Lived Experience Forum

[That50sChick]

Hi I've been diagnosed as bipolar 2 rapid cycling. I was diagnosed in October but am now struggling with accepting that I have it and it's not just a bad temper at times or good days when I'm a little hyper.

Has anyone else struggled with their diagnosis so long after being diagnosed?

[CherryBomb]

Hi @That50sChick,

Dealing with a new diagnosis is challenging for most people. You're not alone in feeling like a diagnosis of bi-polar is difficult to manage. For many, it can take some time to develop ways to manage the illness.

Perhaps some of our members can point out ways that manage it: @Former-Member might be able to share some thoughts. Also at @BeYo has written about it here,  Also @mrkotter has written about his experience with getting diagnosed, and how he manages bipolar here. 

@That50sChick can I asked who diagnosed you? Did they link you in with support?  

CB

[JoseJones]

@That50sChick,

It sounds like you've had to do a lot of processing in relation to your diagnosis, and still having some difficulty coming to terms with it.  Receiving a diagnosis can be both a blessing, because it allows us to put a name to it, as well as a curse, because it might also leave us feeling as if we're stuck with it!  Can you expand a bit more about what it is about the diagnosis that makes it hard to accept?  

[mrkotter]

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@That50sChick wrote:

Has anyone else struggled with their diagnosis so long after being diagnosed?

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Hi @That50sChick I hope things are going ok for you at the moment. It's hard being diagnosed with such an illness. Can I ask what specifically are you struggling with?

When I was diagnosed I could accept it right away. By the time I went to the doctor I knew something was wrong so it was a relief, in a way, to be told so. But that didn't stop me thinking about it fairly constantly. It is hard to accept - did I do that because I was ill or was that just me? Who actually am I? What role does my illness play in my personality? These questions just kept playing on my mind. Without answers. For a long time.

Friends of mine, who are also bipolar, have had similar experiences so it's not just you. October was not that long ago, it takes awhile to be ok with it all. I can't tell you what to do because it's different for everyone but I can give two bits of advice that might help.

Find someone in your life you can talk to about it. The internet is good but people you trust are better. For me, at the time, this was my psychologist. It took me a long time (years) before I started really talking to friends about it. For me it's hard to talk to someone, even if we're great friends, about something so personal where I don't have answers. Even though my friends could help me find them. Weird, right?

Do things you enjoy. Do them regularly. I'm guessing you're in a pretty tough place right now. Do something that you enjoy. Doesn't matter what. Go see a movie, get a massage, get a coffee with a friend, eat KFC, go for a walk, whatever. It'll keep you grounded.

I hope this helps a little. 

[That50sChick]

Thank you all for your advice.
@CherryBomb my psychiatrist diagnosed me in hospital.
@JoseJones I just keep thinking maybe I'm just moody and bad tempered not BP.
@mrkotter I'll give the time for me a go.