Should I get myself tested for bipolar disorder?

[Jotto999]

I know I've always been a bit "odd" in the eyes of most people who know me IRL, which I never thought about about much, until now.

I have known for a long time that sometimes I laugh uncontrollably for unusual periods of time, or sometimes I become ridiculously energetic and euphoric, which disrupts my sleep. Sometimes I feel depressed, even though nothing sad has happened to me.

Through examining how my mood is over many days, I have devised a list of how I feel at certain times:

Lows
-No energy
-No motivation
-Complete lack of interest in things
-Pessimism
-I have a hard time making decisions. Everything seems confusing.
-Lower self esteem
-Don't feel like talking to anyone. I want to be alone.
-The smallest of tasks seem to be difficult.

In my lows, people often see me as very lazy. They often say things like "How long are you just going to sit around?", or they comment on my antisocial and unmotivated behavior. I appear (and feel) dysfunctional.

Highs
-Ridiculous energy. As if I took a dose of some powerful stimulant.
-Thoughts become like a cascading waterfall, my mind is racing.
-Very social. Suddenly I am babbling like crazy in conversation.
-Euphoria. I feel beyond great.
-Confident. Any shyness or hesitation completely evaporates.
-I just can't stop pacing and my mind is going berserk, I keep making bizarre grinning expressions and the muscles in my body clench in excitement.
-An explosion of creativity erupts in my mind. I feel as though I can write an entire book, right then and there.

I often start making strange vocal sounds from clenching my chest, or I'll do very random and energetic motions with my body. I talk so fast but my thoughts are still going ten times faster, it often sounds like an incoherent splutter. I become very extreme in every action, everywhere I walk I don't just walk, I repeatedly jump through the air until I reach my destination.
In my highs, people often say things like "What the hell is wrong with you", "Dude, are you mental?", "You are messed up...:

Upon reflection, I am starting to think I should talk to a doctor about it. I never gave it much attention, I just thought that, well, that was my personality.


Does anyone here have a form of bipolar disorder, and can they give any advice? Be much appreciated.

 

[Giliell]

I don't have any disorders (as far as I've discovered), but my advice would be: if it bothers you, get yourself tested.
For some people it's a relif to know what's up with them, for others it's like being brandmarked and not being allowed to have an own personality but beng labelled as "suffering from a disorder" when they feel perfectly OK.

Before having any such things tested I would always ask the question: What would the result mean to me?
Because if it would mean nothing to you, then it's information with no value.

 

[Aught3]

Bipolar is the same thing as manic depressive right? 'Cause what you are describing doesn't sound good...

 

[CosmicSpork]

Reckon you should get checked out, no harm in find out out

 

[Jotto999]

I don't have any disorders (as far as I've discovered), but my advice would be: if it bothers you, get yourself tested.
For some people it's a relif to know what's up with them, for others it's like being brandmarked and not being allowed to have an own personality but beng labelled as "suffering from a disorder" when they feel perfectly OK.

Before having any such things tested I would always ask the question: What would the result mean to me?
Because if it would mean nothing to you, then it's information with no value.

To be honest, I don't think it will change much to find out. But I think it may be good to know, and I think I'm going to talk to someone about it. Actually, I think those around me should probably know. They aren't generally concerned about me or anything, it's just that when I do act low and dysfunctional, or high and ridiculously energetic with euphoria...at least they will know.

Most of the time I'm relatively normal, I think. It's just sometimes I feel very blue and down for no reason at all, even if nothing sad or discouraging has happened. And at other times, I feel manic.

Yes, I think I am going to talk to someone about it. It won't change anything, but it may shed light on why I sometimes act very bizarre.

EDIT:
Actually, on second thought, it may be more important than that. I just finished highschool, and I'm havingtrouble getting a job, but I'm not entirely sure why. Sometimes I think I'm going to send my resume somewhere first thing the next day, but somehow later on I have lost all interest and any desire, and I just don't want to do anything, as in, I completely lose it, I can't do it. I'm wondering if that may be a symptom. I also did horrible in school, from what I thought was "lack of interest". May have been nothing more than depression.

 

[ImprobableJoe]

Go get tested, get some medication, get a job.

 

[childishpet]

I agree, if it bothers you then you should get tested. No harm will be done if you get checked.

 

[xman]

Reckon you should get checked out, no harm in find out out

That's right. We should all talk to head shrinkers more than we do I think. You get a physical checkup somewhat regularly right?

 

[stulogic]

Without a doubt.

Whilst it's very easy to mis-diagnose things yourself these days with the abundance of medical information on the net - hell you could go looking to see if you've got athlete's foot and come away thinking you've got ghonorrsyphilherpelaids, but as alluded to above people neglect mental health all too often, when in reality it's of the utmost importance. Once upon a time there was a huge stigma associated with mental health, 'head doctors' and so on, but those times have long since past in the civilised world.

Having seen a couple of very close friends struggle with bi-polar, severe in one case, it's not something that can be taken lightly, so if you've even the slightest inclination you might have it, get yourself along and get checked for it. It's an absolute bastid of a condition but it's something that you can get a great deal of help with these days. Also worth looking into are hypomania, depression and what these days is known as 'mixed mood episodes'. It's not something you really want to self diagnose, but get along to a doc and explain the symptoms and I'm sure you'll soon find things pick up when you give the experts a chance to help you.

Hope you get on well

 

[Breakyerself]

I've been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. I had bad manic episode a few years ago that descended into full psychosis. I spent a few days in a hospital. They put me on anti psychotics for a few weeks then downgraded me to antidepressants. I had a hard time with side effects from the medications and I haven't taken any for 2 years or so. I'm very concious of my moods, thoughts and sleep patterns. I've been stable the whole time I've been off medication. I make sure those close to me are aware of my condition so they can be on the look out for problems. I'm not hesitant at all to get help again if and when I need it. I think that my love for science, logic, and skepticism have been a big asset for keeping my mind grounded.

I would reccomend seeking some professional guidance. You may just have some adult add or something, but it is worth looking into. Especially if you have good medical coverage (thats always been a problem for me.). You don't want to find out the hard way when sleep deprivation combines with mania and becomes psychosis or when a depressed episode combines with a traumatic event and you do something you shouldn't.

It's nothing to be ashamed of. Theres a lot of highly successful people leading normal lives with this. Some are on medication some have found therapies that work for them. The most important thing if you have this is to face it head on. The worst examples of people with mental illness are the ones who don't want to admit it to themselves and take the right steps to deal with it.