It's my understanding that anti-depressants don't do any good except for bipolars. Having family history of BP shows a genetic link which is very common in BP. Having an elevated mood and spending money and getting tattoos is a neon sign that says "BP". I'd say you were a BPII since you have mild highs. If you were BP1 (like me) you'd be hospitalized with your high/mania. That's just my observation. You should see a doctor, not a counselor, and get a diagnosis which will point the way to treatment before your symptoms really screw up your life. BP isn't the worst thing. It's treatable and you can live life the way you want to, as long as you want to keep your symptoms under control. I wish you well.

l over spend and live with depression and l've definetly acted in ways l wouldn't when stable....said or done things l later regret.

lf you don't have a mood stabiliser you will always swing upward an anti depressant stops the lows nothing more

good luck with seeing your counsellor...be as honest as possible

i hope that your just deppressed..when you have maninc a period of how long is a mystery..we all have it difft...some cycle times vary mine are alot difft then others...im more down than up..in the summer im always up..even though im down..i can do things that i have to do..or if im around people or triggers i go into manina,,a very irritable state..we all differ from bp1..i hope you just depressed,,cuz if not you its a hell of a bumpy road......bless you!!!

But antidepressants alone (not used with a mood stabilizer) are good for you? Hmmm... For Bipolars it makes us manic as hell normally... I am maxed out on Lamictal, on Topamax and a healthy dose of Seroquel and I do weird things sometimes and binge buy on occasion - like this last month I bought over 40 perfumes? Yea dunno what happened there? So not like me... :-/ Do you have issues with insomnia a lot - have you ever stayed up for like days and days?

no such thing as bipolar disorder. just a gov't conspiracy to sell you drugs. smoke pot and drink alcohol. cost the same and you don't have to take as much.

I think you're on the right track putting all this past a therapist, and if necessary a psychiatrist.

i agree with vickie... the spending, the depression.... the things that are regreted later... are all symptoms of bp to me...

when i was on an antidepressant w/o a stabilizer... wow... i went out the roof with mania... the ups and downs, crashes of my mood... then when i got on a stabilizer... it has helped...

i still have to deal with the depression and different things... i have many dx's to deal with... but i must say that i am much more stable now...

i think that you are wise in checking into the possibility of bp being a problem... good luck... and hugzzzz... :)

I have been BP for 40 years and it is different for everyone. Imagine your mind as a football fielt and the 50 yard line is normal. Going below is depression, going above is mania. All BPS have different ranges. I am 40 above to 35 below. Some people go from end zone to end zone. Let the Dr figure it out. BP is difficult to diagnose and takes time.

Hi guys,

thanks for your wonderful support and for listening above all.

I feel that if I was prone to having bi-polar that I'd be more of a type II and I'm mainly prone to low lows than high's though I still experience switch off's that I can't explain and moments of super intensity in my person. People do describe me as an intense person and I'm just curious to know if i'll find answers here.

I think that my anti-depressants have removed the suicidal thoughts and the binge eating for me.. So in this way they are working. I still get quite irritated, random, and very creative in moments.. I have only been on these for 4 months.
What can the GP do to help with B.P?

My counsellor isn't able to test for it, but says IFI had it i'd be more of a type II .. and that anti-depressants don't usually work with this type; so maybe I don't have it, maybe I do.. I'll keep searching for answers...

Can those people with type II give me any specific advice about it and tell me their experiences? I'm curious to know how much I can relate visa versa. I'd love to hear about what you describe as 'moments of BP' and non moments of BP..
Were all just people deep down regardless, but I'm looking for further understanding!

thanks... your help is appreciated SO much!!!!!

see a psychiatrist. We can't tell you. There are at least 16 things that look like BP.

Spirit, I am Bipolar II and I was incorrectly given antidepressants for 7 years and lost everything and nearly my life. It's not the same for every bipolar person - some do respond well the antidepressants, but for people like me, who have the response I did to antidepressants, it can prove fatal - the stats say that unequivocally.

The thing to look out for are the hypomania/mania, and the follow-on plunges into major depression, as well as rapid Cycling or Mixed States. You can have Panic and Anxiety thrown in too. If you start exhibiting these symptoms above what you untreated Bipolar manifested, tell your doctor quickly and discuss whether antidepressants are right for you.

Wendy

Is a counselor allowed to diagnose and place diagnose into person medical record and prescribe physc meds .............not.

Before jumping the wagon, speak w pdoc.

am surprize that being a therapes you would need guildance ---to get to pdoc.
I have my moments too.

Am a BP'er. it's no big deal, it's just a treatable illness and just a part of my life.

I dislike needles so tattoos are not an option for me but I enjoy QVC - Home shopping network on tv.

What is your tattoo ? a flower,vines,fairy, snake,Harley Davison symbol ?
In summer I use temporary tattoo's.
ok you got me, where's your tattoo located ?

Am glad that you have joined us on DS.
Keep us posted,k
and join us daily or at least once a wk..

PS. To Tommy. My pdoc took me off of anti depressant that my prior pdoc had me on.
My pdoc state that pdoc's know not to prescribe anti depressant to those who have BP.
Pdoc state that anti depressant will lesson the depression and physical depression and for a while BP'er will feel normal but and there's always a but anywho the botton will instant fall out and person will fall lower than they would have naturally w/o meds to point that the person is high risk of self harm and putting thier self in harms way.
I somewhat balanced out on anti depressant but then I went nuts. I took risk that's hard for me to believe that I had done. 1 of risky behavior was takeing out a $7.000. loan and blowing threw money w/o anything to show for it. It took a mo to start recovering from effects of anti depressant.

I learn to speak w pharmist about any meds prescribed to me.

Spitit sorry about high jacking your post but am hopeing that BP's will question effects of med w pharmist.

I cant answer that question for you. I wish I could. I would def talk to a pdoc. I was unsure at first too. I used to be convinced I was misdiagnosed and didnt really have it. That is untill I was hospitalized for mania. Now I just accept it and try to deal with it. Good Luck!

i am with fish on this one.

oh, don't go to a gp for this. go to a pdoc. call me a cynic but this sounds like research to me.