Expert: Ivan Goldberg, M.D. - 11/14/2007

Question
Here lately I'm wondering if I'm bipolar or a hypochondriac or what. I'm 17 and for nearly a year now I have been having off and on mood swings. They come in periods of 2 or 3 weeks every couple of months. The "little moments" usually have a beginning transition of extreme anger for a week before I get into the heavier stuff, the anger isn't as so bad as to injure anyone randomly but if I'm messed with there's a large possibility of it. During the "moments" I go through extreme giddiness, to the point of screaming and jumping about with pent up energy and happiness, into a very deep depressed state where I'm completely and fully ready to kill myself, going to the extent of pressing a blade to my wrists before I snap back out of it and laugh at myself and return to happiness or blahness. The transition between the happiness and giddiness use to be there, it'd take a minute or so, but now I snap from one to the other without waisting any time, the giddness and depression will only last for a few minutes and sometimes I switch between the 2 within a few seconds of each other. Anger mixes itself in there and when I'm not going through the worse moments theres always a constant blahness in the background. Luckily through the year I've only had 2..well I don't know what they were, I'm assuming they were panic attacks. Times were I just got extremely upset for no reason and started to hyperventilate while being completely calm and laughing through the breathlessness at myself. Anyway all I really wanted to know was if you thought I was being dramatic about nothing, or if I should go to the doctor, also kinda what am I leaning towards, if anything at all, if you could tell from my description. Thanks

Answer
Hi Fay . . .

I don't think that you are making it up, but of course there is no way I can know for sure.

It sounds as if you may have a mood disorder but there is no way that I can tell over the internet if you do or not.

I think the thing for you to do is to complete the questionnaire you can find at:
http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.bipolar-screening.html
and take it to your doctor ant tell the doctor of your concerns.

Best regards . . .
Ivan
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