Me and my friends think I have bipolar disorder?

[Anonymous]

should i go to therapy

[OlderAndWiser]

Psychiatric self-diagnosis is fraught with perils.

https://screening.mhanational.org/screening-tools/bipolar/

https://www.psycom.net/depression.central.bipolar-screening.html

https://www.talkspace.com/assessments/bipolar-disorder-test

https://psychcentral.com/quizzes/bipolar-quiz#who-is-it-for

Take these online assessment/screening tests and see if you get a consistent result.

[Asker]

okay i will let you know rn

[Asker]

first one said strong indication
2nd one said Your Total Score: 55 out of 60

[OlderAndWiser]

Okay. You are a minor and your parents or legal guardians are responsible for providing psychiatric care for you, so the next step is to have a discussion with them about your concerns. Expect some resistance. Many parents don't want to admit that their child has a mental illness, because that would mean that they failed in doing their job as parents.

[Asker]

they definitely do but they have therapists themselves

[OlderAndWiser]

Bipolar has a strong familial component. Talk to your parents, or ask if you can have a talk with their therapist.

[Asker]

i’m going to ask my father if he has it because i believe he shows more signs of it honestly. My cousin on his side is bipolar along with her mom

[xHoneyxBeex]

It's really not a good idea to self-diagnose a MH disorder, especially one as serious as bipolar disorder. While I think everyone can benefit from therapy, if you are genuinely concerned for your mental health, I would advise first visiting your primary care doctor to rule out other potential medical causes for your symptoms and then seeing if you can be referred to a psychiatrist (a specialist who can screen, evaluate for MH disorders, and prescribe medication if needed). So to reiterate, it never hurts to go to therapy if you think you need it but if you truly have bipolar disorder, you should be properly diagnosed first.

[Asker]

i’m trying

[xHoneyxBeex]

Good! I hope you're able to get the right help ❤️

[menina]

Yes, you should go to therapy. A professional will be able to help you and find out what's going on with you.

[SnowedIn]

First, you should NEVER diagnose yourself. (Okay, maybe a headache.)

Second, unless your friend/s have the letters 'M' 'D' after their name (meaning they have graduated from medical school and completed their residency, NEVER have your friends diagnose you.

If you have a concern, you should have your parents take you to your doctor. If you don't want to go that route and you go to public or private school, talk to your school nurse.

You're anon, so I can't see where you are but if you're in the United States, there's also a national hotline that you can call. It is: 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

[Asker]

what will my school nurse do? and what does this hotline do?

[SnowedIn]

If you think you have bipolar disorder, the nurse can give you different options for how you would go about getting diagnosed by professionals (and the first thing they're going to do is encourage you to involve your parents and have them take you to your doctor). Same thing for the hotline. Both the nurse and the hotline are going to make sure that you're okay right there and not in any danger to yourself or others.

[Asker]

do i have to call it or can i text if

[SnowedIn]

Try texting. That may not work and you may have to call. Or, try texting to this: 435748 and see what comes up from that. That might one of their chat bots. Not promising...

[KrakenAttackin]

Start with your doctor and than get a referral. Don't delay, once treated your life will get better.

[Asker]

im trying my appointment is in June

[KrakenAttackin]

June? Find someone sooner.

[Asker]

i know right i want them to i don’t like taking pills to numb myself but it’s all i got really

[Asker]

some antidepressants they helped a little (or i thought) but i’m starting to feel really weird like jittery and my brains moving fast rn

[KrakenAttackin]

A doctor can connect you with a psychiatrist, who can really fine tune your meds to get the best results.

[kareka]

Why u think that

[Asker]

a lot of reasons. It has ran in my family a bit, and i don’t know

[Asker]

im taking prozacs

[kareka]

May u follow me?

[Asker]

for what

[kareka]

I wanna know more about things made u think this and if i can help

[Asker]

okay thank you sure