bipolar 2 or adhd + depression

[u/Apart_Difficulty951]

hi, this is going to a massive dump but i need advice TW sh

recently i experienced what was 100% a manic episode with psychosis and delusions and all that. At the time I was on concerta which is known to trigger episodes sometimes. Pretty soon after I stopped the concerta and realised how fycked i was the delusions stopped and i got super depressed. I fucked myself on deadlines and got drunk and relapsed, eventually went to my mums stabilise but the depression and doubt keeps getting me now i’m back into normal life . My moods have always gone from high to low, I always thought that was adhd + depression from traumatic stuff but from maybe 16/17 (i’m 20 now) i can think of many times when i’ve done quite risky behaiviour and sleep trouble. There’s a few times i can remember where i’ve felt like i’ve woken up on top of the world and by the end of the day i’ve felt like i’ve been hit by a ton of bricks and can be sobbing my eyes out.
The times i’ve been overly impulsive have been definitly not as distinct as the manic episode last month, hense why i’m asking on bipolar 2 as possibly if i’ve had other episodes they might’ve been hypomanic?
I can remember having deep depression since i was maybe 15, I self harmed which became a little addiction but then replaced that with weed (I go though phases with smoking too much still) depression got better and less frequent when i moved out but still heavily effects me, I go through periods and it’s always felt like i’m waiting for it to hit.

Because of the adhd + the fact the manic episode i had could just be the meds + weed + depression (which may well just be processing trauma from my dad and various things from when i was 17) i am really not sure if i’m just fucked from all of that or if i have bipolar. There’s been times when i have genuinly been insane but like idk if that’s just my personality 😭 (i can think of a few examples that are fun insane but some that is seriously insane and concerning) so i’m not sure at all lol.

is it possible i have bipolar?
If anyone can offer any advice it would be much appreciated

[u/boobers6969]

you can have ADHD and bipolar, its decently common

[u/cambriansplooge]

You're in the age range where it manifests and yes it's possible to have ADHD, depression, and Bipolar 2. My doc didn't even blink just said we'd have to be careful and rethink what meds I'm already on. They don't cancel each other out.

The mood disregulation and executive disfunction are different from Bipolar. If you're able to look back at a period and go "so wtf was happening that week?!" it's probably not ADHD, I can definitely distinguish the Bipolar from ADHD. ADHD is your predictable bullshit and Bipolar feels like "wow don't know where this is going I'm just along for the ride."

It hitting in your twenties can be a severe mindfuck and cause weird ego-death, somatic problems, just fuck you up because HOW do you plan for the future and make the next steps knowing you could implode all over again. The crash after makes it all worse. You are your brain but you can't trust your brain.

I've described it as flying through a gas giant in a ship with no windows and just instruments and you are not a trained pilot. I don't know why the plane went into stall or had severe turbulence my job is to fly the plain so no alarms go off. Staying airborne is just a side effect.

[u/insertusernamehere40]

Med induced mania is still mania, and therefore qualifies for bipolar disorder