Recent diagnosis of borderline bipolar

[Evie1981]

Hi all

Ive been struggling with depression and anxiety all my life and recently I was diagnosed with bipolar. It's hard enough to have depression and anxiety in this society and to have to add another dignosis to the list makes things even harder for me.

i want to know from other people with similar dignosis in how they go about telling people, the stigma of all of these illnesses aren't very well accepted. Especially when it comes to relationships.

Do you tell people, when do you tell them and how would you approach such a sensitive subject.

how do the medication make someone feel I am yet to go buy them everything is becoming more and more scary for me 😞

Any feedback is appreciated

thanks all

[AGrace]

Hi Evie,

Welcome!

Firstly I wanted to say good on you for seeking support with your diagnosis. I'm assuming you are under the continued care of a Psychiatrist/Psychologist?

In terms of your diagnoses, I think rather than looking at it as Bipolar being added to the list, it's more like Bipolar is your overarching diagnosis. The depression and anxiety are symptoms of this illness. I hope this helps with viewing it as 1 diagnosis rather than 3.

I know what you mean regarding stigma, however I think since the introduction of organisations such as Beyondblue, Lifeline, The shack, and many others, this is not as big of an issue anymore.

Talking to people about your mental health is a good part of the healing process. You want to be selective about who you tell. Family and partners are probably the first place to start. For me I suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder (similar to Bipolar), I chose to tell my partner and immediate family first. I literally said I've been diagnosed with BPD, and then gave them an opportunity to ask me questions. Any questions I couldn't answer I would take to my Psychiatrist and find out the best response. Due to the severity of my symptoms I told them as soon as I was diagnosed. I also referred them to helpful books and resources (websites etc).

Regarding others, you don't have to tell anyone you don't want to. Some people will tell close friends, so that they can seek support from them if required. It's not a necessity to inform your employer, unless it impacts on your work, and even then you don't need to be specific.

In terms of medication, some people experience side effects, others don't. Your Dr would typically begin on a very low dose, and then review this based on your tolerance levels. Sometimes it's a matter of trial and error before you get the right combination and dose. You should be seeing your Dr regularly when commencing medication. We've all been a bit frightened to start, but once you are used to the medication, they cause little trouble.

You might like to search for the following supports blueboard, sane, and the blackdog institute. All have information specific to Bipolar.

I hope this helps. I'd love to hear back from you.

AGrace

[Rellie_B]

Hi AGrace,

 I know that I am responding to your post from a long time ago, however I wanted to let you know how helpful your response was to me.

I just joined the BB forum and have been reading lots over the last few days, but was hesitant to do my first post, fearing that it would not scrub up to others.

Thankyou for your insight,  I think the idea of looking at my newly diagnosed bipolar ii, on top of depression and anxiety for the last twenty- something years, as a single diagnosis , instead of an overwhelming three, has made my day a little brighter.

I hope to talk to you soon

Gratefully 

Rellie B

[Guest_2350]

Hi Rellie,

I have also just been diagnosed. How are you getting on? It is really a good idea to try and look at it as one diagnosis instead of many.

Take care, Yggy