Lived Experience Forum

[Jane75]

Hi, 

I'm new! I found this by accident and looking g forward to starting.  I haven't had any therapy since my diagnosis. 

Im 48 and the last few years I've been diagnosed formally with;

Bipolar 1 with psychosis and delusions

Severe ADHD

On the spectrum

PTSD

Anxiety

Social Anxiety

Fibromyalgia. 

Prior to this, Despite seeking help I was only ever diagnosed with anxiety and given antidepressants.  It wasn't u till it all became too much and I had a breakdown that I found a great psychiatrist who was able to diagnose me properly and give me the right meds. 

I've had quite a bit of trauma in my life.  I don't dwell on it as I like to adopt a positive attitude,  but with the above list ot can be tough at times.

Undiagnosed Bipolar has caused me a multitude of problems from financial ruin to nearly losing my marriage.  My husband of 22 years has copped a lot from me ( bipolar rage) so we have some issues but now I'm medicated I can be more rational and we are working at it.  

Although I realise I still need some help sorting through some things,  I do feel more hopeful for the future than I have on years 🙂 

Anyone else here with similar?  

Anyway, thanks for having me. 

[tyme]

Hey there @Jane75 ,

Welcome to the forums! You are definitely not alone. 

I can hear how much you are wanting to connect with others on the forums in relation to your experiences.

I wonder if you would be interested in this thread Wait what did I come into this thread for again? Oh yeah, ADHD! ?

[Glisten]

Welcome to the forum @Jane75 

Their lots of wonderful neurodivergent people here in the forum community.

I can’t imagine my life without this community.

I was diagnosed 20 years ago with ADHD. More recently depression and anxiety.

You picked a safe place to be.

G

[MermaidHair]

Hey @Jane75it's nice to meet you, I'm glad you found us!

It sounds like you have had quite the journey to get where you are today and I'm so glad you found a great doctor who was able to diagnose you and get you on the right path. Finally feeling seen and heard and having answers is really life changing hey?!

I really relate to your experience of living with undiagnosed bipolar disorder and just being given anti depressants when trying to seek help in the past. I also eventually, later in life, met a good doctor and received a few diagnoses and a plan to work towards wellness. 

We all need a little help sorting through things but there is always hope for the future, I love your positive attitude 🤗

I look forward to seeing you around here

[MayaBird07]

Welcome @Jane75 

I too am Bipolar 1 with psychosis and delusions, ADHD, on the spectrum and more. It definitely makes life interesting.

I'm 42 and my diagnosis journey only began in 2021 with Bipolar after years of not knowing what was 'wrong' with me. The diagnosis explained so much and helped me forgive myself for my many ups and downs over the years, financial ruin being one of them. Finding the right medication was huge in helping with my anxiety and the ADHD diagnosis in 2022 explained a lot as well. 

Relationships are tricky and I wish I could say I had that all figured out but all I know now is that as long as I take care of myself, I can take care of others. I treat myself as I would for someone I love... If I'm a mess, my life is a mess so I try to prioritise things like a walk in the morning, because I know it helps me feel better and better focus. 

Trauma is hard and finding the right people to help you through is important, I have found counselling really helpful as well as having a psychologist. I have a psychiatrist and GP, but I find the 'mindfulness' side of things helpful in day to day mindset and ways to cope when triggered or faced with a lot of stress. 

I cannot imagine having to deal with fibromyalgia, I have heard it is painful, I am sure it would influence your mental health at times too.

Anyway, welcome to the forum, It's nice to know I am not alone with the cooking pot that is mental health. 

Hope you have a wonderful day. 🙂

[ArraDreaming]

Hey mate, I have adhd and a pretty significant trauma background and anxiety, I’m glad for you that you try to adopt a positive attitude and not delwell on the labels, I was diagnosed with adhd when I was younger and in and out of the care system
They didn’t do a very good job at most things… but they did a good job of picking up on being ND which I am grateful for
Glad your here on sane

[Enigma1]

Hi  , I am also new.  I have suffered from ptsd and have adhd diagnosis.  Today my Dr suggested appear to have bipolar 2.  I was shocked but looked up the symptoms/ treatment and it would appear that she may in fact be correct.  It has caused i confusion about my diagnosis.  I have suffered server ptsd for years.  I was out in high doses of anti depressants and an anti psychotic ( off label) i also take adhd medication.  Everything was going well when i decided maybe i don’t need the ptsd meds…. Turns out i was wrong and have been spiralling into deep depression / anxiety and return of ptsd symptoms I had gained some control from for past 5 months.  I went back on anti depressants and no change to symptoms…. But the bullet and was put back on anti psychotics

…. And lo and behold my mood is up and i am out of bed, active , positive and have no anxiety.  This forms part of the drs reasoning.   I wonder if anyone else has a similar experience.  It is so confronting and scary. 

[edited by moderator]

nice to meet you all

[tyme]

Wow @Enigma1 . Sounds like a game-charger to have the diagnosis! It's as though all the puzzle pieces have now been placed together. 

The fact that you feel so much better after taking the meds may indicate the dr was right. 

At the same time, things such as environmental factors and how quickly you tapered off your meds the first time, can also play a part. I know this because for my medication, if I reduce even a little, I have severe side effects. I am taking my reduction and tapering over the course of a few years. So far, after 3 years, I've only reduced twice.

This is different for everyone.

For me, I found it a huge relief to get a diagnosis. Yes it was a label, and yes, labels can have stigma attached, but it was an ah-ha moment for me where how I felt and my behaviour actually had a name!

I hope things continue to improve for you. You may want to keep a mood diary to see how things pan out.

In the meantime, I really need to say, welcome to the forums - you are certainly NOT alone in what you are experiencing!

[Enigma1]

Thank you Tyme for your supportive words.  I am just in a bit of disbelief that I look like I have many diagnosis rather than just one or two - so makes me wonder if it’s all wrong or in-fact people can have the combination.  The medication is working now so that is good, I just struggle with the fact I gain weight on it.  I also am trying to think if bipolar 2 is correct when did this begin.  I don’t remember mental health issues ( except adhd) prior to my trauma.   Hmmmm 

[MermaidHair]

Hey @Enigma1 welcome to the forums!

You have come to the right place my friend. I have CPTSD and bipolar and I related so much to that last part you wrote about being active, positive and no anxiety. That describes me when I am experiencing the "up" or hypomanic phase of my bipolar. Usually the biggest or earliest tell for me is the no anxiety part, because I'm such a cautious and anxious person usually.

I understand it is confronting and scary, I feel that a lot. Whether you have bipolar or not it sounds like you already had a lot on your plate to begin with but getting to know what's going on will help you go a long way to getting on top of it and living well.

It's really nice to meet you too!