Newly Diagnosed HPD

Hello, everyone. My name is Audrey, I'm 31, and I was recently diagnosed as having HPD, Bipolar II Disorder, and ADHD. I thought I was only being tested for ADHD, so the presence of the other two disorders was something hard to deal with. Since I'm new to this and don't really know what is considered a trigger for people, I'll try to keep myself toned down.

After receiving the diagnosis, it was like finally having a name for something that had been bothering me for awhile. The day before I received the diagnosis, I had been in class and I found that I couldn't keep quiet for more than a minute or two. I could see the teacher visibly frustrated by my continual interruptions - interjecting with humor, anecdotes, or just being theatrical in general - but I couldn't stop myself. Explaining the situation to a friend after class, I told her how miserable it made me to be "Audrey: Level 11" whenever I'm in a group setting. I wished that I could just sit back and take the world in without having to control the energy, dynamics, and attention of the group. I sit at a table of strangers and within 5 minutes, people talk to me like I'm their best friend, everybody is laughing, and I'm the shiniest new personality that they've ever met. :-/

However, being different isn't new to me. In addition to diagnoses listed above, I'm also transgendered and have been transitioning from male to female over the past 2 1/2 years. I think that using HPD as a filter for my life, I can see the way it manifested differently when I was a boy compared to how it comes out as a woman. I'm still trying to learn about the disorder, remain self-aware enough to notice when I'm being histrionic, and getting ongoing therapy from my provider. I look forward to participating in this forum. Thank you for letting me be a part

audrey & welcome to the forum! if there's ever anything you need, please feel free to share (you can even add a *trigger warning* if you feel a question might warrant it) or PM us if you need something more private.

e-hugs,

wineaux

Thanks, Wineaux! I'm not completely sure what constitutes a "trigger", though, since I'm still trying to learn about it.

Hi and welcome to the forum. I also have Bipolar2 and HPD, and it has often been difficult for me to see where one disorder ended and the other began. I think there's some research that suggests that Bipolar Spectrum Disorders can frequently co occur with Cluster B Disorders. My Bipolar symptoms are controlled with medication and I've had extensive therapy for the HPD so am now in a healthier place, but would never want to lose my Dramatic Type core personality. Looking forward to getting to know you.