Posted by bleauberry on August 2, 2012, at 18:05:09
In reply to Really bipolar? Or What?, posted by sheilac on August 1, 2012, at 16:51:29
My personal opinion is that the actual name of the diagnosis is of little value. It can sort of help to point in a certain direction when starting meds, but other than that it really doesn't predict what meds will work for you. I wouldn't worry about it. You've got some mood swings that come with rage and agitation and maybe it's got an anxiety component to it. There. I guess a single word or two to describe that is easier. So how about bipolar with anxiety. Now what. Doesn't really change anything, ya know? It does not tell you that a particular ssri would be magic for you, or that a stimulant might smooth things out nicely. I'm not at all saying those things would happen, just that they could, and sometimes the diagnosis name we become attached to prevents us from encountering the right med. For example in my case getting more psychiatric help from antibiotic and antinflammatory strategies rather than antidepressant strategies. Bipolar with anxiety, ok, so we're automatically thinking mood stabilizers and tranquilizers. But what if it's actually a true SNRI that you need, such as Savella or a combination of ssri+nortriptyline? You'll never find out if confined by a label, because that would be taboo if labeled bipolar. The label itself can sometimes keep people sick and prevent their own recovery.
poster:bleauberry
thread:1022572
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20120718/msgs/1022636.html