Anyone else here have bipolar?

Question

What symptoms do you have on a daily basis?

Answer 1

On a daily basis? This is bipolar we're talking about. Symptoms really, really don't change on a daily basis except in a tiny minority of cases.

OK, so it's a mood disorder and a serious mental illness. It has a strong genetic component, but appears to be triggered environmentally. There are no diagnostic tests for it, just psychiatric evaluation. Most sufferers are not diagnosed until middle age, and it takes an average of around 8-10 years to get a correct diagnosis. Historically, figures suggested it affects about 0.8% of the population at some point, which makes it about half as common as schizophrenia. In recent years, bipolar disorder has become an 'in' diagnosis, and many more people are being diagnosed at younger and younger ages. As with ADHD, this fad may well pass with time, although for the moment many celebrities appear to be 'popularising' it.

It is characterised by episodes of severe clinical depression and mania or hypomania (for definitions of those, see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_diagnostic_criteria_for_bipolar_disorder ). The extreme end of mania often turns into psychosis, complete with hallucinations and delusions. During manic phases, the person's judgement and perception of reality is severely compromised, leading to risky actions with potentially damaging consequences (financially, sexually and relationship-wise). Untreated, episodes generally worsen over time due to an effect known as kindling. Untreated Bipolar sufferers are at a very high risk of suicide: 20-25% attempt it, and 15% succeed.

The cycles in bipolar disorder are much longer than people generally believe. Anyone whose mood changes from minute to minute is very unlikely to be bipolar. Bipolar 1 is characterised by mood episodes lasting many months, while Bipolar 2 has episodes in the region of weeks to months. Rapid and ultra-rapid cycling bipolar disorder is rare, and cycles last days to weeks.

There are many drugs available to treat the symptoms of bipolar (there is no cure). These are either anti-convulsants or anti-psychotics (personally I take both), and the most well known of these is Lithium. Most patients will go through a number of different drugs before finding one that works for them.

Answer 2

Good news, once you're properly medicated you don't have symptoms on a daily basis!

Like anyone else with a chronic illness, there are certain things you must do on a daily basis: take your medication, sleep and wake at about the same time every single day, eat properly, keep track of symptoms, and have a plan for what to do for symptoms a, b, c, etc.

The Bipolar Survival Guide will give you good tools to use with your therapist to identify your own unique symptoms and deal with them.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-3255251-3871966?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=miklowitz

Answer 3

Inability to generally deal with people.

Haughtiness or high self esteem followed sometimes immediately by devastating lows, shame or guilt.

Fearlessness behind the wheel.

Pouring yourself into something completely, almost to the exclusion of other things in your life (perhaps house decor, a new business, personal hobbies or projects). This can be called mania.

There are places on the web that describe unusual symptoms like the above. Don't just read the ones on the clinical websites - you'll learn more from message boards and personal accounts.

Answer 4

A doctor told me I might..well my symptoms are well I break up with my boyfriend every other day for no reason( when I have a bad day) actually I just broke up with him again today because of my mood swings ( he is very supportive though), I get upset over little things and say I break something I act like I killed someone. And I am always really paranoid and think I am going to die soon. Kinda sucks

Answer 5

Yes i do have the same problem i dont like any thing
i just feei restless , like to quit from all relation all
ahough i m having a 6 yr old son , if he wodent
have been there than i would have end up ,just
keeping a hope that will come out ....u take care
& don't give up just fight with this problem........

Answer 6

I have bipolar disorder. The main problem that I have is either not enough sleep or sleep too much. Even with medications that I am taking, my sleeping pattern has been out of wack for quite sometime.

Answer 7

My doctor told me I may, but I don't know if I do. I have impulsive shopping tendencies and altering moods. I also have ADD and my pysch told me its common to misdiagnose one for the other as their symptoms are so similar.

Answer 8

Mild but I self-medicate with booze to take me down from my highs. Thankfully I don't suffer from the lows and enjoy my own company.

Solitude has it's benefits.

Answer 9

Edginess over small things that really aren't that upsetting.
Shamefulness over your mistreatment of innocent people and animals in your life. Actually this doesn't occur daily, but often