Bi-polar at 30 years old?

Question

Diagnosed at a late age, is this true?

Answer 1

yes, I was diagnosed at 27...but I know I had it way before..it can go undiagnosed for years...usually being mistaken for depression until you have a severe manic episode...good luck :)

Answer 2

u always had it, but did not know  

Answer 3

Absolutely. In fact, I'm 30 years old and just recently was diagnosed as having Bipolar II disorder and am currently taking Lamictal as a mood stabilizer.

Without knowing more about your mental health history it is difficult to address your question more specifically. For example, if you have had previous diagnoses of mental health disorders and have been prescribed medications for say, chronic clinical depression, there's a specific treatment for that.

However, I have found that it is sometimes a process of trial and error for both the doctor and the patient to determine what the correct diagnosis should be. Until recently I didn't realize that I suffer from Bipolar II disorder because I understood Bipolar to mean that a person should be experiencing serious highs and lows between mania and depression. My experience is different in that I have hypomanic episodes, which are not nearly as severe.

I always had a sneaking suspicion that I had some kind of mood disorder, but because of the stigma in Western culture against those with any sort of mental health problems, I never bothered to address these problems until a couple of years ago. It is due to my self-awareness and relationship with my physicians that I am on track to manage my symptoms so that they don't interfere with my day-to-day life or when crises occur.  

Answer 4

It can happen at any age.

It usually triggers at a very stressful time or just after.

Answer 5

Yep it can happen... Chances are, you have had it a while, but the Dr.'s finally figured out what was going on.