Expert: Jennifer - 3/15/2009

Question
Hi,

I've been suffering from mental illnesses all of my life.  I started to see a therapist when I was two and now I'm 21.  I usually have cycles where I'll become extremely depressed in the winter and stop eating and then become energetic and gain up to 25 lbs in the summer.  None of my therapists have said that they think I could be bipolar mostly because I come across as depressed most of the time.  But I've always been the type of person that keeps their feelings inside and I usually only speak of things that make me depressed when I see my therapist.  I always assumed that I had seasonal affective disorder since I'm a warm weather person anyway but now I'm not so sure.  I know the signs of when I'm becoming depressed and my "happy" state but over the past few years it seems like my moods are not changing like they used to.  They're random now; sometimes I'm depressed in the summer, sometimes I'm "happy" in the winter, and sometimes my moods change multiple times in one day.  After writing this out, I realize that there are a lot of things that I haven't discussed with my therapist because I thought that they were normal.  I will see her soon and talk to her about it, but I was just wondering what you thought about my symptoms.  Do you think I could be bipolar?  It really would explain so much.  Sorry for such a long question!

Thank you,
Samantha

Answer
While it's not terribly relevant to the subject at hand, I am curious what caused you to begin seeing a therapist when you were two years old, and whether there was any indication of a more serious problem that would most commonly have been handled by referring you to a mental health provider who would be qualified to treat such issues.
 The typical therapist has a license that permits them to "counsel" families, married couples, and children although they are not able to prescribe medication. These providers will usually have their name followed by an.." M.F.C.C." to identify their licensing level.  In the event that a person feels that they may have a condition that requires medication to adequately treat the symptoms that they experience, they must make an appointment with a psychiatrist for an assessment and any recommendations for treatment that may be available based on this type of professional's opinion. Because of the limitations that I face when answering questions here, it is difficult for me to make any real definitive statements regarding whether or not someone is suffering from a mental illness, bipolar or otherwise, I feel that the best response is to recommend making an appointment with a psychiatrist or getting a referral from the state health services department (for those who receive health care services from the government due to income or other qualifications) to determine whether or not they have a condition that should be treated with medication as the more appropriate means rather than "talk-therapy" services.