Misdiagnosed With Bipolar Disorder
“ You are NOT alone”
My grandfather has battled with depression since 1988. He is a 67-year-old agriculturist who dedicated his life to his farm and his kin. Since he can recall, what triggered his symptoms was an emotional deception caused by a family member. When he was first diagnosed and treated for depression, the drug therapy that left him in remission was Wellbutrin in 2010. However, my grandfather relapsed nine years later, in 2019, and he has been searching for an answer since then.
A chronological series of events occurred that may be due to his relapse. In the same way he was first triggered, in 2019, several events also happened that may have been the cause of his symptoms, including the death of a family member and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Here he felt again deceived by the family member leaving him and the pandemic pausing his everyday life.
When I talk about his symptoms, I primarily mean anxiety, distress, anhedonia, and some sleep disturbance. However, when we talk about bipolar disorder, we mainly speak about mania or hypomania accompanied by a dramatic increase in energy, activity, and fast thinking.
None of these symptoms of bipolar my grandfather has presented. Who could help us solve this puzzle?
Mid COVID-19 pandemic, as a family we decided we could not wait any longer to have my grandfather seen by a psychiatrist. In the beginning, my grandfather was misdiagnosed and treated for bipolar disorder. The combination of medications he has gone through covered all classes of antidepressants, with mood stabilizers such as lithium or lamotrigine, and even antipsychotics like olanzapine. The list is endless, and truly all are fair game for bipolar disorder, but my grandfather’s anxiety and distress was constantly there.
After four psychiatrists and many failed therapy attempts, my grandfather was finally rightly diagnosed with anxiety and depression.
Today, we are still working on his depressed mood, with his loss of interest in activities that impair his daily life. However, therapy is trial and error, and we are still trying to figure out if his depression is caused by the combination of anxiety and distress that may be inducing changes in brain function. We can not say we found the light at the end of the tunnel just yet , but he himself now states how much better he feels and how his symptoms of anxiety and anguish have nullified.
If you or your loved one is dealing with any of these symptoms, do not give up on them and do not ignore it. Mental health is a behavioral disorder that requires a lot of emotional help and support. Make sure you let them know they are not alone.
Take care,
Sherley Bencosme, BS | Bencosms@husson.edu