Bipolar Disorder Support Group
Bipolar disorder is not just a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders marked by periods of abnormally high energy and euphoria, often accompanied by bouts of clinical depression. This is the place to talk about your experience with bipolar disorder, learn from others' experiences, and find support.
I've read different psychiatric opinions on the subject, some saying the OCD thinking patterns are just part of bipolar and not actual OCD, yet others saying it is a possible comorbid diagnosis. The main difference that I see is that when the obsessive thinking and compulsions of OCD are present even in a baseline mood, when the bipolar is considered successfully treated and not just in a depressive or manic state, it can be bipolar with OCD.
Its interesting to me that OCD in bipolar, or OCD tendencies in bipolar, can have different symptoms than OCD alone. There's less physical symptoms of OCD in bipolar; not as much prevalence of "checking" and physical rituals and more of the obsessive thoughts and ruminations. Is that evidence it is it's own seperate disorder not part of bipolar or is that evidence supporting it really is just symptoms of bipolar itself?
Has anyone ever been diagnosed with both? What was the symptoms and criteria for your diagnosis? What treatment was used?
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Hi All.... It's great to see all of the new people joining the site... I'm loving it!!...smileI'm not sure if people are aware that if you don't have Bipolar Disorder but have a loved one who has the disorder we do have a board for people to go to in order to share their experiences and seek friendship, support or adviseIt's the Friends and Family of Bipolar Board.... I hope you'll take a...
Your Pdoc is DX'ing you with adult ADD and BiPolar, Have you ever gotten a 2nd opinion from another Pdoc?
The Symptoms of Adult ADD are encompassed under the cover of BiPolar Symptoms. You also list OCD and have Anxiety so there are many co-morbid diagnosis' going on. The medications used to treat Adult ADD are contraindicated in the treatment of BiPolar, so which condition is your Pdoc actually treating? What meds are you on for what Diagnosis?
There comes a point when it has to be whittled down and things have to be ruled out. Not everything can just be "added" in with each other. Mental Illnesses are not like medical illnesses in that you can have 5 different types of cancer and the treatments won't eventually make one of the cancers grow faster.
OCD isn't generally a feeling, or something you think and that's it...it requires a physical action, its a compulsion that starts in your brain but manifests in your body, causing an action that sometimes you aren't even aware you're doing. My son loves to walk through my house and move things on my bookshelves, 1/4" here, 1/2" to the left there....because he knows that when I walk through that same room my "spidey sense" goes off and it drives me nuts until I get everything back in place. I do not like my things touched, I drove my children to madness when they were growing up because my home had to be spotless, and it was, always. I would literally vacuum under them while they played video games. We finally came to an agreement that their bedrooms were off limit as long as they kept them neat, and the doors closed. lol But they minute they left the house on a weekend trip I'd clean them spotless. When I'm tired I count my last 3 fingers on my right hand, over and over again, it's a tick. Most of the time I don't even realize I'm doing it, someone else brings it to my attention, it's just one of those things that comes with the OCD.
I clean my house every Friday, which sounds stupid because I live alone and my house is never dirty, but I can always find something to clean. Its a compulsion, it's not something I can just not do, I gave up trying a long time ago. I've learned how to "limit" it to a somewhat normal degree, God help someone if they go in my office and mess with anything, that will get you fired.
I'm just kind of curious how many things you've been told you have that might be rolled into the same Mental Illness.....