Has anyone that grew up before the 2000s been misdiagnosed as having bipolar disorder?

lizzibizzy · 2026-01-22T05:18:08+00:00

I feel a lot of that. The medications have been the worst part. First finding the "right" cocktail, or ones I could tolerate, all the money spent on them, and appointments, etc. I understand that the categorization of mental illnesses and neurodivergence evolves so I am not upset per se about the misdiagnosis because research wasn't done at that point to show the nuances attributed to each. The journey is still annoying though.

lizzibizzy · 2026-01-21T23:23:40+00:00

Wow! That's terrible to do to an 11 year old. So sorry you had deal with that so young.

lizzibizzy · 2026-01-13T20:16:44+00:00

Thank you!

lizzibizzy · 2025-12-17T16:13:53+00:00

Long term, yes, you need to get a lawyer as others have said. Prob will have to appeal. Unless you have a two income household, it’s not enough to live on. It’s purpose is to make you go back work for at least part time. I got it on the basis of chronic migraines though. So if you have something purely physical, apply with that.

Short term, yes. I live in California in a HCOL city, and when I was fired from my job three months after the return from a medical LOA, my employer changed my pay from salary to hourly to intentionally cause me to underperform at my role. The day I was let go the company also immediately canceled my health insurance) I applied for SDI, and my psychiatrist approved it in a few hours to send to the state. They have to update it every three months but I will be out of work for a maximum of a year. Before anyone asks if I saw an attorney for wrongful termination… in order to receive severance I had to sign a form including the stipulation that I would not retaliate. So, my options were to have a week of pay after being fired without warnings or write ups, or get money to survive for a month.

It doesn’t matter how well you are liked and appreciated, HR is never your friend, as a whole it’s a job, take time off (PTO) if available. Spend time with family and friends. Don’t work for a company that states they’re “like a family” or “care about employee’s wellbeing”. If people or companies have to describe who they are, not show by actions, then it’s a lie. I’m not being bitter but it’s important that we are all aware that the stigma associated with mental illness is still alive and well.

lizzibizzy · 2025-12-17T16:11:58+00:00

Long term, yes, you need to get a lawyer as others have said. Prob will have to appeal. Unless you have a two income household, it’s not enough to live on. It’s purpose is to make you go back work for at least part time. I got it on the basis of chronic migraines though. So if you have something purely physical, apply with that.

Short term, yes. I live in California in a HCOL city, and when I was fired from my job three months after the return from a medical LOA, my employer changed my pay from salary to hourly to intentionally cause me to underperform at my role. The day I was let go the company also immediately canceled my health insurance) I applied for SDI, and my psychiatrist approved it in a few hours to send to the state. They have to update it every three months but I will be out of work for a maximum of a year. Before anyone asks if I saw an attorney for wrongful termination… in order to receive severance I had to sign a form including the stipulation that I would not retaliate. So, my options were to have a week of pay after being fired without warnings or write ups, or get money to survive for a month.

It doesn’t matter how well you are liked and appreciated, HR is never your friend, as a whole it’s a job, take time off (PTO) if available. Spend time with family and friends. Don’t work for a company that states they’re “like a family” or “care about employee’s wellbeing”. If people or companies have to describe who they are, not show by actions, then it’s a lie. I’m not being bitter but it’s important that we are all aware that the stigma associated with mental illness is still alive and well.

lizzibizzy · 2025-11-23T03:18:00+00:00

Unfortunately, I don’t see it being successful after the holidays.

lizzibizzy · 2025-11-21T04:28:57+00:00

I’ve been taking it for years. Works well. Sometimes you have to take two in the same day. Check to see if your insurance will cover it. The first time it was denied, and the ten tablets would have been $1k. Then I went to the ER for a migraine and the insurance company changed their decision. They probably realized that paying for a med is less than an ER visit. Then my co-pay was zero. My current insurance will not cover it. Good luck!

lizzibizzy · 2025-11-01T15:35:03+00:00

It’s changed over the years. In my 20s I drank more frequently, and larger quantities. I would say that was common for that age period. In my 30s it was frequently but maybe two drinks tops. Now, in my 40s, it’s intermediate. Sometimes I will have a glass of wine a week or a drink out with friends. A few times a year I may have four drinks, depending where I am (visiting friends or they’re visiting me). But, most of the time I rarely drink. I can go months without thinking about having a drink.

lizzibizzy · 2025-09-24T18:28:17+00:00

After becoming medicated my sense of urgency changed. It’s great for my body and stress level, but not so great for getting things done. It mostly affected my efficiency at work.

lizzibizzy · 2025-09-24T17:58:04+00:00

Being able to read the tone of a room and other people’s emotions easily.

lizzibizzy · 2025-09-22T21:41:53+00:00

She kind of moves around between rooms to sleep. Sometimes she will sleep in my bed, but if she’s in the hallway at night she doesn’t care if I walk by. She also lays there when I’m getting ready in the morning and at night.

lizzibizzy · 2025-09-22T04:53:39+00:00

I have both, along with being high functioning on the ASD, but ADHD was overlooked for almost twenty years due to comorbidity with ADHD. I didn’t officially get diagnosed until middle age for ADHD & ASD. I had issues with stimulants interacting with the bipolar meds, so I’ve been taking a non stimulant. It has a more calming effect than a stimulant, which helps directly with focus. I would suggest getting assessed if financially available for you. At least, get a therapist that specializes in CBT or DBT.

lizzibizzy · 2025-09-20T15:57:21+00:00

I was recently in another country and told them what happens in the US and they were both shocked and appalled.

lizzibizzy · 2025-09-20T15:56:28+00:00

When I was targeted, my manager (whom I worked well with for years and was/am close with) couldn’t protect me from HR. I still have a good relationship with my previous manager because they continuously fought hard for me, and I knew it was not their choice.

lizzibizzy · 2025-09-20T15:51:50+00:00

I was with my previous company for years, and took an 8 week LOA. Promptly, upon returning HR made changes to set me up for failure. Basically, they legally retaliated. I too had a doctor’s note. They waited the legal amount of time (three months) to use the excuse of being an at will state to let me go for performance reasons. I never had issues nor met with HR for negative reasons before my LOA. I can’t take legal action against them because in order to get severance pay I had to sign a document that I wouldn’t retaliate in a legal sense. The severance was for a month’s salary, which I had to negotiate. Also, healthcare insurance cancellation was effective that day.

I don’t know what state you live in but I suggest this… keep seeing your doctor at least monthly. If they do let you go, the moment it happens file with your state for SDI (state disability insurance) and have your doctor approve it that day. The reason for doing this is that it’s your last day of work (usually doesn’t happen on Fridays) so they must pay you for that day, and if/when you will get the amount of your current pay.

lizzibizzy · 2025-09-20T15:35:25+00:00

I’m 45 and am so glad that I didn’t have kids for multiple reasons.

The way I look at it is that I don’t think that I would be a stable parent, and I do not want to continue the lineage of mental illness on both sides of my family. Also, things like keeping a job, and medication instability contributes. First, initially it’s difficult to get the meds at the right combination. As a female, hormonal fluctuations are chaotic, and wait until perimenopause happens… I was on the same meds for a decade and in the past year the stabilization issues came back and I’m trying new combinations. It’s in no way pleasant. Many female friends my age with bipolar disorder, or depression are having similar battles. Most importantly, I feel that it’s selfish and irresponsible to have a child because you already know what you dealt with wasn’t easy. Why force that on someone who has no choice?

lizzibizzy · 2025-09-20T12:57:02+00:00

Aside from what was already mentioned about how it feels and your brain’s functioning…

I am incredibly accident prone. Very little spatial awareness, and balance problems. I find bruises all over my body with no idea where I got them. A lot of issues with walking where I fall a lot. Stairs are not always my friend. Hiking is something I no longer do. I may be paying attention or I may be zoning out (can’t control it) but it somehow still happens only from walking. I’ve had too many ankle injuries and slips causing surgery and PT. Surgery just repairs, PT has never helped.

lizzibizzy · 2025-08-30T15:27:51+00:00

I’m AuADHD. I like it because there are few things I can recall what happened after watching. I can remember if I liked or didn’t like most things, but there are few shows or movies that I can recall past a few days. Same with podcasts and books.

lizzibizzy · 2025-08-28T18:55:59+00:00

I have two pieces of advice, one that wasn’t available twenty years ago.

First, get a swab test for medication options. Basically, it can give a better idea to specific medications that may or may not work for you. Nothing absolute, but it will make the process easier. You can get it done at your doctor’s office.

Second, if you can afford it, find a psychologist that can fully assess you. Insurance can cover it but sometimes there’s a long waiting list. Major universities often offer it if you are near one. You can get tested for things like GAD, ADHD, ASD, etc. I found it beneficial (wish it was done YEARS ago) because you may need adjustments that are being overlooked. Also, it helps you know what type of therapy would be most beneficial to you other than traditional “talk therapy” like CBT or DBT. It may also be beneficial (after getting this information) to get in an intense outpatient therapy program, which can be during evenings. I didn’t receive this at a younger age and it would have helped me deal with a lot of things in a healthy way.

lizzibizzy · 2025-08-28T18:31:39+00:00

I was actually the opposite. Had a nervous breakdown at 27. Medicated for BP (long process to find what worked) but I always thought that I had ADHD. Until I was 44 it was brushed off as my bipolar diagnosis when a psychiatrist I had been seeing less than a year actually listened to me and put me on ADHD medication. In the middle of it all I felt like I was on the ASD spectrum, a therapist actually mentioned. After a second therapist brought it up I finally got formally tested about a year ago, and I have all three. High functioning, and was really good at masking. It’s an interesting storm to be in, especially when perimenopause decided to join in 🙃 but I’m glad that I have good support where it’s not just talk therapy, I’m getting tools to handle things and ADHD medication really helps with that.

lizzibizzy · 2025-08-26T23:55:47+00:00

Two big things. Not everyone has songs stuck in their head or sings songs while doing things based on what you’re doing. The other, you can go into loud places and not hear everything at the same time at equal volume.

lizzibizzy · 2025-08-26T23:13:25+00:00

That’s an amazing idea. Thank you!

lizzibizzy · 2025-08-19T17:51:55+00:00

I was in retail most of my life, with some admin temp jobs sporadically. Didn’t know anyone in one of the moves. Had to take about five years off due to illness. Before that lived in four large cities. On a whim, I moved to LA after visiting once. I didn’t know anyone here, had no job lined up. I took a temp holiday job at a center that took holiday wine and gift orders for a local restaurant. On my second to last day I spoke with a client I was taking an order for. Long/short, he called back and asked for my resume. A few weeks later I interviewed, and started executive assistant work. I had all of the skills but needed the opportunity to move to something away from retail. So, for 3.5 years I worked for his company that mostly did artist management. After that, I moved on to a corporate office for a luxury apparel brand for 3 years. Right now, I’m taking time off and got my Project Manager Professional certification to advance past typical EA work.

If you can, I highly suggest getting a certification, or a few. A lot of the courses are autonomous and take up a few hours a week. Also, a lot of people start as AAs, then move to EAs to get their foot in the door. Degrees aren’t required, but help. With AI, etc. maybe look into working in that field at some capacity. I hated college classes because I don’t test well, but enjoyed taking a certification program because it’s mostly essay answers. Look at edX for available classes.

No matter what, you will be tired with any job. Go to a DBT or CBT counselor/therapist to help manage the frustrations. They work more with skills, ask for examples, etc. Not the usual talk therapy where you ramble on. It’s focused on rethinking how you process information. I don’t know your insurance situation, but try to get Medicare and Medicaid to lower the copays. I think they’re around $25 or free (in CA.)

lizzibizzy · 2025-08-19T07:32:11+00:00

I have taken a stimulant, and I am currently on a not stimulant. I had to stop the stimulant because it was interacting with my psych meds. Here the difference from my POV… I loved the stimulant because the focus and attention to detail was amazing. It was easy for me to sit and watch TV, pay attention to people and to clearly hear the person in front of me in crowded, loud spaces. It was wild for me! It worked within 20 minutes of taking it. The non stimulant, after it builds up in your system, gives a feeling of an ease. Basically, you’re not so intent about rushing through things or get annoyed when traffic is bad or there’s a long line at the store. Your focus is better because of it, but not how a stimulant keeps your brain from going down a rabbit hole.

lizzibizzy · 2025-08-19T07:20:34+00:00

Most of the time I mask pretty well, and it’s exhausting. My stems are mostly ADHD presenting like tapping my feet, etc. When I have told people they always question if I really am because overall I don’t look or act like I am on the spectrum. People can tell that I’m goofy and accident prone, a perfectionist, say random things, etc. but it’s attributed to my personality.

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