Do u think I have it ?

[Travellingparrot]

I am a teenager and for the past few years I have began to wonder if I may have bipolar. I had about two years of being 'depressed' I was diagnosed with annorexia and shortly after wanted to kill myself. Then I went to about 4 months of this amazingly hyper feeling. Now for about 5 months ive been in a strange mix of the two . I've been feeling suicidal , yet I've had so much energy. It's been tough. I've been having some halucinations peripherally and when I'm stressed I hear people say my name. I've also been having a lot of trouble with my memory.

[Lildani1991]

hmmm i dunno if that's bi-polar more then it is psychosis? have you taken drugs or have some sort of trauma in your life? see a psych that the best help i can offer cuz im not a doctor :D
But good luck
and never trust what the gp says about mental health unless its thier field cuz i've been diagnosed with practically everything you can think of by gps LOL

[lindahand]

You've got so much going on in your life it must be very tough. I remember my teen years and it wasn't a fun time. It does get easier once you are an adult though. I would talk to your psychiatrist or whoever is handling your anorexia treatment. Print out your post and see what they have to say about it.

Many symptoms overlap each other, and it is possible to have more than one diagnosis. I know I have a few. Generalised anxiety disorder, bipolar type 2, and adhd (although I am not sure I believe that one).

Please talk to someone about how you are feeling. A suicide hotline is a great place to start. Treatment does help. There is a lot you can learn to do to make things easier. You may need medication and it may be tough, but there is hope.

Tanya

[SLadylani]

You sound a lot like me when I was around that age, and they never quite figured out what was wrong with me or what my diagnosis was. Today, I know myself to be an addict, described completely in the Narcotics Anonymous program, not just a drug addict, but an addict in general-thinking, acting, everything. I also went through anorexia and have only been in recovery for one year, but after 11 years of being in it, 1 year is a long time. I was diagnosed at 12, I'm now almost 24. I also wanted to kill myself, basically throughout all of my adolescent years, and attempted suicide quite freqeuntly. One of my diagnosis based on this was Major depression. I also had auditory hallucinations at times in my later teen years-possibly related to damage from drug use, but I was also diagnosed tentitavely with Schizo Affective Disorder. Auditoy hallucinations can also arise if your anorexia is really bad as it is possible for you to go into what's called a psychosis if your weight drops. I have ADHD as well and struggle with memory. My most recent diagnosis was Bipolar. Basically, what I have found to be true for me personally, in all my years of being treated in psychiatry, is that each psychiatrist might have a different diagnosis for me, and really I could have fit into multiple catergories. You may find this to be true for you as well, as you may find that different doctors or therapists have different oppinions. What I can suggest is that self-diagnosis is never really a good idea as that can drive us crazy into trying to figure things out, and in psychiatric cases, may even cause us to subconsciously take on additional symtoms to fit into a certain diagnosis perfectly. What I would do is consult with your doctor, as some of the symptoms you're descibing seem distressful, and especially during times of schooling, need to be treated so you can focus on the other aspects of the teen years. And certainly, if you have been feeling suicidal, you need to reach out for help, as I wouldn't recommened doing what I did-many attemps which led to many hospital stay, expensive medical bills, permenant long slash marks on my forearm/wrist, the list goes on. Basically an adolescents of misery. Here is a hotline number that is always available that you can call anytime you are feeling suicidal. 1.800.479.3339. The can be very friendly and understanding. What I'm getting at is it trully doesn't matter 'what' you have, what matters is how quickly you address the symptoms and get some good treatment for yourself. Step one is reaching out for help. Your teenage years certainly don't have to turn out like mine. Good resources that you can ask for help would be a school conselour or your doctor. If you can schedule an appointment with your doctor, he/she can hopefully get you a refferal to a therapist and/or psychiatrist. But nothing will change if you don't take the action, and if things have been getting worse, you want to stop it before you turn out like I did :) (even though I'm in recovery now!). If you have close friend you can talk to about these things, I suggest staying close with them in the meantime and asking them to call you more often. This website is also great for support. I hope you find this somewhat helpful and can use the information. I really hope you get the help you need, as you deserve a good life ahead of you and don't deserve to live in pain. I hope you keep us posted and in the meantime I'll be sending my best and most loving thoughts and wishes your way. Please take care,

Sara RN