Bipolar Support Group

Just wanted to share that I may be leaving you all soon. I had an appt with my GP yesterday and I asked her to increase my anxiety meds or change them since they feel as though they're doing nothing. Long story short, She read me the report my psychiatrist sent her and concluded that I'm not technically bipolar since my diagnosis is 'NOS' and it's not actually the same thing according to my gp.

The report also banned her from increasing my current med above 500mg which I've been at for over a month now with no effect. Banned her from prescribing any and all antidepressants until the bipolar issue is clarified and also banned her from prescribing any other medication because that could have diagnostic implications.

She asked when I was seeing him again and flipped when I told her I had no idea, hadn't seen nor heard a word about the second appointment since the day of my first one back in Oct. So she called my threapist's office and yelled and now I'm apparently supposed to expect calls from both my therapist and my psychiatrist. But anyway, yeah, despite being told I'm bipolar, my gp is telling me I'm not. But it's not the first time, a decade ago they told me I was depressed and sent a report back to my gp describing me as 'angry and defiant, but not depressed.' So I don't really know who to believe or where I belong anymore.

"Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (BP-NOS) is diagnosed when a person has symptoms of the illness that do not meet diagnostic criteria for either bipolar I or II. The symptoms may not last long enough, or the person may have too few symptoms, to be diagnosed with bipolar I or II. However, the symptoms are clearly out of the person's normal range of behavior."

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/bipolar- disorder/complete-index.shtml

"296.80 Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified

The Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified category includes disorders with bipolar features that do not meet criteria for any specific Bipolar Disorder. Examples include:

Very rapid alternation (over days) between manic symptoms and depressive symptoms that meet symptom threshold criteria but not minimal duration criteria for Manic, Hypomanic, or Major Depressive Episodes

Recurrent Hypomanic Episodes without intercurrent depressive symptoms

A Manic or Mixed Episode superimposed on Delusional Disorder, residual Schizophrenia, or Psychotic Disorder Not Otherwise Specified

Hypomanic Episodes, along with chronic depressive symptoms, that are too infrequent to qualify for a diagnosis of Cyclothymic Disorder

Situations in which the clinician has concluded that a Bipolar Disorder is present but is unable to determine whether it is primary, due to a general medical condition, or substance induced"

http://www.psychresidentonline.com/DSM.htm#BPNOS

I wouldtalk to another pdoc because that is not right. My regular doc didn't want to listen to me and I had to stand in front of the door and get mad at him. We can doubt we are BP and alot of BP think that and then stop their meds.

Sorry to hear about your issues with the docs, good luck.

hypnagogic: I'm still kinda confused I think, but what that is essentially saying is that the initial diagnosis my GP was given could be 'NOS' and waiting on clarification because my psych eval bloodwork came back screwy and he was waiting to see if my very low B12 was responsible or if it was true bipolar...am I right? I personally suspect that my GP is just so stuck on the idea that I have a personality disorder that she won't be happy with any other diagnosis. That said, I have heard several times that bipolar can be hard to distinguish from BPD. I'm almost beginning to wish I had never started this whole mental health thing!

Lj80-not sure what other options I have for a pdoc to be honest, I'm in a very rural part of the province and we're pretty limited on all counts, I just keep telling myself that the in-hospital death of that young lady who was a psych patient last month has probably thrown his professional life into a bit of chaos and try to struggle through, because I really do like the guy, I just wish I didn't feel as though I've fallen through the cracks(which is my own fault for never asking for anything or making a fuss. Although I suspect that my GP's (very rude and belligerent) phone call probably put me back on the pdoc's radar, though probably not in a good way.

I would want to get a second opinion. It sounds like your GP prescribes all your medications? I've never heard of that before. Usually the psychiatrist does this. I hope you get this cleared up soon. I'd be happy that you didn't have bipolar, but what if you do? You could suffer when you don't need to. Let us know how things work out. We are here for you!