--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I knew something was wrong; I was…" description: "\"I knew something was wrong; I was constantly tired, and I'd developed numbness on my left side. I'd also become paranoid that my boyfriend was cheating..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d7/susannah-cahalan-12404_cheating_i-knew-something-was-wrong-i-was-constan_1143620.jpg" --- # I knew something was wrong; I was constantly tired, and… ![“I knew something was wrong; I was constantly tired, and I'd developed numbness on my left side. I'd also become paranoid that my boyfriend was cheating on me. I thought I was having a nervous breakdown. One psychiatrist told me I was bipolar.” quote by Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d7/susannah-cahalan-12404_cheating_i-knew-something-was-wrong-i-was-constan_1143620.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d7/susannah-cahalan-12404_cheating_i-knew-something-was-wrong-i-was-constan_1143620.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d7/susannah-cahalan-12404_cheating_i-knew-something-was-wrong-i-was-constan_1143620.jpg) > “I knew something was wrong; I was constantly tired, and I'd developed numbness on my left side. I'd also become paranoid that my boyfriend was cheating on me. I thought I was having a nervous breakdown. One psychiatrist told me I was bipolar.” [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator misinterprets severe health symptoms, leading to a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder. **In simple terms:** Misdiagnosis can arise from overlapping symptoms. Key Takeaway Seek thorough medical evaluation for complex symptoms. Themes health diagnosis mental health self‑awareness Mood cautionary informative Type personal medical When to use this quote - clinical assessment - patient education - support groups - healthcare policy Key Concepts neurology psychiatry patient advocacy Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate a need for second opinion? - How can clinicians avoid diagnostic bias? A Different Perspective Self‑diagnosis and bias can delay proper treatment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bipolar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bipolar/) [Cheating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheating/) [Developed Numbness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/developed-numbness-3200038/) [Left Paranoid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-paranoid-3200037/) [Nervous breakdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nervous-breakdown/) [Paranoid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paranoid/) [Psychiatrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychiatrist/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Tired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tired/) [Told Bipolar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told-bipolar-3200036/) ## Related quotes > [A quick glance at the American left reveals a movement in the midst of a nervous breakdown, displaying behavior that goes beyond inconsistency into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-medved/a-quick-glance-at-the-american-left-reveals-a-movement-in-the-midst/) [Michael Medved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-medved/) > [“Bipolar and paranoid. Throw in schizophrenic and you’ve hit the trifecta. They have padded rooms for people like you. Some of them even come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-gerard/bipolar-and-paranoid-throw-in-schizophrenic-and-you-ve-hit-the/) [Cindy Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-gerard/) > [One of the symptoms of approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important, and that to take a holiday would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/one-of-the-symptoms-of-approaching-nervous-breakdown-is-the-belief/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“Life is an on-going nervous breakdown culminating in death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-higgins/life-is-an-on-going-nervous-breakdown-culminating-in-death/) [Sean Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-higgins/) > [Everybody comes up with this term lucky-"Oh, she's so lucky." Even though I was lucky, I had a lot of struggle before that. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freida-pinto/everybody-comes-up-with-this-term-lucky-oh-she-s-so-lucky-even-though/) [Freida Pinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freida-pinto/) > [I think I'm having a nervous breakdown. How much can one man suffer? I must for a time go, find once again my balance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/i-think-i-m-having-a-nervous-breakdown-how-much-can-one-man-suffer-i/) [Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/) > [“(If you'd like to see it, I've been keeping a log of department meetings ranked according to level of trauma, with a 1 indicating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-schumacher-dear-committee-members/if-you-d-like-to-see-it-i-ve-been-keeping-a-log-of-department/) [Julie Schumacher Dear Committee Members](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-schumacher-dear-committee-members/) > [Nobody gets a nervous breakdown or a heart attack from selling kerosene to gentle country folk from the back of a tanker in Somerset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/nobody-gets-a-nervous-breakdown-or-a-heart-attack-from-selling/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [I had a nervous breakdown at 17 when my first love left me, and he was a typical bad boy, albeit a charismatic one,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-leavitt/i-had-a-nervous-breakdown-at-17-when-my-first-love-left-me-and-he-was/) [Caroline Leavitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-leavitt/) > [It's unthinkable not to love -you'd have a severe nervous breakdown. Or you'd have to be Philip Larkin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/it-s-unthinkable-not-to-love-you-d-have-a-severe-nervous-breakdown-or/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“Delve into the unconscious, to learn the codes inside the unconscious, to discover what are its views of reality. No amount of conscious desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-galian/delve-into-the-unconscious-to-learn-the-codes-inside-the-unconscious/) [Laurence Galian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-galian/) > [Everybody faces obstacles. And I looked to people who had been through many to succeed in life. Abraham Lincoln, born to a poor family,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-winfield/everybody-faces-obstacles-and-i-looked-to-people-who-had-been-through/) [Dave Winfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-winfield/) > [I understand why creative people like dark, but American audiences dont like dark. They like story. They do not respond to nervous breakdowns and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-moonves/i-understand-why-creative-people-like-dark-but-american-audiences/) [Leslie Moonves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-moonves/) > [When Mom had her first nervous breakdown, she said she had a vision of Christ coming to her in the living room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spalding-gray/when-mom-had-her-first-nervous-breakdown-she-said-she-had-a-vision-of/) [Spalding Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spalding-gray/) > [“I’ve had boyfriends before, and frankly, each one was a disappointment. There was nothing horribly wrong with these boys. It was my fault. I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-bushnell/i-ve-had-boyfriends-before-and-frankly-each-one-was-a-disappointment/) [Candace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-bushnell/) ## More by Susannah Cahalan > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [When you want to write well, wake up at 5 A.M.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/when-you-want-to-write-well-wake-up-at-5-a-m/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [The true story of how my husband, Stephen, and I exchanged our first 'I love you's' - chronicled in my 2012 memoir 'Brain on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/the-true-story-of-how-my-husband-stephen-and-i-exchanged-our-first-i/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [On April 2, the nurses started my first round of five intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) infusions. 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When the brain works well, all of the lights twinkle brilliantly, and it’s adaptable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/the-mind-is-like-a-circuit-of-christmas-tree-lights-when-the-brain/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [“Stephen was alluring in that languid, stay-out-all-night kind of way: a musician with long, unkempt hair, a skinny smoker’s frame, and an encyclopedic knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/stephen-was-alluring-in-that-languid-stay-out-all-night-kind-of-way-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [“A string of multicolored Christmas lights roped around the length of the yard, and Ryan Adams played in the background.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/a-string-of-multicolored-christmas-lights-roped-around-the-length-of/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [When my disease nearly destroyed me in 2009, my doctors thought I'd be lucky to regain 80 percent of my cognitive abilities. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/when-my-disease-nearly-destroyed-me-in-2009-my-doctors-thought-i-d-be/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [“Someone once asked, "If you could take it all back, would you?" At the time I didn't know. Now I do. I wouldn't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/someone-once-asked-if-you-could-take-it-all-back-would-you-at-the/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [The most dangerous age is 14. If you know any teenagers, this might not come as a surprise, but research has confirmed that risk-taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/the-most-dangerous-age-is-14-if-you-know-any-teenagers-this-might-not/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [It's hard to imagine a time when lobster pots weren't part of a well-equipped kitchen, but America's love affair with the two-clawed crustaceans didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/it-s-hard-to-imagine-a-time-when-lobster-pots-weren-t-part-of-a-well/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [Redheads feel hot and cold temperatures more severely than anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/redheads-feel-hot-and-cold-temperatures-more-severely-than-anyone-else/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [In Greek myth, a chimera is a creepy combination of lion, goat, dragon - in humans, chimeras are one person who contains two sets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/in-greek-myth-a-chimera-is-a-creepy-combination-of-lion-goat-dragon/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) [Explore all 55 Susannah Cahalan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) ## More Bipolar quotes > [Sometimes labeling is only useful, like with OCD. Once you're labeled you can be treated. On other occasions labeling leads to tyranny, like with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/sometimes-labeling-is-only-useful-like-with-ocd-once-you-re-labeled/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Society takes what it wants. The artist himself does not count, because there is no actual existence for the work of art. The work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/society-takes-what-it-wants-the-artist-himself-does-not-count-because/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [It's more common than not that bipolar illness will start in the teens. One of the reasons I spend a lot of time on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/it-s-more-common-than-not-that-bipolar-illness-will-start-in-the/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [Every seventeen minutes in America, someone commits suicide. Mostly, I have been impressed by how little value our society puts on saving the lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/every-seventeen-minutes-in-america-someone-commits-suicide-mostly-i/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [Madness is to think of too many things in succession too fast, or of one thing too exclusively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/madness-is-to-think-of-too-many-things-in-succession-too-fast-or-of/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Flippin up my phone, touch screen motorola. They figured I was bipolar the way I sipped that syrup and soda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riff-raff/flippin-up-my-phone-touch-screen-motorola-they-figured-i-was-bipolar/) [Riff Raff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riff-raff/) > [“Creativity is closely associated with bipolar disorder. This condition is unique . Many famous historical figures and artists have had this. Yet they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preeti-shenoy/creativity-is-closely-associated-with-bipolar-disorder-this-condition/) [Preeti Shenoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/preeti-shenoy/) > [Ordinarily he was insane, but he had lucid moments when he was merely stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/ordinarily-he-was-insane-but-he-had-lucid-moments-when-he-was-merely/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [I was hoping that I could say stuff about mental illness that maybe people didn't know. You know, speak up for bipolar disorder and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-millegan/i-was-hoping-that-i-could-say-stuff-about-mental-illness-that-maybe/) [Eric Millegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-millegan/) > [I have never gone for a diagnosis and I don't consider myself to be bipolar, but I have extreme moods. I get heightened. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-quentin/i-have-never-gone-for-a-diagnosis-and-i-don-t-consider-myself-to-be/) [Caroline Quentin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-quentin/) > [When you're depressed, you know, it's like the world has ended. Even getting out of bed takes the most massive amount of effort. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/when-you-re-depressed-you-know-it-s-like-the-world-has-ended-even/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“I thought I would inaugurate a Bipolar Pride Day. You know, with floats and parades and stuff! On the floats we would get the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/i-thought-i-would-inaugurate-a-bipolar-pride-day-you-know-with-floats/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [I just always wanted to study human behavior because every psychologist that I would talk to would tell me I was bipolar, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gates/i-just-always-wanted-to-study-human-behavior-because-every/) [Kevin Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gates/) > [“Insomuch as the structure of this book parallels that of my own mind, it boasts about as much order and linearity as a hallucination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-moezzi/insomuch-as-the-structure-of-this-book-parallels-that-of-my-own-mind/) [Melody Moezzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-moezzi/) > [“In our family "whim-wham" is code, a defanged reference to any number of moods and psychological disorders, be they depressive, manic, or schizoaffective. Back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lovelace/in-our-family-whim-wham-is-code-a-defanged-reference-to-any-number-of/) [David Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lovelace/) [Browse all 373 Bipolar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bipolar/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I knew something was wrong; I was constantly tired, and I'd developed numbness on my left side. I'd also become paranoid that my boyfriend was cheating on me. I thought I was having a nervous breakdown. 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