My boyfriend thinks im bipolar... am i?

[applejacks1234]

so lately ive been really emotional with like everything. and ill be crying on the phone with him sometimes andthen 2 seconds later ill be perfectly fine. then he gets all freaked out because my mod changed so quickly. and last night he called me at like 5 A.M. and i was half asleep and i vaguely remember talking to him but apparently i flipped a shit on him one minute and was cursing (which i almost NEVER do) and then the next minute i was like "okay im going to sleep now good night i love you" in my normal sweet voice and it made him angry. what should i do? ive gotten tested a few years ago for bipolar disorder and i didnt have it, but could it have changed? i feel like i have alot of the symptoms (EXCESSIVE mood swings, loss of appetite, depression, crying for no reason... at all, excited and energized but tired at the same time, lack of sleep and focus...) please help! thanks! xoxo

[taylalatbh.]

We're not doctors or mental health specialists so we're not going to be able to diagnose you with any mental health illness but if you're worried you should go back and see your doctor. Your boyfriend has obviously noticed a difference in your moods, enough to speak to you about. If it's not bi-polar then it could be something else and if you're worried then you should try and find out what's going on sooner rather than later.

Take care.

We aren't professionals so we can't tell you if you have it or not. But I can say this I personally have mood swings that change in like 5 minute spans one minute I'm happy the next I'm screaming and yelling and I don't have bi-polar. But if your worried I would talk to a professional about it.

[PSY]

As other members have already stated, only a mental health professional can diagnose you. If you suspect something is wrong, then by all means, schedule a visit with your regular doctor! Your doctor can run various tests to help rule out hormonal/chemical imbalances and other dysregulations that might be causing these mood swings. Your doctor can also refer you to a mental health professional.

"Rapid cycling" can occur with bipolar disorder; however, shifts from manic to depressive episodes (or vice versa) wouldn't occur within a matter of seconds. So I definitely wouldn't assume you have bipolar disorder because your mood swifts within a matter of seconds - that could be due to a number of other things, some of which may be diagnosed by your regular doctor.

I'm not super against self-diagnosing, sometimes its obvious (like with some cases of OCD), but often mental health diagnoses are tricky, even experienced professionals sometimes get it wrong. Bipolar is often a particularly tricky one, and its quite a serious diagnosis, so I would recommend trying to see a mental health professional before jumping to that conclusion.

However, as previously mentioned, bipolar cycles aren't generally so short. Bipolar classically has manic/depressive cycles that last for months, sometimes a few days. Stress, irritation, low moods, anxiety, etc, can lead to mood swings. Some people have lower emotional regulation which can mean you react more strongly to smaller triggers. There are lots of possible explanations. So yes, I would say talk to a mental health professional. Focus on your symptoms, more then a diagnosis, so you can build an accurate picture. They may give you a diagnosis, or they might wait to get to know more about you. But if the symptoms are causing you problems, its worth seeking help.