Which is why I thought I had that disorder, since those things happened to be some symtoms of manic depression. I'm not exactly sure how similar Bipolar Type 2 is to the kind the doctors checked me for, but I'm sure they have some similarities. I have some friends who have it though, and most of them have said that the medication helped them alot. I know it's probably hard hun, but hang in there. There are tons of other people out there who have it, so you're not alone. People who have bipolar are completely capable of having normal, wonderful lives.

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*^Lucky^*

"I could rip your eyelid off..."

"No, Don't do it! I need it to seal my plan.."

"Why?"

Rio

Rio

I'll keep you guys posted.

I had (have actually, though I never get to talk to him anymore) a guy friend whom I was considering dating last year when I first got into college who was Bipolar type 1. He was a great guy but his modes often frightened me. When he became depressed he would often lash out at me verbally and, while I understood it wasn't his fault, it made it difficult to form any sort of relationship with him.
Sorry if I bored you guys or anything.

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"Never knock on Death's door. Ring the doorbell and run!"

Wowwie Thx for shining some light on it for all of us ... I certainly didn't know what it was. I never even knew there was a 1 and 2 !!

I thought i was bipolar too, but was later diagnosed w/ anxiety disorder, clinical depression and OCD. I was on zoloft, then on effexor and now i'm on prozac. Things are alright tho ... Defineatly looking up. I switch moods just as fast, like Lucky does, but my Dr. just told me i'm moody. I knew that already

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When mom found my diaphram, I told her it was a bathing cap for my cat.
~ Liz Winston

One little question, what exactly is a manic episode?

"A distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood, lasting at least 1 week (or any duration if hospitalization is necessary).

During the period of mood disturbance, three (or more) of the following symptoms have persisted (four if the mood is only irritable) and have been present to a significant degree:
inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
decreased need for sleep (e.g., feels rested after only 3 hours of sleep)
more talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking
flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing
distractibility (i.e., attention too easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant external stimuli)
increase in goal-directed activity (either socially, at work or school, or sexually) or psychomotor agitation
excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (e.g., engaging in unrestrained buying sprees, sexual indiscretions, or foolish business investments)

The symptoms do not meet criteria for a Mixed Episode.

The mood disturbance is sufficiently severe to cause marked impairment in occupational functioning or in usual social activities or relationships with others, or to necessitate hospitalization to prevent harm to self or others, or there are psychotic features.

The symptoms are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication, or other treatments) or a general medical condition (e.g., hyperthyroidism). "

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When mom found my diaphram, I told her it was a bathing cap for my cat.
~ Liz Winston

quote:

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Originally posted by Lucky1402:
Actually, I thought that I had bipolar last year- the couselor suggested that I see a doctor so they could diagnose me, but that didn't turn out to be the problem. I had depression and anxiety disorder, which are definately not quite like bipolar. I was so sure, too- sometimes I would go to school and be all happy, then somebody would say something and I would immediately get depressed for the longest time. I'd be overly happy one minute and extremely angry or sad the next. If somebody disagreed with me or argued with me I would get extremely angry and tick all of my friends off. And I'd get so sad over the tiniest things- like if someone made an innocent comment, or if somebody yelled at me or something, I would think that everyone hated me.

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Well, that is a very common part of anxiety disorders and depression. I've had relatively severe anxiety problems all my life, and I get that exact way too. For a while, even if I was corrected, I felt like I was a total idiot and that everyone hated me. A lot of us are very, very insecure, and sensitive, so we can overreact.

Bipolar is a lot different. In very severe cases, people can have hallucinations and delusions and feel invincible. However, most people with Bipolar manage to live, happy, healthy lives.

Disclaimer: I am not a psychiatrist, at all. I am a neurotic teenager with an interest in psychology that reads a lot, but that's about it. If anyone finds any information that is more accurate, feel free to correct me!

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"Only in dreams
We see what it means
Reach out our hands
Hold on to hers
But when we wake
It's all been erased
And so it seems
Only in dreams..."
-Weezer

"To the beemobile!"
"You mean your Chevy?"
"Yes."

The medication itself is a whole different issue, but for most people, staying on the one that works for them is the ticket to a stable mood base and a healthier life.

From what I noticed, his being bipolar made the little issues even bigger. It was harder for him to recover from setbacks in his life, he thought everything to death, he found it incredibly difficult to be happy, and he was easily depressed. The smallest, tiniest twists in life was enough to send him down Depression Lane and it would last a while. There was nothing I could say or do to coax him out of his mood--I just had to wait it out.

But he was also very normal and we had a good relationship while it lasted.

I have quite a few friends who are bipolar and though the relationships can be difficult sometimes, it can also be pretty normal and very good. You just have to be aware of yourself and the things that get to you and never let being bipolar set you apart from people or make you feel anything but normal. Take lots of deep breaths, develop a chocolate addiction *grin*, and take it a day at a time.

That puts me where I am today; I was diagnosed bipolar in the spring of 1999 after a major manic episode (which involved me running away for three days with my out-of-town boyfriend). I was on medication for roughly a year and a half, and then promptly quit while I was by myself up here in college.

At this point - well, yesterday, actually - I think I've just had enough of myself. It's taken me years to get to this point, but I'm going to call my doctor today to make an appointment. I can't stand living with it anymore, and I take it out on my partner - and I'm steadily wrecking our relationship.

I'm writing this out here so I'm forced to go through with it, and I've called my best friends and told my partner to make sure I make these appointments. I am scared of medication, but at this point, I think I'd rather be bored than have all this (negative) excitement. I'm not able to focus on anything or get any schoolwork done, I'm obnoxious to be around - fun, my partner says, but it grates around the 6th hour of punning and rhyming and carrying on - and I think I'm really realizing that the medication could improve my life.

I used to go through random periods of being hyper and and happy, to being depressed, having crying fits, and generally being destructive.

I was just wondering if anyone knows if I should just wait it out and see if that was all just caused by events in my life, and was a one time thing, or if I should go back to the therapist.

I don't really want to go to the therapist, because I'm scared of the medication. 2 of my friends were diagnosed as being bipolar, and had very bad experiences with medication. Neither of them take the medication anymore, and aren't having problems. I'm just worried that the meds will change my overall personality. Anyone care to tell me some experiences theyve had with bipolar medication?