Repeatedly being asked what happened to cause my mood episodes.

There is something that I keep coming across with both psychologists and psychiatrists. Many insist that there must be something to cause my moods to shift. I am finding it really upsetting. It feels like I am being treated as though I can somehow control this, or else that I am a poor judge of how my illness effects me and so my word cannot be trusted. I say over and over that nothing happens, and my episodes have always existed independent of cause for 15 years.

I am diagnosed bipolar 2. For most of the year I have been rapid cycling and in hospital twice, but I still keep getting asked over and over what is triggering my moods. I generally deal with 'real life' issues quite well and 90% of the time my moods do not relate to anything happening at all. But I still keep being asked this by (some of) the people who should understand how bipolar works the best. It is very frustrating and discouraging.

I am with you on this. People, all people, want to be able to "explain" things, and sometimes it is a real stretch.
These professionals should know that sometimes the "trigger" is bio/chem/neurological, and not an external, or internal event. Hence, the efficacy of medication at times in the face of "events" "triggers". My moods also often have nothing to do with what is happening around me----even when I can pretend they do....
The question is: What can we do that will help? It may be behavioral (yoga, meditation if possible, physical exercise, biofeedback...hypnosis who knows) and the right medications. Practitioners often become frustrated when the patient doesn't "respond" ....
I empathize with you frustration, discouragement, and (I would think) anger with this dance. Perhaps you could provide them with some good literature/journal articles on the subject. (cheeky but hardly unreasonable)

I'm certainly not educated on any of this stuff, but I do agree with winter4me. Seems to me, right or wrong, an odd question to be asking such people as us, over and over. I changed psychiatrist once, and tend to wonder about yours. My 2nd one is much better for me.

Well, sometimes events can trigger a cycle. It doesn't mean there is a control button necessarily, but learning certain events that might trigger you is an intrigal part of wellness when it comes to bipolar. I know I shift automatically on a pretty steady cycle, I'm also rapid cycling with mixed states. But events can lengthen or shorten those cycles. It's also why we have the trigger icon you can place next to your topic, because for some people even reading about other's events can trigger things in them.

Emotions are chemical reactions, so because we're already sensitive to chemical reactions knowing what will make a strong reaction within us is key. Learning to avoid or change our thinking around triggers to avoid the reaction is part of bipolar. My MIL who lives with me also has these same reactions and knows when she's getting triggered into a cycle.

Some examples of triggers are sometimes big events: a pet or loved one dies, you get a parking ticket, you're going through divorce. Yes, these trigger other people emotionally. But with bipolar it could trigger you in unexpected ways or longer periods than other people.

Other trigger examples are smaller things other people may not be aware of: reading sad news stories or watching sad things on t.v., forgetting to get something at the store when you were just there, standing in a slow moving line, listening to a friend talk about problems when you're actually not doing that well.

It's not about "controling" or snapping out of things or being at fault. It's about learning what things may cause you to swing too far one way or the other, and doing your best to cope and get through without having a major episode. Knowing when to walk away or warn people that you're not doing that well. It's a good reason to keep a mood and trigger tracker for a while.

I hope that helps. I'm sorry you are having a hard time, but I agree if you don't feel your T or pdoc are a good fit, you should look for a different one. Maybe they will present things to you so you don't feel blamed.

Hi Lost Alex

I can completely understand that your mood may just shift where there may be no external trigger that caused your mood to shift. Sometimes it can just be put simply down to chemical imbalances. I get to his kind of mood shifting too.

Another thing that shifts my mood is a change in season.

But for me, one of my biggest risk factors for a mood swing is stress. Usually it's work or unemployment related. So at times, I can have a correlation to external events.

I guess that may be one of the reasons you're being asked. More out of precaution really as it can happen to some.

I hear your frustration at repeatedly being asked about this though if the shoe doesn't fit.

Try not take it to heart.

Thank you for your messages everyone. I know that there can be triggers, without a doubt, but for me it is pretty rare. In the last fortnight I had a few very stressful events occur and yet it was the longest I've been baseline for months. I had regular emotions regarding the situations (like anger and fear) but my mood continued on its usual pattern, unaffected. When I told one of my doctors that I had been quite stable the last few weeks she asked (again) what happened to cause that? Ahhhh!

Many things can cause an episode or nothing at all. Bipolar sometimes just pops up slaps the snot outta a person.

I do have a list of "triggers" that I know will put my on the Tilt O Wheel.

Not all Pdoc's or T's believe that a swing can happen with out a trigger.. All my IP Pdocs always insisted there was/had to be a trigger (whatever) I wasted no time trying to argue my point with them.

My Pdoc and T are both in agreement that "I" can and do swing out of the blue for no apparent reason.