How to know if u have bipolar disorder???

[LekryceMack]

Im 18 years old. I don't really know if i have it or not. I mean i do get small mood swings here and there and but I've been through tough times in my life and they never really got the best of me. Im a pretty positive chill guy. At times though when ppl are all talking and laughing (family, friends, etc...) Id sometimes be quiet and chill and not have much to say. Sometimes Im talkative sometimes I'm not. I do know i don't have giant problems but i do know I'm not too "emotionally healthy"...well...idk. Im sorry for those who struggle with it hard. I don't want to offend or mock anybody, but i just want to know what are some of your behavior patterns. Maybe id be able to classify or something. I deff don't have mania...lol just saying. Bless you if you do for the Lord is bigger than ANYTHING. I just want to know about the moods. At times it would be a happy environment and i would think about something like how my girl and i's relationship had to end or how it sucks to not have a girl who loves god more than herself or something....then id be in a mood called "I'm not feel in it." The thing is though I'm always about to somehow control it. I know thats the Lords grace and power and not mines. Id pray and mediate to myself and think positive about the things god has done for me or how bad circumstances will always have a GREAT outcome when trusting the lord. It never really takes long and Then I'm pretty much back. I just this summer stopped smoking weed too. Its not like stopping is a problem but i feel like maybe i smoked so much it started triggering something...idk. Heck weed is kinda my last reason. I dont see it as a struggle through my life though. I accept that sometimes I'm in the mood, and sometimes I'm not. But i know for sure its really not a huge struggle for me especially since some face worst. God bless y'all who have worst mood swings I believe you WILL be healed by the grace of God. I just want opinions or ppl who are willing to share something if they would like. Idk if i would consider myself bipolar...or if i even am bipolar. Sometimes i have to plan my "Joy" at times. Like today: chill wit my sisters, talk to this person etc...and i never really fail. But at times i just wake up and "don't feel it" but prayer ALWAYS helps me. And i mean ALWAYS. Christ is the new drug for ya boy lol. I just want to know folks....God bless...o yeah and I'm sometimes i get pretty hyper and fool around and play pranks on my sisters and stuff...soooo yea. lol

 

[madison1101]

In order to get an accurate diagnosis you see a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist. At your first visit to the psychiatrist, you should get a comprehensive psychological evaluation. That should help you get a pretty good diagnosis. Nobody here can tell you one way or another if you have bipolar disorder.

 

[Obzocky]

In order to get an accurate diagnosis you see a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist. At your first visit to the psychiatrist, you should get a comprehensive psychological evaluation. That should help you get a pretty good diagnosis. Nobody here can tell you one way or another if you have bipolar disorder.

Pretty much this.

I do caution against trying to make a self diagnosis though, or trying to classify your moods as one thing or another as it can be very easy to convince yourself that you fit the criteria without realising the depth that is needed for an accurate diagnosis to take place. In some cases it can take years to make a clear diagnosis and up until that point life can become a roller coaster owing to incorrect medication, misunderstandings and the lack of a good support structure relevant to the issue at hand.

Make a note of the behaviour/thoughts that concern you and arrange a session with someone qualified to undertake a psychological evaluation. By going to someone with a good reputation you'll be able to get a clearer idea of whether you're over thinking what would be considered normal mood swings or whether there's an issue that potentially needs to be explored further.

I always think that for anyone wishing to try to differentiate between normal moods and those that may lead to a diagnosis the stickied Bipolar, What Is It? thread can be a good first point of call.

 

[LekryceMack]

Thanks for the post guys. Good bless.

 

[TheMainException]

To me, that sounds like normal 18 year old stuff...but if you feel that getting some psych help would be, well, helpful, then go for it. Weed can sometimes confuse things for people, and for a very very very small percentage of the population, it can trigger an early onset of psych disorders that were bound to occur.

Life's confusing at that age...well, this age, I'm only 24...I still am confused about all the choices and things I need to be doing, lol.

If you want a real good read up on the moods, google "dsm criteria bipolar." They may be on wikipedia.

 

[anaci]

It might be worth checking out with a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but part of a general bipolar disorder diagnosis involves the duration of those moods. I'm working on my marriage and family therapy counseling degree and we've studied bipolar disorder a million times. I also have a blog based out of my studies for families of members with bipolar disorder (bipolarfamily -dot-info)
When you say you are hyper, is it a hyper period that lasts weeks or months and you have really risky behavior? Or is it a general high energy?
There are also other conditions that affect your mood that may have nothing to do with bipolar, especially if you are using marijuana before reaching 21 years old. Chronic use can stunt your emotional growth at the age you start smoking pot chronically.
But I'm glad that God is your new high, so to speak.
Paul

 

[madison1101]

It might be worth checking out with a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but part of a general bipolar disorder diagnosis involves the duration of those moods. I'm working on my marriage and family therapy counseling degree and we've studied bipolar disorder a million times. I also have a blog based out of my studies for families of members with bipolar disorder (bipolarfamily -dot-info)
When you say you are hyper, is it a hyper period that lasts weeks or months and you have really risky behavior? Or is it a general high energy?
There are also other conditions that affect your mood that may have nothing to do with bipolar, especially if you are using marijuana before reaching 21 years old. Chronic use can stunt your emotional growth at the age you start smoking pot chronically.
But I'm glad that God is your new high, so to speak.
Paul

It sounds as if you are discouraging the OP from seeking a psych evaluation. I am a licensed social worker, and spent four years working in a psychiatric hospital where teenagers in high school were diagnosed as bipolar. We don't know enough of the OP's background to know the full picture.

I did a lot of work in one of my internships, and at the hospital, with patients who were dually diagnosed, bipolar and addicted/alcoholic. For many of these patients, the drugs or alcohol were first started in their teens, as a way of self-medicating their undiagnosed psychiatric symptoms.

 

[anaci]

My first sentence should indicate otherwise. It may be worth getting examined . What im saying is that BP is more than feeling up one moment and down the next as other BP folks in here would attest.

 

[LekryceMack]

It might be worth checking out with a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but part of a general bipolar disorder diagnosis involves the duration of those moods. I'm working on my marriage and family therapy counseling degree and we've studied bipolar disorder a million times. I also have a blog based out of my studies for families of members with bipolar disorder (bipolarfamily -dot-info)
When you say you are hyper, is it a hyper period that lasts weeks or months and you have really risky behavior? Or is it a general high energy?
There are also other conditions that affect your mood that may have nothing to do with bipolar, especially if you are using marijuana before reaching 21 years old. Chronic use can stunt your emotional growth at the age you start smoking pot chronically.
But I'm glad that God is your new high, so to speak.
Paul

Just high energy. Barely lasts as long as i want it to anyway...

 

[madison1101]

Just high energy. Barely lasts as long as i want it to anyway...

Well, like I said in my first reply, it's best to talk about these things with a professional, like a psychiatrist or licensed psychotherapist. There are a variety of mental health disorders which include mood swings, bipolar is just the most well known. Depending on the duration, and other symptoms that are also occurring, it could be nothing, or it could be something that is treatable with therapy and possibly medications.

You mentioned marijuana use, and that could also be problematic, and could warrant looking at with a therapist. I smoked pot in high school, as well as drank a lot. It wasn't till I was an adult, married with children, and in serious trouble with my behavior and drinking that I got into therapy and started attending an AA meetings. I always wanted help in my teen years, but my family had so many other things going on at the time, I fell through the cracks.

I hope you'll consider looking at all of these things with a therapist. If nothing else, you'll have an objective person to bounce things off of and get questions answered more in depth.