Misdiagnosis: Is It Bipolar Disorder or Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Thank you for your comments. I couldn't agree more. I have had a lot of
success working with patients who experienced trauma when young. The
effort to avoid thinking about the trauma is one of the main reasons teens
start, and continue, using drugs. I developed a short cognitive
intervention that has helped over 80% of my patients deal with the trauma
.. with most remaining active in mental health treatment, stopping/reducing
their drug use, and regaining control of their lives.

facebook.com/mycareconnection

On Sun, Aug 22, 2021 at 1:10 PM PACEsConnection <
communitymanager@acesconnection.com> wrote:

Kia ora (hello in Maori) @Howard Eisenberg, PhD LCSWC

I agree that the two overlaps and may co-exist hence why it is so very important to access a full history of life experiences from the person.

The difficulty of course is that the person has often lost trust with people including those who want and can help.

That is why TIME is so important - TIME to build a trusting relationship and TIME to unpack the life history

Plus people do not understand the impact of adverse experiences on their mental and physical health - that the body keeps a score (D. Bessel van der Kolk)

That is why people need to be TRAUMA-INFORMED

As to medication - YES there is a place for medication but it needs to be carefully administered and monitored. I was prescribed so many medications that I have no idea what but I do know this. I was prescribed medication to offset the side effects of the medication so I got layers of medication. And I got addicted to some medication - especially Lorazepam and Zoplicone and other benzo's.

The anger component was always there. I was an angry person because, well, people caused me harm. I constantly lived in a state of hypervigilance plus it is extremely difficult to run from my brain.

Anger versus dysregulation...is it anger and/or dysregulation

Anger management has such a negative connotation

Yes, I was and I still am angry and that won't go away until I resolve what happened to me and until I change my negative core beliefs.

So this is what I think would be a helpful course of action, from my life experiences

1. EDUCATE the person so that they KNOW about the impact of adverse experiences AND the importance of positive experiences like the importance of human connection

2. MEDICATE but only if required and PLEASE clearly INFORM the person and ensure they are ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS in the DECISION-MAKING process

3. BUILD a TRUSTING RELATIONSHIP with the person...WITH the person

4. Give the person TIME

Now I do understand that people are swamped and time is limited especially  for psychiatrists and mental health workers so here is a suggestion:

REFER the person to a COUNSELLOR and give them a LIST of COUNSELLORS

And tell the person - If the COUNSELLOR does not work for you then keep looking because there WILL be a Counsellor that is a good fit for you

We all need to empower people.

We all need to believe that we all have the resources within ourselves to help ourselves.

We need to EDUCATE people and give them the TOOLS to help themselves

Because we will have to manage ourselves LONG AFTER our rescuers LEAVE US

We will all MOVE ON

So PLEASE give us the KNOWLEDGE and TOOLS to do what we need in order to survive

I HOPE this helps

HOPE helps us all

I find the two overlap and co-exist.  The bipolar is treatable with medication and I have had great success eliminating/reducing symptoms of the CPTSD.  Once the symptoms are addressed patients usually become much more focused on their treatment and progress rather quickly. 

I am concerned about the Sensory Overloads that most patients identify that contribute directly to anger management issues.  I have not seen anything on this but would like to know if you have had any success with this. 

This happened to me ~ misdiagnosis of Bipolar Affective Disorder when in fact I had PTSD

I live in NZ

I am so glad I got it sorted
I had to get a second opinion from a "credible" psychiatrist

My ACC psychiatrist reports did not go to the Counties Manukau DHB and I was too traumatised to read, let alone share my ACC psychiatrist reports with Adult Mental Health Services

Just goes to show the importance of having a safe, trusting relationship with your doctor and TIME to share your life story.

Both are not provided by Adult Mental Health Services because they are currently like a chicken production line.....you know the type ...

You get on a conveyor belt and move quickly from one person to the next until you are packaged and labeled then shipped out

That is why we need doctors especially psychiatrists who are trauma-informed so they spend time to find out.....

WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS PERSON TO MAKE THEM BEHAVE THE WAY THEY DO???