Yes. I am a bipolar, and right now i traverse a hipomaniacal episode. But I try to conceal it from my doctor and family, because I enjoy it to much. And, aflter all, it is completely under control. I am sure that, if I told my psychiatrist about the fact that I am feeling unusualy up-lifted she would increase my dosage of antipsychotic and mood-stabilizer. The only person who knows about this (besides me, of course) is my psychoanalyst, who sais that the nature of this ‘episode’ is not yet pathological. And I agree. After all I am veru functional, especially at work, where I enjoy increased efficiency and work volume.
To conclude: Yup, I lie. Because the hipomanic episodes do not disturb me, so I have no desire to suppress them.

How many doctors you think lie to their patients?

This is meant as an important question, and not to be ‘oppositional’.

My guess is that the more a doctor lies and not tells the truth, the same gores for his/her patient. (like, they go together)

Also, can the doctor handle the truth? does the doctor even want to hear the truth? is he even interested?

These are all questions that need to be considered before asking Joe Kraymak’s question here.

Of course most all drug addicts lie to their doctors but…

Why bother telling your psychiatrist that you had a wonderful weekend if he is going to interpret that as manic immediately?

I am not bi-polar but as a rule, I’d say that i have to lie in order to be believed! People, even doctors, are not good at believing the truth!

PS: Now i will try to prove that i am a person and not a spam script, and as a result my comment may get lost.

I guess i have not proven i am a person as i have to do ‘this thing’ again. Except, the last time i gave up and ‘it’ let me through anyway.

I thought I would share something that speaks to my earlier comment. Many years ago, and after I watched my best friend die in-front of me, I became addicted to a prescription drug.

It became really bad and i was very, very scared, and felt i really had lost control, and I knew I needed help. In fact, I needed inpatient treatment.

To make a long story short, it is not easy to have to tell your doctor that you have a severe problem with a drug addiction. I mean, as bad as it is, there is always an ambivalence.

But I managed to talk about it, and was so relieved that I was heard. Except, the doctor did not hear me for what I was telling him, but for what I thought was my problem and that of course he knew better I did not have. he thought that by just talking about it, that was the cure.

And it was not just him, as i eventually proceeded in telling others about this, as it was really serious and I felt I was going to kill myself against my own will, and I had young children.

Well, nobody ever did take me seriously because I was not in denial? I am serious! you have to be in denial to be a drug addict, and I did not qualify.

Not to mention the last straw of when I spoke to a supposedly expert in addictions. (and I had just been told that my kidneys are failing, diabetes, high BP, and I had been found unconscious by my kids twice in a week.)

He told me that I had no problems at all except for moral problems and that I was healthy as a cow, and that i should never be allowed out of prison.

I’ve been diagnosed as bipolar by both a psychiatric nurse practitioner and my PhD therapist. The former thinks I have bipolar ii and the latter, bipolar i. The reason why it took so long to diagnose (I’m now 30) is not because of lies, but unintentional omissions. My super “up” periods seemed to be the real me…who I wanted to be…so it never registered that they were a part of a larger disorder. I thought my problem was just the severe depression. My regular manic (not hypomanic) episodes (several identified in the past week at age 20, 23, and 29) were not full of elation, but rather insomnia, irritability, and impulsiveness for weeks and at times months. That can just seem like anxiety/depression too.

So, have I ever lied to any of my doctors? No. But if you don’t know what you’re dealing with, you can leave out details you don’t know are important to what you see as your problem. I was afraid of medication (and kind of still am since we’ve not found the right combo in all this time and I’m not feeling so great at the moment) until last summer when I decided to give it a try out of a last ditch effort, but my fear of it never caused me to lie about my depression, it just kept me from going to psychiatrists and MDs for most of my life.

I agree with the others who have issues with the authorities who don’t listen or make assumptions about one’s health and mental state as if it’s their body or they’ve seen enough cases to generalize about the individual patient. That can turn a patient cynical and less cooperative if not hostile. I think most people go to doctors for help and they realize if they’re not honest, they won’t get the help they need.

I am not bipolar, I do have ADHD which requires me to visit with a psychiatric nurse practitioner on a regular basis for perscriptions. I have tried to be as honest as possible however there have been some instances when I have found it easier to avoid being completely open.

For instance, in the initial evaluation she asked if I had ever had suicidal thoughts, I think that to some degree all of us have had a fleeting moment of questioning this though it does not usually escalate to the level of actually taking action.

Also, I denied ever having had an eating disorder because I know that the medications for ADHD are not recommended for use in individuals with eating disorders. I believe that I am not currently in a situation where that factor is of concern and that treating the ADHD is of greater value than the risks associated potential eating disorders at this time.

In addition, I frequently avoid discussing areas of my life affected by ADHD that could still use improving upon because she often tends to over analyse things and is not able to relate in many instances. Any negative discussion tends to prompt her to suggesting antidepresants which I have not found to be of any help in dealing with my particular issues.

So, bottom line is, yes I have lied to doctors. However not out of a desire to be dishonest but as a means to benifit my treatment.

Have I lied to my doctor? you betcha. I would never admit that I think of suicide daily, Have done so since I waa a child. I wake up every morning and evaluate wether I will live this day or not. Truth is, I have too many people depending on me to leave now. But once they are all gone…who knows.
Do I sound depressed? sure, But I am used to being this way. Don’t feel comfortable on meds that make me artificially happy. And I don’t want to go back to having to pay someone just to whine to them. So I quit therapy and meds. Not officially bipolar, but I have always been aware of rapid mood swings, just never so high and happy, more irritable snapping at people, but always short lived and back to the down feeling where it seems I will be pretty much forever.

I tend to be the opposite. As a retired RN, I tend to see all kinds of “symptoms.” So I wait until I absolutely have to see my doctor and then I let him have it will all my self-diagnoses. I list all the symptoms and any other details.

Sometimes he’ll (very politely) tell me he doesn’t agree and why. Sometimes he thinks it’s worth following up on and orders a few blood tests. I’m not crazy about testing, it’s just that I’m familiar with all of it so I don’t fear any procedures.

Nine times out of ten, the results come back “normal” which is really quite reasurring to me.

It also tells me to refrain from being so eager to rattle off signs and symptoms. I’m not the one who went to medical school, but….. I get a bit of satisfaction when I’m able to say, “I knew it!”

We both laugh then. (usually) I have a great doctor.

I have not explained the extent of some of my more scary symptoms (delusions/hallucinations). I also tinker with my meds without telling my doctor, which is a form of lying I suppose.

“have you had patients who have attempted to sway you to facilitate their own agenda?” Isn’t there a problem if the doctor’s decided that (s)he has a different agenda than the patient? The people who’ve mentioned suicidal thoughts as something they’ve avoided telling doctors about almost certainly saved themselves some trouble, possibly some serious, life-altering trouble. A doctor who over-reacts to the word “suicide” could easily take some steps that would a make a miserable person’s life feel even less worth living and that would have a significant negative effect on that person long after any suicidal thoughts had subsided.

Yes I have lied to doctors while in JPS / Trinity Springs and WFSH just to get out of there. After being in so many time for overdosing I know what they need to hear to make them think I was better but still felt like a danger to myself many times. I never stayed on my medications either, to me they never helped slove the problems anyway so why waste my time and money on things like that. I still have a lot of mood changes but who doesn’t. I tend to take things out on some people not intending to but I have a family who cares and understands the life I have been through. Who wouldn’t want to kill themselves after losing their children, home, spouse. My kids are grown now and I see them sometimes but still have a hard time dealing with some stress issues even at work I get depressed. And yes the medications I believe cause a lot of side effects. I became a diabetic after being hospitalized many times for my Bipolar, Borderline personality. I even went as far to bark at the doctor in WFSH. I told him that some one in there had to have a since of humor to keep things from being too bored. And yes the doctors do lie too. They told me I would get out in one week then they test you to see if you can handle the truth that is why I overdosed in there.I will never take anything else for my depression but let God handle my problems.
Thanks Miley Atwood; Jackson, Sampley, McClain

well for me my case is differ. i dealt with battles of emotions since i was little but just never spoke to anyone about it cause i dont wanna have that lable of being bipolar i just want to be me. but as time is going on i see that i might need help with dealing with it so i need to see or speak to a doctor before i can nolonger handle it. so to answer the question yes i have hid things from my doctor…..