Difficulties with Diagnosis
Tuesday December 5, 2006
In a recent interview with Clara Pirani, a reporter for The Australian, Dr. Jayashri Kulkarni, director of the Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre in Melbourne, shared some research findings relating to the length of time for diagnosis of those with bipolar disorder. As per Dr. Kulkarni, “people with bipolar disorder typically have to endure almost 13 years of manic-depressive mood swings before being correctly diagnosed.” Further, “55 percent of those with the condition will be misdiagnosed and given the wrong medication or treatment.” Dr. Kulkarni believes this research highlights the need for better education about mental illnesses even among clinicians.
Comments
You are totally correct. It took me about 10 years to admit and find out that it was chemical, not psychological.
It took me another 5 years to find the right medical professional that could prescribe, then about 5 years to find one that worked without side affects I could live with.
After that, with a very good medical professional, I tried increasingly better medication. I am a person that wants to take the least possible medication, and I have worked very hard to find that medium.
When I knew the symptoms, I realized that my father, uncle and grandmother experienced the same symptons at different times in their lives.
There is nothing shameful or wrong about this condition. It is chemical, not emotional.
What is wrong is not to treat the condition that makes your life difficult and react radically differently to circumstances unknowingly.
It is hard to open your soul to go thru the process, and 30-50 years ago it wasn’t possible, but I and my sisters have been corageous enough to follow through, and I would strongly encourage anyone to do it, even without any support from spouse or family. It is the difference between a healthy life and happiness, instead of constant inconsistency.
I hope you will keep this private, or let me know if you would like to make this public.
This is completely true. I saw one doctor who diagnosed me as bipolar within a 6 month time period. He moved so I started seeing another doctor who informed me I was not bipolar at all. I am confused at this point, not on any meds, and have been able to control my depressive periods. Who knows what the heck is wrong with me. Maybe I am an alien. Be advised, some doctors are way to willing to make a diagnosis it seems.
It took me many decades to be diagnosed as a rapid cycler and I’ve been on a search for the right meds. It’s been a whole life time and it’s very discouraging, especially after trying so incredibly hard and this is with having good insurance. To have “mental illness” be a stigma adds incredible insult to injury, especially when family members have no compassion. We are called a “civilization” but we definitely are not.