD and that what I thought was manic episodes was really hyperactivity?!?!

Any thoughts? Has anyone else heard of these two getting mixed up?

I was diagnosed several years ago as bp type II. I had what I called manic type episodes where I felt drunk or high and then lots of depression. But last year a new dr said that I was misdiagnosed and that my real problem was depression with ADHD and that what I thought was manic episodes was really hyperactivity?!?!

Any thoughts? Has anyone else heard of these two getting mixed up?

I dont think any doctor can diagnose anything properly... We can only pray that whom ever we do see on a regular basis is good... :)

I've heard of people having both. My friend's niece does. You could ask your doctor why he/she thinks it's ADHD. Sometimes I think it's as big a stab in the dark for them as it is for us.
Good luck and good health.

A high percentage of bipolar people exhibit symptoms of ADHD too. They don't know yet if it's that ADHD and bipolar are complimentary conditions or if bipolar sometimes comes with ADHD like symptoms.

I was diagnosed several years ago as bp type II. I had what I called manic type episodes where I felt drunk or high and then lots of depression. But last year a new dr said that I was misdiagnosed and that my real problem was depression with ADHD and that what I thought was manic episodes was really hyperactivity?!?!

Any thoughts? Has anyone else heard of these two getting mixed up?

This is a pretty common thing. My doctor tells me that most people who have BP can also have other symptoms such as PSTD, Anxiety, ADHD, psychosis and the list can go on.

If you don't feel like that is an accurate diagnosis, get a second opinion. Did your doctor switch your medication to an antidepressant and something to control the ADHD? If so, have your symptoms gotten better or worse?

Good luck!
P

A doctor once suggested that I "might" be bipolar, because of my depression mixed with rage episodes. Turns out the rage (plus other unpleasantness) was caused by too much Zoloft. Sometimes the drugs we take can mimic symptoms for other disorders.

What’s new? Doctors make errors all the time. Why do you think they call it practicing medicine? This is also, why their malpractice insurance is soooooo high.

God Bless

One problem with diagnosing mental problems, especially bipolar, is the lack of knowledge about them. We're still at the point of understanding the diseases only by descriptions. There is no definative test for any of these illnesses, and sadly, namely for bipolar, there isn't much money going into research. We're starting to see some good hard evidence with brain imaging, but there's so much work to be done. Hopefully, within our lifetimes, we'll see the ability to diagnose these problems definatively, and medication that directly targets the cause. Docs are doing the best that they can, especially with illnesses that mimic each other as far as symptomology but so different as far as effective treatments.

***Disclaimer***
The following is a long diatribe about our medical system which has very little to do with bipolar, but which I hope will improve some people's views about our doctors and illuminate the workings of the system. By no means do I claim to have all the answers, nor can I fit everything into this post. Thus, this will be somewhat subjective as I have to select what to include. That said...
***Disclaimer***

<Rant>
Don't go there. Malpractice insurance is sky high because our medical system is terrible. In America, we place too much value on the individual, and not enough on the system... not to mention that we selectively value individuals. What I'm referring to is damages awarded to patients of malpractice suits. It's a terrible thing when a doctor makes a mistake, but often, those mistakes occur during risky procedures anyways. On top of this, doctors are only human, and it's amazing that we can do the things medically that we can.

The problem comes from juries awarded rediculous sums of money to victims or their families... in the order of tens of millions of dollars sometimes. First, the arguements tend to be based around how much money the person would have made in his or her life, or the level of suffering inflicted. Basing damages on future gains doesn't make sense economically, because it ignores all other possible future outcomes, in addition to favoring the wealthy. Also, for the most part, the more risky the procedure or situation, the worse the malpractice probably is. Even as someone who has nearly had major surgery done on the wrong side of my body, it's something that goes with the territory. Doctors are only human, and that's why there are failsafes built in to try to stop some of these errors, not all of which are preventable.

It's kinda harsh to say that we overvalue human life, but perhaps it makes more sense this way: as Americans, we feel a sense of entitlement which people in other nations often don't. Certainly, this may be one reason that we prosper so much, but on the other hand, we need to be careful not to place the individual so high above society. Many other nations, and some states, have caps on punative damages, which prevents the huge settlements that are awarded. In return, the insurance companies don't feel the need to settle most cases as damage control to prevent getting hit by a major decision. It's hard to come to grips with, because it places value on human life, and sets a cap on that value. At the same time, however, because insurance companies currently settle most cases for fear of a big hit, it skyrockets the price of insurance for doctors.

Part of the reason I'm passionate about this is that it's getting really nasty around here, and terrible in some states. I used to live in Kansas City, which as a decent sized city now has huge holes in its medical coverage. Large chunks of the city no longer have certain professions, such as much of the northeast of the city, which has almost no neurosurgeons. This may not seem terrible, but for head trauma, an extra ten to twenty minutes to the nearest hospital with a neurosurgeon often means death, brain damage, or paralyzation which often would be preventable if our system was better. I know a lot of places now have problems with ObGyns leaving, so that they have to drive hours back and forth for pregnancy checkups and when the baby is expected, they often have to stay at a hotel or with relatives near their doctor.
</Rant>

Grantophus,

I amen your rant! I work on the other side of the medical issue. I have been in the insurance bus for 15 LONG years. The cost of insurance goes up and I take most of the blame. :confused:

What we need to do is control the cost of futile litigation, get the government out of it (free market), and educated the public as to the cost of care. For example, a person with a runny nose goes to the ER for care will cost up to $1,000 for the visit. Doctors are afraid of getting sued if they do not run 17 different kinds of test. The same reg dr visit in a primary care sitting would be closer to $30-70 depending on one’s location. This and other things like drugs are driving the cost of insurance through the roof.