Raw Writing for the Real World of Bipolar

Twenty-five percent, or one in four, of all Bipolar Disorder patients are misdiagnosed with Depression each year. It can often take ten years to be diagnosed correctly. How can you be ensured that your diagnosis is correct and timely? How can you be proactive in your own care?

1. Arm yourself with knowledge. Googling the disorder isn't a bad thing to do. You do have to take all you learn and apply it to your current symptoms. Psych Central and Health.com are good sites that list personal stories as well as articles on possible symptoms of Bipolar Disorder.
   
2. Take the online Goldberg Bipolar Screening Quiz at PsychCentral.com. I used it and took it to my doctor for further answers. It's a questionaire that details if you've been having Bipolar symptoms and whether you've been having those symptoms a lot or not at all. Symptoms such as irritability, hypersexuality, racing thoughts and fast paced speech are just a few that it documents. Answer the questions after much thought and honesty. Only then can you get a true idea of what you're experiencing.
   
3. Start a Mood Chart. Mood charts are important to present to a doctor as your symptoms will already be documented at the time of your appointment. I recommend that you take the time it will take to get into to see a psychiatrist and use that time to find out if your moods are going up and down or just down as is the case in depression. Some bipolars only go up and down seasonally, while others might have shifts in mood weekly or even daily. You can track your moods daily or bi-daily online for free at Moodtracker.com. It allows you to print out your chart so you can take it to your doctor's appointment with you.
4. Research medications. If you're diagnosed with depression, you'll need to know about antidepressants. If you have bipolar disorder, you'll need a good list of mood stabilizers and antipsychotics to take with you to your psychiatrist appointment. Your psychiatrist will prescribe medications on the spot so you'll need to be prepared with questions and opinions on your treatment options. Crazymeds.com has a good list of medications to peruse. It'll give you the benefits and side effects of many medications in laymen's terms so you'll be able to relate.
   
5. See a psychiatrist. Your primary care physician may be the first person you take your symptoms, your quiz and your mood chart to, but your primary caregiver shouldn't be the last doctor you consult. Only a trained psychiatrist can make a correct diagnosis. Make a list of your symptoms and take your quiz and present it to the psychiatrist. Your own personal findings may make the only difference in correctly diagnosing your mental health disorder.
6. Get second, third and even fourth opinions. Just because you get one diagnosis doesn't mean that it's the correct one. You can only know for sure if you get several different opinions. It'll take some time to get into psychiatrists since they often have a waiting list, but it's worth it. There's something to be said for peace of mind, and only getting many doctor's opinions will give you that.
   

About the Author

Email Cristina

Submit Your Story or Article

Subscribe in a Reader

© 2009 Cristina Fender