why does a condition like Bipolar/manic depressive cause such emotional instability? I know I'm not the only one who is emotionally crippled by it. But why? I get depressed, like really depressed a lot of times. I minimize it as cycling...

I get hypo too, less of the time... always happens after depression...

but yeah, that's my condition. Why should it come with such emotional torture?

[A Red Panda]

Well... if there wasn't the ups and downs and if there wasn't a painful/destructive aspect to it that affected our lives..... then it wouldn't be a disorder....

lol! yeah, but it's enough to go through the rollercoaster without all the emotions going haywire as well.

[A Red Panda]

I'm obviously not getting what you mean, because to me... that IS the rollercoaster. Everything going haywire and topsy-turvy in regards to emotions... that is the bipolar disorder!

I tend to compartmentalize everything lol. So I probably don't come across very clear at all! I should work on that!

I was separating the emotions of when I am depressed, and when I am hypo, from the emotions that I was talking about.

Like, when I am symptom free, not depressed or hypo.... if at those times my emotions would just let me be. Instead of being what they are....

I tend to figure things out as I go lol. So sometimes I don't make sense!

[Unknown Shadow]

Originally Posted by dumbfounded

I tend to figure things out as I go lol. So sometimes I don't make sense!

You remind me of myself when I'm hypo, except I can't even understand myself most of the times then.

Yeah, I get this way a lot. Nice to be understood! It's a good feeling!

Sometimes, I skip over being depressed and go straight to this!

I think that stress, at home and at work, triggers hypo for me.

my daughters are going through things right now that they should never be going through, and that is tearing me up with stress and worry for them.

[Skittles56]

Originally Posted by dumbfounded

I think that stress, at home and at work, triggers hypo for me.

It's exactly the opposite for me. Stress and anxiety trigger depression for me.

To Red Panda's point, the disorder causes your emotions to be amplified 10-fold or 100-fold. It also causes your emotions to take wild swings from good to bad and back again. It's the nature of the beast.

[A Red Panda]

Originally Posted by dumbfounded

I was separating the emotions of when I am depressed, and when I am hypo, from the emotions that I was talking about.

Like, when I am symptom free, not depressed or hypo.... if at those times my emotions would just let me be. Instead of being what they are....

If I was experiencing emotions that were out of my normal, then I wouldn't be in my baseline. There would be exceptions for extrenuating circumstances, because we have all bad things happen that cause a horrible few days even in the middle of a "normal" phase.

But if my emotions were going haywire? Then I'm not baseline. That's the bipolar. We're either baseline, (hypo)manic, or depressed. If your emotions are everywhere in a way that's causing you distress or having an impact on your life, then you are in either a depression or a manic state (and based on how much you post this morning combined with how many of the posts were similar in content... I'd guess you're hypo right now...). If you were baseline, the up and down of the emotions wouldn't be bothering you because they would be in a normal range.

I realized my mistake this morning. just a little late. I found that if I just use my morning coffee thread to get it all out, then it leaves room for everyone else.

yeah, my emotions def trigger either depressive or hypo states. that's why I put so much emphasis on understanding and controlling my emotions.

I know I didn't make much sense with what I typed, it made much more sense in my head.

[avlady]

I like it when you're hypo, love to hear from you-just joking about liking when you're hypo, i know it's no place i'd want to be, i'm also bipolar and wouldn't wish it on anyone!!

lol.....

[~Christina]

I don't feel like I am crippled emotional. Not at all..

I feel this way ... My emotions add color to my life. When my emotions get outta hand up or down I just triple up on my selfcare.

I guess since I don't allow Bipolar to take over my life I am doing things right.

[BlueInanna]

I don't think I'd say I'm emotionally crippled either. But I'm in a hypo so I'm feeling like I just have super hi-def thoughts & emotions. I still can't tell the difference between thoughts & emotions though! I seriously don't even after years of knowing this about myself.

Stress & anxiety throw me one way or the other - I'm glad it was hypo this time - well I'll let you know in a week.