[Nixi]

Hi, I just wondered if anyone could calm themselves down when they're hypermanic?

I have borderline personality disorder and my pdoc is also querying bipolar. I had an episode where I was completely losing the plot. I'm not normally violent but I was racing up and down from the living room to the kitchen kicking the wall and cupboard at each end.(I was also suicidal) I could not stop myself and was doing it for a while before my therapist arrived at my house. I couldn't stop at first but after a few 'laps' she told me to sit down and talk. By this point I was so exhausted I did (I also have M.E). Because I was able to do this she doesn't think I'm Bipolar!!??

I know everyone is different but I was wondering if you would mind sharing your experiences of being manic/ hypermanic and your ability to calm yourself down?

Thank you

xx

[Seeker5]

I have found I have the same problem calming myself down when I find myself worked up. I have also been back and forth with docs on bipolar and BPD. My worst ways of dealing with these times end with pain and blood. I have found that if I can do some push-ups or squat-jumps (something that takes your whole body to push out that extra energy) then I am able to let my body rest long enough to gather my mind up. If you like to sprint that would be another good one. Me and my best friend both suffer from similar problems and once we discovered that when overly angry it is quite impossible to crab-walk and not laugh. This may or may not work without company.?? Hope this helps some.

[jlock4507]

I'm curious about this as well. Sorry I can help you out.

[matterofconcern]

Dealing with bipolar disorder isn’t always easy, it doesn’t have to run your life. But in order to successfully manage bipolar disorder, you have to make smart choices. Your lifestyle and daily habits have a significant impact on your moods. Read on for ways to help yourself:

• Get educated. Learn as much as you can about bipolar disorder. The more you know, the better you’ll be at assisting your own recovery.
• Keep stress in check. Avoid high-stress situations, maintain a healthy work-life balance, and try relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, or deep breathing.
• Seek support. It’s important to have people you can turn to for help and encouragement. Try joining a support group or talking to a trusted friend.
• Make healthy choices. Healthy sleeping, eating, and exercising habits can help stabilize your moods. Keeping a regular sleep schedule is particularly important.
• Monitor your moods. Keep track of your symptoms and watch for signs that your moods are swinging out of control so you can stop the problem before it starts.

[manicminer]

I can calm myself down usually if its not too bad.
I can also be calm and purposely send myself into mania if i feel the need. I can be calm, cool, collected then tell myself "lets get whacky" and be full blown manic in less than an hour.
dont know how or why, just happens

[AbeIsAbe]

If it is mania, I cannot calm myself down.
If it is hypomania or mixed episode, I can tell myself "shut up, you are making a fool of yourself" and I follow my own direction. I wonder if you were in a mixed episode if you were hypomanic/manic but also suicidal. You should look up mixed episode symptoms and try to determine if that is a possibility.

And... last but not least, I don't know if you mean hypomanic or if there is such a thing as hypermanic and that I just don't know about it. So sorry if I am talking about something different and taking you off base.

[Secretum]

I usually can control how "intense" I appear to the outside world. I have bipolar II, however, so I have not had full-blown mania. And my hypomanic periods tend to be fairly mild (fast thoughts, intense euphoria or irritability, fast speech, slightly more sociability...and that's about it. No overspending, no wild sexual adventures (physically; my thoughts definitely aren't always pg-13 when I'm hypomanic!), no impulsive decisions to travel across the country (though I have thought about it...)

Besides frank hypomania, there are other "non-manic" markers of bipolar disorder that you and your t should look for. They include:

-cyclothymic temperament (fast, usually untriggered, mood swings that can occur several times a day/week. The swings are not severe enough to be full-blown mood episodes.)

-intense daydreaming (only saw this one written once, but it describes me perfectly)

-intense baseline psychomotor activity (I think this means "rather fidgity" but I could be wrong)

-social anxiety at baseline (again, only saw it once but remembered it because it describes me)

-"atypical" rather than "melancholic" depressions-if you have this, then you are more likely to oversleep than be insomic,and more likely to overeat and gain weight. These symptoms are called "reverse neurovegative" because they are the opposite of what is seen physically during a typical, melancholic depression. Hypersensitivity to social criticism (which can look a lot like BPD), a heaviness in the limbs (a bipolar depression classic!), and mood reactivity (you are able to feel temporarily a little bit better when presented with positive stimuli, "better" being defined as "half of your depressed mood".)

-your depressions may have "mixed" features. You may be mostly low, but hypersexual and energetic enough to have an affair during depression, for example. Or you can be so low that you think everything you write is crap, yet so energetic that you cannot stop adding ***** to your pc post on subtle bipolar...

I hope that this helps.

"Hypermanic" seems to be the child of "hyperactive" and "manic"....seems a bit redundant to me.

[BlackPup]

I can try and control myself but the energy will usually just find some other way of coming out like rapid thoughts or speech. I will generally take some extra meds to come down (on pdoc's recommendation) and then get some sleep.

[Nixi]

Thank you so much everyone! ...Sorry my spelling's rubbish! I dod originally type hypo then changed it to hyper- I meant hypomanic!

I really do think I have Bipolar as it does describe me so accurately! I think last time I ended up in hospital I was possibly experiencing a mixed episode because my energy levels were off the roof for me (I have M.E so ususally my energy is very low). I was severely suicidal, agitated and all over the place. I was also feeling very sexual (again a rarety for me unless I'm experiencing one of these episodes) - I was having to stop myself from sexually assualting the psychiatrist and one of the male nurses on the ward (I didn't tell them this so it wasn't obvious).

Secrem- I experience ALL of those symptoms you put in your post!!!

I used to experience rapid speech more than I do now. I seem to be more depressed than anything so am wondering whether I might be bipolar 2? It's not fair because I really want to feel 'up' again but all my 'episodes' over the last year or two seem to be more mixed (I'm depressed most of the time).

I am really fed up of my Pdoc not diagnosing me with Bipolar- I'm not saying that I want the diagnosis but it fits me so well and explains a lot of the gaps that the Borderline diagnosis doesn't!

I'm really sorry to rant! I'm just at the end of my tether! I feel like just coming off all my meds and seeing what happens then! I know that's not a good idea, but that's how I feel!

(((Hugs))) to everyone for your comments

I can't really control myself, but I think I can and am at the time, only to realize later I was not.