thebipolarparent

If you have seen more than one psychiatrist in your life then I’m sure you have found that they all have different opinions for the treatment of Bipolar.  They say that the average person with bipolar disorder goes undiagnosed for about ten years.  What this means for a lot of people is that their illness is often mistaken for something else- usually depression.  Yes, depression is a major player in bipolar, but it certainly isn’t the only culprit.  One psychiatrist may put you on a medication, and expect you to keep taking this medication for a long period of time, when another doctor down the road tells you that you never should have been put on that medication in the first place.  Keep one thing in mind, people with bipolar should not be put on antidepressants alone- that is bad news; this will induce mania in most patients.  So, you see a new doctor with this new opinion, and the next doctor disputes your previous doctor’s judgment as well.  So, what do you make of this? First of all, remember that your doctor is not God (even though he thinks he is) and doctors do make mistakes.  As I have said a thousand times, educate yourself about this illness so you can be better prepared for that special doctor who doesn’t bother to keep apprised of new research, and believe me, those doctors are out there.  Read all of the books that you can and ask your doctor as many questions as you need to in order to be comfortable with their recommendations.  I have found that many doctors are overmedicating people with bipolar.  Instead of starting with one medication and seeing how the medication works, they start out with three medications- that way you don’t know which one is working and which one is failing.  Not every person with bipolar needs to be deeply medicated throughout the day.  There are some people like this, surely, and I have known some of these people, but not every case is the same.  The point is that different doctors have differing opinions and doctors do make mistakes- be proactive so you are not a victim of one of these mistakes.