Anxiety or hypomania?

[Noro]

My doctor is under the impression that I might have a cyclic mood disorder, most likely a minor form of Bipolar (cyclothymia, maybe?). But I'm currently not taking medication for it. I tried Lamictal and just didn't like it. Panic attacks, major irritation, flipping out, etc. And it didn't touch the depression.

Anyway, in cyclothymia the mood spectrum is a little bit small than in Bipolar, and the episodes are shorter. Hypomania is the term for minor experiences of mania. I have terrible anxiety a lot of the time, and have had a few panic attacks lately. My question is for those of you with first-hand experience in the field. Is it often difficult to tell the difference between major anxiety/panic and mania/hypomania? Are they sometimes the same thing? I have the discomfort of the possibility of experiencing mania in my mind, and the anxiety is definitely there, so perhaps the anxiety attacks are mimicking what I think might be mania this way?

I know, I know.. a little confusing. And I know a lot of you might suggest that I talk to my doctor, and I have to some extent. But I don't trust shrinks entirely. I really think this kind of stuff is overdiagnosed and I'm under the suspicion my doc may be a little script-happy. I don't want to have a diagnosis and medication unless it's absolutely accurate. So if anybody can point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it.

[nandm]

Hi Noro.

Speaking from a the perspective of a person with both bipolar type II and PTSD I can say there is a definate difference between mania and anxiety, at least for me. Please realize I am not a doctor, just sharing my personal experience.

I experience anxiety around the PTSD and mania with the bipolar type II. Anxiety for me presents itself in isolation, difficulty breathing, excessive sweating, feeling of the walls closing in, heart palpitations, and the feeling of needing to run away. On the other hand mania is a much more pleasant feeling although at times agitation and impatience can be part of it. When I am in a hypomania I feel more confident, have energy, have more difficulty sleeping (sometimes can be awake for days), my brain just seems to click faster, I am more creative (I can not seem to do my oil paintings unless I am in a mania state), I just in general feel more on (if that makes any sense).

Hope my experience helps you in some way.

[Noro]

Thanks for the response

Would anxiety be in any way likely to come up in a manic or hypomanic state? Ever since my doctor talked to me about cyclic mood disorder, I feel like even my good moods are cause for concern. If I'm feeling confident, or carefree, or if my sex drive is up, now I just feel like its derivative of a pathology and I become anxious that I might be hypomanic.

Yes I think too much..

[unholy_mess]

Hi there,
I find my manic-y states to be somewhat similar to anxiety (I'm not one of the euphoric manics)...I get super agitated and angry and yes, anxious. I can differentiate between actual anxiety and more of a mania type thing because mania typically involves a lot of rapid speech and so many flying, racing thoughts in my head. My anxiety is typically more just the anxiety without lots of thoughts or a hurried feeling.

[cinderellawkids]

Unholy mess described how I feel as well. However, many times during a mania state, sometimes just before my crash I get extremely anxious, agitated, begin to rage and have even been admitted to the hospital short term for panic attacks. By the time tha anxious,and panic attack symptoms are gone, so is the mania, first Im in an adrenalyn like calm, sometimes within a few days I return to mania, other times astart a low disent into deppresion, not always, actually rarely severe depression, but a state completely different than the mania.

For me the main negative effect of mania is the peak which results in irritability, anxiety and sure panic, the racing of my heart is much different than the earlier racing feeling when I felt on top of the world, but much more like Im in a car spinning out of control

[Noro]

I guess I'm just really uncomfortable with this whole diagnosis he's kinda put on me. I'm not "diagnosed" yet, as he and I agreed that we're not entirely convinced this is what I've got. He says that when ADHD'ers tend to have mood problems, it's often Bipolar or some other cyclic mood disorder, rather than just depression and anxiety. I just don't like being told that my moods are all secondary to a "disorder."

But anyway, I think often times because I get anxious about the idea of having a mental disorder (and I mean no offense to anyone that has one. It's not necessarily a rational fear), just as I used to have panic attacks looking at diseases on Wikipedia thinking "THAT'S ME! AHHH!" So now when I'm in a good mood or write a good song, for instance, I'll get anxious and maybe analyze a little too much. And then goodbye good mood.

So I dunno. I guess it's up to the doc ...

[reader]

Lamictal is not an antidepressant. I take it along with Effexor and Seroqel for mood swings. Most people with Bipolar take a combination of meds. It does take awhile to find the right mix but when it does happen it is great.

[atomica]

Hey Noro,

I have bipolar II and my current doc doesn't believe it, b/c i haven't had a proper hypomanic episode in over 10yrs. When i did have them however, they were absolutely textbook symptoms.

Here are my symptoms:

Anxiety: very physical - pounding heart, sweat, breathing difficulties. Even thoughts seem more physical - like my head is about to explode from all the thoughts building up & playing off each other. Desire to isolate and hide away until it passes.

Hypomania: Generally i don't sleep much. I get obsessed with things - eg astrology, baseball, Lawrence of Arabia... My thoughts race, but it's not the same feeling as in anxiety, it's more like i am Super-Me, new and improved! Anxiety - feel very unsure of self, Hypomania - feel over-sure, super confident. I don’t want to hide, I want to do lots of ambitious things. Anxiety energy feels crushing, hypomania feels impatient, bombastic, outwardly-directed.

When i studied the matter after being diagnosed, everything "clicked" into place for me. i found the diagnosis relieving because it fit, and it explained a lot as i looked back into my past. If you are not having that experience - that everything is starting to make sense - just bear in mind that mental health professionals can be wrong.

Also, maybe try not to overanalyse how you are feeling. Whether a behaviour is related to a disorder or not, doesn't make it any less you. You are who you are, and your feelings / thoughts / behaviours are what they are. A label will not change them in any way, unless you actively start trying to "act out" according to what you or someone else thinks you "might" have.

Anyway, I hope you find the answers you are looking for, best of luck in figuring it all out!

ae