Diagnosis confirmation wanted!

[Roseduvet]

Hi all, first time poster here!

So, after about 30 years of being on and off various anti d’s and being in and out of therapy, and having spent waaaaaaay to much of my life wishing I wasn’t (living that is), and having a high number of traumatic life events, breakdowns and meltdowns, and being nearly 2 years down the line from the last one, which was severe enough to render me unable to work, function, basically a gibbering, hysterical wreck of a human, I’ve finally seen a psychiatrist who has put some words on what ails me that make sense to me and have made me feel relieved that I’m not some hopeless case for whom the future is likely to be rubbish and short!

He said he thought it likely that I was Bipolar (prob 2) and had PTSD (prob complex) However, he was a locum, so was nervous to step on other guys toes and although he’s adjusting my meds to reflect this diagnosis, and recommending some specific therapy, and verbally telling my care coordinator, he’s not going to put it on my notes as a firm diagnosis. This concerns me. Is there some test I’m supposed to take or process I should be asking for to confirm this? What if I lose the plot later down the line, will the people dealing with me respond the right way without this info? How can I ensure that the next 30 years is better than the last without some security in what I’m dealing with? I’ve always thought depression didn’t really cover the extremes I’ve felt over the years, but who goes to see a doc when it’s all going right and you’re on top of the world? I’ve never spun so far out that I’ve visibly crashed, but I know I’ve had to hide a lot of sketchy stuff after the high has passed, just the same as Ive had to suck it up and keep going when any moment I could have driven into a wall, grabbed a knife, taken too many meds...need I go on? Those who have firm diagnosis, how did you get there? Is it always offered or has anyone else had to fight to be heard/recognised? I can’t do another 30 years of this being...rudderless and ricocheting from disaster to disaster with no continuity of approach...

Thanks for reading

[Bird_in_Hand]

Heyyo. I'm new here too I was only truly diagnosed in my teen years (major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety) but it was something that I've dealt with every single day of my life ever since I can remember. Seeing a prescribing psychiatrist as well as other therapists is the way to start for sure. Mental disorders aren't usually cut and dry, so there's a lot of ruling out and ruling in. So you may need to go a couple times for a firm diagnosis. Just make sure to speak your struggles clearly, even if it's tough. Good luck and I hope for some good results to follow 😁

[Roseduvet in reply to Bird_in_Hand]

Thank you x your reply has given me a boost, it’s weird but I thought when I was in crisis that they’d respond more proactively, but it seems the system is more comfortable diagnosing when a person is over the active crisis and appears more ‘normal’! I can explain myself better than I could straight after my last breakdown, but seems odd to discuss being very ill when actually feeling more well!

Best wishes

x

[Bird_in_Hand in reply to Roseduvet]

Yea Haha if someone's actively in a crisis they tend to want to just send them straight to an ER... Which can be good or bad. I'd say hang in there, realize that you're taking some healthy steps, and trust the process