[buzz bee]

Do you think Bipolar get sick more often? I get a virus just from walking into a doctor's office it seems.

[Altered Moment]

I am not sure. I think is someone is very depressed there immune system can be suppressed. I wouldn't think that is the case if doing good or even in a manic state.

[venusss]

The drugs don't help either. They can deprive body of vitamins and nutritients.

[pawn78]

no, I work in dirty, moldy, septic conditions and I exercise and eat healthy and have a virile immune system. It has nothing to do with bipolar.

[cmorales]

I only get really sick every few years or so. It's like the freakin' Olympics: flu every 4 years; decent head cold every 2 years between the flu.

[loophole]

Yes.. the more depressed you are.. especially for weeks or months at a time... case in point. I've had pneumonia 2 years in a row.. after the first bout od pneumonia I even had a pneumonia shot... the following year almost 13 months pneumonia again... also have 3 to 4 upper respiratory infections a year. . Which I recently read is one of the common "side effects" in depression... I'm in outpatient right now and we watched a video that talked about it some as well.. definitely exists

[vjdragonfly]

That would be interesting to find an actual scientific study. I think I do agree that depression could play a part in a reduce immune system because I know my emotions effect me physically. Is it that way for everybody?, I really don't know. Another factor I do believe that plays in it is that when we are depressed is that we don't take care of ourselves such as good diet, hygiene, etc.

[loophole]

In its most basic concept it's about the fact that your not moving. Your body is slowed down to some extent.. eating habits often change.. basic health like cleanliness is often neglected... these all attribute to your overall health.. that's the bases in general.. if your depressed and highly motivated or motivated at all I don't know how.. most forms of depression causes some changes if not heavily changes your quality of life in that time frame

[~Christina]

Of course depression leaves you wide open to illness for obvious reasons . While Manic your not eating right or sleeping very little to none. Both extremes compromises the bodies natural defenses.

[BipolaRNurse]

I don't get sick very often, although when I do go down, I go down hard. That's because I'm a nurse and my immune system is strong enough to fight off the squirrels in the back yard. LOL

[Nightside of Eden]

I virtually never get sick, so certainly not all people with bipolar are more susceptible to viruses.

I hardly ever get sick, but when I do, it's either: I just start to get sick then poof, it doesn't really follow through (ha, like me! ) OR whammo, down for the count (extremes, ah, how familiar in all realms… ) Honestly, I can't even remember the last time I was sick with a cold or whatever. Years. My BF (not BP) gets sick quite a bit, and when he is, I just carry on like normal (sharing things, close contact etc). He'll reminder warn me (like maybe I'm being my usual space cadet and forgetting, haha) "…but I'm sick -- the germs…", to which I always reply, "Pfffft. I'm not afraid of your germs!" This may seem peculiar, as I'm quite a germaphobe. (I'll spare you my germ quirk list. Most are pretty common, but others are...uhhhh, not.)

Work: very dusty, wood sawdust, plastic sawdust and plastic fumes. Meds: yes. Depression is the dominant feature of my BP and has been known to go on for months on end. Depression care: big slide and don't eat at all well (even at normal times it's usually so-so). Hypo: forget to eat ("Eat? Yeah, yeah, but first I'll….<fill-in-the-blank with overzealous activity">. Exercise: no, not really, though outside of depression I'm always in motion.

Go figure. I don't feel there's a connection, though I can see how (depression especially) could play into it if one is already prone to catching things.