Misdiagnosis

I think I've been misdiagnosed with bipolar and I don’t know what to do. I don't feel like (or think that) I have this disorder whatsoever, nor did I when I was diagnosed 6 months ago. I am not experiencing any bipolar-like symptoms and I don’t feel like anyone is helping me.

Since I was diagnosed, I’ve felt trapped: like I’m in a bad movie and I can’t get out of it. I know of only two people who disagree with my diagnosis, my brother and one of my good friends. My other friends don’t even know that I was diagnosed as my family (mother) insists on keeping my situation a secret.

It gets annoying to play along with my family and doctors when they talk to me as if I agree with the diagnosis and as if I am suffering from it, saying things such as, “You have an illness, and you just need to cope with it,” “Do you think you need to go to church,” “I don’t know if your apathy, lack of energy, etc. is the result of the medication or because of your illness,” “You’re in denial because you’re a teenager and teenagers think they can do anything,” etc.

My grandma really has bipolar, which is a huge reason why I’m assumed to have it, and I talked to her about her experiences with it. She said that she was diagnosed with schizophrenia until the 80’s when she was diagnosed with bipolar. She’d never heard of bipolar until then. And when she stopped taking her medicine because she couldn’t afford it, she said that she was back in the nut house within a month. She feels like her medicine helps her relax, and she would go crazy without it.

Because I’ve always disagreed with my diagnosis, I secretly stopped taking my medicine around May 20 and I still don’t feel different (I’ve mentioned this in a previous post under “Meds”). I am not feeling or showing any bipolar-like symptoms. I never felt like the drugs they put me on helped me, they just made my thinking slower, so as a result, I became much less productive. The ideas and thoughts that got me into the nut house have stayed with me throughout that time and I still choose not let go of them; instead, I choose to express my ideas in a different way.

I am turning 18 soon, and after 6 months of being diagnosed, 2 months of not taking my medicine, and a comparison of a my grandma who has bipolar, I have solidified my opinions of my diagnosis and I still strongly disagree with it. What are the chances that nothing is wrong with me and the episode that put me in the nuthouse was nothing more than an emotional breakdown or outcry? Do I just make the most out of what happened and move on? Do I keep waiting for symptoms to occur? Should I take some type of anti-depressant to help regain some of my energy? I strongly believe that I’ve been misdiagnosed and I don’t know what to do about it.

i talked to u earlier. my advice: ###$ em. i freaked out cuz i saw beautiful mind and thought i would become something terrible. i was the ONLY person who thought so, and still AM, really - frankly i dont see my problem needing medicine, because any delusiosn i hav were always beneficial, except when i was scared of myself or for one short week's period - all i know is even if i admit i may be ill i wont submit to medicine unless i truly lose touch with reality again. this is totally different from having grandiose thoughts.

my advice: exercise, sleep well, pretend u may at least hav some problem - these things are good even for healthy people. dont take antidepressants - if u ARe bipolar itll make u worse, and just watch your back. i wanted to be important, to know id be remembered - i found a way, but now i dont care anymore - it was a sick obsession, and not worth the pain i ultimately suffered. i hope in the future i will feel as good but enjoy it for myself and not try to so much to prove my ideas to the world around me. only time will tell you what you need to do. trust me, you will know if and when you need help. in the meanwhile, do the best you can and dont let anyone tell you what's right or wrong. im so scared to admit what i believed so strongly and yet i know its the only thing giving me hope cuz i still see it in every day life!

Thanks a lot for the advice; I will keep that in mind. My whole situation sucks, but it could have been a lot worse. I will start working out to regain my energy as that seems like the safest way to go.

also - keep a journal, ive just started one and enjoy havin a place to collect my thoughts (mood chart is recommended - im toolazy myself to do it yet tho). if u need someone to talk to or just feel bored dont hesitate to IM me (cablegrafxart) im usually good for talkin.. the hardest part for me right now is i cant tell if im sick or not or just sufferin everyday stresses like a regular person, but i think its probably easiest to find clarity from another's perspective.

I was dx'd at 17 and didn't agree either, until I had an episode and learned more. A friend who was also bipolar, recognized my symptoms and helped me to help myself. They were right, I just didn't want to be labled at such a young age.

My granma, and my mother and aunt also had it. In the 80's it was called manic/depression. That was changed in the late 80's. And I was clueless, when they said this word. I saw two polar bears on a seesaw

As I grew older and my stressor were bigger and more often. Tho being a teen was stressful, it was different, and I dealt with abuse issues, but as an adult, money and finances and jobs came in to play. ya know?

So I h ope you are right, but being bipolar isn't the end of the world, really, there are many famous bipolars that were MORE than successful, and never let it stop them. Such as

Heinz C. Prechter - Entrepreneur - 1942

• Virginia Woolf - novelist - January 25, 1882

• Axl Rose - rock singer - February 6, 1962

• Maurice Benard - actor - March 1, 1963
• Robert Lowell - poet - March 1, 1917
• Charley Pride - country-western singer - March 18, 1938

• Rosemary Clooney - singer - May 23, 1928

• Mariette Hartley - actress - advocate - June 21, 1940


• Linda Hamilton - actress - September 26, 1956


• Sting - musician, actor - October 2, 1951
• Margot Kidder - actress - October 17, 1948
• Jean-Claude Van Damme - actor - October 18, 1960
• Jeannie C. Riley - country-western singer - October 19, 1945
• Carrie Fisher - actress/writer - October 21, 1956
• Sylvia Plath - poet/author - October 27, 1932


• Larry Flynt - publisher, activist - November 1, 1942
• Vivien Leigh - actress - November 5, 1913
• Jonathan Winters - comedian, actor - November 11, 1925
• Burgess Meredith - actor - November 16, 1907
• Dick Cavett - actor, author, host - November 19, 1936
• Ben Stiller - actor, director, writer, comedian - November 30, 1965

Connie Francis - singer, actress - December 12, 1938
• Patty Duke - actress - December 14, 1946
• DMX - rapper & actor - December 18, 1970
• Phil Spector - musician, producer - December 26, 1940

some may be repeated
Buzz Aldrin - US astronaut
Ned Beatty - actor
Art Buchwald - writer, humorist
Tim Burton - movie director
Dick Cavett - writer, TV personality
Rosemary Clooney - singer
Francis Ford Coppola - movie director
Ray Davies - musician
Eric Douglas - actor
Patty Duke - actress
Carrie Fisher - actress
Larry Flynt - Hustler magazine publisher
Connie Francis - actress, musician
Linda Hamilton - actress
Abbie Hoffman d. - political activist, writer
Margot Kidder - actress
Otto Klemperer d. - musician, conductor
Vivien Leigh d. - actress
Kevin McDonald - comedian, actor
Kristy McNichol - actress
Burgess Meredith d. - actor
Ilie Nastase - pro tennis player
Charley Pride - musician
Jeannie C. Riley - musician
Axl Rose - musician
Del Shannon d. - musician
David Strickland d. - actor
Gordon Sumner (Sting) - musician
Lili Taylor - actress
Jean-Claude Van Damme - actor
Brian Wilson - musician
Jonathan Winters - comedian, actor
Virginia Woolf d. - writer
Mark Twain d. writer (aka Samual Clemons)
Kirk Kobain d. songwriter, musician

More can be found with a google search of famous bipolars.

So stay positive, and educate yourself, if you are there is nothing to be ashamed of. I'm not the least bit ashamed of it, and have accomplished alot in my life because of it, and my ideas.