The nurse practitioner I’m seeing about my ADHD diagnosed me with bipolar disorder
She literally could not have surprised me more if she tried
This makes no sense to me but it’s scaring me a lot :(
I don’t really remember having manic episodes? Depressive maybe but it’s usually after something bad happens to me and not really consistently…
I told her I put off making this appointment cuz I’ve been feeling really bad recently, then she just asked me a few questions like if people say I talk too much sometimes or if I do things impulsively and prescribed me an antipsychotic (aripiprazole) wtf
I asked some family and they haven’t noticed anything like this… idk :(. Has this happened to anyone else? Am I just in denial? I’m afraid to take this drug she gave cuz I really don’t need to be even more tired all the time… or tardive dyskinesia or something (unlikely, worst case)
I actually got an ADHD diagnosis from a psychologist at this clinic. It’s weird, this is my 2nd visit with her (nurse practitioner) about it and after the atomoxetine she gave me didn’t help she wants to treat me for bipolar (she didn’t specify what type, idek if she actually diagnosed me cuz idk if she can even do that but she prescribed me the aripiprazole). I’m just really confused about this whole thing :(
Idk if this keeps being weird I’ll have to see if I can extract my ADHD diagnosis docs from them and go somewhere else :(
This bipolar thing is really scaring me though, “looking into it”, as they say. I asked some friends and family and they said they never noticed anything like manic or depressive episodes from me
Thank you for your input, tbh I’ve just been stressing about this all day I’m gonna go try to relax
Sorry I’m double replying to you, but it sounds like the nurse is abandoning your ADHD diagnosis and assuming bipolar because your current ADHD meds weren’t working? If so, why not try a different medication for ADHD if that is what your psychologist (an actual mental health professional) diagnosed you with?
Most psych meds, including those for ADHD, are kind of random with how much they work for different people. I don’t know the statistics for ADHD meds, but I know like 50% of people who try an antidepressant don’t experience any favorable effects. Not responding well to a specific treatment doesn’t mean you don’t have the thing you’re trying to treat. I have a few friends with ADHD who had to experiment with different dosages from different medications before finding what worked for them.
Sorry i get kinda frustrated hearing about shitty mental healthcare, it can be such a brutal process but it shouldn’t be
Well if people around you haven’t ever noticed any manic or hypomanic episodes in you and you didn’t report having these to the nurse practitioner then I feel like the bipolar diagnosis probably isn’t a good fit.
I really shouldn’t gloat by saying that I called it. Suffice it to say that your post set my expectations for this clinic at that level and this tracks.
Sorry you’re having a bad time with it. Go rest up and come back to this post/situation/both of them when you’re feeling up to it - there’s no time pressure.
+1 looking into treatment elsewhere, if they aren’t starting with trialing stimulants for an ADHD diagnosis I don’t trust them to ‘get’ it. To start with a non stim and then when it didn’t work to diagnose you with something else is highly suspect. I wouldn’t really put stock in their diagnosis.
If you’re able to find a psychiatrist who specializes in adult ADHD, or even better HAS ADHD it’s honestly so much easier.
Everything these other comments have said is pretty accurate. Diagnosing bipolar after 2 visits, no history of mania, and a single depressive episode is dumb. People have depressive episodes, does not mean you are bipolar.
TD normally takes years to present (not always) if it even does, so if you do decide to take it, I wouldn’t stress too much about it.
I’m guessing you’re already on an SSRI. I would look at a different provider and see if they want to alter depression therapy instead of adding an antipsychotic.