Do you think your Bipolar?

[[ma...]]

I was reading alot of threads on the subject of Bipolar Disorder, looking for info (as I have a form of it) and if  mssed a thread, sorry, still getting the hang of this website.

Before considering whether or not you are Bipolar, consider this rare subtype: Bipolar 3

 

Bipolar 3 is NOT considered a psychiatric disorder, it is a medical condition in which sensitive brains are susceptible to MEDICATIONS creating the disorder itself. Unfortunatelly, if you are on any meds, the treatment is the same: a mood stabilizer. So essentially the point is mute. But if this is your history you should still know it. Because it runs in families, and you will want to know this if you have loved ones who are seeking help and treatment for say deppression (they should consider a mood stabilizer) or anxiety (if they abuse benzos and combine them with simple everyday things I will not mention) they may be susceptible.

 

Bipolar 3, which is what I am, leaves me needing NO MEDICATION. However, I decided to taper off Benzos for insomnia, and asked my doctor to put me on a mood stabilizer, just in case. When I was benzo hopping I unintentionally triggered hypomania. BTW, finding a pdoc who is familiar with the revision...very few.

 

If I took no medication after say 2 or 3 years of benzo freedom, I would HAVE TO HAVE AN UNMEDICATED STATE and still become Hypomanic or Manic. Getting off Benzos can make alot of people appear to be Bipolar, in fact in rare cases (Check the Ashton Manual) Psychosis can occur.

In the end though, I came to peace with it by realize in the end, it's a chicken and the egg question.

[[Be...]]

Hi Martian

 

Where did you get this information from?  Can you quote your source please?  Thanks.

[[...]]

 

NO. I don't believe anyone is bi polar.

 

I don't believe in labeling folks. We all are more than a label.

 

TC

[[ma...]]

Hi Martian

 

Where did you get this information from?  Can you quote your source please?  Thanks.

 

Certainly. But keep in mind that this has been a fascination of mine for twenty years, and I'm a bit obsessive at times, so I'll try to direct to the website that explores the most possibilities. I should also note that The "Bipolar Spectrum" is a controversial issue, and that two of my psychiatrists have used the term Bipolar III when discussing my case, and your question prompted me to return to the DSM IV. I now realize Bipolar III is an "unofficial term" and the amendment I was referring to was that medication / substance abuse inducing manic episodes cannot be counted toward a Bipolar 1 Diagnosis, unless it is prolonged and "takes on a life of it's own"...kind of like Protracted Benzodiazapene Withdrawal Syndrome...?

 

NO. I don't believe anyone is bi polar.

 

I don't believe in labeling folks.  We all are more than a label.

 

I couldn't agree more. I recently gave my "life history" including all my medications, everything, no stone unturned, to a sleep specialist and his response? "I have absolutely no idea what is wrong with you. I've been doing this for 20 years and this fits no clinical picture I have ever seen"....I suggested that his "problem" were his catagories, and trying to fit me neatly into one of them, or two of them, and he said "no, no, there's something wrong" -- then he wanted to order a full neurological workup..a brain scan... everything......by the time I was driving away I couldn't help but laugh -- I forgot to tell him I was on Klonopin for 15 years and was in a withdrawal state....(got some memory issues i guess)

 

The website that explores all possibilities is, specifically:"Beyong the DSM-IV" http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.lieber.html.

 

 

[[be...]]

Bi-polar is real. I've lived with someone who suffered greatly from it and eventually took their own life after repeated hospitalizations. It's when they start coming up with sequals that I become a sceptic. Bi-polar 3 the sequal. I mean from what I lived with and witnessed... either you have bi-polar disorder or you don't. There is no Bi-polar 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 etc...

 

I disagree with you TC but in one way I agree with you  - someone can have bi-polar disorder but to say someone IS bi-polar excludes a lot of other qualities they also have.

 

[[Sq...]]

"Bipolar Bear"

 

I have a friend who used to say this when anyone would say Bipolar ... Makes me smile.

 

Anyhow I did not know that Bipolar people are extremely sensitive to medication and yet the only treatment is ... medication.  I think that's exactly like inviting out the Agoraphobics to attend a group meeting ...

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Benzene,

 

I understand where you are coming from, I think my problem with the label of bi-polar is that it is used too much and many people are told they are bipolar when they are not. It is a good way for some doctors to create patients for life.

 

I will give you an example of something that happened to me. A GP prescribed Klonopin to be for sleep issues. After doing my research, I understand this was probably wrong and I don't believe GP's are qualified to prescribe this medication. After being on Klonopin for one month and experiencing side effects of the medication, I told my doctor that I would like to taper off of the meds. He asked why. I told him that I would rather try something else or to sleep naturally again. I then highlighted the side effects, many of which are similar to withdrawal symptoms, on the medical sheet that came with the medication. He said, "You will not get those." I said I am experiencing them now. He then said, "Bi Polar people do not want to take their medications, do you want me to think you are bipolar?" You see how this becomes a slippery slope. Now this was a GP stating this to me. His theory had no basis in fact and was not backed up by anything. I have no prior history and had never had a pysch visit. He just sort of made that up in his head. I believe he did it, because he knew that the meds were effecting me negatively and he didn't want to deal with what may come in withdrawal. I have since fired him.

 

My point to all of that is...if that can happen to me..it can happen to anyone. I am not bipolar, nor do I suffer from anything other than benzo withdrawal. I will never take any pysch meds or benzos again. I guess in a way that was an eye opening experience and maybe a nice lesson to learn that these meds do as much as good for some people. I often wonder..what if I would have believed this guy? Of course, it sounds ludicrous to believe a GP (who is not, in my opinion, qualified to make a diagnosis), but I would think perhaps in a weak moment, I might have believed him. Where would that have led me? Probably to a boatload of psych meds and a poly drugged life.

 

Hopefully, you see why I don't like these labels. I realize that some people need these medications. It does help them live a better life. No question about that, but there are too many false labels put on people just to make a buck. It is shameful.

 

Btw, I do agree about the bi polar 1, 2, 3, a, B, c...all seems silly to me too. I understand some people do have an illness, but we have too many damn labels, the focus should be on getting these people well, not drugging them to the gills and using them as guinea pigs. They don't even know how some of these medications work. Heck, they don't really have a full understanding of how the brain works. All scary stuff to me.

 

*steps down off soapbox(

 

Remember the don't taze me dude, guy? Well...Don't label me dude.

 

Btw..I pulled a Mike Tyson and used "ludicrous" in sentence..hehe..I rock!

 

TC

[[be...]]

Benzene,

 

I understand where you are coming from, I think my problem with the label of bi-polar is that it is used too much and many people are told they are bipolar when they are not. It is a good way for some doctors to create patients for life.

 

I will give you an example of something that happened to me. A GP prescribed Klonopin to be for sleep issues. After doing my research, I understand this was probably wrong and I don't believe GP's are qualified to prescribe this medication. After being on Klonopin for one month and experiencing side effects of the medication, I told my doctor that I would like to taper off of the meds. He asked why. I told him that I would rather try something else or to sleep naturally again. I then highlighted the side effects, many of which are similar to withdrawal symptoms, on the medical sheet that came with the medication. He said, "You will not get those." I said I am experiencing them now. He then said, "Bi Polar people do not want to take their medications, do you want me to think you are bipolar?" You see how this becomes a slippery slope. Now this was a GP stating this to me. His theory had no basis in fact and was not backed up by anything. I have no prior history and had never had a pysch visit. He just sort of made that up in his head. I believe he did it, because he knew that the meds were effecting me negatively and he didn't want to deal with what may come in withdrawal. I have since fired him.

 

My point to all of that is...if that can happen to me..it can happen to anyone. I am not bipolar, nor do I suffer from anything other than benzo withdrawal. I will never take any pysch meds or benzos again. I guess in a way that was an eye opening experience and maybe a nice lesson to learn that these meds do as much as good for some people. I often wonder..what if I would have believed this guy? Of course, it sounds ludicrous to believe a GP (who is not, in my opinion, qualified to make a diagnosis), but I would think perhaps in a weak moment, I might have believed him. Where would that have led me? Probably to a boatload of psych meds and a poly drugged life.

 

Hopefully, you see why I don't like these labels. I realize that some people need these medications. It does help them live a better life. No question about that, but there are too many false labels put on people just to make a buck. It is shameful.

 

Btw, I do agree about the bi polar 1, 2, 3, a, B, c...all seems silly to me too. I understand some people do have an illness, but we have too many damn labels, the focus should be on getting these people well, not drugging them to the gills and using them as guinea pigs. They don't even know how some of these medications work. Heck, they don't really have a full understanding of how the brain works. All scary stuff to me.

 

*steps down off soapbox(

 

Remember the don't taze me dude, guy? Well...Don't label me dude.

 

Btw..I pulled a Mike Tyson and used "ludicrous" in sentence..hehe..I rock!

 

TC

 

Yes there are doctors who misdiagnose it and now they are trying to fit more people under the bi-polar umbrella by creating II, III, IV, etc... But I have lived with someone who bad bi-polar disorder and it was text book. That's my point. It is real. When you live with someone who has it, you know what it is and the label becomes important because it helps identify the appropriate treatment.  I know what bi-polar looks like and when soemone has it, it is unmistakable. It is extreme. When they are keeping you up all night talking one million miles an hour and talking in rhymes part of the time and telling you they have reason to believe that our family is descended from aliens as was Christ, you have an ah ha moment. Then, two weeks later when they are trying to kill themselves because they are convinced that someone has statistically proven that they are the worst person since Adolph Hitler, you have another ah ha moment. I think bi-ploar disorder is serious business and the diagnosis should not be played with and should be reserved for those people who have to suffer with it. Bi-polar disorder as a diagnosis has existed long before big pharma could profit from it. It was treated with a salt called lithium. Now isn't it interesting that all these sub-types of Bi-polar disorder appear as new drugs come out from big pharma? It's almost like they are creating these sub-types to sell more drugs.

[[...]]

Benzene,

 

Wow it sounds like you had a lot to deal with..I am sorry you had to experience that..I bet it was a learning experience...I am sure you had to be very patient during that time too...

 

I agree with you..I think the problem is..the designer drugs to treat these designer illnesses..which is my point about all the labeling...I realize some of them are legit..but it almost seems sometimes they make up labels, so they can then create a new drug to match that label....

 

I know bipolar is used a lot as a catch all label...which bothers me too....I am not sure which bipolar 1, 2, 3, 15...but one of them is used apparently when they can't figure out what might be the matter..so they just label you bi polar...as a way to just try various meds..

 

 

 

TC

[[be...]]

Benzene,

 

Wow it sounds like you had a lot to deal with..I am sorry you had to experience that..I bet it was a learning experience...I am sure you had to be very patient during that time too...

 

I agree with you..I think the problem is..the designer drugs to treat these designer illnesses..which is my point about all the labeling...I realize some of them are legit..but it almost seems sometimes they make up labels, so they can then create a new drug to match that label....

 

I know bipolar is used a lot as a catch all label...which bothers me too....I am not sure which bipolar 1, 2, 3, 15...but one of them is used apparently when they can't figure out what might be the matter..so they just label you bi polar...as a way to just try various meds..

 

 

 

TC

 

I agree they have started using it as a catch-all and they are doing the people who really suffer from bi-polar disorder a disservice. If someone commits a crime with the mindset I described to you they are not in their right mind. But the term bi-polar is becoming so watered down that it may not get taken seriously with regard to those who truly suffer from it. It is as real and serious as schizophrenia. It can cause horrific suffering. The Dr. who made that comment to you about not wanting to take meds is a symptom of Bi-Polar disorder needs as serious kick in the butt.

[[...]]

 

I would like kick him square in the nuts.

 

Luckily, I will never see that guy again. I would like to write him a letter....and "thank" him for what he had a hand in doing to me....but I doubt he would care. It was fun firing him though.

 

TC

[[ma...]]

Bi-polar is real. I've lived with someone who suffered greatly from it and eventually took their own life after repeated hospitalizations. It's when they start coming up with sequals that I become a sceptic. Bi-polar 3 the sequal. I mean from what I lived with and witnessed... either you have bi-polar disorder or you don't. There is no Bi-polar 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 etc...

 

I disagree with you TC but in one way I agree with you  - someone can have bi-polar disorder but to say someone IS bi-polar excludes a lot of other qualities they also have.

 

Wow, it sounds like this was someone who was truly Bipolar. I hope my comments didn't offend you. My sister has Schizo-effective Disorder, my uncle has schitzophrenia, and I have been studying mental illness for many many years. My concern was more for the frequent misdiagnosis of the disorder, and the effect it can have on one's identity and sense of who they truly are. Not the non-existence of it. I don't think of my sister as schizo-effective, she's just my sister. My uncle isn't just a schizophrenic, he's just my uncle, and having a difference in brain chemistry doesn't make us different as people. And I'm well aware of the suffering, my uncle turned to alcohol and substances, and with no memory of it, killed my grandmother. My interest in this field isn't coming from a place of lack of empathy. It's coming from a place of the knowledge that I have been put on medications I knew were innappropriate for my brain chemistry, and the doctors who refused to listen.

[[be...]]

Bi-polar is real. I've lived with someone who suffered greatly from it and eventually took their own life after repeated hospitalizations. It's when they start coming up with sequals that I become a sceptic. Bi-polar 3 the sequal. I mean from what I lived with and witnessed... either you have bi-polar disorder or you don't. There is no Bi-polar 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 etc...

 

I disagree with you TC but in one way I agree with you  - someone can have bi-polar disorder but to say someone IS bi-polar excludes a lot of other qualities they also have.

 

Wow, it sounds like this was someone who was truly Bipolar. I hope my comments didn't offend you. My sister has Schizo-effective Disorder, my uncle has schitzophrenia, and I have been studying mental illness for many many years. My concern was more for the frequent misdiagnosis of the disorder, and the effect it can have on one's identity and sense of who they truly are. Not the non-existence of it. I don't think of my sister as schizo-effective, she's just my sister. My uncle isn't just a schizophrenic, he's just my uncle, and having a difference in brain chemistry doesn't make us different as people. And I'm well aware of the suffering, my uncle turned to alcohol and substances, and with no memory of it, killed my grandmother. My interest in this field isn't coming from a place of lack of empathy. It's coming from a place of the knowledge that I have been put on medications I knew were innappropriate for my brain chemistry, and the doctors who refused to listen.

 

No I was not the least bit offended. I never thought your were coming from a position of ignorance and malice. NOt for a second.