WHOA, back the train up...

[Anonymous]

... I don't have that!

I am currently seeing a counselor at my school every week. She has seen me at my worst points the past several months, and the past week or so my moods have improved from my depressive phase and she seems to think I might have bipolar disorder. She asked me a series of questions to that I responded that yes that seems like me. She read me the criteria from the DSM-IV and pretty much every criteria she listed as part of hypomania, FITS ME right now and has for the past week. I don't know what to think. I bluffed off some of the symptoms as she read from the book saying, "Doesn't everyone feel that way? Psssh". I kept twiching in my seat, getting distracted, and I have only slept 5 hours last night.

The things she read fit me to the tee... I am terrified. She wants me to go to a doctor/psychologist and get tested and be entirely honest.

I am at a loss of what to do. I feel like this is the only anonymous place I can get my feelings out without being judged or at least know I'm being judged.

[Chip]

Hi,

First, I'm sorry for the difficulties you're experiencing right now.

Secondly, I'm sure it depends on your school system, but most school systems have guidance counselors that hold a masters in education. If that's the case, as far as I know, people with an M.Ed degree are not qualified or licensed to be offering diagnoses, and my understanding is that generally one does not offer up a diagnosis without doing a full workup. Unless there's other material you're not mentioning, it sounds like s/he opened the DSM and found some matching symptoms and that was that... and that's doing everyone a disservice.

Now... it is possible you do have the diagnosis in question, and it's also possible your counselor is actually qualified to give diagnoses. But generally, a competent psychologist or clinical social worker will not render a diagnosis -- particularly one that can be stigmatizing -- without an extensive work-up to ensure it's the correct diagnosis.

I would suggest seeking a second opinion from another professional. You might also want to PM BlairSW, our staff social worker. He has some pretty extensive clinical background and while he would not be able to offer a diagnosis, he could probably talk to you about whether proper procedures were taken before your counselor offered up your diagnosis.

Finally, the bigger point is that it sounds like you may need help. The diagnosis is pretty meaningless without a treatment plan, so you may just want to disregard it completely until you can see someone who will be involved in your ongoing treatment. In most school settings I'm aware of, the school counselor does not do ongoing treatment or therapy.

[Noir]

I just finished a big end of the semester project for a psychology class where I had to read a patient's file and diagnose them according to the DSM-IV and I'm just telling you right now--it's not as simple as all that. First of all, a lot of things play into a diagnosis, and the DSM can make almost anything sound like a mental disorder. Then there are the facts that:

A lot of symptoms of different conditions sound similar, but that doesn't necessarily mean that one has that disorder even if the symptoms match.

The criteria sets of DSM-IV incorporate implicit (implied but not expressly stated) notions of human psychological well-being that do not allow for ordinary diversity among people.

Some of the diagnostic categories of DSM-IV come close to defining various temperamental and personality differences as mental disorders.
The DSM-IV criteria do not distinguish adequately between poor adaptation to ordinary problems of living and true psychopathology.

So I wouldn't worry about it too much--but I would suggest getting the opinion of another professional besides your counselor. My main point is that she could be wrong and that neither of you should jump to conclusions. Remember, even if you were to have bipolar disorder, you're fine the way you are.

[Anonymous]

...Well something IS wrong. I had to smoke some dope early this morning in order to fall asleep because of my racing mind, and I woke up at 5 feeling refreshed, but for no reason around lunch time, I started feeling my moods plummet.

This is the first time using drugs in about half a year. Thanks for the responses though.