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Am I bipolar?

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Am I bipolar?

Postby Cycling2014 » Tue Apr 15, 2014 1:09 am

Hey everyone,
I have a pretty complicated history to explain, so bear with me. Right now, I'm diagnosed with MDD and mild SAD (social anxiety, not seasonal affective). However, I'm not certain that I have unipolar depression. I first started getting treatment from a psychiatrist when depressive symptoms got so bad that I couldn't enjoy anything or do anything properly for a long time (months). I've been on Wellbutrin for a little over 8 weeks now, and I've noticed significant improvement with everything. My moods feel like they're cycling, though. I spend about half the week feeling REALLY good, like super optimistic, really high self-esteem, and I really feel like I can accomplish anything. I usually have a little less than a day where I feel neutral, and then I sink back into a depressive slump. The depressive slump isn't usually as bad as my depression felt prior to taking Wellbutrin, and the highs of the high part are definitely MUCH stronger. The first day I took Wellbutrin, I had a strong hypomanic episode that lasted the whole day (shorter than DSM criteria for hypomania, I know). My highs and lows seem to correlate highly with sleep. I find that when I sleep a full amount 9+ hours, my mood is much worse. I feel totally anhedonic and unresponsive, and totally numb. When I sleep less than I should, I wake up feeling very tired, but as the day goes on, I feel great. I also have delayed sleep phase disorder, so this contributes to sleep problems. I had severe insomnia when I was really depressed, and I couldn't fall asleep without using either pot or Lunesta (which was prescribed to me). Now, I can sleep naturally, but only if it's around 1-2 AM. I'd love to hear any opinions. If anyone has any questions, please ask!
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Re: Am I bipolar?

Postby Exiled. » Tue Apr 15, 2014 6:59 am

We really can't be throwing around diagnoses here... (Against the rules and rightly so...) I can say that it's pretty common for bipolar to be misdiagnosed as MDD and at one time it was for me. Keep your p-doc informed of the times you feel "too good".
The eye that looks ahead to the safe course is closed forever.
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It does not do, to dwell on dreams and forget to live. Remember that.
- Albus Dumbledore

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