how can i tell something is wrong?

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I have suspected for a long time that i could have bipolar i have lows & highs
the highs i dont mind because i feel fantastic but it dosnt last. i desperatly want to tell my mum what is going on inside my head but i dont know how to tell he that something is not right i tried to write it down in a letter but when i read through it made no sense at all
has anyone got any advice or tips or something???

Start a journal and write down how you feel on certain days. Then after a few months read through it and if it correctly shows your moods then show it to your mum.
Or if that feels like it will take too long find a website with the symptoms and print it out and show it to your mum.

sure...keep a mood journal for 3 months.
write down your moods from 1 being depressed to 10 being very excitable at the top of the page. and then write your mood twice daily, once in the morning, once in the evening.
add any notes on unusual highs or lows that happened that day.
then at the end of the 3 months...chart your 1-10 on a line chart.
If you notice:
frequent ups and downs or a markedly different overall mood from the time you started to the time you stopped the journal, you have reason for concern

Then you show this journal and the chart to your mom and tell her that you need help with this.
There is medication for it, and it may take some adjusting on the right medication at the right dosage since each person is different.
I will tell you, do not take zyprexia or risperal because they will cause you to gain alot of weight. Some people, like me, do well with geodon, but most people dont do well at all with it. Zoloft is tricky cause you have to get the right dosage or it will make you very aggressive if it is too high of a dose, but works well at the right dosage. Paxil has never worked for anyone I know with bipolar, but it does cause major sleep problems.
Some people have reported sucess with Abilify, but I personally never tried it.
Tergertol works well for alot of people to and is rather benign as far as side effects go.

Thats all I know about the ones that work and the ones to avoid, but you will find that each has some side effects can be bothersome, but read all side effects before taking anything, some can be severe.
Sorry to sound like a drug company rep, but the only treatment that has been successful with bipolar is medication, and alot of the medications are powerful with real side effects so it helps to be informed.

hi Turkey.
if you are a girl, the first thing I would look at is menstrual cycle (periods).
especially if you only feel high and low for days or a week at a time.
Hormonal changes can make you feel really up and down.
This would also be a good way to start talking about it with other people, like your mum.
You could ask her if she feels up and down with her periods, for how long, and so on.
good luck!

Thanks for that i will indeed keep a mood journal.
very helpful thanks.

your welcome. Thats what most psychiatrists ask you to do if they are worth their salt.