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General Discussion / Re: Introductions
« on: February 19, 2015, 06:11:46 pm »
Well as I have noticed others introducing themselves here is a go for me. My name is Michelle, I am 33 years old and was finally diagnosed with Bipolar type 1 when I was 31. I have had symptoms since I was 4 years old but was misdiagnosed. I started experiencing MAJOR tantrums at the age of 4 to the extreme of ripping doors off hinges and destroying things. I was extremely hyperactive and would barely sleep as well and I was diagnosed in 1987 with ADHD and was prescribed Ritalin which at the age of 9 almost killed me. The meds made my life worse at that point, it did not help with my attention span and I was still very aggressive and extremely hyper.
At 8 years of age in 1990 I was diagnosed as having Panic disorder with Agoraphobia and mine was on the severe end as I would NOT leave the house for anything. Under the instruction of my child psychiatrist I was admitted for 1 year into the child psychiatric center where I underwent Cognitive behavioral therapy, which only helped for awhile. I was still terrified of life and had a hard time functioning. I was depressed alot of the time but my doctor said it was a coping mechanism, Which now my new doctor knows that it was not and other things were going on. Into my teenage years I was out of control, I got into many fights and took off for days on end without a care. My mother at that point took a step back as she could not deal with me and I moved out at age 14.
I went many years between crazy behavior & severe depression but I was overlooked many times by doctors saying I was just being a typical "teen". When I was 30 I went through a major depression lasting 8 months and finally had enough and went to my personal family doctor who referred me to a great Psychiatrist who knew something was very wrong. By the time I got into see him I was in full blown mania and hearing voices, He observed me for awhile and went through my medical records and immediately knew from my history that was documented that I had Bipolar disorder and diagnosed me with Type 1. He also said that based on my history he could pin point that it started around the age of 4. He also said my misdiagnoses could be the cause of why I developed panic disorder and agoraphobia. Sorry for the long post, but I am finally ready to share and trust me this is the condensed version.
At 8 years of age in 1990 I was diagnosed as having Panic disorder with Agoraphobia and mine was on the severe end as I would NOT leave the house for anything. Under the instruction of my child psychiatrist I was admitted for 1 year into the child psychiatric center where I underwent Cognitive behavioral therapy, which only helped for awhile. I was still terrified of life and had a hard time functioning. I was depressed alot of the time but my doctor said it was a coping mechanism, Which now my new doctor knows that it was not and other things were going on. Into my teenage years I was out of control, I got into many fights and took off for days on end without a care. My mother at that point took a step back as she could not deal with me and I moved out at age 14.
I went many years between crazy behavior & severe depression but I was overlooked many times by doctors saying I was just being a typical "teen". When I was 30 I went through a major depression lasting 8 months and finally had enough and went to my personal family doctor who referred me to a great Psychiatrist who knew something was very wrong. By the time I got into see him I was in full blown mania and hearing voices, He observed me for awhile and went through my medical records and immediately knew from my history that was documented that I had Bipolar disorder and diagnosed me with Type 1. He also said that based on my history he could pin point that it started around the age of 4. He also said my misdiagnoses could be the cause of why I developed panic disorder and agoraphobia. Sorry for the long post, but I am finally ready to share and trust me this is the condensed version.