Bipolar Disorder

what are the symptoms?

I'm beginning to think I may have an issue with this, but I'm not sure.

It's not just depression.

It's something else.

I can't organize my thoughts...
one day, I feel on top of the world.
The next, I feel like I am completely useless.

It's starting to really confuse me, and I never know how I feel anymore.

I don't want to do anything anymore, and I don't have the energy to. I am always tired.
Nothing appeals to me, and things that should be fun, aren't anymore.

But I am skilled in making myself believe something is fun...

I have been so mood swingy, I don't even know where I am going to be in 30 minutes from now... for all I know, I'll be happy as a clam.

I don't know what's bothering me, or if anything at all is.
I just don't feel right.

 

You'd have see a professional to get a diagnosis... it's impossible to say. What you're describing could be rapid cycling bipolar, if you're experiencing true mania, but usually (well, it's pretty much always) you would have to be bipolar already (with the up and down phases stretched apart much further), and then have something trigger the rapid cycling like stress/trauma. There are so many things that can be what you're describing...

 

Sometimes we all go through this. It's not necessarily any disorder.

 

Here are some descriptions of bi-polar disorder from the National Institute of Mental Health ( http://www.nimh.nih.gov/Publicat/bipolar.cfm ). Hope this helps.

Signs and symptoms of mania (or a manic episode) include:
Increased energy, activity, and restlessness
Excessively "high," overly good, euphoric mood
Extreme irritability
Racing thoughts and talking very fast, jumping from one idea to another
Distractibility, can't concentrate well
Little sleep needed
Unrealistic beliefs in one's abilities and powers
Poor judgment
Spending sprees
A lasting period of behavior that is different from usual
Increased sexual drive
Abuse of drugs, particularly cocaine, alcohol, and sleeping medications
Provocative, intrusive, or aggressive behavior
Denial that anything is wrong
A manic episode is diagnosed if elevated mood occurs with three or more of the other symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, for 1 week or longer. If the mood is irritable, four additional symptoms must be present.

Signs and symptoms of depression (or a depressive episode) include:
Lasting sad, anxious, or empty mood
Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed, including sex
Decreased energy, a feeling of fatigue or of being "slowed down"
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
Restlessness or irritability
Sleeping too much, or can't sleep
Change in appetite and/or unintended weight loss or gain
Chronic pain or other persistent bodily symptoms that are not caused by physical illness or injury
Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts
A depressive episode is diagnosed if five or more of these symptoms last most of the day, nearly every day, for a period of 2 weeks or longer.

 

hmmm the thing is, it seems I switch between the two of what you just posted, I have these bouts of energy and excitement, then at times I feel sad and draggy.

there are times when I can't sleep, and I don't miss it all that much, and times where I could sleep for days and still be tired.

that's what I'm confused about it... its changing either from a day to day or week to week basis. rarely at times, on month to month basises.

lately its been more week to week. i have a good week where I'm full of energy, confidence, and almost abnormally happy and hyper, so much that its obnoxious to the people around me. The week after Ill be dragging along, feeling worthless, and sad.

wtf?

 

it's not just that, or situational.

and it gets worse year by year... month by month.

it interupts my work, and has interupted school in the past. i can't seem to organize my thoughts or concentrate on anything. and it doesn't go away.

it's not just something temporary, ive been struggling for years now. i've developed problems with minor OCD, eating disorders, problems with alcohol [which i now stay away from] etc. for the past couple years i have been making a serious effort to get back on track but the "brain cloud" won't lift.

and I'm always confused...about everything. indecisive.

its been this way for quite some time, not just a temporary thing.

i've been in out of therapy, off and on medications.

 

No not everyone go's through this.When these moods happen to bipolar people the moods are at extremes they are far from normal like everyone elses moods.The bad moods can happen for months on end and even years.When your in a good mood you can make very stupid choices.I'm bipolar and one of my longest episodes lasted a year .I would lay in bed and cry for no reason.I refused to go to school because I didnt see a point in going which lead me to miss 70 days of school.When I was happy I would have so much energy and I mad stupid choices wihtout thinking twice about it .When I was in a good mood i though nothing bad could ever happen to me.One time when I was 15 I was with a friend of mine and I went to the store.Some guy i didnt know asked me if I wanted to drink and I said yes so I followed him to his and his friends place .I ended up drinking so much after 5 mintune of drinking I hit the floor .Turns out i had alcohol poising.I couldnt even sit up straight i loss all control of my body and almost stoped breathing.I was lucky because a man was nice enough to help me and made sure I was taken home to my mother.I was lucky that i wasnt raped by anyone .At the time i didnt think anything was wrong with what happend.Now that I look back on all of that Im glad I got help and medication for my bipolar.Im also feeling alot better now.You'll be surprised at how much medicine can help you.

 

I am manic, I always knew something was different ,but it wasnt untill a few years back that a doctor came out and told me. Luckily I dont have the depression part, just the mania so I'm up all the time and I can get "high" without drugs or booze. The doc put me on Paxil, and I took myself off..the stuff should be removed from the shelves, its like kicking Heroin!!!

 

it could be you're just depressed. my mom is bipolar, i have much experience with people thathave that disorder.
if you were bi-polar the people around you would know it right quick, i dont think you would be so confused about it.

 

What does you mom do that confirms bipolar?

My mom developed bipolar around the age of 35 and had it until her death around the age of 73. It was horrible for her and the family. Back then all they had was prozac.

 

You need to get medical treatment right-away.

I take effexor and lamicil for what you are describing. Lately, I have been trying small doses of weed such as 4 puffs every 2 days. This seems to help anxiety.

I used to get stoned all day when I was 27 but this is like taking 40 asperins sp? for a headache. Way too much. At age 59, I need a little weed to take off the edge. This is an experiment since I quit weed for 25 years until now.

Does this run in the family?

Did this condition begin to happen after LSD trips? LSD can cause bipolar.

.

 

I don't do LSD or any other type of drug.

I don't know WHAT runs in the family, my mom's side of the family has quite a colorful array of mental problems, so anything is possible.

Eating disorders tend to run in my dad's side of the family, but that's the only *known* issue on his side.

I can't and won't smoke weed, as it causes panic attacks with me so...

yeah.

 

Have you ever seen a psychiatrist?


This letter about bipolar was going to be short yet my life just bubbled out on paper. Maybe getting it out is helping me! If you benefit......then ya....hoooo!. My faith in therapy is limited, since many mental disorders are inherited and caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. My mom and one of her ancestors had bipolar, then schizophrenia. Later, we create a mess with our lives that makes our condition worse and the vicious circle goes on and on. Sometimes there is little connection to our daily lives and the imbalance.

My problems began in grade school, and continued into adulthood. During manic teenage years, I had wild acts of vandalism, drunken parties, sexual adventures, fights, and thefts. Later, I would go back to normal and was a star wrestler, good student and class president. Depression could happen for no reason. My life then was a horrid mystery. My Mom was going through her bipolar defect and trying to commit suicide, yet the mystery deepened.

A few years back my anxiety was triggered by having 6th grade students all day, eating meals with acquaintances, giving speeches’ or being in crowds. When teaching school, my hands were sweaty all day, and I had panic attacks during teacher’s meetings. Then during mania, I had anger attacks for daily annoyances. Then my anger started spiral up. I hated my Dad for exacerbating my bipolar by constantly criticizing my Mom and me and favoring my brothers. It’s understandable but foolish for Dad’s to prefer more stable offspring.

Much progress has been made by the drug companies in terms of treating the root cause of the problem. However some psychiatrist have trouble getting the correct drug and the perfect dose the first time. This is why many patients give up and defame ‘meds.’ I went through a year of this then found a doctor who got the right drug and dose the first time. At the age of 49 my bipolar was reduced by 80% and I feel normal much of the time at age 59.

One problem is the cost. If you don’t have insurance, the county or state mental health clinics can help you. Be patient and firm to let the doctor know if a med is not working. However, it takes up to 45 days before the drug has its full effect. After that time, switch meds if you don’t feel better. Don’t give up since bipolar can progressively get worse is not treated to halt the brains down hill slide. This constant fear of the returning crippler keeps me on track.

bye......now go fly little bird.....

Eagle Feather

 

http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/Depression/nimh/bipolar_screening_test.asp

Here is a test for bipolar personality disorder.

Actually there are tests for many types of personality disorders. One site is this one:

http://www.healthyplace.com/site/tests/psychological.asp

I don't trust these tests. They'd get anyone out with at least one personality disorder.

 

well even just from the simple test it doesnt seem like its an issue with bipolar disorder, but i did check into ADD because I've always had a sense that I've had an issue with that.

in school, I would be so motivated to get things right and do well, and then I would start to drift off, and follow through poorly. I have been having lots of issues with dyslexic like symptoms where i switch numbers and words around often, so badly that it has effected my work performance and i can't ever notice the switch I've made until someone directly points it out to me and shows me.

I'm so easily distracted at work, that I forget things I was given, and its hard to concentrate, etc.

but for ADD the only way to treat it is medication right? I wouldnt take medication so, even if I had it... I guess I'm screwed.

I just know something is not right and its NOT depression because I have experienced depression enough to know it. its not that by any means.

 

I have both ADHD and bipolar disorder, so I hope Apples and Oranges, that you have neither! They suck monkey balls. I'll try to explain...

I can't manage bipolar w/o medication. I take abilify, lithium, and ambien for that as well as ritalin and clonopin for ADHD. I would not be in college if I didn't get treated. See, I had a psychotic manic episode and ended up in JAIL b/c I couldn't think clearly. I had no idea what was going on and I still don't know what happened during that week of HELL. Bipolar is serious shit; it is not something that I wish upon my worst enemy.

Medication isn't the only answer for both ADHD and bipolar disorder. There is therapy which goes with it. Maybe try cognitive therapy? That's where you think about problems you're having and find logic solutions. One tip is make lists and schedules to help for forgetting. I would have missed many appt's if it wasn't for my schedule book. Read up on ADHD. That's how I found out I had it. On a 100 q test, I got 96 yes answers. See a pyschiatrist to make the final diagnosis, although they are not always perfect. Find one that fits you (and your insurance) and you should be straight.

Why do you not want to take medication, if I may ask? I used to be the biggest pill popper but now I have to take my meds so I don't recreationally do it anymore. You don't have to answer my question unless you want to. And if you want, you can IM me if you have other questions about either disorder.

Peace and love
Best wishes!

PS: I've never heard LSD causes bipolar disorder. It is more likely that people with bipolar disorder are more likely to take LSD to self medicate. Cooralation, not causation.

 

Probably got confused... taking a drug like LSD dramatically increases the chances that a manic episode will be triggered.

I reiterate my original post: go see someone about this. It could be anything, but most likely they’re going to start with the problems you know you have (eating disorder with OCD tendencies), as fixing those could possibly fix everything. I agree with whoever recommend CBT as a great place to start.

 

What caused the psychotic attack? Got off your pills? Wrong medication?

Wrong dose?

What would happen if you took a low dose of pot each night so the stoned side effect will help you sleep. The next day the pot feeling will be gone but it works behind the scene and causes more relaxation. Do this 3 times a week.

 

Thanks Insane Jester--- after doing lots of research I *really* don't think that's what it is.

But I also don't think it's depression.

There are similarities beteween the way I am and bipolar disorder, however, if that would be the case, I'd imagine it to be pretty minor---

I am going to talk to my counselor and ask her to screen me though. For this and ADD just to be sure. I have a feeling I have more of a problem with ADD than anything, and I was diagnosed with hyperactivity as a child [whatever that means???]--- It doesn't matter in a sense, because I will not take medication for it. Anyone I've ever known to be on ADD medication has completely hated it, and I'm already on anti-anxiety meds the way it is.

One of the things about ADD that hit me was distraction during sex---I've been noticing this more and more as the years go on, and it's something that really bothers me. Something will EASILY distract me during sex and I'm turned off, and it hasn't always been this way, however, it seems to keep getting worse.

I love my fiancee and think he is sexy, and he pleases me, so it has nothing to do with that.... It's weird shit like if I hear my cat meow out in the living room, then its like "oh!" and my mind turns to that.

I can't keep focused on one thing at work, and because of that I often forget things and later get in trouble for not finishing this or that. I can't seem to keep my thoughts straight and I often get lost in this cloud, trying to figure out where exactly my mind is, because I have like 8399347884 things on my mind at once.

I also really, REALLY related to the symptom of starting off well at something and not following through. I did this a lot and school and still notice it at work. Part of the reason I got an HSED instead of a diploma. I would work so hard at the beginning of a quarter, or even just an assignment, and then start to drift off.... and it wasn't that I wasn't interested, but if I wasn't COMPLETELY and TOTALLY captivated by the subject that happened. The only class I ever kept consistently well in was psychology because it captivated me to such a point. The rest of my classes were interesting to me, but I always caught myself drifting off.

I would come into class and try to concentrate or take notes, and by the end of my class I found myself doodling or thinking about/doing something else.

It was frustrating because it wasn't just your average case of boredom...I love learning... I just became so easily distracted that I couldn't seem to keep focused no matter how hard I tried.

It's irritating.

 

I was diagnosed with ADD a couple of years ago. It sound like that might be a possibility to me. They eventually put me on Adderall XR, which makes you feel odd at first but it has given me more focus though. Be warned though it'll make you feel less hungry.