So I met with a new psychiatrist on Friday thinking I would get a diagnosis of ADHD for my continued difficulties with impulsivity and inability to focus. For context, I’ve been in talk therapy or counseling for the last 20 plus years off and on. I’ve gotten diagnosed with a host of disorders but they didn’t seem to cover my issues as I felt they should. Fast forward to Friday, and the therapist keeps asking, harping if you will, on the cyclic nature of my anxiety and depression. I’m fully expecting him to agree with my self confirmed diagnosis only to have my socks knocked off with a bipolar spectrum disorder. He provides me with a link to articles supporting what he said and lo and behold, it looks like me…all wrapped up and neatly packaged. Looks like after all these years I finally may have an answer to what’s going on with me. #Cyclothymic #bipolarity #BipolarAdjacent #Answers #MoodDisorders #BipiolarSpectrumDisorder

Update: parents suggested a second opinion. I did this on Thursday. The doctor reminded me that it had been suggested that I had manic depression. I had shared this several years prior as part of my intake. She also said that some anti depressants can make bipolarity worse and I’d experienced that but myself or the doctor had not put it together. She asked if I had ever had a instance where I wasn’t speaking to a family member because I was angry at them. She asked if I had ever had spells where I didn’t sleep and had lots of anxiety as a result. Then she told me that black and brown women tend to present mania differently than typical. I’m gonna have more extensive testing done to confirm bipolar spectrum. Yet all signs seem to point to yes.