[Bloomers30]

Hi all. New here so I thought I would ask a couple of questions.

I am 21, from England and have recently been diagnosed as Bipolar II and really have no point of reference for what to expect.

I was encouraged to seek help after a series of self, and non-self, destructive behavior patterns that systematically broke down everything I have been doing right in my life in recent years.

All the information given to me by my Doctor seems generic and I would rather hear it from others who are going through it. I have been prescribed Divalproex.

Any thoughts/advice would be welcomed with open arms.

[blueoctober]

Welcome Bloomers30; I'm glad you decided to post. I did up a list for someone else that was newly diagnosed and I hope it helps you too:

1. Take meds as prescribed.
2. Educate yourself on the illness.
3. Be honest with your psychiatrist, GP, therapist etc.
4. Be honest about your concerns with medication side effects etc. Stopping meds to "show" your doctor that they don't work only affects the patient.
   
5. Get regular sleep, if you can't sleep ask for a prescription for sleep to be taken regularly or as needed.
6. Eat properly i.e. avoid excessive caffeine, junk food etc.
7. Avoid alcohol.
8. Avoid non-prescription drugs and/or drugs not prescribed to you.
9. Exercise regularly.
10. Set a routine for yourself i.e. getting up at the same time, going to sleep at the same time.
11. Surround yourself with people that fill you up.
12. Take time for yourself.
13. Be patient. The med regime for many diagnosed does take time, but it's worth taking the time.
14. Write in a journal especially with how you are feeling right now; that way if you ever considered going off meds it may help you make a better decision.
15. Track your mood. Great free one online at http://www.medhelp.org/land/mood-tracker

And finally remember you aren't your diagnosis. You have bipolar, but you aren't bipolar.

[WendyAussie]

I think what blueoctober said is really good. I would add to number "11. Surround yourself with people that fill you up." - to also create strong boundaries in your life with people who are destructive to you rather than constructive. This may mean only having short telephone conversations with them, only seeing them with a certain frequency, and make the time you spend with them limited. It is also your right to exclude people from your life entirely if they are really detrimental to you emotional or physically. But just a rider on that, don't make any snap decisions on that until you are stabilised - except in cases when you are in imminent danger.

Being assertive, rather than aggressive, passive aggressive, or passive is a life-long learning thing and you won't get it right all the time, or maybe even much of the time if it is a new way of living for you. Plenty of people who don't have mental illnesses struggle with that themselves, so it's not just we people with Bipolar Disorder. It's a work in progress for me and I have been under mental health care for a long time.

In terms of developing those life skills, are you in a position to see a psychologist as well as seeing the doctor? And is your doctor a GP or a psychiatrist? If you have Bipolar Disorder, seeing a GP alone, is not ideal in my view. It is an extremely complex illness and I believe you should be under the care of a psychiatrist if you have Bipolar Disorder.

As to the complexity of Bipolar Disorder have a look under Conditions and Disorders at the top left hand side of this screen and you should find some info there. I am also a member on another site called Daily Strength, simialr to this and you can get into from that on Bipolar too - the URL is http://www.dailystrength.org/home

I am in Australia but twe have two exelent mental health organisations and I will give you their URLs too

http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/
http://www.beyondblue.org.au/index.aspx?link_id=91.593

If you search the Net for the UK mental health organisations you might come up with something there too.

I hope all this helps - keep posting and asking as many questions as you like. You may not realise it, but you are an asset to all the existing members too, as a new member. The last thing regards medication. As I said Bipolar Disorder is a complex illness and it can take a while for the doctor to hit on the right meds mix. So try not to be too frustrated if it doesn't happen immediately.

[allme]

Hi there and welcome! I would say sharing with others that understand is a great great help. No matter how scatty or depressing u feel your posts might be.. just post it! I for one have posted a few scatty posts thet were completely off the wall lol And on the other side.... still keep intouch even if you're feeling well! And yes Knowledge is the key! Research, research and more research lol I have found a lot of stuff out just reading others posts!

[PT52]

Hi Bloomers30, glad you found us so quickly I agree with everything everyone said (they're all quite clever!) and definitely ask questions here, read other people's threads, get involved. here you are talking to people who have been where you're at and can give you some real world answers. And lots of hugs..

[sugahorse1]

Hi and welcome - I hope you will find the support and knowledge on here that will make this path a lot easier to walk. Please know you are not alone in this. The suggestions above are a great starting point!

[Bloomers30]

Thanks for all the advice guys, it is greatly appreciated. I will be active on here so I am not alone in this.

[Grkgjohn]

Originally Posted by Bloomers30

Hi all. New here so I thought I would ask a couple of questions.

I am 21, from England and have recently been diagnosed as Bipolar II and really have no point of reference for what to expect.

I was encouraged to seek help after a series of self, and non-self, destructive behavior patterns that systematically broke down everything I have been doing right in my life in recent years.

All the information given to me by my Doctor seems generic and I would rather hear it from others who are going through it. I have been prescribed Divalproex.

Any thoughts/advice would be welcomed with open arms.

People can tell you what to do all they want but here's what you will do.

1.have manic attacks
2.feel like there is no way out
3.Bp will affect your productivity at times
4.the meds you choose will alter your personality
5.you will put your family through ups and downs
6.you will be on the inside of yourself wondering why?

[PT52]

People can tell you what to do all they want but here's what you will do.

1.have manic attacks
2.feel like there is no way out
3.Bp will affect your productivity at times
4.the meds you choose will alter your personality
5.you will put your family through ups and downs
6.you will be on the inside of yourself wondering why?

Dear Bloomers30,
I would definitely agree with number 1 - you aren't diagnosed bipolar without manic or hypomanic episodes.

Number 2 is subjective; you might or might not feel there is no way out depending on your own outlook and your own determination.

Number 3 is accurate - as it is for just about anyone; BP or not.

Number 4 is also subjective; what is true for one is not necessarily true for all.

Number 5 - probably, but also subjective, depending on your family, your own approach, your culture - a lot of variables.

Number 6 - subjective again; you will be on the inside of yourself, no doubt. But the thoughts you have will be uniquely yours.

For every answer we find in our attempt to understand ourselves, there will be even more questions. Ask the questions, weigh the answers, try to make good decisions. You have your own unique BP journey, but we are here to hopefully share some insight and help you on your journey.

[blueoctober]

Originally Posted by Bloomers30

Thanks for all the advice guys, it is greatly appreciated. I will be active on here so I am not alone in this.

That's great! There is hope. I have been diagnosed since 2007 and am managing my bipolar quite well. The meds haven't taken away all my symptoms, but they aren't as severe or as often as they were before. I don't feel like my personality has been altered by meds, but for the first year I had to get to know who the "real" Beth was because I had lived undiagnosed for so long and had assumed hypomanic me was the real me. It wasn't. I'm looking forward to reading your posts.

[Amazonmom]

I was diagnosed bipolar II less than two years ago, but I bet it started when I was 21.

Hugs for you, and you are always welcome here.