[Daughteroftheking77]

I had no idea that I might have bipolar until last night. I was looking at the sanity score again and noticed that it said that my score for bipolar showed that I was showing some symptoms of it so I clicked the link. I was reading the article and saw the test for mania so I clicked on it. I knew I've been depressed lately but i also scored a 40 on that quiz which is moderate to severe mania. That would put me in a mixed episode right now. The problem is I am not working right now so I don't have any money to go see anybody or get any meds. Have any of you had any success dealing with this without the help of those two things? I wouldn't be doing it on my own forever, just until I could get some money but any tips would be appreciated and I guess I wouldn't be on my own because I have you guys. Thanks and I hope that I eventually learn enough to be a support to everybody else on this forum instead of just taking.

YES!!!
there are alot of things that you can do that are Cost&Time-Effective that can help you out. some examples are:
-Healthy diet ((Eating 3 times a day at the least))
-Exercise regularly ((once a week at least))
-Pick a time where, every day, you can do something that relaxes you & use that time, every day, to do so
-Journaling, in a notebook or on ur computer, or even on scrap paper ((whatever suits you))
-Remembering to breathe... the "right way;" in through your nose & out through your mouth.
-Reminding yourself that, "you can do this," "you will be okay" ((what ever "this" is))

i hope this helps you a great deal, these are things i do myself to help maintain a managable level of "crazy" in my life (((lol)))

[Beebizzy]

Personally no, I have always had meds, psychiatrists and psychologists. I'm rubbish at knowing what's going on until it gets bad and a pdoc or T or GP points it out.

Having said that, due to the fact that I usually don't realise anything, I have muddled through the last 5 years or so without any meds or doctors. Perfectly functional and fully believing I was having no episodes. Which I mean was largely true. But I also have a tendency to not expect to feel particularly good in the first place and so I let things go that others would not. And in my light of my most recent episodes, I think was depressed during that time.

Anyway - the thing is that it is never a great idea to self-diagnose and especially based on an online quiz (though they do give good guidelines) It's not a proper diagnosis, you know? So you are absolutely right to try to see someone.

I hear you on the money thing. I'm not in the US but aren't there free clinics or some such? Or what about a regular GP? Until you can get to a pdoc? If things get really bad, don't hesitate to go to the ER.

Best of luck to you.

[AniManiac]

Vickie has some great suggestions above.

The A-number-1 thing I'd recommend is regulating sleep. Go to bed at the same time every day, get up at the same time every day, and make sure you're getting 7-9 hours of sleep. Sleep problems are rampant among people with bipolar, and for a lot of us, it triggers hypo/mania.

There are a number of self-help books out there (check your library, my favorites so far have been "Break the Bipolar Cycle" and "Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder" - they have useful worksheets and strategies) that have great suggestions for things you can do, and there's also a bipolar workbook that I've seen on Amazon but haven't bought yet.

You may not want to hear it, but laying off intoxicants is usually a good idea. Alcohol is a depressant (delayed effect) and most other street drugs use up your brain's receptors for the chemicals that your brain naturally produces or that are in meds. So if you're using anything, try to reduce or quit. People with mental illness (and especially bipolar, 50% of us!) are so notorious for self-medicating with alcohol and drugs that it's got it's own label - "dual diagnosis."

Finally, start a mood chart. You can find a bunch of different formats online. The one I've been using is actually from Abilify, and I also like to use Moodscope as it's much more precise. Mood charts help you keep track of things like hours of sleep and alcohol/drug consumption, as well as your moods. Then it's easier to see where there are patterns of mood swings. When you do have an opportunity to see a medical professional about it, having the mood charts will be really valuable and will help with diagnosis. Plus you'll understand yourself better, and that really helps a lot.

You should also check into public mental health services. There are usually free or low-cost services available. It might not be the best option (you'll wait longer to get in and will be able to see someone less often), but it's better than nothing. If you suspect you have bipolar, I would not wait on trying to get professional help. There are also programs for free meds (check around PC, I think there's a "sticky" post in the meds forum) so although it's harder when you're broke, there are still options for proper treatment. It's hard to get this stuff set up if you're having a lot of mood swings, but it's necessary. If you have a hard time finding the right services, ask your local librarian - they specialize in helping people find information (without judging) and the library is an excellent starting point that will get you pointed in the right direction as fast as possible. The library is the perfect place to go if you're not sure what services are available in your area.

[Daughteroftheking77]

Thanks for all the tips everyone. They are great and at least I'll have something to do until I can see a professional and see if they verify what the quiz says. I'll definitely be checking out those mood charts. It might help to have that documentation for a disabilty psychologist if I do decide to apply for it. As far as substances, that's no problem for me. I had four friends die of drug overdoses or alcohol poisoning so i've stayed away from that stuff due to my already addictive personality (gambling, shopping, sex, and it's not really an addiction but anorexia) and if I do drink it is one glass of wine on special occasions like Christmas, weddings, etc.