Is it better to have the ups and downs, or to take the drugs and medications and never have downs OR ups? To just always be mediocre? Is there any medication that doesn't induce mediocrity?
ive been wondering the same thing, i dont take pills because im afraid that it might change my personality. sometimes, i like being crazy, i use it in my art.
that's probably why so many bipolar musicians and poets kill themselves. it's such a ridiculous choice with which to be faced.
I take meds and I still have up's and downs, just not as extreme. It allows me to be functional even when I feel up or down. I've never felt blah all the time. For me, meds are a good thing and I'll probably be on them the rest of my life, which does suck but oh well. I'll always be a pill popper peace and love
Bipolar disorder is not only about having ups and downs. People with it can harm themselves and others. I really wish people really knew about the disorder. Everyone who has some ups and downs, does not have bipolar disorder. But it is apparently the new "cool way to be".
how can you tell cutelildeadbear? ive done essays about it, i have bipolar friends, i know what bipolar is. i dont know for sure if i have it, i cant afford a doctor visit, but i have a lot of the symptoms, including harming myself and others. and i dont think its 'cool' at all. id rather not have it, but i cant afford the meds anyways, so i just deal. i pretend to always be happy, that actually helps. if you always look at the positives, you really dont need pills as much. i mean, i still hurt myself from time to time, but if i stay busy with work and college i dont have time to do it. rember: bordom can cause depression too.
How do I know? Because I was misdiagnosed with it because my psychologist and psychiatrists wouldn't listen to me. Or if they were listening they only heard what they wanted. Eventually, I found someone who could diagnose me properly. But this isn't about just me. I keep seeing it and it is driving me crazy (then again I probably shouldn't spend so much time on mental illness forums, but that is a different topic). There are a lot of symptoms that people aren't considering that many people who think they are bipolar simply don't have. Yet, these days everyone thinks they have it. Mostly because they have ups and downs. Do you know how many other disorders and diseases have the same symptoms of ups and downs? Don't you guys realize that 1) ups and downs, is an extremely vague statement to say the very least, 2) everyone has them and they are a part of living in the real world, especially for teens, and 3) it is not a constant state like everyone describes feeling, and it isn't marked by jumping from high to low or vice versa. If you have done research on it you would know already that it is not just being happy one day and sad the next. Actually, that doesn't describe it at all. You would have to have been bipolar for a really long time then have some tragic event trigger such rapid cycling which doesn't occur often. And most people who have bipolar don't even realize it, they are completely oblivious to it, so I highly doubt you'd seek out help for it on your own. It is NOT being happy one day and being sad the next. Most bipolar people have episodes lasting for weeks into months, and in between them they are actually "normal". I hate directing people to mental illnesses or diseases because I don't want another whole generation of people trying to figure out what is wrong with them when there is actually nothing wrong. You very well may have valid feelings of an inconsistant emotional state. I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't explore, but don't read a couple of lines on an illness and say "yup, I do that, I must have this disease". Here, look at this site and honestly assess your symptoms on a realistic scale. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/Publicat/bipolar.cfm#bp1 I mean anyone can have increased energy, but is it so drastic from everyday life? I'm lazy some days and hyper other days. Doesn't mean jack shit. And "high" or euphoric mood, that isn't just like "oh yay I'm happy I get an ice cream cone" that is like boucing off the walls, nothing can touch me I'm seriously out there man kind of mood. Much like taking drugs, and spending sprees, this isn't blowing your allowance or buying some shirts, this is people who rack up $25,000 on credit cards for things they don't need and don't even remember doing it. These are people who have 15 sexual partners in one night and still aren't satisfied, and still see absolutely nothing wrong with their behavior. I mean do you guys go around believing that you are aliens or hollywood stars, or Ghandi? Because that is what bipolar people do. And if you can control your symptoms with doing school work or being positive, then you definitely don't have it. It isn't something that you would recognize and you wouldn't be able to control it on your own. Trust me, I bet you my life that you guys don't have bipolar disorder. I know I sound like a fucking bitch and I don't care. I'm sick of everyone running around thinking they have this and I'm sick of so called professionals not taking the time to figure out that people don't have this. Don't take what I say as a personal attack or anything I just don't want you guys to suffer when you don't have to. I really do wish you all the best.
amen to that. i'm so sick of seeing people running to dr's and meds just because they can't handle reality. why has it become so cool to be on prescription drugs? Hey you're special you've got the mental disease of the month. First A.D.D. and Dyslexia, now Bipolar disorder. My niece was 'diagnosed' with A.D.D. as a child and guess what, they never gave her anything. What happened? It's called discipline & guidance. Within a few weeks she was fine and has never had any A.D.D. 'symptoms' since. Load of shit, some doctors give.
This is pretty much the philosophy I've adopted. I've had my issues since childhood and it is just easier to go with them rather than fight them and think there is "something wrong with me."
my sis was diagnosed with add, and now they say she has asburger syndrome. when will it stop? of coarse doctors are going to diagnose you with something, thats how they get the money. just like if you go to a doctor, theres a good chance hell tell you that you have cancer, just so you have to go through expensive treatments, but remember, everyone is born with cancer cells, its when you agitate them that they get bad!
I'm not so sure cancer is exactly the same thing, but I see what you mean. There just seems to be a mentality these days that everyone thinks there is this perfect world out there somewhere and things are supposed to be different, so they assume something is "wrong" with them when in reality, there is something wrong with the world (unfortunately). We just can't always be happy.
I wish what everyone is saying is true for everyone. Unfortunately, it's not. I personally can't get by without medication because I do have a serious disorder. Sometimes dr's cannot agree exactly what disorder I have, but that doesn't mean that I DON'T have some disorder. They just can't put a name on it. After reading this thread, it almost makes me feel like I shouldn't be taking meds b/c "I'm cool(?)" WTF? I don't feel cool or special b/c I have a brain problem. My life would be so much easier if I didn't have to take meds. W/o them, I hear shit sometimes, I get so depressed I can't take care of myself or I get so manic I don't take care of myself either. I can't function. I'm glad most other people can get by w/ their lives w/o meds. But please don't disrespect those people who DO need meds to live full lives. Peace and love
Wait a damn minute. I never said that if you have a real disorder or illness not to take medication. I have two illnesses, and I take medication for one of them. I am a strong advocate of meds, if you have a good doctor and you know what the problem is and if you are seeking out other forms of therapy(on a physical level, psychological level, and spiritual level). I take Wellbutrin for my depression. I have had depression since the age of 2. A lot of people don't believe that is possible, but try living in my family and you would see why I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that is when the depression set in. Anyway, I have been on Wellbutrin for 2 years now and it has saved my life and many of my relationships with the people I care about the most. I tried a lot of other medications and they were hell for me. It took about 5 years to figure out the right one. But I also firmly believe that my ongoing therapy is what is making me heal from my past. I do not believe that popping pills can just cure the illness of depression. It is so much deeper than that. But people don't think so. My goal here was not to judge people or tell them not to take medication that they need. My purpose in coming here was to educate people on what having bipolar was really about. There are a lot of people these days who believe they have bipolar disorder because they show the symptom of having ups and downs. The truth of the matter is, life is full of ups and downs. I learned that when I was on depression medications that didn't work for me and made me feel like a zombie. I decided that I would rather have the ups and downs than nothing at all. I missed the ups and downs (but that goes into my other illness, which I choose not to discuss on this forum). Anyway, if you really have bipolar, then take your meds, but go to therapy, because I think that is more important in some cases. See, meds take care of the outward symptoms, but therapy and getting over your inital problems is what cures you. And I am a firm believer that one day there will be a cure for depression. It might not be in meds, but I think people can overcome their pain that is holding them back from living life. Meds help get people on that path. Take care of yourselves.
i take the medication, because i destroy things on my highs if i happen to get angry during one. that, and with a recent suicide among my close friends i dont want to go too far while low. i posted a thread about myself. "bipolar teen chemical free", if you want to read. ,asia
I'm not on medication at the moment. But due to my life situation my highs are not too high and my lows are not too low. I no longer get suicidal and I no longer feel dependent on anything buy myself and my husband. I'm just at a good place. I think if you are in the deep throws of depression or severly manic it would be a bad time to decide if medication was right or not. But if you feel sort of 'balanced' and can think somewhat clearly then would be the time to decide if you can really handle not taking medication or if you need to take meds because the highs and lows either severly affect you or the people around you that you care about. Each person is unique in that sense. What is right for one person is not right for someone else.
I'm not sure whether you are aware of this, but there is a condition commonly known as bipolar II disorder which on the DSM-IV is characterized by hypomania- a milder form of mania- with the presence of one lifetime episode of major depression. Even milder is cyclothymic disorder, a condition in which the moods fluctuate from up to down- sometimes many times in a day, other times in longer periods- without the presence of a major depressive episode. I believe that some people experience a bipolar II condition or cyclothymic disorder and therefore see some bipolar characteristics but aren't sure if they actually have the disease. Nontheless, these conditions can cause disturbances in the life of those who deal with them. I have been diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression and just recently have been told I may be bipolar- albeit a milder form. For me, this diagnosis has made sense of a mood pattern that was previously senseless and I have been able to find helpful resources, although I am still deciding on the medication issue. The reason I wanted to mention this to you is because you mentioned that mania is all about racking up 25,000 debts and fucking 15 people, or having psychotic delusions (not a necessary feature of mania, btw)- because that is Bipolar I disorder. There are other mood disorders and interventions (not all of them meds) that go along with those mood disorders and it can be helpful to explore these as well. I'm just saying- I agree with you that this is overdiagnosed, but at the same time, I do not experience full on Bipolar Disorder but I am impaired by my symptoms, including hypomania that makes it so I can't sleep, and episodes of depression in which I cannot function at all and I cry all day.
