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.
Hi all. I can still remember the day I suddenly up and quit clarinet lessons and the band in 6th grade. I know now that what I was feeling was mania. I remember feeling that way sometimes (I am/was a rapid cycler) since 3rd grade, possibly second, and before that I couldn't remember clearly. Ever since I was 6 I've had to roleplay different adventures in my head to get my mind to shut down enough to sleep. I talked to my psychiatrist about this and said I've been bipolar since I was a kid. He said I may have had bipolar tendencies but that I wasn't bipolar until later in life. I don't know about that. I know how the DSM works. "We haven't seen it so it's not in there." "It's not in there so it doesn't happen." That's like saying time travel is impossible because no one has time travelled before. What do you folks think? They know kids have depression. Could some of us have been bipolar since we were kids too?
-
Hey all, i know its been quite awhile since i posted on here. Its been a summer all right. Its been something else........... You know how they say not to open the can of worms? Well a few months ago i decided to find out what my due date would have been for my first baby, the one conceived by r***. My baby would have been due on March 4th of 2006. They would be 20 years old. I was R**** on June...
-
Hey All...I hope that you have a lovely, peaceful beginning of your weekI have a bunch of chores that need doing but may put them off til tomorrow and just hang out with my landlord/roomie todayWhat about you?...Anything special going on?Have a great day and take good care of you!!..Xo
The reason that BiPolar Disorder cannot specifically be Diagnosed until a person is around 19, sometimes 18 at the earliest is because the part of the brain that BiPolar affects is not fully developed until that age. And until the brain is fully developed and grown you can't Diagnose a Disease, When your a child and growing your brain is constantly developing and changing, physically, organically and chemically.
There are many other Mental Illness/Mood Disorders in childhood that mimic the symptoms of BiPolar Disorder. Behavior and Cognitive Disorders, OCD, ADD or ADHD, Anxiety Disorders, Depression, etc.
So your Pdoc is not just blowing smoke. Its really not a Diagnosis that can properly be given at a young age and the medications used to treat BiPolar many of which are not FDA recommended for children under 18, they have sever side effects, which can actually cause Mental Illness in their developing brains, and many have severe Suicidal side effects.
And yes children can and do suffer from Depression, but UniPolar Depression is a very different thing than BiPolar Disorder.
Take care,
Kat
I don't think OlderC is stating that it can't be bipolar just that bipolar isn't diagnosed until a certain point because they aren't sure what it is definitely until a certain age due to brain development
I think that's one reason why the psych community went to I don't want to 'label' anything ...
I like to have a diagnosis for understanding so I hear you..... Big hug....xo