Initial bipolar symptoms?

[bigstar]

So after a protracted battle with mental illness, at the age of 30 I got on anti depressants (about 6 weeks ago). I've been feeling actually really like my old self and have been so excited to not be depressed that I've been taking on a lot of missions--I'm back working again and I'm in two bands who have been recording and keeping very busy because I thought my life was very near over a few months ago. The way I explained it to my psychologist was like being told that you were going to die in a few days and then by some miracle you survive and all of a sudden you have this life ahead of you. The depression convinced me that there was no hope and I believed it. But I recovered and I thought it was a miracle. So I hit the ground running and started to make the most of everyday. And this is how I felt when the medication started working--I was so sick for so long that I started making up for lost time and just making the most of my life. The depression was there but it was in the background and no longer controlling me. Yesterday though, after a tough week with what I'll call 'real-world' issues, I noticed I was feeling a bit on the manic side again and slightly anxious about it. My sleep was very weird the past few nights too, where my body was kind of sleeping but my mind was racing and thinking random things constantly. Pretty peculiar. This morning I was sufficiently fatigued to warrant me not going into work and I've spent the entire day watching netflix and doing nothing. Prior to this my sleep has been fantastic and I've been prescribed  medication which I've been taking every night to help me get to bed.

Anyways, last night I saw my psychologist who suggested that I might be developing, or I might have bipolar but its still early days yet. He suggested this because of the way I described my sleep, my elated mood the past few weeks and how I was telling him I was starting to feel mildly manic. This really worried me as it made me feel like the past 2 or 3 weeks of happiness and motivation was a delusion as a result of an organic illness rather than the result of me making some life changes and doing positive things such as getting on medication and the like. Anyways, so he has made me pretty anxious by suggesting that. I have made mania before a major depressive episode which was a few months ago, but not sure what to make of it all right now and I'm kind of worried about the future. How are things like bipolar diagnosed anyway?
 

[quirkywords]

Big star,

I can see you are worried and have many questions.

Remember the pyschologist was making a suggestion whe. He said you maybe developing bipolar.

Firstly I am not a trained medical professional, but I have lived experience of bipolar for over 40 years.

Bipolar I think is usually diagnosed by a psychiatrist.

As you are anxious and have questions I think it would help if you had information.

The Black Dog institute has a website that has information on bipolar as well as a self- test for bipolar that you can share with your doctor. There is also information on the Beyond Blue website .

It is confusing you for you having someone suggest something and not having more knowledge.

These are some of the features of mania and hyomania

*high energy levels,*positive mood,*irritability

*inappropriate behaviour,*heightened creativity,*mystical experiences.

Mania is different from being motivated and being happy , for me it had an edge of risky taking , impulsive behaviour that resulted in ruining my reputation .

I will not overwhelm you with information here.

Maybe you could have a talk with your doctor.

It may help if you keep notes about your moods over a couple of weeks, noting any changes.

I am pleased you wrote your post.

Please feel free to past when ever you want.

Quirky