[Curiosity77]

I am curious if anyone else has a problem with affect. When i was younger i used to have inappropriate smiling, i'd smile when something upsetting was happening. It was involuntary, and i wouldn't feel happy or realize i was smiling. I was in group therapy, and group members would get really upset because they would think i was smiling while they were very upset, or they would think i wasn't taking their feedback seriously.

I don't have that problem anymore, it's kind of the opposite. My face shows very little expression, and people comment that they can't tell how i'm feeling or they say that i have a total poker face. I thought it was side effects of saphris making me expressions flat, but my pdoc thinks it is caused by years of untreated bipolar. I wanted to lower meds as a solution, but she wanted to add meds instead. So a month ago i started strattera, which is usually for adhd, which i don't have. The purpose of the strattera is to get my facial expressions to look more normal. I don't know if it's working.

[BipolaRNurse]

I have a similar issue with smiling/laughing at inappropriate times, particularly when I feel awkward or embarrassed. I also have to stifle myself from laughing when people are throwing up! Not a good thing to have happen in my line of work......

I didn't know it was associated with BP until after I'd been diagnosed for a little while and I read about it here on PC. It was a relief to learn that it wasn't unusual for people with this illness, and that I wasn't just weird (although I can be, lol).

I've learned SO much from this site over the 2 years I've been here. I am 55 years old and just now finding out that I am NOT a freak and that it's OK to be who I am, bipolar and all.

[snarkydaddy]

oh my do I ever. I have BPD. It causes some issues in my primary relationship. I started using a mirror to see what she was looking at.

I have to try super hard to make my face behave. Most of the time it is flat and emotionless, I wasnt like that before meds and therapy. It was easy to put up a mask and no one would be none the wiser to how I was really feeling. Now I constantly get told to "cheer up" and get asked "who died" because my facial expression is just flat. I try really hard to put on a pleasant face but it only takes one slip up for them to know its not genuine. The flat expression is just my natural face now, but it is not socially acceptable.

[leomama]

Originally Posted by snarkydaddy

oh my do I ever. I have BPD. It causes some issues in my primary relationship. I started using a mirror to see what she was looking at.

Lol!

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[leomama]

I don't have bipolar but I have been asked the question "why are you looking at me like that?" I'm still working on affect modulation in therapy.

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[otroo]

Boy and I thought I was the only one with this problem. I was like you when I was younger I would smile or laugh at the most inappropriate times and now I am just straight faced. My wife and I went to Hawaii last December and I seen a picture she took of me and I asked why my face was all screwed up and she told me I was smiling she told me it was the first one she had seen me do since our daughter was born and that was 14 years ago. Thanks for bringing up this topic.

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