Question:
Do
people with bipolar disorders usualy experience general anxiey or are these
two seperate disorders? I've had general anxiety all my life as well as
frequent hyperactivity and mild depression. In the last year or two this
hyperactivity has begun to seem more like manic behavior than just
hyperactivity and I'm wondering if my anxiety could be a symptom of a
possible bipolar disorder that I might have, or if these are completely
different things. Any thoughts?
Answer:
Has something triggered your depression? Doubtful you have
a Bipolar disorder. In a depressed/Bipolar state you could
be "down" for weeks and weeks until properly medicated.
It usually begins in the late teens. I have both bipolar and panic disorder. I am manic 90% of the time. It is
not a 50/50 thing. The more I deal with it the more I recognize if it is
anxiety or mania. When manic, I feel super-charged all the time and I hate
to sit down. When panic occurs, I definately KNOW it and I do not get that
confused with mania. To me, mania is much easier to deal with than Panic.
I told my doc to just forget about the bipolar and concentrate on the Panic
disorder. I can live with mild mania, but living in fear of the next attack
I cannot stand. Can you describe your so-called "manic" behavior? I suspect you don't have bipolar disorder (based on what little I know of
your symptoms) Your doc may still have the bipolar on his mind. Are you on any meds? If you have bipolar disorder, you should be on meds to
prevent mood swings. I am on Zyban(Wellbutrin) right now to quit smoking. Pdoc said it would
cause me to have manic episodes. Doc didn't agree and gave me a
prescription. This is a very good med. It also fights my ADHD. My quit
date is this weekend, but I could care less about smoking right now. I also
take klonopin several times daily. I have moods swings, but I have become
very good at recognizing them and taking control of the situation. I am
successful in my career, have a family, and yet my bipolar has a very low
impact on these areas of my life, unlike a few years ago when I WAS taking
meds. Meds aren't always the answer.
