Posted by shiraz on March 16, 2004, at 8:00:24
In reply to Does treated bipolar get worse over time?, posted by hundredhugs on March 16, 2004, at 5:30:27
According to my doctor, untreated bp does get worse
over time in the sense that it leads to rapid cycling which is more debilitating than infrequent
mood swings. For people who respond to meds, bp can
be fully stabilized (12 years in my case). I don't think a doctor would say that you have gone from bp2
to bp1 but that you were bp1 all along and have just
had your first (known) hypomanic episode. I believe
there is some evidence that bp1's respond better to mood stabilizers (lithium, valproic acid) than bp2's so there is a good chance that you have nothing to worry about.
poster:shiraz
thread:324861
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040313/msgs/324875.html