Am I a Bipolar? - Bipolar Disorder Message Board

condemned · 07-01-2009, 08:09 AM

Hi all, I'm new here. I need to ask a serious question about my doc's classification of my mental illness. He diagnosed me as a bipolar . The question is that am I considered a bipolar if I do not have swings of ups and downs BUT had a manic episode about a year ago. I am currently going through a very severe major depression which was triggerred by job loss . At first when i went to see him, he prescribed me anti-depressants for my situation but on the second visit, after i told him about my manic episode that happenned a year ago and he immediately withdrew the ADs and prescribed me Seroquel. I tried to tell him that I'm severely depressed because of my jobloss and it is not because of a downswing but he still maintained that I'm a bipolar after what i told him. I do not have upswings and downswings in mood but have always had major depression (6 times) in my life. I only went manic once. Is it enough to classify me as a bipolar for just being manic once. I'm asking this question because after taking Seroquel, I feel really really weird and unwell and I'm worried for being wrongly diagnosed and wrongly medicated.

dreams in neon · 07-01-2009, 08:37 AM

All it takes is a single manic (or hypomanic) episode to be diagnosed as bipolar. If you have specific questions about your diagnosis, you may want to seek a second opinion.

dreams in neon · 07-01-2009, 08:42 AM

I also wanted to add that I have a friend with BPII who experiences more severe depression than hypomania yet she is still considered bipolar. Some people tend to have more dramatic mood swings than others. The same thing is true for mania. Some have more difficulty with depression while others like myself have bipolar that falls more on the manic side. As far as the Seroquel is concerned, when did you begin taking this medication? It may take a little while before some of the side effects wear off. When I started taking Depakote and Risperdal, I was extremely tired, but this improved by the second week I took them.

condemned · 07-01-2009, 08:55 AM

Hi tks for ur quick reply. I've been taking seroquel for the past 2 months. I'm currently on 200mg. Was on 300mg but felt zombie so went down to 200mg. then last week he upped another 50mg to make it 250mg. took it for 3 days and i felt horrific so i went down to 200mg and immediately felt better the next day. Thats why I'm wondering if I'm being wrongly treated. If reducing the seroquel makes me feel better, maybe getting off the med will remove the awful feeling that i'm having everyday. I'm sufferring from Major depression at this present moment and I dont understand why is my doc giving me a mood stabilizer drug. I'm quite shocked that all it takes is a single manic episode to be considered a bipolar and treated for bipolar even when facing major depression.

Bunnylover · 07-01-2009, 09:36 AM

Sounds like you don't trust your pdoc, so that means its time for a second opinion, regardless of the reason.

I am bipolar II, and my struggles are mostly with serious depression. The key, in my opinion, is whether or not treating it as bipolar helps or makes the problem worse.

Also, did your pdoc start you at 300mg of seroquel? That's an awful lot for a starting dose. I was first started on 25 mg, now I take 200 mg because that's what I've slowly built up to, to handle sleep issues and a hypo-manic (slighter manic) episode, but I didn't start there. I'm not suggesting you should go off it without checking with a doctor, but to me that suggests further that you should seek a second opinion.

Try not to get hung up on the label bipolar--I know personally its scary as heck to get diagnosed, and doubting the diagnosis is really normal, even if its correct. It takes time to come to terms with it for just about everyone, and a whole range of feelings are completely normal.