how do you know if you are bipolar?

Question

How do you know if you have it?

Answer 1

Have a phychiatrist evaluation, always best.

Answer 2

I think it is a difficult illness to diagnosis and must be diagnosed by a DR. I have had depression since 1975 and never showed signs of bipolar until 2004 when I was diagnosed. I remember episodes but never knew it was bipolar. I will say one thing, I was totally out of my character in my behavior. My personality changed extremely. Almost as if I was another person. I didn't sleep for months on end. I lost weight. I gambled and I shopped out of control. I borrowed money and I lost money, and lots of money. I didn't even feel like myself anymore with the things I was doing. I felt totally out of control. It was a really bad time in my life. I went on vacation and never returned home. I left my husband of 20 years. When I say I went extreme, I was extreme. My adult children couldn't understand what had happened to me, nor could I explain to them because at the time I didn't know until I was diagnosed about a year and a half after I had moved away. If you see yourself in any of the things I have said here, seek some help. Bipolar is not fun. Your moods are up and down and can spin out of control from moment to moment to being ok one minute to crying hysterically the next. I was ready to do away with my life but sought help instead. I am much better now. Medication has helped keep me under control. I would recommend it to anyone who has this illness.
Good Luck.

Answer 3

There are no blood tests, no brain scans, no magic anything to let you know if you have bipolar.

Here's how I found out I had it. I walked in a therapists office and spent about eight weeks talking to my therapist about my problems in my life. We talked a lot about things, and she sent me to see a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist sent me to a neurologist to rule out any conditions in my brain. The neurologist sent me to a doctor to have blood work done to make sure that nothing there could be affecting my mood.

Finally, with all withstanding medical conditions ruled out, I spent a few sessions with a psychiatrist before starting treatment for bipolar disorder.

Its not a cut and dry process. Its nothing you can self-diagnose - there's a milllion things out there that could cause mood swings, from low iron in your blood to bipolar disorder. Its a long process to get diagnosed and that's the easy part.

There's signs and symptoms that could point in the right way of bipolar though - series of depression that have to last a certain amount of time and have to have been going on for a certain amount of time, along with periods of mania that have similar requirements.

The only way to know is to ask a doctor - good luck with that.

Answer 4

You need to go to a doctor where you go over your symptoms and have blood tests and other tests run. I was fairly sure from my symptoms that I was bipolar. I had the grandoise thinking, was not sleeping much for long periods of time then I would get so depressed that I could barely get out of bed.

Answer 5

You should have a sleep study done, alot of times things like bipolar can be linked with a sleep problem. Have your family go with you to a councellor or therapist and let them talk about how you act, then a proper diagnosis can be done

Answer 6

Try WebMD put in Bipolar

Answer 7

There are no medical tests (like blood tests) to specifically diagnose it,so you answer lots of questions and the doctors gradually narrow it down.

Answer 8

it's not always safe to self-diagnose yourself....if your not sure about any symptoms or side effects always always always talk to your doctor...if you don't have a doctor you could always go to the local clinic. hope this helps