Am I bipolar?

Question

I go from having thoughts that eveysthing is great and that I can conquer the wold to thoughts of suicide, like now. I have alawys felt like this. Sometimes worse that others. I have anexitey and depression but when i was on paxil it helped but when i stopped taking it i feel like this. Are these signs of bipolar?

Answer 1

Hello,

My name is Dr. Harold P. Newton. I am a professor of psychology at Brown University, and have a doctorate in psychology from Boston College. Also in the past, I was an Executive Vice President of the Pfizer corporation.

Recently the medical community has had an influx of "Bipolar" cases, unfortunately most of these cases are not people with a true bipolar disorder. Remember, the drug company's goal is to sell you their drug, there main priority is money, not to cure you.

From what I have seen in my research at Brown University is that most people that are on bipolar drugs are not even bipolar. Your mood swings are natural, everyone has them, they just may be more prominent or subtle. Obviously, you just more emotionally affected by life, and that is a good thing not bad.

My diagnosis is that you do not have a bipolar disorder and are just going through a hard time in life. You must remember that drug company's will say anything to get you to buy their drug, they want to make money. Good luck and I hope you are blessed with good health.

Sincerely,
Dr. Harold P. Newton
Brown University

Answer 2

Hi there, I've been suffering from bipolar for a long time, maybe years, but I only got a diagnosis about a week ago! Nobody else in my family has it, they all have recurrent depression instead. It's a relief to get the diagnosis in a way, because I know that it's the Bipolar causing my mood swings and not just ''me being crazy''. I've been started on a low dose of Zyprexa, I think my psychiatrist intends to add more medication in a couple of week's time. I think at the time he thought I was manic, because when he asked how I would rate my mood I said 'low side of normal' and then his eyebrows raised and he looked shocked and said 'you mean you get a lot higher than this?' and I went 'hell yeah!' and laughed, and that's when he put me on the Zyprexa. I'm a bit depressed at the minute though, and I can't manage to make myself leave the house, get dressed or get something to eat... Anyway, at the moment I'm not functioning well at all, but it's kind of a relief to know there are other bipolar people out there that are coping and living a normal life. I hope that will be me soon too. Maybe once I'm on the right medication. All the best. <3 x

Answer 3

First bit of "advice"..GO TOT HE DOCTOR GO TO THE DOCTOR GO TO THE DOCTOR. Secondly, I am compelled to point out that Paxil is NOT an antidepressant, it is an antianxiety med. It can sometimes help ppl with bipolar for a time, but can oftentimes make a bipolar manic and/or suicidal..like it did for me. I'm not even going to guess whether or not the original author is bipolar or not...the symptoms could be a host of many different issues. I will say that YES a bipolar can fluctuate between moods hundreds of times A DAY...its called rapid cycling. Some do not do this, some do..and the therm "manic depression" is a very accurate way of describing the disorder, one can me VERy manic yet VERY depressed all at the same time. I have had a few suicidal issues...when i tried, i was clinically manic, but could think of no other way to knocl myself down. Just food for thought.

Answer 4

I would suggest going to see a psychiatrist (hospitals have them, mental health centers do, your work or school would have contact numbers). If you were on paxil at some point I would assume you have spoken with one before.
I will not specifically say if you have it or not as I am not qualified to diagnosis you (and no one here is, you must speak with someone in person). Bipolar disorder has several types as well and although extreme mood swings are one indication only a psychiatrist can really tell.
If you are concerned please go and speak with one as soon as you can. If this is an emergency you can also call the suicide hotline at 1-800-SUICIDE or 1-800-273-TALK and you can look at your state on the website below.
Take care and good luck!

Answer 5

I hate when people answer these questions without knowing anything about Bipolar.

Most Bipolar people DO NOT swing back and forth in moods at the drop of a hat. Most episodes of mania or depression last several weeks.

Also, since you were helped with an antidepressant, you are most likely NOT Bipolar. True Bipolar patients need MOOD STABILIZERS, not antidepressants...in fact, many times antidepressants without a Mood Stabilizer will cause a true Bipolar patient to go into mania.

Everyone has flucuations in mood.

Answer 6

OK, so it's a mood disorder and a serious mental illness. It has a strong genetic component, but appears to be triggered environmentally. There are no diagnostic tests for it, just psychiatric evaluation. Most sufferers are not diagnosed until middle age, and it takes an average of around 8-10 years to get a correct diagnosis. Historically, figures suggested it affects about 0.8% of the population at some point, which makes it about half as common as schizophrenia. In recent years, bipolar disorder has become an 'in' diagnosis, and many more people are being diagnosed at younger and younger ages. As with ADHD, this fad may well pass with time, although for the moment many celebrities appear to be 'popularising' it.

It is characterised by episodes of severe clinical depression and mania or hypomania (for definitions of those, see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_diagnostic_criteria_for_bipolar_disorder ). The extreme end of mania often turns into psychosis, complete with hallucinations and delusions. During manic phases, the person's judgement and perception of reality is severely compromised, leading to risky actions with potentially damaging consequences (financially, sexually and relationship-wise). Untreated, episodes generally worsen over time due to an effect known as kindling. Untreated Bipolar sufferers are at a very high risk of suicide: 20-25% attempt it, and 15% succeed.

The cycles in bipolar disorder are much longer than people generally believe. Anyone whose mood changes from minute to minute is very unlikely to be bipolar. Bipolar 1 is characterised by mood episodes lasting many months, while Bipolar 2 has episodes in the region of weeks to months. Rapid and ultra-rapid cycling bipolar disorder is rare, and cycles last days to weeks.

There are many drugs available to treat the symptoms of bipolar (there is no cure). These are either anti-convulsants or anti-psychotics (personally I take both), and the most well known of these is Lithium. These drugs are heavy duty psychiatric medications and are not to be taken lightly, and most if not all of them have a range of side effects including lethargy, photosensitivity, cognitive impairment (dumb as a box of rocks), weight gain, hormone problems, hair loss and blood problems. These side effects have to be wieghed against the benefits of mood stabilisation. Most patients will go through a number of different drugs before finding one that works for them.

Answer 7

Some signs of bipolar are extreme highs and lows. The emotions can change instantly or they can last for weeks. During a manicky episode, you will feel extremelly happy. So happy that you feel on top of the world and you may do crazy, reckless things like spend a lot of money. You feel overly confident in yourself and abilities. During a depressed state, you feel so low, almost suicidal. You may be bipolar or you may just be suffering from major depression. If you have more questions about bipolar, email me at [e-mail]

Answer 8

Bi-polar perhaps, but more likely chronic depression. You didn't mention how long you lay off the Paxil, but it takes more than a day or two for the effects to disappear. Don't stop taking the Paxil, is the best advice. Why do you stop?

Answer 9

there are many different definitions for this...it can be bipolar or called manic depressive. they both mean the same thing. whenever you are very high and then very low. that sounds like that is your problem

you were on paxil?

you are not anymore?

why?

they say that abruptly stopping medication makes you worse than you were to befin with. did you read the bottle? it says something like "do not discontinue use without consulting your doctor."

you should see a medical professional

Answer 10

A. and foremost you can not go cold turkey on antidepressant medication. Please tell your doctor you have.

Do you have a therapist or psychiatrist you go to? Those are some symptoms but it is best to bring this up to someone professional who is trained to diagnose this condition.

The Manic stage is drastic. The individual going through it does have a sense of grandiose.

I have family member with the condition. I hope you don't have it because it is a very distracting condition. But if it ends up you do just know it is manageable. There are a lot of famous people with the condition who have done well for themselves.

God Bless. Please post what the doctor says. I am curious.