Is this bipolar? Psychologist says it can't be

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Hey everyone, I know there are ten thousand different "diagnose me" threads that usually end up in the conclusion "we can't diagnose anyone", but I really want to ask this.
The thing is, I have cycles of moods that usually last for some hours-some days. In one mood I feel hyper agitated, confident, and I have a feeling that I can do anything, and super productive and workaholic, and anxious, with racing thoughts and emotions. In other times I feel completely down and depressive, not productive, without energy and motivation, sometimes even very sad for no reason. I know most people have mood swings but mine are really extreme, really overrreacted and over the top and unstable.
For instance, if someone says something rude to me and I am in a down mood, I cry and get hyper sad, no one cares about me, I suck etc. If I am in the agitated mood I am like "who cares? I am AWESOME!! !". And I usually can't identify triggers for the swings or my moods, they just happen.
I searched the web for Cyclothmia and it seems to fit, I did some tests and all were positive (even if they are not so reliable) and so on. But I talked about that to my psychologist and she said that people on the bipolar spectrum are necessarily intrusive and impulsive and my personality is not like that so I can't have it. Well, what do you think? Is it true that people on the bipolar spectrum are necessarily intrusive and impulsive?

i'm bipolar and i'm not impulsive or intrusive. those things aren't in the diagnostic criteria. some people are like that when manic, but it's not universal. also, you may be hypomanic rather than full-blown manic when you're "up". what you describe sounds like rapid cycling bipolar disorder. i can't diagnose you, but a second opinion from a shrink might be in order.

Your description seems to me to be classic bipolar depression. But, I admit that there might be some other reasons for your characteristics and merely mimicking depression. Something as simple as eating right and at regular times can result in similar characteristics.

Good luck, either way.

I don't know what your psychologist means by intrusive and impulsive. People can be impulsive when in a hypomanic or manic state, but I don't think it's a prerequisite. What you describe sounds like cyclothymia/bipolar but could also be borderline personality disorder, or even neither depending on how strong your symptoms actually are. Without further information and clinical experience it's impossible to make a diagnosis.

However, I wouldn't dismiss bipolar due to you not being intrusive or impulsive enough. After creating the Bipolar/AS chat thread (reading other people's experiences) and also going by my own experiences, the external manifestation of bipolar symptoms can be different in people with AS to people without AS. In my opinion, the external manic symptoms I exhibit are less obvious and less extreme (in terms of impulsive behaviour) than the internal emotions and thoughts I experience. My rigidity and black and white thinking when it comes to observing rules and laws, and my need for maintaining routine, actually safe-guard me from carrying out multiple impulsive wild ideas that come into my head when I am in a hypomanic state. I get intense desires to do things but I get an equally intense desire not to break rules/laws or break routine, so in many situations they balance each other out.

Another thing I've noticed (from reading other people's experiences, as I am naturally extroverted) is that when in a manic state, introverted people with AS suddenly start become extroverted in social situations. This symptom is often not picked up on by the psych because their extroverted, social behaviour is viewed as "normal" behaviour. Basically, people with AS/bipolar have a different behavioural 'baseline' to people with bipolar but without AS.

Thanks everyone for the help!

Thanks everyone for the help!

Bipolar isn't personality.
I can be kind of hard on psychologists and psychiatrists, admittedly, so if mine suggested that I would probably ditch them, honestly. Mainly because it indicates a complete lack of understanding of the disorder, really?

Um... but you could seek a second opinion. If it is interfering with your life in terms of functioning you may want to just see what another provider might say and then think about the two professional opinions.

If your psychologist is willing to help you deal with what you are experiencing and acknowledge that-bipolar or not- these things are affecting you in some way even if not severely, for now maybe that's all you need?

Honestly it could be anything from borderline personality disorder to nutrition. I agree that if it interfering in your life you may want to seek a second psyche opinion and talk to your primary care physician as well.

Rapid-cycling bipolar disorder is where you still meet the full criteria for the mood episodes, including the time requirement (must have symptoms nearly all day nearly everyday for at least x time: 4 days for hypomania, 1 week for mania and 2 weeks for major depression), but you get 4 or more episodes in a year. It doesn't refer to short-lasting mood swings that don't meet the full criteria for mood episodes.

Now, there is "ultra-rapid cycling," but that is controversial among psychopathologists:

http://www.currentpsychiatry.com/home/a ... 5a07d.html

Hey! I have the very same issue (somewhat). I have been diagnosed with bipolar II (among other things) and from your description it sounds very likely that you could possibly have rapid cycling bipolar (a.k.a. bipolar II).

What makes your psychologist think that it isn't possible? Has s/he given any reason?

Even rapid cycling bipolar has four or as many as ten of so per year. Each episode of depression must last two weeks and manic states must last four days.

I have bipolar and was having mood swings like you recently. It turned out to be hormonal based from PCOS.

Good luck I hope you find the problem