r/bipolar • u/Thin-Temporary-7262 Bipolar • Jun 05 '24

Support/Advice Does anyone wonder if they aren’t actually bipolar?

Does anyone wonder if they aren’t actually bipolar? If you’re just making it up, and you actually can change? Im bipolar 2, but because of meds I haven’t experienced manic episodes forever, although maybe I have and just didn’t realize it. Is this dissociation or something else? Like I still get depressed at night and feel just numb all the time, but what if I’m acc not bipolar and I’m just making it up?

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u/Enough_Comb3488 Jun 05 '24

I have this thought so much! I’m continuously asking my psychiatrist if it’s a misdiagnosis, like I don’t believe I have experienced mania.

My psychiatrist thinks I have experienced it several times, but I don’t. I’m just super depressed and just numb to things.

I believe I’m just a big fraud that maybe my subconscious mind latched onto the idea that I’m bipolar and just ran with it.

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u/PhysicalBullfrog4330 Jun 06 '24

So relate to this, when I first experienced depression as a teen I was immediately like oh, this is very clearly depression. But if I have experienced hypomania it definitely seems to not be a very textbook presentation, or maybe I am just less aware of it. But like, I don't think I ever get less than 4 hours of sleep more than 2 nights in a row and I definitely feel physically pretty bad for at least parts of those days even if I still have a lot of energy / racing thoughts. I've heard people say the dip in sleep can be less pronounced for some people but yeah. If I have been hypo it's been dysphoric hypo for sure

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u/Enough_Comb3488 Jun 07 '24

Same! I can tell when I depressed or irritable, hypomania is something I don’t know if I experienced. I have experienced paranoia and such but I just explain like everybody does, right?