just been told I might be bipolar?!

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-05-2006
just been told I might be bipolar?!
5
Fri, 05-05-2006 - 10:59am

I saw a counselor last week. We talked in part about my extreme moodiness, and he suggested that I get an evaluation and find out if I'm bipolar or not. He said he suspects that I am, but he is not a Psych. So earlier this week my husband and I met with a marriage counselor. She asked to speak with my husband the next day alone, and he came back to say that she thinks I'm bipolar and need to have an evaluation. :-(

I wrote to my mother and asked her what she thought, expecting to hear the usual "No, Beth, you're fine..you're just lazy/looking for attention/won't deal with your problems" or whatever and instead I heard "Well, Beth, you've always been extremely moody. You either can't get out of bed, or you're off doing stupid stuff and acting really out of it. You have no middle ground. So yeah, you should see someone about it."

The place I was referred to by my counselor set me up for an evaluation the 20th of June. The marriage counselor has another name for me to call, but I haven't called yet.

I don't know what to think right now. I'm just sitting here like "Great. I'm bleeping psycho."

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-12-2005
Fri, 05-05-2006 - 11:33am

First I want to say I am glad you found us and that you are here. People told me the same thing when I told them I might be as well. I have now be dx(diagnosed) bp for over 7 yrs. That is the first reastion of people. most people are not knowledgable of this disease and there for stigmatize it. WE are not freaks and we dont play with our own poop...lmoa
Once I found out I was Dh came to some sessions with me and slowly got educated about it. I Then did alot of reading about it and slowly educated them people close to me. Now they dont see jo the BP person. They just see jo. It will take time to understand it and to get prople to understand it. You should take the eval and see what they have to say. What do yo have to lose? Nothing...If they say you are then you now understand why you have been the way you are and get get help for it. And if they say you are not then great for you too.

I hope you stick around the people here are wonderful and they are a rock in my everyday help with BP. Good luck to you.

Huggs,
jo

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-27-2006
Fri, 05-05-2006 - 11:43am

Welcome to the bp board!


You are not psycho.

     ~ Tina ~

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2002
Fri, 05-05-2006 - 1:46pm

{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}

Don't buy into the stigma of mental illness. There is nothing wrong with being bipolar, it is an illness like any other. It is not an easy illness to live with, so if you are bipolar, you are in for a bumpy ride until you get stabilized, but being bipolar does not mean your character is any less. Personally, I have been dxed bipolar for 13 years, lived through the experience, and know that I am no less a person because of it.

Express!
Beth "Petrouchka"

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-06-2005
Fri, 05-05-2006 - 2:51pm

Hello and Welcome to the board !!!

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God could not be everywhere, so

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-02-2006
Fri, 05-05-2006 - 4:30pm

Hi Beth and welcome to the BP Board. As others have said, you are most definitely not psycho. Do yourself a favor and call the other pdoc just to see if he/she can see you any sooner. The reason I say this is if you are bipolar, the sooner you get on meds the better you will feel. As someone pointed out, it may take a few attempts to find the right med or combination of meds, but rest assured that there is something out there that will help you.


I hope that you will stick around here. We have a wonderful group of ladies who will offer their support and share their experiences to show you that you are definitely not alone on the mood swing spectrum. We've all been there and we know that it's not fun.


So, follow through with the pdoc evaluation as soon as you can and let us know how you are doing. I saw Donna posted the links to some very good educational sites regarding bipolar disorder. As others have said, don't buy into the stigma. We are regular people with an illness. It's that simple. Good luck and you will be in my thoughts.


Hugs,
Traci