MOG

Personally, I'm not sure if I'm Arctic or Antarctic...maybe I'll wait til the poles reverse...

Well, I have more than two back teeth, so...

O-o-oh, biPolar!

Anyway, testing like that certainly does seem a little less than reliable. I wonder what the same test would cost if you went to a doctor? I doubt one would receive treatment without a proper test anyway, so it sounds like $400 wasted.

Now that's just crazy. I liked it better when it was called manic depression. Jimi Hendrix would sound silly if he was singing bipolar instead. I'm with Scotch on this one. I mean even if you did the test and got the results you would still have to go to the doctor. I call shenanigans!

Oh, you're supposed to go to the doctor and get a cure for this condition? Ha ha. Remember Richard Gere in Mr. Jones? "I need my highs. I really need my highs."

Damn condition has about a million names. Hendrix singing bipolar instead, now that change everything. Try singing that lol.

If you go to a psychiatrist or clinical therapist, you can get diagnosed for under $300 (around here anyway). And like others said, even if you took this test, when you admit yourself for therapy, the doctor or therapist is going to diagnose you anyway. It's shit like this that gives idiots like Scientologists traction against legitimate psychology.

Bipolar disorder is a frustrating mess!

Sometimes there are other underlying medical condition that may appear to be this disorder, that when properly treated, takes care of the problem. It's hard to diagnose this condition sometimes, because among other things, one can have this plus other mental illnesses that seem like this.

Have to agree . It maybe money wasted toward this when you could put it toward having a psychiatrist or clinical therapist do a proper diagnosis. At the sametime you can't really rule out genetic's, but this putting the cart before the horse way to early in the game.

I agree that Bipolar Disorder can be misdiagnosed, and treatment as such might be ineffectual, or worse, deadly.

Isn't lithium a used as a mood stabilizer? That stuff's not too fun when your bones and teeth start to decalcify...

Lithium was used a lot back in the earlier days of psychology, but not so much these days.

ANYTHING can be misdiagnosed, including medical conditions as well as psychological conditions. As a patient of any type, people owe it to themselves to educate themselves regarding their conditions and medications and not just trust someone because they're a doctor. Yes, they're more educated and have specialized knowledge, but sometimes they make mistakes.

Any time you go to the doctor for treatment of a disease, you run the risk of misdiagnosis, ineffectual treatment, or death. But don't be alarmist about it. People with bipolar disorder need treatment and/or medication.

Excellent advice, River.

They still used lithium, sometimes it's used with a combination of drugs and therapy. Therapy is an important part in my honest opinion. Also remember psychiatrist is a medical doctor where a therapist isn't. In the end it's whatever works.

Agreed. Since I'm not bipolar, I can't really comment much on it. But I would think that with therapy, one could gain self-awareness and at least attempt to compensate. Understanding is the key.

I'm also not, but I know a few people that are. From friends to relatives.

It's a rough way to be, I understand...

I really feel for them.