Although I believe I've had bipolar disorder since at least 14 years old, the very worst of my illness showed itself when I was about 33/34. That was the beginning of a four year period of severe manias (most with mixed features), and then an over one year long depression requiring ECT. I had 10 hospitalizations during that period, but only remember maybe five of them. After that period, I had some relief, but then was plagued by not only more mood lability, but managed to avoid the hospital, but also some other strange psychiatric and neurological occurrences.

Between my last hospitalization and now I've also had doctors say I had the following:

*Possible Simple Partial Seizures
*Typical Migraines
*Silent Migraines
*Depersonalization and derealization
*Musical hallucinations when seemingly somewhat stable
*Agoraphobia w/accompanying panic attacks
*Specific phobias (fear of swallowing meat & fear of going to my basement because I thought the devil was there)
*Teeth grinding and jaw shifting

It was like the four years of Hell, surely at least mildly traumatic, seemed to bring on so many weird things. I'll admit that with proper medications and therapy (using coping skills and exposure) I have gotten past most of these "extra" things, but I still have occasional mood lability. I also have issues relating to my illness and/or medications, such as lack of motivation and energy.

Can anyone out there relate to this? Did you seem to develop "other" issues after your bipolar episodes?