Bipolar Disorder

[elmo2008]

I have a mum who has been diagnosed with BD a year ago. prior to the diagnosis she was sectioned 2-3 times for having psychosis episodes and wanting to end her life. but prior to her sections this being 3 year before 2005 she was okay. she is 48 at present, and usually BD is discovered within individuals when they are in their 20's. she has been suffering with "depression" for a number of years and never acted oddly as such. although she did attend the church (born again) for a number of those years and on a number of times, she was seen as demon posessed and was prayed over. now, to me looking back, i think maybe she was having a psychosis then? and was misunderstood by the church. anyhow, i just find it hard to believe that my mum suddenly has these psychosis episodes etc... and thinking can they be faked? as a result of being soooo low, and wanting proper help as the GP's at over the years were rubbish. and it was only when she "had a breakdown" that she was sectioned and got the appropriate help and support. a way of getting into the system? can it be faked? if so, as a result of taking anit-psychotic pill, anti-depressants and mood stabilizer, can that then screw u up if u werent actually ill? any thoughts and comment would be much appreciated!

ceri x xx x

[Hayz]

Hi Ceri, i don`t really know if it can be faked i wouldnt of thought so really. I have heard some medications can mess with the brain x

[elmo2008]

Hi Ceri, i don`t really know if it can be faked i wouldnt of thought so really. I have heard some medications can mess with the brain x

I see. Mayber her condition has worsened then through the medication eh?

Thing is she is very controlling too, and since her "diagnosis" her controlling behaviour has become worse (with myself and my dad, we all live together). she is VERY lazy but very capable of doing everyday tasks but makes my dad do everything. and when i challenge, its explained as "she's ill" by my dad etc... and by me making a fuss of her behaviour, stresses her out and makes her tense etc....

[Hayz]

could you speak 2 her shrink maybe ask if the meds are makin her worse

[elmo2008]

could you speak 2 her shrink maybe ask if the meds are makin her worse

I dont know really. its difficult as her shrink only really see's her if and when she is sectioned in hospital. she see's a private psychologist, but it is paid for, so that wont be possible either. hmmm

Do you have BD? or a MHI?

have you hear of anyone who has faked BD? or people who do have BD to be controlling?

[Hayz]

oh right thats a shame.

yeah i have bpd and panic attacks

i havnt heard of anyone who has faked bd

sorry i cant be of much help

xx

[elmo2008]

oh right thats a shame.

yeah i have bpd and panic attacks

i havnt heard of anyone who has faked bd

sorry i cant be of much help

xx

Have you had it since 20's?

[Hayz]

i got diagnosed in my 20`s though i am only 21 now lol i dont know how long ive had bpd though

[elmo2008]

i got diagnosed in my 20`s though i am only 21 now lol i dont know how long ive had bpd though

Exactly! a number of people are diagnosed within their 20's, and my mum is 48! i dont get it!!!!

[Hayz]

maybe shes had it since her 20`s ?

[elmo2008]

maybe shes had it since her 20`s ?

maybe. but surely she would be recognised it by people and professionals then? she was only diagnosed a year ago with it. or maybe the gene was there, and only triggered off when she experienced truamatic events....

[Tray]

hey there

i am 32 now but only got dx with bpd last year when i was 31

i was dx with depression when i was 8, now i know what bpd is, i guess thats what it was, but u dont get dx with bpd usually b4 18years old either, so guess it works both ways

anyway, i have been treated soley for depression, even tho i had tried to kill myself, had episods of sh, and also ed

untill i saw the shrink last year who dx me, i always thought that my behaviour, my thought patterns, the way i dealt with things was normal, and so i have always been able to live in 'the real world' and ppl didnt realise just how bad things were in my head, even now i have the dx, i still function as well as normal, i am what the shrink calls a high functioning person, holding down a relationship, job and study

i guess what i am saying is that i dont think there is a time scale to get a dx, and also its easy to go throu life thinking that your thoughts are normal, and what everyone else experiences... as for being able to fake it, i guess it is possible if you researched it really hard, but i cant see a shrink being fooled for long

hope this helps

[elmo2008]

hey there

i am 32 now but only got dx with bpd last year when i was 31

i was dx with depression when i was 8, now i know what bpd is, i guess thats what it was, but u dont get dx with bpd usually b4 18years old either, so guess it works both ways

anyway, i have been treated soley for depression, even tho i had tried to kill myself, had episods of sh, and also ed

untill i saw the shrink last year who dx me, i always thought that my behaviour, my thought patterns, the way i dealt with things was normal, and so i have always been able to live in 'the real world' and ppl didnt realise just how bad things were in my head, even now i have the dx, i still function as well as normal, i am what the shrink calls a high functioning person, holding down a relationship, job and study

i guess what i am saying is that i dont think there is a time scale to get a dx, and also its easy to go throu life thinking that your thoughts are normal, and what everyone else experiences... as for being able to fake it, i guess it is possible if you researched it really hard, but i cant see a shrink being fooled for long

hope this helps

what does dx mean? diagnosed? yes but the thing is if she faked it for them to believe her then give her all the pills going, surely the pills would then actually make her ill? so she may have made her self ill? i dunno!!! maybe im talking out of my arse!

[elmo2008]

hey there

i am 32 now but only got dx with bpd last year when i was 31

i was dx with depression when i was 8, now i know what bpd is, i guess thats what it was, but u dont get dx with bpd usually b4 18years old either, so guess it works both ways

anyway, i have been treated soley for depression, even tho i had tried to kill myself, had episods of sh, and also ed

untill i saw the shrink last year who dx me, i always thought that my behaviour, my thought patterns, the way i dealt with things was normal, and so i have always been able to live in 'the real world' and ppl didnt realise just how bad things were in my head, even now i have the dx, i still function as well as normal, i am what the shrink calls a high functioning person, holding down a relationship, job and study

i guess what i am saying is that i dont think there is a time scale to get a dx, and also its easy to go throu life thinking that your thoughts are normal, and what everyone else experiences... as for being able to fake it, i guess it is possible if you researched it really hard, but i cant see a shrink being fooled for long

hope this helps

what does dx mean? diagnosed? yes but the thing is if she faked it for them to believe her then give her all the pills going, surely the pills would then actually make her ill? so she may have made her self ill? i dunno!!! maybe im talking out of my arse!

wow! your studying psychology? so you know alot about BD? what is it like having BD and studying matters at the same time?

[Tray]

hi yea sorry dx means diagnosis, sh means self harm, ed is eating disorder

yea i am studying psych for my sins lol

i started the studying before i gotr my dx and i think thats what made me realsie that the way i dealt with some stuff was a bit different to others, and started me on this road to recovery, althou to be honest sometimes, specially now, i wish i hadnt. i think it helps sometimes studying at the same time, as i have a greater insite into whats happening, a lot of ppl on here tend to read all the literature on bpd and self help books, also biographys of ppl with bpd, it kinda helps to realise what others are going throu, and how they deal with it.

some meds prob could make symptoms worse, or actually cause them, but i think if that was the case, the dr's would realise that, as her behaviour patterns should change when the meds kick in proper. do you know what she is taking and how long she has been on them?

the prob with being bpd is that we are all different. we all have different aspects that make up our dx, with some aspects of other persdonaility disorders thrown in for good measure lol

if you are worried, you can talk tgo people, maybe go on MIND website, and give them a call... there is support out there for families of people with MH probs

oh also, i dont think your talking out your arse, i think its great that you are looking for info.

[elmo2008]

hi yea sorry dx means diagnosis, sh means self harm, ed is eating disorder

yea i am studying psych for my sins lol

i started the studying before i gotr my dx and i think thats what made me realsie that the way i dealt with some stuff was a bit different to others, and started me on this road to recovery, althou to be honest sometimes, specially now, i wish i hadnt. i think it helps sometimes studying at the same time, as i have a greater insite into whats happening, a lot of ppl on here tend to read all the literature on bpd and self help books, also biographys of ppl with bpd, it kinda helps to realise what others are going throu, and how they deal with it.

some meds prob could make symptoms worse, or actually cause them, but i think if that was the case, the dr's would realise that, as her behaviour patterns should change when the meds kick in proper. do you know what she is taking and how long she has been on them?

the prob with being bpd is that we are all different. we all have different aspects that make up our dx, with some aspects of other persdonaility disorders thrown in for good measure lol

if you are worried, you can talk tgo people, maybe go on MIND website, and give them a call... there is support out there for families of people with MH probs

oh also, i dont think your talking out your arse, i think its great that you are looking for info.

hiiya! cool, i admire you for studying with such an illness! im studying social work so mental health interests me in general as well as my mum. she is on like excuse my spelling duloxitene.... amisupride....and summit else. she has changed them loads too over like 3 years! as they all seem to wear off like :-s She says her psychologist said she has avoidant personality disorder too. the controlling behaviour may be just her? the way she is? not her illness?

[mavis]

ceri,

just wanted to say that I mnwo someone that has not long been diagnosed with BD and they are in there mid 50s.

take care of yourself.

love

mavis x

[Alii]

BD and BPD are two different disorders! And if she was faking it then she is ill with something else, no one would fake Bi-Polar for fun unless they were attention seeking and that points to other mental illnesses.

[Roses]

I agree with Ali that if she was faking it that just points to another mental illness. Thing with mh (mental health) is that a lot of the different illnesses have maybe 5-6 points the same as all the others (eg: loss/gain appetite. listlessness/manic etc) and there are then perhaps 2/3 points that define one illness from another. Hence it is very difficult to diagnose someone until you havr known them a while and even then it is easy to get it wrong and the drugs are trial and error. I have all symptoms of BPD but also fit into disociative disorder and PTSD boxes, but am being treated for depression with anxiety cos consultant didn't want to label me un-necessarily.

It does sound like you Mum has been suffering with a MH and her controlling / attention seeking behaviour are classic symptoms. I hope this helps.

[Miko]

Elmo,

I am sure bipolar can come on at any age.

What is thought to be 'depression' can 'turn into' bipolar.

One well documented 'trigger' factor is SSRI medication. Probably only your mum or the psychiatrist - if sufficiently alert - or an alert observer - could be in a position to suspect if that had been the case.

The prior 'depression' may have been bipolar occurring in a straight depression sort of style.

She definitely isn't pretending. In literature, the word 'mimicking' doesn't refer to the patient but to the style of their constitutional expression. E.g in many illnesses the symptoms come on in a different order from one person to the next, rashes vary greatly, levels of unconsciousness and pain vary greatly per individual, etc etc.

Anyone studying for practice - please always remember bodies don't keep to whatever rule books you may be issued with.

I hope she can get onto a mood stabiliser because that's almost certainly the most helpful thing. I take gabapentin 900mg for my nerve pain, absence fits and swingy moods. It has taken three months at that dose to begin producing a quite good effect - I can stay with an issue for longer, even if it makes me sad. I go off at tangents less.

She should probably - gradually, eventually - investigate a suitable form of counselling in addition - NOT instead. There are lots of discussions of counselling styles and their benefits and effectiveness in this forum. So far, I am having a short series of sessions with 'CRUSE' (following bereavements) and have been going to 12 Step fellowship groups. I have found out some queer things about my relationships, helped by the gabapentin. Hopefully I'll be able to deliberately adopt different ideas about those things in the future. These sorts of things will be a conscious effort for your mum & can't be rushed. If the meds are right, it won't be frightening for her.

Attention seeking in the circumstances is fine - it just means she is short of attention to give.

Controlling means she needs to source some suitable counselling. At her own initiative (with people collaborating), is best.

She also needs checking for learning differences. It's fine for those to be diagnosed in middle age and important for the psychiatric picture.

And the 'church' mentioned was having the psychosis. They were ignorant people fastening on a minor difference and bullying her by proxy (pretending to blame it on the devil).

[Roses]

I had the church thing when I was 16 bf at the time was born again and I fessed up to tell them how I was feeling and the exorcised the demon from me and I was so scared and overwhelmed and embarrassed and exposed it was awful and I never believed in what they were saying anyway had only gone along for him. In the end I worked out that all the people in the church had some sort of hard luck story or abuse story and that the heads of the church were actually praying on these people and taking their money too. It's shameful to do things like that in the name of God.

[elmo2008]

Hi Guys,

Thankyou for your comments, they are very helpful and really appreciate them! sorry i took so long to read them as i have been very busy and not signed on here!

take care

ceri

[Miko]

I would add, don't expect wonders from that psychologist.

I don't know if it emerges from the discussion, your mum isn't faking anything, and she herself should lead the search for help with concrete issues not necessarily "personality disorders" unless somebody is showing her & you advance details of a down-to-earth programme they are proposing and/or medicines for illnesses she demonstrably has.

[sundries]

THere is no way bipolar disorder can be faked.

while it is less common to actually develop the illness past your 20s the diagnosis often doesnt come until late 30s, 40s...especially if anti d have been involved.

i think you are being pretty harsh on your mother

[Shelley]

^Agreed, there is no way someone can fake Bi-polar, just no way!