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

Ok, so I don't understand what the difference is between bipolar 1 and bipolar 2. I've researched it a bit, but I'm still confused on the subject. And what the hell is mood disorder not other wise specified? I've been diagnosed and treated for depression, which morphed into bipolar, which morphed into bipolar 2, and the last time I was in the hospital they diagnosed me with mood disorder not otherwise specified. I'm really confused with all those diagnoses. And the degree of difference between them. Can anyone offer their perspective on all of this? What makes them different? As far as I understand it, bipolar 2 deals more with hypomania while bipolar one is more of a manic episode type of thing? Or is it like the severity of the episodes places you in one category or another category? Gah...so confusing. I will continue to research the subject, but I was just wondering about what the general consensus is, or if anyone can offer their perspective.

My understanding is that Bipolar I does include more severe mania, while Bipolar II includes a lesser form of mania, or perhaps does not even include mania in some cases. I was once diagnosed with Bipolar II by a psychiatrist while I was hospitalized, and he explained that some people like me with Bipolar II go up and down but their "high" may still be within the realm of what might typically be considered depression. That made sense to me at the time because it seemed like my moods were only ranging from extremely depressed to less depressed, though they could cycle pretty rapidly. I'm like you in that I have received many diagnoses from different psychologists & doctors over the years : Bipolar II, Mixed Anxiety & Depression, Atypical Depression, Avoidant Personality Disorder, Social Anxiety, Major Depression, etc. I haven't seen a psychiatrist or gone to regular therapy in many years, and I think it's partly due to fear of being misdiagnosed and then given medication that will just exacerbate my condition. I'm sorry you're also experiencing confusion about your diagnosis. Perhaps the important thing is to focus on whether or not the treatment you're receiving is helping or not, rather than the labels, and if treatment isn't helping then continue seeking other mental health professionals or groups. I don't know if that is at all helpful but I'm sending good thoughts to you, lawlessness45.

I'd say try to just focus on being effective and living in a good way. The diagnosis isn't that important and can make you go crazy, I know that it use to for me and every doctor has a different opinion.

Thank you risingupagain and rivergirl. It's nice to get a reply. And your explanation of bipolar II is helpful. I know diagnosis are largely used among professionals so they can categorize things and kind of get an idea of what they are treating you for. I know I don't need to focus so much on the label. But its nice to have someone else explain what their experience of bipolar II is like.

I'm coming at this from two points of view. I worked in in mental health (it's what I went college for) and I am also diagnosed with Bipolar 1. I did start out however with a diagnosis of Bipolar NOS (not otherwise specified). The reason in my case was that I hadn't be long out of a detox facility for alcohol. So, many doctors/clinicians will assign a diagnosis of NOS when they don't have complete or reliable history, or the individual has a history like mind of drug and alcohol abuse. The other reason is their may also be other underlying physical or mental health problems that exist making a specific diagnosis for Bipolar (type 1 or type 2) difficult. In the meantime they will give you an NOS diagnosis. In my case even though I was on lithium (one of the things I still take presently) I started to take off into a manic episode early in treatment and that made the diagnosis easy to shift from NOS to type 1 because I had been sober for awhile, my new clinician had tons of blood work to rule out physical illnesses and had interacted with me enough to know what was driving the mania. This all happened with in a two month window. Some people do maintain the NOS diagnosis without being diagnosed with type 1 or type 2. This can happen when they are just like one criteria off from meeting the diagnosis for either of the two major types but clearly have enough general symptoms to meet the criteria to be considered bipolar. Hope this helps.

I've only been diagnosed with bipolar 2 since october 2013. Since then I've had a decent journey with Lamictal, but my sexual issues are still a drag. I have complex ptsd so i figure that has a lot to do with it, but if I am only cycling from mild depression to severe depression maybe that would explain it? It's so hard to find any information about my problem. I've tried a few antidepressants to no avail. I still go through weeks of not wanting to be touched and one week of extreme sexual feelings. It's not great for relationships.
I hope you get some relief; let me know if you learn anything about this issue.

I’ve been diagnosed several times, with BiPolar I winning a best of five series 3 -2. The reaction to this ranged from “Yeah, no shit” to people saying they’d never even guess I had a problem to begin with. I’ve always wondered if others were shocked or not when they revealed what their diagnosis was. Anyway, that was in 2011, I’ve been fine on Lithium and counseling. Some weight gain, but that’s expected.

Hi there all,

I am so glad this discussion was started. I have been dealing with what I only know right not to be bipolar disorder, but I have not been given a specific label to this (1, 2, NOS, etc.) I first was diagnosed with depression- I went through a sad, dark time- and started taking Lexipro and going to therapy more often. For a while, things seemed normal- and then I began getting very irritable, my mind raced, and I did reckless things, such as driving like a maniac, walking in unsafe areas, taking drugs irresponsibly, and some other things. At this point I was in a new career, and had to take time away because I was not able to focus. After this, I went back to therapy, saw a psychiatrist, and was given seroquil for my mood disorder. My doctor mentions bipolar disorder, but never officially diagnosed me. It bothers me because I feel like I can't heal without knowing exactly what it is I am healing. My psychiatrist is not a very talkative man, and honestly my appointments with him last less than 10 minutes. I guess I am just looking for some advice here on how to approach this, what type of questions to ask, and if it makes sense to check out other psychiatrists.

I hope to hear from you all, thanks

Shoot Silvery if the dr you have is not gicving you what you need then go to a new one - there is no written rule that says you have to stay with a dr - you are not dating your dr you do not have co responsibilities to your dr nor do you ever have to tell him you are leaving before you do - just look for a second opinion - see what someone else has to say and if they are more open to fielding questions - I think in general the med docs aren't very comfortable with feelings and emotions - but if you want to talk brain chemistry meds and diagnosis they will be able to help you out -

just take their words with a grain of salt because the med docs have no idea how their words effect their patients - they like logic - and generally don't speak color and emotions and flowers and darkness - just numbers and science -

Hi lawless, sorry to hear that.

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a chronically recurring condition involving moods that swing between the highs of mania and the lows of depression.

But that's not quite the whole picture; depression is by far the most pervasive feature of the illness, while the manic phase usually involves a mix of irritability, anger, and depression, with or without euphoria. The elation may manifest as unusual energy and overconfidence, playing out in bouts of overspending or promiscuity.

The disorder most often starts in young adulthood, but also occurs in children and adolescents. Misdiagnosis is common; the condition is typically confused with everything from attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder to schizophrenia to borderline personality disorder.

Biological factors probably create vulnerability to the disorder, and experiences such as sleep deprivation can kick off manic episodes.

While the depression of bipolar disorder can resist treatment, mood swings and recurrences can often be delayed or prevented with a mood stabilizer, on it's own or combined with other drugs. Psychotherapy is an important adjunct to pharmacotherapy, especially for dealing with the work and relationship problems that can accompany the disorder.

Here a website useful for you freeitout.com