Calling other Bi-Polars

[PanicPhobia]

I know this is the "depression" forum, but since Bi-polar is a form of depression (along with mania or mixed states), I was wondering if anyone else here has ever had this diagnosis?

I found an interesting fact last night. According to several studies published in various medical journals, the incidence of panic disorder in people with Bi-polar is MUCH higher than in the general population. It appears that about 20% of people with Bi-polar suffer from panic disorder as well (some studies put it at 50%). I did not know this for the longest time, which made me skeptical that I was actually Bi-Polar (as various psychiatrists have said). I guess they knew all along that my panic attacks were common for people with my condition. The main reason I have been hospitalized in the past was for severe anxiety that I just could not tolerate (panic attacks that lasted hours with crazy and strange thoughts). I can handle depression and "mania" but not the anxiety.

So, if you are someone with frequent panic attacks (who has not been diagnosed), I suggest you see a psychiatrist and let him/her rule in or rule out Bi-Polar disorder.

[Ponder]

Hi Panic ... That makes sense to me. I used to take lithium for a whiles for bi-polar symptoms as the doc would put it. I know very well the Highs and Lows, however most docs I have seen are quick to play it down. I see myself as symptomatic to the mania regardless of what or how the docs, view my condition ... at any rate, makes perfect sense to me, however I would remain open, that such articles are not always concrete in their findings and in many cases are led astray by a number of factors, such as general bias, misdiagnoses, research grants, pharmaceuticals interest and on and on ...

None the less ... as someone who's been there ... it makes perfects sense to me. My formal credentials are "Generalized Anxiety" (treated as extreme with an anti-psychotic which seems be be helping more than any antidepressant ever did) Social Phobia and Depression ... Long term depression, but they did not consider to call it that ... In fact the GP added the Depression as was shocked that the Psychiatrist, for what ever reason, completely left it out, YET I was being medicated with the antidepressants for some time ... My point here ... DOCTORS sometimes don't know what one had is doing whilst working with the other. So it is, that I'm careful before I would take something as fact. just because doctors said it was or it's said to be an article.

Again though ... makes sense to me.