Bi polar ?

@Kyle1 it can be pretty heavy to get a new diagnosis like that, especially if you've just gotten used to what you already knew. Sounds like it's still unconfirmed, so you can probably take the time you need to process and explore before you go seeking any sort of confirmation. Do you know much about bipolar? We've got some info here if you wanted to read.

In my experience getting a new diagnosis is often a process of gaining insight into yourself and even understanding yourself better in some ways, as well as getting better treatment. The tricky part is not over-identifying with the diagnosis/label and remembering that everyone experiences their MH differently, regardless of having the same diagnosis. Diagnosis is just a guideline for treatment, not something prescriptive that determines who we are or what we value.

Hi @Kyle1

I understand the worry. For me it was hard to digest when I was first diagnosed. I still struggle with it, some days, 12 months later.

However Bipolar has explained a lot of my life to me that I didn’t understand. Especially the past.

Sorry I don’t know what else to say.

I am feeling like that @Jynx - that all this stuff is prescriptive and determinant of who I am. And that feeling is very oppressive and unsettling. I've just began to google search bp and do recognise some of the symptoms...

Thank you for your supportive response 🙏 I do appreciate your time

thank you @Captain24 for taking the time.

I've already noticed a process of reframing some past experiences. I guess that would explain the feeling of being unsettled: wrapping my head around a whole new idea of myself. ..

You're very welcome @Kyle1. It can certainly mean some exlporation of self/identity. If it helps, one of my best friends has BP2 - and for her it was a huge challenge at first. But over time and with some good support, she now tells me she wouldn't be who she is without her bipolar brain, and has learned to love it - the good and the bad (even though the bad can get really messy, although nowadays she has learned to go with the ebbs and flows of the mood swings and no longer finds herself ruled by them).

I hope this journey brings you clarity, and of course please do keep us posted if you want, you definitely don't have to be alone in it all.

💜

Hi @Kyle1 you're welcome to post any questions or concerns on the Let`s talk about Bipolar thread

@Shaz51 @Delicatessen @Captain24

Bipolar is a bit like living on the coast with different weather patterns and the different moods of the ocean... hope you settle well into any new meds or other changes of treatment. It can take a while to adjust.

@Kyle1

If you do happen to have bipolar, remember you are still Kyle, a person that has an illness. It doesn’t make you less than or anything else. I know it is hard as mental illness has held so much stigma but try not to identify too much with the illness if you end up being diagnosed.

They have made quite a bit of progress for treatment, so you may find relief, I am still trialling medication to find what will work for me after a bit over a year. They still are a bit hit and miss on depression.

I will see a gp today. And I'll bring it up with them. One thing I know, the current medicine isn't working anymore...

Btw @Flotsam

I've dipped into instagram since we last spoke. Thank you. I'm very much liking the bite size portions and new discoveries there.

@Kyle1

I am glad you are enjoying Insta, I follow very few people, no friends except my daughters. I have it highly curated to helpful profiles.

I hope your appointment goes well. I don’t know where you live but in NSW we have some services where you can see a psychiatrist bulk billed. Grand pacific health and the local mental health community health. So it might be worth seeing if you can access a service like that as they really are specialists in diagnosis and medication. I hope you find what helps quickly, no matter the diagnosis.