Bipolar Disorder
- Thread starter pewpewz
- Start date
I was just recently diagnosed with bipolar 2 disorder by a licensed medical professional and all I can say is seek help, make an appointment to see a doctor and be properly diagnosed. Keep a log of all your current moods and you'll become better at noticing abnormalities. Just see someone who's trained in dealing with people who have bipolar disorder and talk to them.
Oh, I have been diagnosed with depression by like 3-4 therapists. I know what being depressed is like and I know I'm not just sad. It's more recently that I've started to notice the "highs" and the mixed feelings of both happy and sad.SikOseph said:
OT: I'm definitely gonna see someone about this asap. Thank you so much for the support and the love! I agree that it's probably better to get it out of the way anyway.
Step 1: Stop thinking that something is wrong with you. Needing help with something doesn't mean that you're flawed/broken/damaged/whatever derogatory adjective people use to describe that which they could never possibly understand. This is what is making you frightened. I am friends with numerous bipolar people (definitely 4; could be as high as 10 including those I've seen signs but never found out if they had a diagnosis); there's nothing to be afraid of or ashamed of. It's simply a part of who you are.
Step 2: Once you've calmed down and realized this isn't the end of the world, see your therapist/doctor.
Step 3 (this one might be getting ahead of ourselves): Be aware that there's no magic cure for bipolar disorder. Often, a medication that works on one person will do nothing for someone else. One of my close friends has had terrible times trying to find mood stabilizers that work for him for this reason. I like the idea of homeopathic and alternative medicines, but I don't know if anything of that nature has been applied to bipolar disorder.
Just kicking out some ideas.
Step 2: Once you've calmed down and realized this isn't the end of the world, see your therapist/doctor.
Step 3 (this one might be getting ahead of ourselves): Be aware that there's no magic cure for bipolar disorder. Often, a medication that works on one person will do nothing for someone else. One of my close friends has had terrible times trying to find mood stabilizers that work for him for this reason. I like the idea of homeopathic and alternative medicines, but I don't know if anything of that nature has been applied to bipolar disorder.
Just kicking out some ideas.
hmm, indeed, even in times of great joy, i for some weird reason still get feelings of worry, like something i don't want to do is coming up, i just forgot what it was...
I have Bipolar Disorder. I just went to my doctor to explain what had been happening to me over the past few months, he diagnosed me and it seemed pretty consistent with the symptoms I found when I researched it. Then some medication later, I became a more normal.
It started like this: I had been depressed for a few years, and it became a normal thing to me.
As I left school, I started to go through small cycles; eat more, have more energy, be more friendly etc. in one stage, and then be depressed in the next part of the cycle. It was almost unnoticable though.
The difference in the cycles got gradually bigger, and I was going up and down with weight (by about 10 kg's), energy and mood.
Then while I was drunk I got given more Dexamphetamines than anyone has a right to take at one point in time. I stayed up for 2 days straight after that, and had racing thoughts and flight of ideas the whole time. I locked myself in my room, and spent the next month writing stories and coming up with some pretty original ideas.
I totally forgot about Uni, and missed my exams.
Then as quick as I was crazy, I got kicked out of home and was back to depressed, like the mood just got switched off by someone.
This cycle goes on and on and on and on.... lasting anywhere between 2 weeks and a few months in each mood.
Mostly I'm OK though, and my mood tends towards depressed, however big events in my life can make me Manic, or bring me back to depression. Drugs especially, set it off. Not just taking any drugs, because Weed is OK, but anything that gives you energy like Cocaine, Extacy, Speed or Dexies. Even Coffee has been known to make me manic, when I drink 6+ cups a day during exams.
But that is all self inflicted, and I try not to take any drugs except Alcohol and Nicotine, and a bit of Caffeine.
It started like this: I had been depressed for a few years, and it became a normal thing to me.
As I left school, I started to go through small cycles; eat more, have more energy, be more friendly etc. in one stage, and then be depressed in the next part of the cycle. It was almost unnoticable though.
The difference in the cycles got gradually bigger, and I was going up and down with weight (by about 10 kg's), energy and mood.
Then while I was drunk I got given more Dexamphetamines than anyone has a right to take at one point in time. I stayed up for 2 days straight after that, and had racing thoughts and flight of ideas the whole time. I locked myself in my room, and spent the next month writing stories and coming up with some pretty original ideas.
I totally forgot about Uni, and missed my exams.
Then as quick as I was crazy, I got kicked out of home and was back to depressed, like the mood just got switched off by someone.
This cycle goes on and on and on and on.... lasting anywhere between 2 weeks and a few months in each mood.
Mostly I'm OK though, and my mood tends towards depressed, however big events in my life can make me Manic, or bring me back to depression. Drugs especially, set it off. Not just taking any drugs, because Weed is OK, but anything that gives you energy like Cocaine, Extacy, Speed or Dexies. Even Coffee has been known to make me manic, when I drink 6+ cups a day during exams.
But that is all self inflicted, and I try not to take any drugs except Alcohol and Nicotine, and a bit of Caffeine.
Well, if you're having mood swings twice a day or something, it's probaly not bi-polar, but if you're having months of being manic and then months of being depressed it could well be bi-polar disorder.
welcome to the escapist, you sound inteligent, this is good, the rules are: don't be a dick, use the searchbar, don't make repeat threads. as long as you stick to these we sould all get along fine.DMonkey said:
OT: i would go see a professional as soon as posible, the angziety of uncertainty wil do you more harm than the condition could
My dad's bipolar, and he was sort of like that until he started taking medicine. I'd definitely recommend going to a professional, 'cause they'll know a whole lot more than most of us do.
See an actual psychiatrist rather than a psychologist or therapist. Don't be afraid to shop for one either- if you don't completely trust your psychiatrist, then you'll be less likely to be honest with him/her. It's also very important that they figure out whether you have depression or bipolar disorder, since treatments for depression can make bipolar episodes worse.pewpewz said:
Tbh it may be clinical depression, as your behaviour is similar to my mum and dad, they can be happy and then the next they are really down.
Stephen Fry's documentary on bi-polar will probably be useful, its probably somewhere on the internet, i had seen it on youtube
Stephen Fry's documentary on bi-polar will probably be useful, its probably somewhere on the internet, i had seen it on youtube
How old are you, a lot of people 10 - 20, have a minor disorder similar to being bipolar which goes away when they get older. My friend thought he was bipolar (he took a test on the internet which reaffirmed it) but it turned out he wasn't.pewpewz said:Okay, so I think I might be Bi-polar (type II) and I'm quite scared.
When I finally got round to taking a test and really harshly looking at my behavior for the past couple of years, it's definitely far from normal. I've had days where I've come home singing and dancing, and days where I've been considering suicide. The weirdest part was I could always still laugh, and on my happy days, I always felt a little depressed even though everything was alright. I'm considering getting diagnosed, but I'm pretty terrified of finding out if I'm right.
Has anyone else here felt this way or actually suffers with bi-polar or any other mental disorders/illnesses? How did you go about getting diagnosed? How do you even tell? Or even just tell me your experiences
I think the thing I'm most scared about is that I've exaggerated it in my head or something. However I've done a lot of research and a bit of forum trolling, and where people before have said "Your gf needs help she's bipolar" or whatever, the girl in question sounds A LOT like me.
Haaalp
pewpewz said:
I'm sorry if i seem like an idiot for pointing this out. I'm sure you'll work it out from here. (Due to popular belief.)pewpewz said:
If you are Bi-Polar, it's not the end of the world mate. You'll learn to live with it like many others have.
Type 2 bipolar disorder means that you're more likely to have hypomanic episodes which are not as intense as a fullblown manic episode. If you're serious about getting a diagnosis then do go and see a psychiatrist. The first thing he's going to recommend is that you stop drinking and stop smoking pot, though.pewpewz said:
If you really want to do your homework, drop the substances for a while and keep a log of how your mood changes, ie when it changes, ambient factors (where you were, if there were scary clowns, rainy/sunny/tornado weather, etc), what you were doing, and the actual event that set it off or the time when you noticed you were feeling different. If you can find some kind of pattern then it might make a diagnosis easier.
That's my shade tree advice right there.
