When were you diagnosed? has it gotten better or worse?

I'm 27 and was only diagnosed about a year and a half ago. These past few months have been the worst so far. I don't think I've been stable more than a few months since I was about 10. Could be my memory playing tricks on me though. Maybe now with the right meds things will improve.

Diagnosed a couple months ago and just got on meds.

I can't remember longer then a month being stable

I wasn't officially diagnosed until freshmen year of college, when there were a few incidents after which the college mandated I see a psychiatrist if I wanted to stay there. That was definitely when it was at its worst, though there were some pretty bad bouts of it in high school- I already knew I had bipolar then, since my grandpa has it and I researched it and talked about it to my therapist (for anxiety at the time), but my mom didn't want to believe it thus I couldn't officially see someone/get medicine for it until college.

I think the stress and anxiety of starting college may have caused it to grow so bad then. I wonder, though, if maybe it was actually ultimately a good thing it got so bad- it at least made my mom recognize that she couldn't deny it anymore and it got me help. Hard to believe that was already over 3 years ago.

Since then, it has gotten much better, in part from medication but also in part from learning more about it and how the symptoms manifest in myself. I can better control it than I could back then. There are still bad points at times, but nothing like freshmen year. I'm really hoping it stays this way or gets even better, but I'm nervous that when I leave college next year it'll get bad again...

Exiled. wrote:And btw, the point of saying what I did was to imply that just because nobody here states that they've been stable longer than the 3 year figure that you gave doesn't mean that it hasn't been done.

hey! I said I was stable for 7 years

Cheze2 wrote: My longest period of stabilization (I'm 28 now) was 7 years.

Cheze2 wrote:hey! I said I was stable for 7 years

lol Yeah, noticed that after I wrote what I did... Need to strategize how to backtrack now... Should have read "if" or "in case"... Or maybe point out that you clarified what you meant by stability which isn't necessarily how I view stability. Probably should just leave it at

Exiled. wrote:I was trying to be hopeful, not start an argument about stability.

30 now and diagnosed a few years ago. It's gotten from stable for a few months to hospital to somewhat stable to now not stable at all. Could be a change in diagnosis in the works apparently.

Diagnosed at 27 after a misdiagnosis of depression. That was a little over a year ago and things have gotten worse. Still searching for stability.

Exiled. wrote:lol Yeah, noticed that after I wrote what I did... Need to strategize how to backtrack now... Should have read "if" or "in case"... Or maybe point out that you clarified what you meant by stability which isn't necessarily how I view stability. Probably should just leave it at

Exiled. wrote:
I was trying to be hopeful, not start an argument about stability.

I was just giving you a hard time, not trying to start an argument. I can completely understand how each person defines stability differently.

I've never been diagnosed with BP. Was hospitalised with depression at age 17. Started researching mental illness obsessively last year and realised that I must have BP II (had a very intense manic episode last year). Not really concerned about getting a proper diagnosis as I believe diagnosis is a fluid, subjective thing and I'm happy enough with my own. I get medication from my GP which, at the moment, is making me stable, so am happy to exist without a head-shrinker for the moment. I was perhaps unlucky with the psychiatrists I had when I was younger - they always seemed crazier than I was, and not in a good or interesting way.

Longest I've been stable? Maybe a year? Its hard to tell. I've blotted out a lot of the depressive periods annd I drank / took a lot of drugs in the past, which doesn't really help the recollective process. Since I was 16 I've had bouts of depression / anxiety / mania every year, which has made leading a normal life difficult, to say the least.

Right now I'm feeling positive about things. I just gave up drinking alcohol (on day 18) which has made a huge difference. As mentioned in this thread, getting older helps: one gains a much better sense of self, and also, one develops coping mechanisms to deal with mental ill-health. I exercise / meditate / do artistic stuff / spend time with friends. I know that if I didn't do these things my life would inevitably collapse again.

Has it gotten better or worse? Things have definitely gotten better than when I was younger.

I'm not diagnosed yet...
Alot more about myself..
I used to cry almost twice every week for a bunch of small reasons...
I kept thinking about my past of being bullied.
Sometimes I just felt so alone and life is so meaningless..
My parents don't really give me much freedom..
And my mind is driving me crazy about contamination and sexual thoughts..
I also have a hard time socialising, I mean even with family or anyone.
I'm not sure what I have.. :/