- When you find a cocktail of meds that works for you. How likely is it that you will stay "normal"/stable forever or many years? Will a person still have the extreme highs and lows?

Everyone is different. Personally I tend to have long periods of stability, although my normal ups and downs are a little more extreme than most. I've had one depressive relapse on meds, which was treated with a simple med tweak, and another relapse when I quit meds, after two years with no episodes.

- Can a person with bipolar 2 live a completely "normal" life, just like everyone else? With a career and family?

Absolutely. I wouldn't exactly consider my life 'normal', I think it's better than that. I have done a lot more things, and had more adventures than most (some fuelled by mania, some not).

- Does everybody get back to "normal" after a depression, I mean when it comes to "brain activity"? Right now I have problems reading, spelling, concentration and so on.

Some people will have residual symptoms, others won't. I do go back to "normal" when not depressed. It is worth checking though about med side effects, particularly as lithium can cause the symptoms you've described.

- Do a person with bipolar need to take special things in consideration? When it comes to job/career, working hours/times, sleep and so on?

As others have said sleep is important. People with bipolar work in every field you can imagine, but a lot of it is getting to know yourself, and how much stress you can manage, how much disrupted routines impact you etc.


As for what you personally should do, are you in therapy? Medication is only a part of the treatment, and a therapist can help you work through options so you can decide what's best for you at the moment. My one piece of advice is to keep doing something if you're able to. Whether it's work, study, volunteering etc. It can feel impossible, but having nothing to do and sitting around at home all the time often exacerbates depression.