Is there anyone who?

Bipolar 1 mania includes psychosis, unlike hypomania of any kind. Psychotic features with mania is one of the hallmarks of BP 1. Bipolar 2 mania has no psychotic features.

Either can be "hypo-" (meaning "under") manic.

This is a great thread; thanks widgets.

I have just recently been diagonosed with Bi Polar I ... Everything sort of built up and slammed me .. I see my therapist weekly and between him and the Pdoc and my " history ..we have all kind of decided I have been Bi Polar most all of my life ,I was just never diagnosed and My symptoms are mostly a classic case but I also have some " personality disorder " issues .. I dont know if actually giving me the diagnosis has helped or not.. seems the deeper I go into all my issues and problems the worse I am .. LOL
I think everyone has there own definition and symptoms of Bi Polar. I feel because a mental illness is such a personal journey no two people could possibly have the same " story"
My Pdoc just increased my Seraquel to 400mg at nite.. I despie the side effects mainly weight gain and runny nose . but it does slow my brain down so im not mentally beating myself to death. Since im new to being actually diagnosed Im really not sure what to feel about the whole mess.

Wishing you Peace and love ~

I'm being told I'm bipolar, but to assure a diagnosis, have also been told to quit drinking and abusing other drugs for at least six months. I really, really don't want to. I love to drink until I do stupid things that I might regret later, but usually don't. I pretend to be proud of the fact that I can drink men under the table. I've been wild and reckless my entire life. I find it very hard not to be. Living a normal life is very hard. Being married is hard. Being a good daughter to my needy mother is hard. And sometimes being a good friend is really hard too. I tend to think I'm a selfish *****. It sucks.

Manicmanda.
I find it completely impossible not to drink, even though i have my meds and i know i get an anticlimax from the wild nights than can sometimes (not always) lead to a very depressie episode. I still do it. I believe this is because of bipolar. Because i cant think of the consequences of my actions, i need to make myself feel good at that time.
I havent got to the stage yet where i can know whats good for me and right and follow that.

Drinking in moderation is okay guys, Sticking to a few drinks a week doesn't really affect me. I have weeks where I will drink lots and mostly I drink 1-3 drinks a week if that. Moderation is really all is needed. I now know I can still have a good time without getting rat-arsed and having weird side-effects

I drink a drink or two most every night. It's excess alcohol that's really dangerous.

As for drinking and drugs, I have never tried drugs (other than my prescriptions) I drank a bit too much while in college, but I hardly ever drink now and I have never even tried cigarettes.

As for mania, I have been hypomanic and have had mixed episodes. I have also had depressive episodes with psychotic features like paranoia and delusions. I can't get anyone to pin down an exact diagnosis.

This is a great thread.

I'm sorry Astone. I can't even imagine how painful that is.

Same here. Bipolar runs in my family on the one side. There is definitely a genetic component involved IMO. I was diagnosed at 18 but had wondered if I was bipolar for a long time before that. My mother noticed differences in me when I was young as well.

I do the same thing! I find something I want (either before I even make it a plan to get it or once I am already in the store) and I HAVE TO HAVE IT. ASAP. Need to own it, need to have it, use it, see it, research it, think about it till I get it and sometimes after, etc. Sometimes its even the smallest thing. I go on shopping binges. Usually when I'm manic. Sometimes when I'm depressed to feel better, but when I'm manic it's like you said "I felt hungry" for this stuff. (you described it perfectly) I later feel guilty that I was so impulsive.

i was addicted to a certain drug for a little over a year. A few years later i was diagnosed bipolar II, and told that i may have had a predisposition to it before the drugs, but the drugs actually caused it ? However i have had manic or hypo-manic episodes (not sure which) but there have been some psychotic features for example i used to stare at light bulbs because the electric current looked like a mouth...and i thought they were sending me messages...well..talking but no sound. Oddly enough anti-depressants actually trigger at least hypo mania for me anyways.

I've been hypomanic for about 3 weeks now. But its not always good, i'm more stressed, more irritated, snappy and quite rude to people.
i'm less anxious, happier, really high sex drive (as opposed to non existent for the past year), VERY high self esteem, low concentration though, more than double the energy i usually have.
This isnt Mania because i know exactly what i'm doing, i'm not doing anything dangerous and it isnt really changing my life, well not dramatically anyway, but i believe its not the same sort of hypo-M that someone with BP1 would have. Not sure?

I only get psychosis when i'm at the lowest that i get. Never when i'm up? Its always paranoia and voices in my head.

I'm BP1, and my paranoia is always ebbing and flowing. There's always a teeny bit of it there, but social phobia could have something do with it.

It is unbelievable how differently BP manifests itself in different people!! No wonder it's so hard to treat!

I am BP2 with treatment resistant depression. I do have hypomania, but the episodes are few and far between. I get very impulsive, but not psychotic. It gets real hard to control my urges to go party.

I'm not sure whether my depression in treatable, in a way thats why i am glad i am BP, because i think if i got depressed and wasnt, then i'd be depressed for every single day of the rest of my life. Thats probably a funny way of looking at it.