I TOO AM BIPOLAR. I AM NOT A FULL-BLOWN MANIC DEPRESSIVE. I AM BIPOLAR 2. THE TWO CONDITIONS SHARE SOME SIMILARITIES, BUT THEY DEFINITELY ARE NOT THE SAME. FURTHERMORE, BIPOLAR 2 IS NOT JUST A MINIATURE VERSION OF MANIC DEPRESSION. A BIPOLAR 2 PERSON CYCLES FROM DEPRESSED TO MORE DEPRESSED AND MAY SUFFER FROM WHAT THEY CALL "HYPOMANIA." BIPOLAR 1 PEOPLE SUFFER FROM HYPERMANIA. THEY CYCLE FROM WAY, WAY DEPRESSED TO SO HIGH, THEY FEEL THEY CAN DO ANYTHING. THEY DON'T SLEEP FOR DAYS AT A TIME. THEY DO NUTTY THINGS LIKE SHOP AND SHOP AND BLOW ALL THEIR MONEY. THEY FEEL GRANDIOSE, LIKE THEY CAN DO ANYTHING -- AND THEN THEY CRASH WAY DOWN AND ARE CRIPPLED BY DEPRESSION. ONE TRAIT BOTH BIPOLAR 1 AND BIPOLAR 2 PEOPLE SHARE IS RACING THOUGHTS. I DID NOT EVEN KNOW THAT I HAD RACING THOUGHTS UNTIL I WENT ON LAMOTROGINE, WHICH I WOULD NOT GO OFF OF FOR ANYTHING. I THOUGHT EVERYONE WAS LIKE ME. I WISH VERY MUCH THAT I HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED MUCH SOONER IN MY LIFE. I HOPE YOU ARE YOUNG. I WENT THROUGH ALOT OF GARBAGE WHEN I WAS FIRST DIAGNOSED. ONE THING IS I REFUSED TO ACCEPT THE DIAGNOSIS. I NEVER HEARD OF BIPOLAR 2, AND I THOUGHT THE WHOLE THING WAS A CROCK. I ALSO DID NOT GET PROPER TREATMENT. THE DOC I GOT STUCK WITH TOOK THIS ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL APPROACH AND DID NOT ADJUST TREATMENT FOR BIPOLAR 1 AND BIPOLAR 11. THAT IS WHY I ENDED UP AT THE VA. I HAVE AN EXCELLENT THERAPIST WHO TWEEKED MY MEDS UNTIL WE GOT IT RIGHT. THE ONLY PROB WAS THE VA NORMALLY WILL NOT GIVE OUT CYMBALTA, THE ABSOLUTE BEST ANTIDEPRESSANT I HAVE EVER BEEN ON. WELL, MY THERAPIST PULLED SOME STRINGS AND GOT IT FOR ME. I HAVE JUST STARTED IT.
ANYWAY, I AM NOT A DOC. I DO NOT KNOW IF YOU ARE BIPOLAR 1 OR TWO.