Is this Bipolar?

[aflower4God]

I was told today by someone (a roommate) that I have DRASTIC mood swings, meaning that if someone says something wrong or hurts my feelings I will go off at them, saying things like, "well forget you I don't need you as a friend".... or I will say "okay if you hate me so much than I will run away or I should not be here any more". Is that Bipolar?
Thank you in advance for your kind answer.

 

[Everlasting33]

It sounds more like low self-esteem (fear of being vulnerable and/or rejected), not bi-polar.

 

[Biker Angel]

I was told today by someone (a roommate) that I have DRASTIC mood swings, meaning that if someone says something wrong or hurts my feelings I will go off at them, saying things like, "well forget you I don't need you as a friend".... or I will say "okay if you hate me so much than I will run away or I should not be here any more". Is that Bipolar?
Thank you in advance for your kind answer.

Bipolar is about long cycles of depression or mania. Even rapid
cycling can happen 2-3 times a year but not in the same day.
I agree with Steelerbred33 It doesn't sound bipolar. But you should
talk to a pdoc just in case.

 

[Jeshu]

I agree with the others, going by the info you provided sounds like you have more of a self-esteem problem.

 

[Alive again]

There are forms of bp with ultra rapid cycling where moods can change wihtin hours or days. However you gave us very little info and beyond that, the only way to know for sure is to talk to a mental health professional. Those of us with mental health issues can misread facial expression, affects and vocal tones of others. We struggle sometimes mightily with self esteem issues, but those are not the defining characteristics of bp or any otehr mental health issue, only part of it. BP is characterized by high ot hypo(little)highs and lows.

 

[lmarie23]

Flower,

I agree that it doesn't sound like bipolar to me. I've been told that bipolar is a chemical imbalance and so it is not affected by circumstance. Our mood swings are completely random, therefore if someone says something and it prompts you to have an extreme reaction, that does not sound like bipolar.

My other illness is borderline personality disorder, and to be honest what you describe sounds more like BPD. But I am not a mental health professional! So take this with a grain of salt. A main characteristic of BPD is instability in relationships. We draw people really close and get scared and then push them away. There's a famous book about us called "I hate you, don't leave me!" We are supposed to be manipulative. Other qualities of BPD are feelings of emptiness and meaninglessness, no coherent sense of identity, reckless behavior (like drug or alcohol abuse, impulse shopping, reckless driving), seeing things in black-and-white, seeing people as all good or all bad, basing your view on a person based on your last interaction with them, and SI or suicidal thoughts. Does any of this sound like you? I'm not extreme in any of these symptoms but I think it's still me. Just a thought. I have the mood swings of bipolar but they are related to what people say. If something upsets me it sets off my BPD, which sets off my bipolar. My doctor said that because my mood swings are related to things that happen in my life, it proves that I'm not bipolar but I have something else.

Lynne