How often are people diagnosed bipolar1 and find out later they are actually schizophrenic?
Im diagnosed bipolar 1 with psychotic features or possibly schizoaffective disorder. Im wondering how often people are wrongly diagnosed bipolar when in fact they find out later they are schizophrenic? Personal experiences and insight appreciated,thanks.
Is St. Johns Wort a Mood Stabilizer?
Here's the deal: I'm 16, male, and I've diagnosed myself with Bipolar Disorder. I strongly believe I have it.
Proof:
While I spend most of my time depressed I have had episodes of incredible focus on one task with lots of energy. I once cleaned every inch of my room. Even under the bathroom sink, and I vacuumed all of my drawers after I emptied them and reinserted everything in a very orderly fashion. While I am pleased with the results, and am nowhere near concerned with my hypomania, it is my depressive swings that bother me.
I become almost instantly suicidal from anywhere between about ten minutes to six hours. Then it lifts and I am in my normal state. I experience far more depressive episodes than manic episodes.
Hypomania is fine. While I do talk more than usual, it doesn't seem to bother my friends even though I notice. The energy is nice (being able to get one hour of sleep and sit for two hours listening to a very boring man talk and then go about the rest of the day) while unhealthy. I do realize mania of any kind is unhealthy when you only get an hour of sleep. However, the display of this mania is incredibly less severe than most people with bipolar disorder, and is hardly an issue.
The problem lies in what follows the mania... the depression. I've started taking St. John's Wort. At first I thought it was a mood stabilizer until I did more research. However, it seems much lighter than most anti-depressants. I have noticed it triggers slight hypomania. Nothing annoying or destructive like the more intense mania. Infact it's often constructive hypomania (aside from, once again, my lack of sleep).
But what follows the mania, the depression, nearly kills me. It causes me to be suicidal. So I'm wondering if the St. John's Wort will keep me in an either normal or slightly hypomanic state without ever letting me sink down into a depressive bipolar relapse? Or, will the near stabilizing effects for me eventually wear off, and force me into using an actual stabilizer like valporate or lithium?
I'm wondering if St. John's Wort could make my disorder irreversibly worse like other anti-depressants have in other people. Overall it worries me. Right now I feel less than hypomanic, therefore, I am very content with what St. John's Wort has done for thus far. It's the long run implications I am very concerned with. I went on it for a week, and had to go off because it does increase sensitivity to the sun in some cases, and I had an acne treatment with ALA. I started again for a week, and went off of it on the sixth of this month... monday... so I'm also worried about hitting rock bottom fast without the aid of my wort. Any input is helpful at this point. Feel free to correct me as always. Thank you in advance for all who answer.
Oh yes, I almost forgot... my parents don't believe I'm bipolar. I've always hid my depressive outbreaks from them. They've only seen one outbreak. The others have been spent crying in my shower for thirty minutes to an hour. And my mania is so unnoticable for everyone on the outside... it doesn't even matter really... So now I want to prove to my parents that I am truly sick with this disease. I really think I am... I meet all the criteria. Even the severe ones at times. For a period of about three months I believed I could be the second coming of Christ... no lie. I actually did pretty good at getting there hahaha. I read the Bible in 30 days by spending four hours a night on it during the school year with homework... the energy could have come from a higher manic episode... it didn't affect my social status, though. I've always been a quieter student. However, my recent extreme episode in August (stimulated my hormones... or girls...) caused me to rapid cycle at a rate of one swing per day at times. And thus this led me to leave my high school and home school.
Now that I am normal, I don't quite regret the decision even though it was made at a time when my depression was paralyzing me, and my mania was making me believe I was a superhero above the system... which wasn't that much of a delusion. Much of my rationalization for leaving my high school was so convincing that nearly all of my peers and teachers (minus two of them who weren't quite so pleased) approved of the decision. However, my mania did push me during this phase to talk a lot more in class up until I actually made my exit, and it also made the decision... easier actually. I'm quite stable now, and the decision... didn't affect me much. In the long run, I don't believe it will hurt me. I've already chosen a career (Nursing) and am confident I will succeed in that pursuit despite how I finish high school... an extra bit, yet important as well I think...
Should I continue taking Provera? Should I take Accutane?
So, heres the deal. I have many symptoms, and no answers. I dont believe the doctors. I know something is wrong with me. I feel like I should be on that Mystery Diagnosis Show!!
Ill try not to get to the basic outline of my problem. Ill start by saying that I am 27 years old NOW, so you can get an idea of when everything happened:
Ive had cyctic acne since I started my period at age 14. At age 15 my mother put me on Accutane and I was acne free for a year or so.
I was a 'horrible' child. Always depressed, suicidal, lots of mental health issues. Very cyclical problems.. meaning I was great and then horrible and then back to great again.
I was diagnosed a million different things throughout the years and choose to believe none of them, but for the sake of this post I shall tell you anyway. Ive been told I am Bipolar, Borderline Personality, Have PTSD, Chronic Depression etc...
I could go on about the mental health issues all day, but the thing is I dont think they are important, because I know I have an underlying problem. These issues are just a SYMPTOM of something else. Now, no doctor will take me seriously because I am "seriously mentally ill', of course.
So I live on disability.... WAITING FOR AN ANSWER!
About 5 years ago I realized my Moods and mental problems completely coincided with hormonal symptoms. Ive gone years now without periods, or just spotting, maybe one period a year... But I do get cramps and bloating and this is when I have the mental health issues. Every time Ive acctually had a real period, Ive ended up in the mental hospital for a suicide attempt ( No the physical pain in not that bad, its just that my depression is so severe during that time).
So, about 6 months ago, after overdosing and ending up in a hospital I was fed up (On my period again, only this time my period lasted 3 weeks.) I refused to enter the psych hospital, as I knew that when my period was over, Id be perfectly fine again... I had no 'issues' with life.
I ended up going to an endocrinologist because my period would not stop. He put me on 10mg of provera (medroxyprogesterone) the fist 10 days of every month. He decided that I had Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. (ONE MORE DIAGNOSIS THAT IS INCORRECT!!) I have some of the symptoms of this syndrome, but mainly, I am NOT overweight, in fact I am underweight and my hormone and blood testing all came back Perfect. (Maybe I need to get it done more than once??) I feel the doctor came to this conclusion as a last resort. It was an easy diagnosis.
So Today I still have horrible cystic acne and the first 10 days of the month I take provera which makes my period start somewhere around the 15th every month. So Basically I feel awful from the 1st to the 23rd of every single month.
What is the point of having my period every month if I am not feeling any better?? None of my symptoms have improved? I dont care about my period, I care about my mood and my ability to hold a job.
So here I am on my last day of provera this month telling myself Im never taking this shit again. But then what?? Im just back to being 'crazy" sporatically, rather than crazy at a specific time every month... Which is worse?
Secondly.. I am fed up with the acne and have tried EVERYTHING. Accutane is the only thing that has ever worked. I dont even wear makeup.... So should I try to get back on it? I know you cant be on it if you have mental problems, but I dont particularly care.... I feel like shit no matter what, why not feel shitty with a clear face?? Also, you have to be on birth control for accutane, I know the drill.... I also know I cant have babies, as Im not on birth control and have quite the sex life. I believe birth control will just mess with my hormones even more. Ive been on it in the past....
So heres the questions:
Should I stop the Provera?
Do you have any idea what hormonal problem I may have?? Or know what has been going on with me all my life??
Also, what do you think about Accutane? And if I do it, should I take the birth control or just vow to be abstinent?
PLEASE HELP! Serious answers only!
Looking to end a life-long funk…?
Ok, so here's the deal. I am a 24 year old male, virgin, rapid cycling bipolar and far from attractive. It's been bad all of my life that has counted thus far, but this year is at an all time low, and I'm looking for a way to put an end to this rut. I have a lot going for me in the ways of intellect and talents, with an IQ of 160 and several artistic abilities, a lover of philosophy and the like, so I know that being happy is going to have to start with changing my attititude, and that is going to have to start with fixing the major physical problem areas. Lately, I've felt more and more physically compromised, and I'm starting to feel sick all the time.
So, I would like to have these first few questions addressed first and foremost:
- How can I keep myself in a determined mindset and prevent myself from making promises to myself that will inevitably falter? How do I keep my morale up?
- Can anyone give me some tips for a healthy diet that's easy to maintain and won't leave me feeling deprived and starved?
- Does anyone know any good treatments for acne? These Proactiv kits and other things like them seem to work, but it just seems that the answer should be simpler. Are there any other effective, cheaper and more practical alternatives? What abotu body acne?
- What are some daily routines that I should make habits in order to achieve a healthy weight and healthy skin?
Thanks to anyone who can help me. And please, serious answers only. No flamers, trolls, jokes or insults. I understand where my problem areas are, I only seek a way to get better.