Bipolar Depression

My name is Chris (female). I'm 16. I've been wondering if I'm bipolar months. I'm writing this because things keep getting worse and I want to know if I could be bipolar or if something else is wrong with me. I know no one can "diagnose" me or anything, but I would be really grateful for some opinions.

A few people have asked me if I‘m bipolar recently. A few months ago, my therapist said she thinks I'm bipolar, but didn't mention it again. I've been having extreme mood swings more and more lately. I constantly feel like I'm losing my mind. I can be on top of the world and suicidal in one day.

I've always had a problem with nightly depression. But that slowly stopped at least 5 months ago and now my mood swings are unpredictable and WAY MORE extreme. I call when I'm overly happy being "up" and really depressed being "down".

When I'm really happy, I get TONS of energy. I‘ve paced for over an hour just to get my energy out. I talk really fast and never run out of things to say. When I'm "up", I don't need to sleep much at all. A lot of times, I'll go with a few hours of sleep in a night and not be tired at all the next day. Sometimes I'll be EXTREMELY happy, but not have much energy. For instance, I'll just sit up at night and cry (happy tears) from having such an overwhelming feeling of peace and joy. And other times, I'm not necessarily happy, but I'll get a huge burst of energy and feel like I'm crawling out of my skin. I've cried then too, from "not knowing what to do with myself". The longest I've ever been "up" was (I think) 4 days in a row of most of the time feeling on top of the world. I didn't sleep much when that happened.

I get depressed for longer times than when I‘m "up". When I get depressed and have no (what I always call) "ups", it lasts most of the time a week (more or less) and keeps getting worse until it goes away. When I'm depressed I get suicidal. I barely eat or don't eat at all for days at a time. One depression all I could do was cry and lay around every day. I was in hell. I stop caring about school or anything else. I won‘t talk to anyone. I've been to the point where I started planning out my death and even written a suicide note, thinking I would "do it" very soon. Every depression seems to get worse.

Most days I'll be depressed AND "up" at different times during the day. It just goes back and forth a few times. Other times I go days (sometimes over a week) with just one "up" or "down" and not the other. It's VERY confusing.

I KNOW something is wrong. Sometimes people comment on my "mood swings", so I know I'm not the only one who sees something is wrong. If a person is bipolar, don't they get really happy for weeks or months at a time, then depressed for weeks or months at a time? Could it be some kind of hormonal imbalance? Maybe it's bad PMS, because my anger gets worse when I'm PMSing. However, that doesn't make sense either because the symptoms don't go away after my period is over. I'm just really confused.

Thanks for reading,

- Chris

Dear Chris,

No one can answer the question of whether you are bipolar yet, including your therapist, but I can assure you that you will be fine and your condition is treatable.

First of all, there are a number of medical conditions that can cause the symptoms you describe other than bipolar.

It can take many visits with a psychiatrist (medical doctors who are fully qualified doctors, who are also trained therapists, and can prescribe drugs) to make a diagnosis.

No competent psychiatrist will prescribe medication prior to running a complete blood work up, evaluating family history, asking many structured questions, and observing you. If your doctor prescribes medication before doing these tests, do NOT take the medication, and find another doctor who will do the tests first and take their time getting it right.

You need to ask your therapist or general practitioner (your regular doctor) to make sure the blood tests include thyroid, adrenal, cholesterol, endocrine (estrogen & testosterone). Other observations they need to make are your blood pressure and basal body temperature.

In the event you are bipolar, the wrong medication or medicating without close supervision could be very bad. You also need to know that the wrong medication can actually cause bipolar illness. So take as much time as you need to be sure.

What needs to be immediately addressed is your suicidal feelings until your doctor can properly diagnose you and start treatment. I am assuming your parents or guardians, family members and your therapist are aware of these thoughts. They need to closely supervise you and need to be available to you to talk to. You can also call a local suicide hotline (1-800-SUICIDE) if you need to speak with someone immediately.

Lastly, you need to do as much as you can for yourself to stabilize your health and physical well being. Sleep at least 8 hours a night and establish a routine to ensure you go to bed early enough to be well rested in the morning. I recommend you start a healthy diet - the South Beach diet is a good balanced diet to try. Work out every day. Reduce stress by doing your homework and study assignments well in advance of their due date or exams.

I know this is a lot to absorb right now so I will wrap it up. The actions I recommend above are good starting places.

Let us know how you are doing throgh the board and we will all collectively pray for you and think of you.

Take care,
Mr. G