Personally, I like "labels"......labels help me to identify, catorgorize in my mind and sort through what my DX's are.

Bipolar
Anxiety Disorders

I can research and get a handle on what to expect.

On the other hand, a lot of people do not like labels , just a matter of personal opinion , I guess

i swore to more than one dr for almost a year that i wasnt BP2 and i was depressed w anxiety bc i thought that sounded more acceptable. but when i went off lithium on my own and was only on an antidepressant and my doc said if i didnt go on a mood stabilizer i would start to rapid cycle.i said i wouldnt. 2 weeks to the day i started my ride on the magic carpet and it lasted until i admitted to my dr he was right!!!! boy did he like that.i dont think the label matters as much as getting the right treatment.all of these overlap in one way or another.they are never textbook.so you look up bp1 bp2 bpd gad ocd...... and you can see symptoms of all.but w bp you need specific drug classes to control symptoms and thats how they come w the dx for the most part thats why is trial and error.

This label thing has come out in the last few years I think due to stigma.. I told my last pdoc that I believe diagnosis is important to me to educate myself... and I wanted to know just what he thought.. he did sit down and talked frankly with me

labels are important---but sometimes, for some of us, we aren't ready for the full truth.

That was me--even though I was putting on a brave face when I started seeing my pdoc---I would not have believed or accepted a bipolar diagnosis for the first 3 or 4 months of seeing my pdoc. I am a nurse and I think that makes my sense of denial worse.

being able to accept a diagnosis is very important to accepting treatment, medication and taking an active role.

Yes--denial--that big river in Egypt.

I want a specific diagnosis. I've been fighting this "thing" for more than a dozen years with no real answers.

For several years I denied I was bipolar. I had a diagnosis of depression and was willing to accept that because I wanted help with the depression. I didn't want help when I felt good/great! Therefore, my diagnosis of bipolar was inaccurate (in my mind). However, when I reached a manic phase that was PURE anxiety, I was more willing to accept the bipolar diagnosis...cause I wanted help with that anxiety!! Anxiety is PAINFUL! So, here I am with a new label since 2007 of Bipolar II. I can accept it. :)

My hubby is a social worker and he said all labels are for communications between health care providers and insurance companies. That pdocs just treat the symptoms for you! Hope this helps.

It seems to be in our nature to "need" labels...I may say they don't matter, and they Don't, as I relate to others...but yes, I would be Much more uncomfortable if I had no idea what was "really" wrong with me.

I hear ya. Have you asked your pdoc directly what label she may have attached to you? I wonder why she does not talk about it...

*hugggs*

I totally hear what you are saying gribittmep, getting that diagnosis matters to you! I've been there with physical problems---wanting very badly to have a diagnosis for an autoimmune problem.

So tell your pdoc you are ready and needing that "provisional" diagnosis. Be strong with him.

My pdoc wouldn't diagnose me at first - he said "let's just treat the symptoms." Let's see anti-depressant, mood stabilizer, anti-psychotic. What could it be? I ended up peeking at my chart one day. I have a different pdoc now. IMHO, mental illness is so difficult and complicated that I think its okay to term a diagnosis provisional and change it later on. However, a doc really needs to be careful if there is any suspicion of bipolar disorder because many of us (including myself) are sent rocketing into mania when given an anti-depressant without a mood stabilizer.

I would argue a diagnosis is only a label if you use it to define yourself.

I had a diagnosis long before I accepted and fighting it caused me a lo of pain. I went off and on medications. I think it does matter especially if your trying to apply for disability, but like others I had to figure it out the hard way.

I feel the same I have been asking my pdoc for a copy of my file so I can see what she has diagnosed me with and she just keeps avoiding it. By the way what is pdoc I just used it because you all were. I stopped going to her about 4 months ago. But am still obsessed to what she really thinks of me. I don't know why it is do important it just is.

Pdoc is short for psychiatrist.

Thanks, I am new to this sight and lingo. I don't have anyone to relate to since I haven't seen my counselor for four months. so I thought I'd try an on line support group.

The diagnosis helped me a lot. I thought something was majorly wrong with me but now I know that I am not alone and that there is meds for me.