YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

ive seen 3 doctors and they all have different ideas of whats wrong with me..my newest doctor at first thought i was bipolar(what is bipolar 1,2??)and now afters seeing her for 6 months she says she needs MORE time to figure out what my deal is..meanwhile i feel like she is randomly throwing meds at me,and nothing is working...ive actually been searching for the right meds for 3 fucking years now...does it really take THAT long to find the right meds? i felt like if i had a proper diagnosis,things could get sped up a bit...my fear is 5 years later i will still be looking for the right meds.
whats this dna test i keep hearing about? it helps pinpoint your mental state so you waste less time with meds.
my plan has never heard of it,and they dont cover it..how much does it cost?
ill pay for it myself if i have to.
i cant stand one more day feeling like im totally insane all the time..its rapidly ruining my life,relationships,and i keep failing in school because i am so distracted,depressed,crying,freaking out,etc
i feel like my life is on hold until i find some tools to help deal with my mental illness,whatever the fuck it is.
i am 46 and so far when i was 19 i was diagnosed as schitzo effective manic depressive...but the last few years all the doctors dont think that was ever a proper diagnosis..i took the minnesota multiphasic personality inventory test in 1989 and got that first diagnosis.
god im so confused..i wish i knew how to advocate for myself.
half the time im so depressed and shut down i cant even communicate with my doctor..which isnt her fault of course.

Hey Frank, sounds like you are dealing with a lot right now.

I don't know if the people who told you about a DNA test are talking about the same thing, but my husband, my ex husband and both of my children have the MTHFR genetic mutation, which is only diagnosable with a specific blood test, it cost around $500 out of pocket here in the middle of Washington Statue. This gene is responsible for creating the enzyme that processes folic acid into the a necessary building block molecule. Scientists have known about the mutation for a long time, and pregnant women who had the mutation needed to be given the processed form of folic acid in the form of a prescription supplement. Later research found a statistically significant number of people who suffered from depression and bipolar also happened to have this genetic mutation either on one or both of the gene pairs. My ex husband suffers from severe depressive illness and my husband is bipolar...my daughter is bipolar and my son is autistic. My husband manages his bipolar by taking Deplin, the prescription version of the supplement, known as L-Methylfolate. A number of companies are now manufacturing an over-the-counter form of L-Methylfolate as well. To know if it would be helpful for you you would want to have the bloodwork done. Not all doctors are well-versed about this issue. My son's pediatrician at the time thought I was batshit crazy for asking to have him tested until he read the research on it, after which he was happy to request the test and none of us were suprised that he had a single deletion of the gene.

I think you would want to see a psychologist or a psychiatrist for a good diagnosis of bipolar. Psychiatrists can prescribe medications, psychologists cannot but can give you a recommendation for something that you could follow through with via a regular MD.

Bipolar 1 is where you have the severe mood episodes of mania (extremely high mood) to depression and back again. People who are diagnosed with Bipolar 2 have a milder version of mania alternating with the severe depression. My husband is a Bipolar 1. When he is manic he says that it feels sometimes like he is talking directly to God.

There are also other types of bipolar as well, depending on the severity and different ways bipolar expresses itself.

I'm sorry you are struggling so much. You are not alone in feeling the way you do. I suffer from severe emotional dysregulation, and between my own issues and my family's issues I've experienced how unhelpful some of the medical and mental health providers can be. It's incredibly frustrating, and I hope you can find some good people to help you out soon with the right plan of care and/or medication.