Posted by ramsea on December 27, 2003, at 16:45:03
In reply to Bipolar or PMDD? « Casey P. Thompson, posted by Dr. Bob on December 24, 2003, at 16:18:41
I am bipolar plus have suffered horrendous PMDD throughout my life. (I am late 40s). I was dx at age 19. I strongly suggest that you just try to relieve symptoms for now by taking appropriate meds, trial and error. Also enter into psychotherapy if at all possible, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Dialectical Behavioral Therapy--usually it is both individual and group counseling. It doesn't matter for now what label you get, so long as you get some relief from symptoms. Your job and life prospects won't be much cop if you are sent into continuous emotional chaos and turmoil by your biology. And having this biological emotional dysregulation problem (caused by hormones or some othe imbalance, whatever) is bound to cause, and have caused, social problems that therapy can address.
Try not to panic. Many successful people have bipolar and other mental conditions. Ted Turner for example. Jim Carrey. Walter Cronkite's daughter. The list is endless. There is still terrible stigma but really it is a lot more "normal" these days to have had therapy and to take a medicine for the mind. Most people don't have to know anyway. And you can tell them whatever youfeel like--you aren't obligated to give everyone a medical history. They don't have a right to the "truth". Only in some situations are you ethically bound to admit the meds you are on, and even then you don't always have to say the condition. But there is no shame in bipolar.
You may not be bipolar. BUT---If you are, it is important to know the truth and deal with it, face up to it. No one wants to have a major illness, but if you have one, wouldn't you rather accept it, learn all you can about it, and make recovery possible? A good book is "The Bipolar Survival Guide", it's really friendly and helpful. There are so many other good books too. Patty Duke's book is a good read--check Amazon. There are some other good sites.Try About.com under the subject bipolar. Try another site called BipolarWorld. There's tons of info on both of those sites on the subject of PMDD and Bipolar. Strangely enough, there are a disproportionate number of women with bipolar AND severe premenstrual problems. Maybe it's not so weird when you think of brain chemistry being driven by hormones working in conjunction with neurotransmitters and so on.....Thyroid problems are another common female bipolar complaint, and that's not including lithium problems.
Anyway--you have a physical disturbance, you need medical care. Your label is less important than your treatment. Take your problem seriously, but please don't stigmatize yourself. Educate yourself, educate, and educate. And develop supports and talking outlets for yourself, where you can discuss these matters openly. I have two degrees and have worked as a professional. Bipolar has rarely been the main thing in my life. But when I have tried to pretend it wasn't there, it nearly killed me. I need to accept my reality and make the best of it, and make the most of my life.
poster:ramsea
thread:293179
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031225/msgs/293818.html