Has anybody cured / fully recovered from manic depression?

Question

Is it possible?

Any tips, from beyond?

Bruvvamoff: That's inspiring.

cosmicdrifter: You may well hold the key.

'Mistaken identity'. You're a genius. :-)

Ray: am really happy for you. Well done, Sir.

Answer 1

I am 25 years old and I was diagnosed at 13. I have been on multiple different meds and I cycled for quite a while before they got them right. I barely graduated high school, I missed school a lot because I was just too depressed or wildly manic to go. I also failed a good deal of my classes. However, we finally got my meds figured out and I got a lot better when I was 18. I even went to college and got my bachelors degree- with honors. I have not cycled ONCE in the past 5 years. No mania. No depression. Now I work as a consultant. No one knows that I even have bipolar unless I choose to tell them.

I have NEVER gone off my meds and I never will. I think that is key. I also strongly believe that you have to have a well body to have a well mind. Eating healthy, sleeping enough, not drinking alcohol, and exercising regularly keep me where I need to be. My family is also incredibly supportive.

It is hard work to get healthy, and that work never stops because there is no "cure". I still see my pscyhiatrist twice a year for med checks and I have to be very aware of my limits- I have to pay attention to what my body needs. I have to be sure I always have family and friends nearby to support me. By taking care of myself and taking my meds EVERY day, I have become truly stable. It is possible.

Answer 2

I was Bipolar for my whole life on very intense meds and therapy ECT and the whole nine yards. on didability for 6 years, on meds for 12 years, then one day I got really sick and decided to do a full body detox /cleanse with herbs and quit smoking at the same time after 35 years.
I decided to take a break from the meds at the same time and I slowly discovered I didn't need them anymore. Literally no symptoms at all no vision, no voices, no panic, no nightmares. I was also doing some spiritual helaing practices at the same time. So I am clean and happier and healthier than I have ever been. Ihad been hospitalized about 15 times over the years for suicide and being a danger to myself or others. So take that for what it's worth I always thought there would be an end to the agony and there was. There is hope.
There was a point in time when I beleived I need the meds but not anymore. Good luck and find your own path don't let others push you in to something that doesn't feel right.

Answer 3

Hi, I've had bipolar (new name for manic depression!) since I was 14, spent a lot of time in hospital but am now, with the right medication stable and haven't had a crisis for nearly a year. It is fully possible to learn to live with bipolar and to enjoy and even love life. Tips - exercise if you can, this releases endorphins which will make you feel good, eat well, and get into a good sleep routine - particularly important if you feel you may be slightly hyper. And always take meds prescribed.

Answer 4

My Dad 'has been diagnosed' with manic depression, I'm not going to say 'He has manic depression' because thats just a label for something very real happening in his life and it's no chemical imbalance. He keeps having relapses but usually caused by alchohol, his latest though was triggered by Heroine. He thought he was just smoking a joint but don't smoke joints that heroine addicts give you. Why he wasted his time trying to help that guy i'll never know. Anyway, I too am mentaly ill, same symptoms as my dad had exactly except I haven't been back to hospital for 9 years while my dad goes every 3 or 4 years. I have accepted that everything that happened t me during the high was 100% real, I don't know how it was for you during your high, but I was attacked. I lost my faith in God but later regained it. I try not too indulge too much in drugs and alcohol but preferably I wouldn't touch them at all. I take anti psychotics but due to having no more highs I no longer require anti depressants because there has been no lows. I do get normal depression ocasionally but it fades without the need for medication. The only remains of my illness now is like a tereds type syndrome only contained to my mind and I know what caused this, it was my hatred for the world but when the time came I didn't want to think badly about people. I couldn't stop. I still get attacked from time to time which I believe to be satanic, but thats what happens to those who choose to straighten themselves out I guess. My advice to you is continue taking the medication, refrain from drug and alcohol use and in time you will notice a big improvement. Eat a healthy diet, get plenty of exercise and then if the medication has been allowed to settle you without interference from mind altering drugs then maybe, just maybe you will be one of the few who recover.

Answer 5

hi i know 2 people with MD one m8 was diagnosed in the 80s the other 3 years ago. both swear blind that its only the med that are keeping them healthy and sane. I'm sure if there was a cure they would have grabbed it with both hands.
my friends are doing OK one is a bus driver the other is an accountant. it is possible to lead a normal life and if you met them you'd never have a clue but this is just based on my own life experience that taking the right medication can give you a great quality of life.
i hope i have given you hope that you can do what ever you want - don't let your diagnosis hold you back
good luck

Answer 6

I haven't I don't think it's possible to be fully recovered. You learn to live with it but it's always there. My brother died when I was 15 I'm now 24 I was lost and part of me still is and I think I always feel that way. After his death I became very sensitive and one in a while {when his birthday or anniversary and holidays} I have my days. So in my experience no it never goes away not fully at least . ^_^ DJ

Answer 7

First of all, there are 2 types of Bi Polar (manic depression)
Bi polar I has intense mania with some depression and the kind I have is Bi Polar II which is more depression with just a bit of mania.
Medication is Key...even if you're a Christian like me. God is the great physician and he also has given us the knowledge to aid us with this condition.

You do not want to mess with it...think your going to be fine..be cured. The cold hard fact is that 1 out of every 5 people with Bi polar commit suicide. Many because they thought they didn't need or contined to forget to take their medication.
I have had it my whole life...as all do...it is genetic and I have the family history to prove it. (I am 42) But I wasn't diagnosed until 1998. First I was misdiagnosed with just major depression then a few months latter my doctors realized I was Bi Polar.

I do not know if it is you or a loved one that you ask the question, but I suggest you visit nami.org to learn more and hear from who have it or those who care about someone with it.

And take heart. There are many famous people who had this. Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and Robin Williams just to name a few.

Answer 8

Well, I wasnt manic and I aint fully recovered, I dont think you ever are. YOu just need to find good things at present and more importantly good things in the future and work towards them. I make music, if I didnt and there was a chance I could die and not be remembered, that would really get to me. What do you want to be remembered for??

Answer 9

Many people are able to become stable with the proper combination of drugs and/or psychotherapy. A support system is also a very important component; its very important to have friends that you care about and who care about you. I also believe that spirituality (not necessarily religion) is very important.

I am speaking from experience. At 5, I was diagnosed with petit mal epilepsy and put on meds. It did not stop my seizures completely, although it may have lessened the number I had. At 38, I was diagnosed of clinically depressed (for most of my life), and prescribed prozac. That helped my depression, but later led to triggering a manic episode. It was then (at age 42), that I was correctly diagnosed with bipolar, PTSD, and anxiety attacks.

Bipolar is the only form of mental illness with a silver lining: most of us are highly creative.

Answer 10

I don't entirely understand all of the things typed in your question, but as far as I know there is no cure/recovery from bipolar. You can function quite well with bipolar as well as your meds are working right; and you are taking them on a regular basis. However, there are different levels of bipolar, and if you are a serious bipolar (not that it isn't all serious) then you may need more, or even a lot more, help then those of us with a lesser degree of being bipolar. But there is "no magic" pill or answer to being bipolar. Also if you drink or take street drugs your chances of dealing with being bipolar in a responsible way is slim!