How Many Have Been Bipolar For More Than 20 Years?

Just out of curiosity, I am wanting to hear from those who have been bipolar for many years and whether you feel your symptoms have remained somewhat the same, or have gotten worse with time? I was diagnosed in my 30's, bp2, and have managed the illness quite well in terms of faithfully taking my meds, trying to keep the same bedtime, etc.
i am female, 65 and for me, the symptoms have gotten worse over time; i have greater insight and info. into this disorder yet i find myself much more fragile, vulnerable to stressors, and have a terrible time getting sleep w/o the help of meds. Would love to hear your personal experiences if you've had a diagnosis for more than 20 years.

I've been bipolar for 18 years, and the symptoms of mania do get better for me. Depression is another story.

I was undiagnosed but with symptoms starting in my late teens and am now 44. Symptoms have gotten worse, and can't use lithium anymore which did help.

30 years here, and the mania is well controlled, but the depression hasn't gone away in 9 years. (I have a reaction to all of the SSRIs, and unfortunately, serotonin is exactly what I need to stabilize my depression.)
Winters are the worst for me, with a slight hypomania as spring arrives. (And I love every minute of spring!)

It does seem that the depression gets worse as I get older, but I can't verify that, as I go thru shrinks about as fast as most people go thru a box of cookies. (They keep moving, quitting or retiring on me..)

Not dx'd till a few years ago (anything "psych" was considered strictly off the table for discussion, despite overwhelming evidence), but yes, symptoms for 29 years now. Possibly a bit longer, but an episode at 20 defines it without any doubt. Symptoms worse as time progressed, yes. Untreated for so very many years, from personal experience, I do believe the kindling theory to be true. Hypomanias more frequent when younger. Depressions longer and more severe in latter years, really noticeable shift at a little over a decade ago.

Initial misdiagnosis and treatment with ADs alone was, not surprisingly, a disaster. Looking back, it's truly unbelievable to not have been properly dx'd much earlier. Denial, I guess*, because it sure wasn't lack of evidence(!)

(Edited to say... there's really no guess about it. I do know why, and writing a post in another thread reminded me of a huge factor in that denial. It wasn't just the denial level of the family I grew up in, it was mine. I wouldn't touch psych with a 1000' pole. The behavior I described (in the other thread) reminded me all too much of my mother, whom I fervently vowed to never be like. I knew she was way "off" mentally, and I just could not could not could not deal with seeing it in myself. See a psych? No way. This couldn't be happening and I sure as hell wasn't going to talk about it. And frankly, I think anyone else was just afraid to say anything. So the rest of it got swept under the rug too. Denial is a powerful thing.)

I haven't been around for 20 years yet.

I've been diagnosed for two years bp1. I was diagnosed with depression for about 15 years. Its common to misdiagnose bp as depression. Reading about the symptoms, I know I was bp back in my teens. I'm now 50. I think I had it so young because I lost my parents when I was young. Trama can trigger it early. I'd say the symptoms have slowly gotten worse. But the meds are working good, holding my breath, for the last year. I had some depression but it was pretty minor. I've been in the hosp. three times in the last three years or so. That was for a total of ten days. They say it gets worse. I'm going to have to trust in god and the pharmaceutical companies to help me though it.
Pm me if you want to talk

I think you have a better chance with God. He doesn't come with side effects.

I'm pretty sure it's been all my life. I used to black out in rage sometimes, destroying my room at about 14 or 15.. but I think I have other things going on as well. I just got diagnosed months ago after a decade and a half of thinking I was ADHD (and had been diagnosed that).

Maybe I should have been more honest with my counselor, but there are some thoughts and things I just feel I can't say to them. I get really, really violent and angry thoughts that won't go away. Paranoid. I freak out and think everyone in the world is out to get me. I'm pretty sure that's not bipolar, but whatever it is, the meds I'm on don't seem to help because tonight I was fuming over some stupid little thing that was in my head.

I dunno. but this has been pretty much a lifelong thing with periods of normalcy. I've actually calmed down quite a bit since I was younger actually, but still go completely insane once in a while. haha

I was diagnosed in jan 09 with my first hospitalization. I started showing signs in 8th grade. No need for sleep I had my first major depression at 17 thet tried me on all sorts of antidepressants but I couldnt take them they made my skin crawl and what i didnt know then but they also started hypo so I quit them. First full blown mania was 2009, I think. Probably younger with being delusional just never got help for it, but only srarted hallucinating in 2009.

So if I was bipolar at age 14 that would be 19 years for me.

I was diagnosed with BP 1 at age 21. I am 55 now. My symptoms were just barely controlled through my 30s, I went off meds from 32-38 while having children, went back to barely controlled symptoms with meds until about 45 or so when manias became mild and decreased in frequency. Seems my 50's are going to be fighting depression with few hypomanic states, and fewer mixed episodes. I attribute this to the changing of the symptoms with age since I've been on the same meds for 10 years with minor changes.I think the literature states that manias are infrequent, but depression more pronounced in later years. My plan is to focus on fighting depression and be thankful for the few hypomanias that come my way.

My Bipolar symptoms appeared at an early age. I was diagnosed at 15. I am 44. I survived my twenties with ,yoga,dance,meditation,vitamins, and herbal therapies although I had one suicide attempt during that time. I became medicated nine years ago. My depressions became much more severe three years ago and I have had two hospitalizations in the last year. I've become more involved in dance therapy as an addition to my medication and that is really helping with the increased depression as I get older.

Right there with you. Mis DXD at 21, then again at 28 when I quit using alcohol to self medicate. I was put on a anti depressant which let my Hypo-Mania fly. Had my first DXD full blown mania at 43, I am now 60. I take my meds exactly as perscribed, have them adjusted 3 or 4 times a year. Today I am well educated on the disease, but yes it has progressed and continues too. My main focus is on acceptance and gratitude for what I can still do.

I was treated for depression starting in 1996 but wasn't DX'd with BP until 2005. It has pretty much trashed my life, but I'm trying to build again, without a varying degree of luck. So, I guess I was 49 when diagnosed. When I look back through my life I think I was probably exhibiting symptoms starting in my teens, but I stayed very well medicated for well over 20 years... its WAS the 70's, after all. (lol) Sometimes I think those meds were better than what I get at the drug store!

So I keep hanging on, though it's hard from time to time. Times around the equinoxes seem to be the worst for me, I'm extremely bummed, can't stay out of bed. I'm hoping that I can do it now that I'm up and have a bit of Adderall in me. It does seem to pick me up and help me get moving, but I try to wait until things get really bad, don't want to take it too often.

Hmm I started having psychosis at 11, depression was something I always dealt with as a child, I went to counseling for depression at five years old. My first clear manic episode was at 13 years old. I was dx at 17 and I'm 33 now.

It did get worse over the years. Like you, much more vulnerable to stresses an routine changes, seasonal changes ect. This last year has been a whirlwind. I have have went through the worst longest mixed mood that I've had yet, but for that last three months I have been the most stable in what seems like forever. For me the meds have never helped me out that much. It wasn't until I really started focusing on all aspects of my being that I started to experience any real relief.

But I do have fear of worsening even more over time. Hopefully I can find a way to move in the opposite direction. For me the mania has gotten worse ( almost always dysphoric mania ) and the depression has gotten better. I chalk that up to me having more skills and tools for depression tho.