Bipolar, OCD, or a terrible case of mood swings?
March 17, 2015 7:40 PM Subscribe
I'm not sure if I'm experiencing symptoms of bipolar disorder, or simply turbulent mood swings? I can experience a range of unfettered emotions in the span of one day, and this frightens me.
I'm a female and about to turn twenty four soon. For the year, I have been experiencing an inordinate amount of fluid emotions; feeling content in the morning and blissful, but when mid-afternoon or evening comes, I'm place in a foul and scornful mood. This is a recurring habit, and I cannot take it anymore. I'm not sure if I have ever experienced a 'manic' episode per se, but there are periods when I have rapid and intensive thoughts that invade my brain, which heightens my anxiety terribly. Sometimes I'm depressed for weeks and weeks on end, not wanting to leave my bedroom. Perhaps I'm lacking serotonin? I'm rarely a happy person; with intrusive negative thoughts all the time. Maybe this is a form of OCD?
There are times when I'm happy, blissfully writing away on my poetry and reading for pleasure. Other days, I barely do anything, not wanting to attend my university classes. I suffer from acute insomnia, too. Where I cannot fall asleep until 4:30 AM, because I have this bundle of energy and I'm restless. I do not think I have experienced a 'high' but I'm not sure. My sex drive is pretty high, which I have heard is a symptom of bipolar disorder. I also can be an compulsive spender with luxury items that are unnecessary. I'm restless, anxious, fatigue-ish, depressed, feelings of guilt and inadequacy. Should I require a diagnosis, just to be on the safe side? I'm not sure if this is just simply a case of mood swings.
I'm a female and about to turn twenty four soon. For the year, I have been experiencing an inordinate amount of fluid emotions; feeling content in the morning and blissful, but when mid-afternoon or evening comes, I'm place in a foul and scornful mood. This is a recurring habit, and I cannot take it anymore. I'm not sure if I have ever experienced a 'manic' episode per se, but there are periods when I have rapid and intensive thoughts that invade my brain, which heightens my anxiety terribly. Sometimes I'm depressed for weeks and weeks on end, not wanting to leave my bedroom. Perhaps I'm lacking serotonin? I'm rarely a happy person; with intrusive negative thoughts all the time. Maybe this is a form of OCD?
There are times when I'm happy, blissfully writing away on my poetry and reading for pleasure. Other days, I barely do anything, not wanting to attend my university classes. I suffer from acute insomnia, too. Where I cannot fall asleep until 4:30 AM, because I have this bundle of energy and I'm restless. I do not think I have experienced a 'high' but I'm not sure. My sex drive is pretty high, which I have heard is a symptom of bipolar disorder. I also can be an compulsive spender with luxury items that are unnecessary. I'm restless, anxious, fatigue-ish, depressed, feelings of guilt and inadequacy. Should I require a diagnosis, just to be on the safe side? I'm not sure if this is just simply a case of mood swings.
This post was deleted for the following reason: Hey there, sorry you're having a rough time, but repeated questions where the answer needs to be "see a doctor" are a bit of a problem for us. Feel free to use the contact form if you want to discuss it further. -- restless_nomad
The real question is whether you are experiencing enough disruption/unhappiness in your life as it is, that it interferes with it. If so, you want to get some treatment to address that and so would want to consult with a psychiatrist or therapist of some kind to help you with that. A diagnosis is just a way of conceptualizing what's going on with you to help guide that treatment.
The kinds of things you are describing might be a sign of an underlying problem, but they might also just be part and parcel of being a 20 year-old human being. Talking to someone who is a mental health provider will help you parse that. Don't try to diagnose yourself, though. You can convince yourself you have just about anything by reading symptom descriptors.
posted by goggie at 7:48 PM on March 17, 2015
The kinds of things you are describing might be a sign of an underlying problem, but they might also just be part and parcel of being a 20 year-old human being. Talking to someone who is a mental health provider will help you parse that. Don't try to diagnose yourself, though. You can convince yourself you have just about anything by reading symptom descriptors.
posted by goggie at 7:48 PM on March 17, 2015
rtha has the only correct answer. Plenty of people can offer insight but you will never get the "correct" answer from this post because the correct answer can only come from a professional you see in person. Is there a reason you haven't/don't want to see a professional?
posted by zardoz at 7:51 PM on March 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by zardoz at 7:51 PM on March 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
Do not self diagnose as bipolar, and do not skip seeing a general practitioner/primary care doc to go straight to a psychiatrist. Go get a full physical workup as advised by a large number of people responding to your last question (where I mentioned B12 deficiency may be causing or or at least exacerbating these symptoms) before telling the doc "I think I'm bipolar or OCD." Let your doc give you the appropriate blood work and mental health screening tests, and then any necessary referrals. Do this before posting yet another question asking for the internet's advice.
posted by blue suede stockings at 7:59 PM on March 17, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by blue suede stockings at 7:59 PM on March 17, 2015 [2 favorites]
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posted by rtha at 7:44 PM on March 17, 2015 [8 favorites]