The Failure to Recognize and Misdiagnosis of Bipolar II

Thank you so much for this, I am bipolar 2, was misdiagnosed as borderline for over ten years, thank you for educating people on this.

me and my dad both dont eat much when hypomanic. Just too busy doing art, staying up, drinking coffee, smoking weed. We are the same person.

Bipolar II tend to have chronic depressive episodes, therefore, bipolar II are at higher risk of suicide.

Watching this at 2 in the morning during mania. I have to be up by 6 and can’t sleep because my mind is racing. I’m so tired of feeling like this.

As someone with bipolar 2 who got diagnosed 12 years after being diagnosed with general anxiety and depression, this is validating and informative. I’ve been on SNRI/SSRI meds for years and totally miserable. Thank you. I’m starting on mood stabilizers today!

Complex PTSD from narcissistic abuse is frequently mis-diagnosed as Bipolar II. There's an excellent documentary on comedian Darrell Hammond. He suffered abuse throughout childhood, then at 19 began drinking and drugging, was hospitalized and diagnosed with Bipolar I. He was mis-diagnosed with other disorders for decades until a very wise doctor saw the truth. The medical community have a reluctance to take a really honest look at family of origin issues. Narcissistic families produce children with low self-esteem, struggles with mood regulation, sleep issues, rumination, phobias, anxiety, depression, self-destructive behaviors. Often the identified patient in a family system is the scapegoat in that narcissistic family. So often patients are handed a sack full of drugs, when what they really need a consistent one year course of Cognitive behavioral and/or Dialectial therapy. EMDR is also very important to help release trauma that was stored in the body.

Im bipolar 2. My young life was a wreck. I went for help several times. Always the same. They said i was major depressive and the gave me antidepressants. Every time i wound up almost dead and locked up. I was 30 when i was finally diagnosed bipolar 2. Now im properly medicated doing just fine 5 years later.

reading these comments about getting diagnosed later in life has made me realize how lucky I am to have been diagnosed at fourteen years old

I wish I could hear what the people off camera were saying. Other than that though, great talk, very informative.

I was diagnosed with bipolar 2 at age 32 and it made sense. However, after medication, therapy and raising a family I have uncovered that the root of my disregulation is early childhood trauma which then snowballed.

Wow I really feel like this could be what I’m struggling with. I always felt like my mood was too “good” for depression, but I had intense lows with crisis and stuff. I always felt like there was something wrong with me

I have been “living” with short periods of hyper mania and long disabling depressions for over thirty years. I have so far been diagnosed with everything but bipolar, including severe depression, ptsd and even borderline personality disorder. The antidepressants only make my symptoms worse. Every one of those symptoms so obviously fits bipolar 2, but it is still impossible to get a diagnosis even with family history to support it. Why are psychiatrists so reluctant to diagnose BP in the UK. It makes me so angry, especially when I listen to others saying how there lives have suddenly become worth living once correctly treated.

Possible Insite on the "Disordered Eating" aspect of the presentation and an idea: When depressive - personally - I find it almost impossible to eat. I feel neasuous at the idea of putting food into my body and I feel full all the time regardless of eating. I have rapid weight loss and often will just sleep instead of eating. (Flawed logic is that if i am sleeping I don't feel hungry - and maybe tomorrow I'll have the energy to cook).During Mixed Moods I felt neasous and Anxious ALL the time and food was either a crutch (Binge) or neauseating. Also while in hypomania I often forget to eat and/or sleep and still feel fine. Just another perspective on the idea around Disordered eating. (Diagnosed With BiPolar II)

These people have described me to a T. I'm 30 years old and in so much pain. I'm calling the doctor in the morning. Thank yoy for this video. 😭🙏

I’ve been characterized as suffering from depression/anxiety for 14 years. SSRI’s made me feel either euphoric or extremely agitated. I was just recently diagnosed with bipolar II- my brother has it as well. I’ve been on lamotrigine for about 3 months and quit taking lexapro and have never felt more leveled.

I can't speak for everyone but I overeat because it calms me down. Treatment please.

Phobias as an anxiety disorder (ocd) may be related due to lack of control, anxiety (which bipolar features a high amount of) and irrationality and obsessions. Eating disorders again lack of control or an obsession e.g I have seen anorexia in bipolar person due to an obsession and fixation on a mathematical sum about weight and size rather than their actual self insecurity. Bulimia and binge eating is very common in borderline pd especially as eating disorders relate a lot to emotional struggles and perfectionist personalities.

I loved my hypomania-until the strange depression rolled in. That weird storm cloud that rolls over your head. It’s great that mental health info has been advanced; however, it has also became a huge money-making scam for big pharma. Some meds are necessary-especially for bipolar 1 and schizophrenia, but now there are so many meds out for every symptom.

I was diagnosed 3 years ago thank you it put me to tears because this is exactly me all the time

wow ,endless rounds of antidepressants for me from age 20 to 39,finally diagnossed bi-polar and adhd when 40 got proper meds,now 60 find i now have to take more anti psychotic meds to calm my poor brain down go to love the british NHS .

I was just diagnosed with Bipolar 2. This is awesome, thanks for uploading.

I've just been diagnosed with BPD II. This woman is describing my life to a T.

I was just recently diagnosed with Bipolar II. This is so helpful. Thank you so much!! I am almost 40, hopefully I’ll finally be able to live my life better. You are right about so much. It’s nice to see why I’ve made some decisions I’ve made.

i suffered from anorexia from 13 yo to mid twenties,and got diagnosed with bipolar2. anorexia helped me to control mood. It helped me to feel in control. I didn´t have any other way or knowledge to deal with the chaos. And the depression made me feel worthless so also that fed the thought of not deserving anything good.

I have known that I have OCD and major depression and GAD with panic attacks ever since I was a teenager. And that was back when nobody even knew what OCD was. That’s something that really irritates me is I have felt that some psychiatrists have given a diagnosis to fit a new drug instead of the other way around. I had been seeing one practitioner for two years, suddenly she wanted to put me on Latuda and she said I was bipolar. I said that she had never mentioned that I was bipolar before and neither has anyone else I’ve gone to. And she said that she had just decided that I was…. just makes me wonder how many people become bipolar or (any number of other diagnoses) when a drug company is giving incentives for them to hand out their new drug. I then started seeing commercials for Latuda on the TV all the time. Yet never once was bipolar mentioned before Latuda.

I am an avid #MentalHealthAwareness advocate and spoken word performer, and I love this so much. I travel the country trying to bring that awareness on stages, in classrooms, hospitals, and on my KZhead channel, so I get excited when I see other advocates. 💙❤

I was diagnosed at 33. 2 months ago. My BP2 also comes with (Agora)Phobia and Anxiety + OCD. I believe the Phobias come from the anxeity you often feel while depressed. You're in your head a lot, way too much. Overthink everything and spiral down to the point that, when you feel good again, something can trigger you easily. And then the "slap in the face" of the trigger leads to Phobia. That's how it happened to me.

They see these symptoms as depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder.....bipolar II is so often misdiagnosed. I remember the first time I was explaining my symptoms - "Well I get in these depressive states where I can't push myself to go into the world. Nothing is fun. I am irritable. I sleep a lot. I don't want to leave my home or even face the people in my home. But then after a time period I feel really great....I think I look really good, I'm excited, I'm picking up new hobbies and spending tons of money, I'm having sex with new people, I'm doing drugs. After being on antidepressants I almost always relapse on drugs or do something super out of character. II end up getting myself into trouble." Therapist- Have you experienced mania? Me- I don't think I'd call the "happy" periods mania...... And so on. 🙄

I gave doctors a very important tip several times: I said "I don't react well to antidepressants. They make me feel worse". The barrier to access a specialist in the UK is a big issue, general doctors talk to you on the phone following a script for 5 minutes and diagnose you with anxiety, and prescribe a tricyclic antidepressant. Luckily I managed to see a specialist in my home country where I can afford it and the doctor spotted Bipolar II pretty quickly. Another major point was an eating disorder that started at 16.

Recently diagnosed as bipolar 2 after 10 years of being diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I identify with every single one of the slides. It’s eye-opening

Thank you so much for sharing this. I felt like they were talking about me personally

This is very interesting to watch, especially as someone who was misdiagnosed with and treated for depression for almost a year and 2/4 of my misdiagnosing doctors worked for UK student healthcare.. lucky to have survived it tho, finally on stabilizers for bipolar 2 😳

I was lucky enough that when I went to my therapist, she recommended a psychiatrist since I kept having depressive episodes and was currently in the middle of a depressive episode. And when I went to my psychiatrist, I was in the middle of a very obvious hypomanic episode, which made it easier for her to diagnose me with Bipolar instead of Unipolar Depression.

My psychiatrist suspects I have type 2 BP, but my LCSW suspects more CPTSD from childhood abuse/trauma. My mother has BP and other mental health disorders. Based on the non-symptom diagnosis list I fit all of those qualifiers, but based on the criteria of hypomania I'm not sure I fit? I have anxiety, worry a lot and am definitely angry/irritable a lot. I do get "elevated moods" and it does feel really cyclical. I will think wow I'm finally feeling better after a long time of feeling depressed. I just toss it up to getting a break from depression and what is "normal" people feel like. When I'm feeling better, I will overspend, clean a lot, get really excited planning my life out, but I don't allow myself to make too many poor choices because I have 3 year old even if I feel the urge to do crazy things. I'm not sure that counts.

Omg That sudden laughter is giving me symptoms😂😂😂😂😂

Bipolar 2 isn't Bipolar 1 Lite. Bipolar 2 is characterized by more extreme depressions which results in a higher suicide rate. In this respect, it is more dangerous than Bipolar 1

I'm not labels or anything that's said to make me feel terrible, I'm trying hard to survive and smile. I'm not your medical book, I am me.

I have Bipolar type 1 with psychotic features and didn't get diagnosed until age 50. Been having mood swings, mania to depression for years. Was treated with Prozac which made me worse. It got so bad at age 50 I had a psychotic break and spent 10 days in the hospital trying to regain control of my life. Don't understand why it took so long for me to get diagnosed. Things are better now that I am on medication for it. Good video, but sometimes it takes long to diagnose BP type 1 as well as type 2, at least in my case.

I just got diagnosed yesterday and I'm struggling with accepting it which is how I came upon this video. I kept thinking how could it be when I used to be so successful. But that definition of hypomania is me to a T.

I think, im almost sure, I'm Bipolar 2 and I think ive been misdiagnosed my whole life and why I still struggle very much. Every time I was evaluated was during a very depressive episode, antidepressants never did anything for me until I had Lamotragine added to my medications 🤔

Just been diagnosed with type 2 yesterday, I have also been treated for major depression and anxiety for 5 years. Finally a psychiatrist gives the diagnosis and I feel scared but at least have hope now!

Such a wonderful lecture. I wish this video could reach to more people who need this type of info.

Some of my family members and loved ones who are close to me and I have even wondered for a couple years have wondered about me being bi polar 2 for years now and it’s crazy because i have a Cancun spring break story that is exactly the same I got lost and left my friend twice while in some kind of hypo manic phase and my friends always tell me how they worry about me being dead because of my nights out or adventures that I take by myself and some of my risk taking behavior... I don’t do any recreational drugs but during certain times of my life I drink large amounts of alcohol for long periods of time and feel no need of sleep and the lack of sleep is persistent even during periods of time while I don’t drink at all.... I find my self getting a couple hours of sleep a week but doing great at work the next day and then having a week or two where I feel very depressed usually the week or two before my period I have the depression bad

A grand irony: I am a UK alum who utilized their mental health resources through the entirety of my time there. Said resources were life changing and extraordinarily helpful. However, while there, I was misdiagnosed or they simply did not see or make note of me potentially having Bi-Polar II. Now, four years later, here I am doing research into this ailment and I stumble onto this video.

I was misdiagnosed with bipolar with psychotic features. I have Multiple Drug Intolerance Syndrome, which is why I have a psychotic reaction to meds (which was why I got the bipolar diagnosis in the first place). I also have CPTSD from narcissistic abuse and I had psychosis from a sensitivity to my own estrogen. I had to figure it out myself. They just wanted to keep drugging me, which was making the psychosis worse. Lost almost a decade of my life- about 3 years of which I don't remember. I had my ovaries removed (on my own hunch) and stopped taking meds- and now I am fine and off the inpatient rollercoaster. I'm divorcing the narcissist, too.

Never mind, my dad just told me I did have mood stabilizers at some point as a young teen but I completely forgot about those because the symptoms must have gone into remission. This is why proper, long-term treatment takes soooo many years.

I've been diagnosed bipolar 2 when in fact I have CPTSD from childhood. I've been depressed and anxious ever since I can remember

Please post the second episode’s link here.

What do you consider the break between major depressive episodes and hypomania? I don't count two days of mild hypomania every couple months as a hypomania episode separating episodes. Meaning I have had major depression for an entire year (which is really really not fun fyi) i think two times. I suppose that would be rapid cycling?? So in 12 months id have had basically SIX 2 month long episodes in that year. Also misdiagnosed 10 years

Thank you. I related so much to the comment you made about people with bipolar disorder during manic episode may dismiss the diagnosis and say they don't need medications. A year after I was diagnosed with bipolar II, I was hospitalized at the psychiatric hospital, and then discharged into a partial hospitalization program for the duration of 3.5 months. I was extremely overwhelmed with all of the services and focus on my mental health, so I dropped out of the program and stopped taking my medications completely. I had convinced myself that I was their lab rat and did not believe that I had bipolar disorder. So for two years I self medicated with weed and alcohol, which only made me even more depressed. Although I did experience depressive and hypomanic episodes, I was in denial. I realized now looking through my medical records, how wrong I was. It's easy to minimize the issue, and to ignore it. The most difficult part for me is confronting the diagnosis and accepting it as a part of me. I felt like the psychiatrists were against me, and plotting to over medicate me for pharmaceutical monetary gains. I stopped smoking and drinking all completely and clearly saw how delusional I was.

I have BP 2, writing notes on this, and sharing with my counselor! She already knows, but will be happy to know that I am doing a bit of deeper digging into my diagnosis. Learning a lot. Education on topics you fear or have no idea about always over comes your fear or lack of knowledge of! Thank you for schooling me. This will perhaps be a life saver for me.

It’s like you just explained my life for the past 4 years

wish there were subtitles for the questions, can't hear them at all

The eating disorder thing will be tied to the depression

im depressed 92% of the time so its easy for me to get suspicious of any sort of enhanced mood, recently got diagnosed with adhd so when i get medicated for that i expect quality of life to improve alot, hope you doing well.

Bipolar 2 diagnosed at 50. NPD mother who was severely depressed in her pregnancy w me. I've experienced some hallucinations which I referred to as "lucid dreams" and some paranoia but mostly hypomania involves flirting (not my usual mode, and I'm married), alcohol, decreased interest in food, insomnia, projects, loud music/fast driving, INCREASED concentration (obsessive compulsive)....and in general an increased desire to connect w people...more chatty, more social media

well rounded presentation

I wish the subtitles were available on this because her voice goes up and down (lowers and raises). I have good hearing, I just don't like having to turn up the volume when her voice gets lower because obviously when it raises it will be even louder. Other than that, it's an informative video.

Someone explain to me about work things? I never was very good at work but have always excelled at school. I have lots of friends but I don’t like being told what to do.

I have PTSD and have been misdiagnosed as major depression disorder instead of bipolar type 2 in regard to my other symptoms. The PTSD mimics certain symptoms so it took forever for me to be properly diagnosed. I have finally been properly diagnosed as bipolar type 2 and am getting ready to start meds. :)

My husband was diagnosed with unipolar depression after 6 months after a major psychotic depressive disorder. I cared for him and realised they were wrong and he was bipolar2. But the NHS wouldn’t listen to me (confidentiality) and it wasn’t till 5 years passed that he was correctly diagnosed, last year. In Portugal! I want to sue the NHS but no solicitor will take it on for various reasons. And the NHS aren’t talking to me still. This is affecting MY mental health !

I’m so happy I found this video I wanna cry

Also frequent mixed episodes and infrequent hypo/manic episodes lead me to go undiagnosed... I wonder how many people just like me go misdiagnosed

I believe people can be manic in your mind and physically depressed on the outside that is what is being overlooked in some people!!

i just said yes to every single symptom she listed in 10 subtle signs

Does mania look different in different personality types? And what are signs you can look for when you're cycling into depression? Can you do anything to stop the severity? What should you tell your doctor when you start to feel depression is coming?

When she talks about why eating disorders may be seen with BP is, for me, used as a coping mechanism when you can’t understand what’s going on. I struggle with anorexia and when I go into restrictive behaviors I believe it gives me a sense of control over something since everything else is so out of control. I recently have gone over to more junk food overeating. I have been treated for depression for years and nothing worked. This has gone on for over 20 years. I will finally start medications this Friday with the diagnosis of BP 2. I hope this changes things for me as I can’t work and struggle with SI daily and self harm behaviors. They also in the past used the term borderline.

I got diagnosed with BPD last year but I wonder if it’s actually Bipolar II. I plan on making a journal documenting my mood swings just to see the length and intensity. They’re always intense, but my length of swings are either within hours or days (which is common in BPD) but I often feel like I have either an underlying long term depression or an underlying long term hypomania. It’s so confusing, luckily despite the confusion, I’m getting a lot of benefits from DBT.

Do you have one on late diagnosis and parent denial? ❤️

diagnosed at 29. survived, 40 now. won't say things get easier. they don't. but schlep through it. if i, a total idiot, can do it, so can you.

I actually got misdiagnosed with bipolar 1. I stop going to the doctor at 19. When back to the doctor when I was 27 with one of the worse depressive episodes I ever had. I was diagnosed with MDD until my doctor gave an antidepressant. I told I couldn’t sleep and I’m very agitated, and she said “you’re a typical bipolar 2”. I noticed she has been very serious about my overall health because it took my entire teenage years and most of my 20s to get me the right diagnosis.

This is a bit scary…this nurse is doing a lot of mixing bipolar 1 and 2. Also, how about waiting 30 years and being a guinea pig because NO ONE gets that you have anything. GP’s clearly don’t understand mental health. Why do we suppose so many fall through the cracks and end up self medicating? This is all kinds of messed up and what’s scary is the fact that she’s actually “teaching others. 😳

I was diagnosed bipolar, but I'm just depressed all the time. No energy ever and I sleep properly and don't oversleep.

I can confirm that synthetic drugs can be traced in a urine test. Through a very recent experience with a family member, we honestly dont know whether she has bipolar or not, although she was diagnosed with it following being spiked. Does anybody know how we can define whether her recent illness was due to the drug or if it is bipolar. She is very anti drugs & doesn't drink apart from very occasionally. She was sectioned & they found spice in her system.

Idk if you are still responding back too anyone but I need help because noooo meds are helping right now and lately I feel been feeling like I'm going insane... I can't sit still, or I'm too tired, or I'm irritated , I'm depressed , I'm pissed, I'm angry and I'm always told I need help and I have no problem admitting I have bipolar but then again I feel like shit because I can't control myself...

Food is used as a punishment..it’s the only thing that you feel you have control over when you’re in the depressed state…be it gorging yourself, binging then throwing up or starving yourself. It coincides with feeling guilt and shame when your in the depressed state of being. You would be correct about bulima being the front runner.

It was 10 years with a wrong diagnosis . So glad I know now what’s wrong with me .

I am diagnosed with bipolar 2. I made last month a neuropsicosiagnostic. And I found that I have atenttional disorder, and QI high. I think that I had depresión, and now I AM health.

I honestly don't care what I have. My life doesn't feel real. It feels like my soul has accepted death but I'm still here. I go to work, I eat, sleep, spend time with friends, do personal projects, family, ect.... it's like I'm trapped inside my body and every waking day I'm begging to wake up from my dream. My life is so chemically screwed up; I can't shut off these dark thoughts and it's getting worse. I can't shut off my survival instincts. I feel like I'm burning from the inside out, I feel so numb and lost the ability to connect with others at a young age. I only feel alive when I live recklessly and endanger my life; people can't keep up. This isn't living, this is hell

seroquel gave me chest pain to this day even after being taken off it 6 year ago, i can remember the first 2 years taking it i forgot my name for 4 days, that scared the shit out of me.

I question - If you were a phycologist after the initial meeting - would you attempt to meet with a highly functioning bipolar sufferer?

My life exactly. Misdiagnosed as Major Depressive Disorder for *36 years*

ED can be because of a need for control. If one's mood is out of control and fluctuates greatly, could there be a need to exert control over whatever area they can be control.

Great information. I cant stand listening to someone so full of themselves. She said "I" more in the first few minutes than I do in a month

I have been told I have byploar I'm near 50 I have suffed since I was a teen I have produced and eupd David diagnosed 13 years ago when I first went on the mental health as I avoided them like the plague because having children at home I was always scared if I confronted my demons with them my children would be taken away I tried to explain only a deus a day ago about my hallucinations and delusions they only diagnose me on top with bipolar because of my elevated moods there I had for last year one lasted four weeks at the others between 1 and 4 weeks am I really depressed moods they last long periods of time this one has lasted 3 months so far and then I get mixed moods they said that my hallucinations and delusions about people or I think I'm being followed and all that and people are conspiring against me because I asked about and was the voices in my head or outside my head and I said the voices are inside my head because I was told 16 years ago when I was having counselling that if I told people that I heard voices and see and smell things that's not there I would be locked up I could lose my children she also said if I turned to the voices I head and no-one was there then it's all in my head I avoid interacting with the voices why I'm in company especially under the mental health because still I have that worrying that fear that I could be locked away so I just keep on saying that they're in my head they're in my head

She described my life.....

Does anyone know what’s the name of the speaker?

I have been diagnosed with bpd traits but don’t feel that it fully fits. I sometimes think this is partly my fault because I don’t feel that I am ever fully honest with doctors etc that I speak with. I’m learning more to bipolar 2 with complex ptsd from abuse. Speaking with my gp for a referral again to mental health team on friday

My example of the lows - I question: is life worth living given there exist a global wide Pandemic in present day. The fore may re - occur?

Looking at possible bipolar. I don't eat during what I've always called "high anxiety" times because I literally just forget amid the list of 1000 things i have to do. I don't eat when I'm depressed because... I'm depressed and eating is just another task.

I was just diagnosed with bipolar 2 after 13 years of being diagnosed with major depression and been on Wellbutrin xl and now I have to go on something else

I was diagnosed with bpd II, however, when the docs removed all antidepressants, I almost killed myself. Only zoloft worked this time. Analysing my blood, zoloft appeared as the only molecule being able to work on my brain. I do second guess thos diagnosis. One psychiatrist disagreed strongly on the diagnosis. They pushed the borderline pd as a possibility, I actually do kot recognize myself in it. My psychologist do not agree with that doagnosis. I don't know who to trust.

Great presentation. One thing I found to be missing however was mention of trauma! Trauma can also look a lot like bipolar disorder. Please think of adding this in the future or when you're doing rule outs or treatment planning. :)

I think the eating disorder in people with bipolar is to have control, and it's also to self medicate..

I sure wish I could hear the audience comments, and also read the titles of the books she displays on the projector near the end of the lecture. Maybe someone watching this on a bigger screen can read them, but I'm on my phone, which is my only form of internet access.

Try 30 odd years

I have adhd and am looking into seeing if I might have bipolar 2 but I can’t concentrate on a lengthy video,like this

What are some non - medication treatments that actually work? (Natural remedies)

My life has been hell for years cycling on the wrong medication.

I was properly diagnosed at 13 yet I was given antidepressants??? That makes no sense. Of course it was 2001 so things have changed but... still. Then I was off everything by 2002-3. Then I had alcoholism until 2014 where I finally sought psychiatric help again. They never asked about my interpersonal history. If substance abuse and persistent depression is so prevalent in BP2, why didn't they pick up on this? Finally, Zoloft and Cymbalta triggered a very noticeable hypomanic episode between my father and I (I have been living with him since the 2001 hospitalization) where I had the very pressured speech and my back had been killing me all month and I crashed my car into a median on accident... and tried to adopt a dog and then move out when he refused. But. Here I am. 2018. 30 years old. Finally properly diagnosed because of mine and my father's own hard work.