Recently diagnosed

I am 22 and I was recently diagnosed as Bipolar Type 2. Up until I was told I was Bipolar, I had always assumed I was just suffering from depression since I was originally diagnosed with depression when I was 15. My doctor is great, and really explained what I was dealing with very well. I never recognized it before, but looking back, and now, I can recognize my episodes.

My doctor recommended that I seek community with this, and since I don't know anyone personally that is also Bipolar, I came on here.

My hypo-mania is pretty intense. I always thought that my hypo-mania was just "good days". I am extremely energetic, on top of the world, I feel like I can do anything, I feel like I'm the most desirable person ever, I'm extremely social and confident, my mind races with thoughts and plans and ideas, so much so that I often catch myself making lists and writing out these extravagant plans for some adventure- usually a trip somewhere, or a new idea of what I want to do for the rest of my life.

My depression is the exact opposite as this, and looking back, it's almost humorous that I didn't recognize it knowing what I know now. I had heard of bipolar but I had never really known any details about it. I become extremely isolated. I shut everyone out. I am easily irritated and angered.

I'm hoping someone here can offer me some insight into how to deal with these sudden changes. My doctor has me set up to begin therapy in a couple of weeks after I've been on my medicine a while.

Now that I know I'm bipolar and how to recognize it and my episodes, it is really quite frustrating. It's almost like knowing has made it worse...

Thanks in advance.

and now i'm back up. when I wrote this 2 hours ago I was deeply depressed. Now I'm up and going and want to just get out of the house and go do something... at 2am. Today was worse than it has been, and I can only assume that the stress of the past few days is just slowly building up making me switch faster and more often. I count at least 6 different episodes since I woke up yesterday morning. Now I'm manic with no hope of getting to sleep til I come down. This is seriously frustrating >.<

You're not on antidepressants, are you?

(((Krit)))

I can relate...

I'm 20 and was recently diagnosed with Bipolar II. When I was 17, I was originally diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder with a depressed mood and OCD. About a year ago, I was diagnosed with GAD. I thought that I was just anxious and depressed, and even though I had heard of BP, I never thought about myself having it.

I'm sorry that you don't have anyone who can relate...I'm sure that makes it much harder. I do, thankfully...my best friend also has BP II, and he has been with me through it all, even when I was a miserable witch...and when I went to the psychiatrist and was diagnosed, first he said "Knew it!" and then he said "I'm proud of you for going. You're world is going to be 1000x better."

Do you have any friends who an be there to support, even though they can't relate? That will help a lot.

Also, do as much reading as you can...here, on other forums etc. Google, Google, Google The more you know, the better you can handle the situation.

Take time to let it soak in, post here, and if you want, PM me.

Yes ignorance is bliss.....but in reality you're lucky you were diagnosed earlier than later. For many people left untreated/undiagnosed the BP symptoms become worse and/or treatment resistant.

I did up this list for someone else that was recently diagnosed. I hope it helps:

·Take meds as prescribed.
·Educate yourself on the illness.
·Be honest with your psychiatrist, GP, therapist etc.
·Get regular sleep, if you can't sleep ask for a prescription for sleep to be taken regularly or as needed.
·Eat properly i.e. avoid excessive caffeine, junk food etc.
·Avoid alcohol.
·Avoid non-prescription drugs and/or drugs not prescribed to you.
·Exercise regularly.
·Set a routine for yourself i.e. getting up at the same time, going to sleep at the same time.
·Surround yourself with people that fill you up.
·Take time for yourself.
·Be patient. The med regime for many diagnosed does take time, but it's worth taking the time.
·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.
·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.

No I'm only on Lithium right now and I just startedit a couple days ago...Only thing I'm getting from it so far is the hand tremors

Your emotions go all over the place when you are diagnosed and the meds aren't working yet so it is a tough time. It can take a while to get meds right but know that it can and will get better.
Still try to take responsibility for what you feel when you are up and down, rather than being reactive to everything around you. This is important cos there is so much we can't control with our moods, so control what you can.
Also journals and meditation help when things are crazy - it can be hard to do but try and make it a habit.

blueoctober posted some great advice, but I'm going to add one more point:

Accept your illness. You know that you have bipolar disorder and you need to realize that medications and therapy, although quite helpful, might not make the symptoms disappear completely. Accept them as a part of your life and don't let the pessimistic side of you complain too much. That's what we need to do in order to survive a long term illness.

Take care

I am 21 years old, diagnosed with bipolar II when i was 17. I have been mildly medicated before and take no medication now.
For the first year after my diagnosis there was a lot of suffering, product of my not understanding what was wrong with me. Exagerated feelings, from anger to sadness to love to anything, I felt everything 10X more than I ever did. I could not detach myself from this feelings and thoughts because they were so foreign and out of control; which was very unlike me a complete control freak. As the years have progressed I have learned to appretiate some of the things my bipolarism has given me.......
I think a lot, I think about everything, I analize things I can see many different points. I am very creative and can be very passionate when I do something. Due to my many pesonalities, also a product of my bipolarism I can sometimes relate to a much broader group of people.
I am extremely creative and have ingenious ideas.
and yes there are those days when I feel down, when I think of suicide, when I have no energy, will power or appetite (or too much appetite), when I am pissed of at the world but cant really comprehend why. I have lost friends, boyfriends, and almost even my own family due to my erratic behaviour and I guess I have learned that it just doesnt work out for me to behave that way.
Now I write everyday, I question my emotions just to see if they are really rational, I remind myself every single day that I can be irrational wether I am manic or depressed. I know my bipolarism, I have learned my triggers and I have learned to channel my energy when manic which has proved extremely beneficial to me. It is an everyday job, a constant pattern of reminding myself of my condition, of keeping myself in check. and is not easy and sometimes i fall off the boat, but as I have said to many I will say to you and you will probably think im completely insane.....IF I HAD THE CHANCE TO CURE MY BIPOLARISM...I WOULDN'T...It has made me a broad, smart, talented person...hope you can gain from your bipolarism some of what I have gained and you find some peace of mind.
good luck with everything

P.s ..I find this videos really helped me when i needed some guidance.
youtube : levels of conciousness
by some person named psychetruth

Doc now has me to start taking Klonopin 1mg everyday to control my anxiety. I've heard this is good. Also supposed to start therapy tomorrow so we will see how that goes.

The past week has been kind of crazy. The Lithium doesn't seem to be helping at all, if anything it's making it worse. My mood has been incredibly unstable since last Thursday. Is it normal for more fluctuations and more aggression and aggravation while the medicine is getting into my system? I don't see my doc again for another week so I can't ask him about all of this. I find myself getting angry over the smallest things that shouldn't even really matter. At the time I think it's a legitimate reason to be angry, but then when I am finally able to calm down I'm like... wow, I'm crazy.

My Mania has also been more sever lately.

Thanks

The Klonopin should help with some of the anger as well as the anxiety. It may be too soon to tell how the Lithium is working yet. I'm glad to hear that you will be able to see your new therapist tomorrow. As with any chronic illness, there can be a lot to learn about how to manage it and take care of yourself to try to minimize the episodes. Hopefully your therapist can help you to recognize what your particular "flavor" of bipolar looks like. The more you learn about yourself - patterns, triggers, warning signs, etc - the better off you'll be. I agree with the others - read, read, read all you can. One really good website is www.bipolar.about.com .

No matter how sick I have gotten, one thing I try to keep in mind is this: even though I will always have bipolar disorder, I won't always be sick. I know things are not good for you right now...but try to have faith that things will improve, especially now that you know what's going on and can treat it.

I'm not sure where you're located, but if you are in the US, there is a national support group called the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (www.dbsalliance.org) - they have support groups all over the country for people with depression and bipolar disorder. You might find a face-to-face support group to be an added resource for you. Definitely keep coming here to PC as well - people here have been "at this bipolar thing" for a long time and there is a lot of experience to draw upon.

Hang in there....