Hello all.
I'm a 23 year old student with a full time job in retail. I was only recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder, though I'd been diagnosed years ago with depression from a different doctor. I was put on antidepressants and they seemed to help for a few months, but then the mood swings got progressively worse and I stopped taking them. For about four years I went on and off until I recently got a second opinion.

My manic episodes are slowly getting worse. I binge-shop and have managed to rack up thousands upon thousands of dollars in debt in the last five years. On top of that, my libido went crazy. On medication, I had absolutely no sex drive. Off, I was extremely promiscuous. During manic episodes, my self-esteem is through the roof, but during my depressive episodes, I hate myself. I've dabbled with thoughts of suicide and tend to get really sick really easily. My relationships suffer as well. During manic episodes, I'm paranoid and overachieving towards my partner(s). If I become too paranoid, I'm unfaithful. During depressive episodes, I don't even want to see anyone.

It is nice having this forum with like-minded people in similar situations. Feels a lot less lonely.

Sent from my iPhone