Why is bipolar so popular. Atleast it is in Sweden. Lots of famous people “come out” bipolar. A few years ago it was ADHD.
Has bipolar a better status than sz? My pdoc tries to fit me into the bipolar shoe too. But is not very sucessful.
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I would definitely say so.
I am really confusing the ■■■■ out of my pdoc.
At first she was leaning towards purely Schizoaffective, then she is telling me that I am leaning towards Bipolar, now she is emphasizing the OCD aspect to my disorder - Now she is leaning towards SZA again.
I have a feeling that I display more Bipolar symptoms when I am on certain activating medications like Antidperessants and Lamictal - a very activating mood stabilizer etc…
Otherwise I do not display severe bipolar symptoms in general.
I frankly am just as confused as my pdoc when it comes to my diagnosis or lack of a definitive one.
The bipolar diagnosis has less of a shock value than the schizophrenia diagnosis - the stigma is a bit less.
I believe that bipolar is over diagnosed.
A lot of the general population think of bipolar people as just people with extreme mood swings. They’re generally unaware of the psychotic episodes that most people properly diagnosed with bipolar have experienced.
People hear bipolar and think of Jimmy Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Isaac Newton, Vincent Van Gogh and Beethoven.
People hear schizophrenia and think of James Holmes (theatre shooter) and homeless people who smear feces on the wall.
Bipolar is definitely much less stigmatized than sz, despite the fact bipolars tend to be MUCH more dangerous people.
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I dont know about dangerous, but they are certainly more annoying than schizophrenic patients lol 
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I was keeping to myself. Pdoc accused me of suffering from apathy. I did not feel that way. I had a lot of things going on - in my head.
I am not saying that you are annoying @Comatose, I was half joking - kidding around a bit.
Having fun with myself - 
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I know this will offend a lot of people, but I think bipolar is a joke compared to schizophrenia. It’s glamorized too much and a lot of them are self-destructive and annoying. I think borderline is the worse though (after anti-social of course).
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Then I’m the worst combination ever 
Explains a lot 
Why can’t we all just get along
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Sounds like me! 
Are there now too many people diagnosed with bipolar hence the increase or is the increase due to bipolar previously being under diagnosed?
I was diagnosed with schizoaffective mixed type for 22 years with at several points pdocs saying that due to the mood elements my symptoms resembled bipolar.
Then suddenly in 2005 I’m off the mood stabiliser and switched to a personality disorder dx.
So initial dx schizophrenia then I come under a new pdoc that says “ah ,schizoaffective query bipolar” That continues for 22 years until a pdoc decides “schizoaffective query bipolar” is suddenly wrong.
My notes mention mood swings but not enough to come under the bipolar spectrum? Then to further confuse the issue when I went off meds for a year due to doctor’s say so and went back on they were reluctant to prescribe a stand alone antidepressant because of “the possible adverse effect on my mood”. Reluctance to prescribe antidepressants usually a sign you suspect a bipolar spectrum illness or schizoaffective manic/mixed type. Talk about contradiction.
I think pdocs like to hedge their bets so as to try and avoid being seen as wrong. Ie we no longer think you have a mood problem but we’ll avoid giving you a stand alone antidepressant just in case.
Then there is the question of when does the range of moods from above normal to below normal become indicative of what is called bipolar/bipolar spectrum illness. Over diagnosis or under diagnosis,both are problematic.
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It depends if you’ve experienced extreme mania and severe depressive states. Those are not fun either
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It is certainly incomparable with schizophrenia but I’m telling you, it can be equally dysfunctional.
At the end it all depends how person is coping with her diagnose. I can see a lot of people on this forum doing better than me. And I admire them for that.
They say my diagnosis (Schizo-affective bi-polar type) is less severe than SZ but I tell ya, the way I’ve been coping with it the last 10 years of my life has made my life hell. And a lot of people do much better than me.
My psychosis isn’t too bad but my mood is terrible. And the mood has a certain psychotic feature to it.
Do you have psychosis @Sarad???
Schizo-affective bi-polar type is like very psychotic bi-polar. But when you mix drugs and bad coping mechanisms into the mix it escalates to something that seems even worse. No way will I do drugs again. I learned my lesson with the hallucinogens and today I brought up people who do opiates as “nice people” in my opinion and “misunderstood” and she freaked out. I could tell i’d break her heart badly if I ever did opiates. The worst I’m gonna do is drink, but 9 days sober I’m doing ALRIGHT without it.
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Just one inicial episode that never happened again after they included lithium to my antidepressants ( and went off of drugs for a months as well).
I have a rapid mood swings and awful depression states. The rest goes to BPD which fits my symptoms almost 100%.
Ahhh I didn’t realize you had borderline personality disorder…hard to see that over the internet lol. I met a girl in the hospital with bi-polar and BPD. She gave me her number. She was on lithium. i was on lithium at one point. If you take anti-depressants alone with bi-polar it could trigger psychosis I hear in people prone to it. My first episode was from taking wellbutrin. Then I took wellbutrin again while I was on lamictal, zyprexa and lithium and I didn’t get any more psychosis.
My psychiatrist used to put me on three or more medications. It never worked for me. At the one point I was taking two antidepressants, lamictal, lithium and benzos at night. Suffice to say that I was like ■■■■.
And also I’m borderline as ■■■■.
Lol
I think you’re doing very good.
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yeah I was on benzos too.
I find anti-psychotics to be best for my illness. It does it all…Mood, psychosis, anxiety.
I take klonopin for anxiety too, but other than that its just abilify
My mom wants me to ask my doctor for mood stablizers/anti-depressants. She wants me to take more drugs. I told her I just need to piece together my days moment by moment. A moment at a time. Because if I don’t figure out how to enjoy myself in the present moment, I become miserable. And she said “That’s not normal, tell your doctor that, you need more drugs” (not in those words but that was her message). And thank you. I think I’m doing OKAY. No alcohol is tough though. I hate that lifestyle though.