CEREBRAL FORCE

   Ask yourself... Is your treatment not giving you the results you seek? Do you have problems with addiction? Do you feel you match some of the symptoms? Don't feel afraid to challenge your doctor or question you or those who know you best. Educate and inform yourself. Here's a short summary of questions and resources that might help. I truly want you get help as soon as possible... no matter what you suffer from. Here's a list of a few items that may be cause for concern... not in any particular order of importance. Each person is different.

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1. Depression never lifts

2. Feel something continues to be wrong or off

3. Easily triggered or have big change in your mood(s)

4. Have periods of elevated activity

5. Have stuck mood(s)

6. Mood incongruent with current circumstances

7. Addiction problems

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   Use an analytical approach to see if you may have a problem.

Here are links to some tests to determine bipolar using tests. It's a short list because there aren't many options out there. But at least it's more structured and analytical than matching a list of symptoms.

 

MDQ: http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/mental-health-screen/mood-disorder

Decent. Good stats.

 

BSDS: http://psycheducation.org/diagnosis/the-bipolar-spectrum-diagnostic-scale/

Couldn't find an online way to generate test scores. Must print out the test.

 

TABS: http://counsellingresource.com/quizzes/bipolar-testing/bipolar-test/

Decent.

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Goldberg: http://counsellingresource.com/quizzes/bipolar-testing/goldberg-bipolar/

Simple test with limited precision. An indicator of problems.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2847794/

Summary of diagnosis methods and their efficacy.

 

   The 'most reliable' method of diagnosis is with a trained clinician... But it took over ten years for me to be diagnosed and I was a pretty obvious case. Use every method available. The clinician doesn't suffer when you're misdiagnosed. Only you do  :(

 

   Identify/find good doctors in your area that treat mood disorders... even if you're not convinced or have an idea what you're suffering from. Come prepared... educate yourself as best as possible.

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   Here's my personal list of treatment suggestions... Targeted for your initial stabilization which is the most painful period. 

 

   No matter what meds you take there is no silver bullet. You can never beat a consistent schedule with good sleep, exercise, mindfulness and reduced stress. This will only be a supplement to medication but there are some things medication cannot fix. So make sure try to integrate these lifestyle choices into your life. Know that you may never do all of those at once…but try anyways. Prioritize what helps the most for different symptoms and always be flexible enough to adjust as life changes.

 

   Your medication search should always be done in conjunction with your doctor.

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1. Try the gold standard meds with the least complications first before the buzzword meds.

2. Understand how long it takes before you see bad results etc. Worry about that first.

3. Avoid thought altering; foggy brain function. You can probably find a better med but this requires patience  :(

4. Be very careful treating side effects with additional meds. I think that in most cases you should find another med with severe side effects.

5. Always tell your doctor how you feel. Don’t accept mediocre results.

6. Know it will get better but the process can be painful.

7. The search is a lot shorter than how long you live with these meds. Invest the time and pain.

​I WISH IT WAS EASIER. REST ASSURED. IT WELL GET BETTER WITH PATIENCE. DON'T FORGET THE HELP OF FRIENDS, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY.