As I am only a year into my bipolar awareness and treatment, my curious mind has me researching for all the information that I can obtain. I am pondering on the following concerns. Does bipolar exploit and amplify issues. For example, does everyone with bipolar experience anger issues, and does everyone with anger issues have bipolar? Or, does bipolar make anger issues worse? Also, if anger is replaced with with sadness/depression, mania, obsessive thoughts, self harm, beligerent speech, racing thoughts, and etc., does bipolar episodes amplify and/or create that behavior?

The reason why I ask this is because, prior to my diagnosis, I thought everyone else had all the problems, I was content with myself, and didn't put much stock into what other people may have thought about my behavior. Now, I feel like all the folks who I thought had the problems, don't seem to have issues, and it was me all along. Either that or they are hiding their issues better than I am.
It is what it is, so I can't change it, but seriously, they are still plugging along as though they have it together, and I still haven't gotten my groove back and gotten back on my feet. I was forewarned about how long it may take, but with each passing day, I am getting older, lazier, poorer, and further behind.

Any and all responses will be greatly obliged.

[Justugh]

it all depends on the starting state

bi polar is like a loud speaker for emotions ..........some times u are off on a building spree with 10 projects in the air ........other times u want to rip the throat out of someone that slighted u in some manner .......sometimes u have no engery at all just to get up to pee is a task .....other times u want to save the world and help everyone u can.....other times u want to go to vegas see how many hookers it takes to make heart to go boom

it all depends on your starting mood and what triggers u ........as for a answer if it is u/them with the trouble .........best to say 50?50 on that no one is perfect and everyone has a bad day or several years

[Goldcrest]

Bipolar is quite complex. It covers a whole range of experiences and behaviours. Not everyone has all of them. Anger can be part of bipolar, but not everyone with anger problems has bipolar. Most of what we experience in bipolar also occurs in normal life, but in bipolar it is more extreme, so I suppose you could say bipolar amplifies things.

Looking at other people's lives from the outside will never reveal the truth about what is going on for them. I've been around long enough to know that everyone has issues/ problems/ difficulties sooner or later. No one has a perfect mind/ body/ life.

Having a mental illness is a horrible thing to be landed with. But there are lots of ways to deal with it, treatment or other help, advice, therapy. Lots of people find ways to feel better and deal with the problems it brings and live like anyone else. With bipolar you gradually learn coping strategies to help you get through the extremes.

At least you have a diagnosis. It is a learning process. Don't be too hard on yourself.

[Love&Toil]

My pdoc days anger related to the illness comes with other symptoms like need for less sleep. She pointed out that I may have an anger problem separate from my bipolar but I notice the meds reduces my anger outbursts overall. Pondering anger and the illness too...

[A Red Panda]

Bipolar is a fairly large spectrum disorder, so you get a lot of different things. The most distinguishable factor is that we have depressions and (hypo)manias that are significantly higher or lower than non-bipolar people (but again, there is a wide range in here for extremes!)

I for one do not have anger issues. I'm not an angry person and I don't treat others badly due to it. I will get into some irritable hypomanias or depressions, but I don't lash out in anger at anyone in any way. I'll just be rather grumpy and easily annoyed for a while.

[~Christina]

I wasnt diagnosed until I was 43 ... But looking back as I have said before , I showed the signs at about age 6 ... But I went on to work , get married have a child, yeah just lived life.

When I was diagnosed looking back I thought ...Oooo well that explains that or this or yeah I act/acted a way probably because of BP .. I didnt realize people were not like me with my racing mind and stuff. I was clueless and it didnt matter ,I had things to do.

Getting a label often triggers people to freak out about there life in the past and of course concerns about the future.

My journey once diagnosed was I dove in learned everything possible , grasps at all straws , Talked to people and doctors and went a bit over board a few times lol

Now? Now I just take things as they come, I do know I can be happy sad mad pissed or in a rage at times and it has NOTHING to do with Bipolar, Its okay to have emotions even if they feel extreme. It's a normal emotion of any human on the planet.

Personally I have learned to not over analyze how I feel. I realize that I have changed from my untreated often manic and depressed years long ago. I am more self aware, so I watch for blips that may be a episode , I don't dwell tho.

Im not the same person now at 47 as I was when I was 20 . Everyone changes as they age, mental health issues or not. Maybe some become more driven , many lean back and coast more instead of driving so hard and fast. Example , my husband talks about his younger years when he worked 80+ hours a week had his own 2 companies and was on the go 24/7 .... Now ? Nah hes older wiser he works but doesn't feel the need to go full blast anymore,

I always say .. Don't fall in the rabbit hole and allow yourself to be trapped into the thought that "everything" about your life and actions is Bipolar.

I'm not dwelling on bipolar. I'm dwelling on a family member who reiterating that "low lifes" are the clients at mental health facilities because that's where my niece started to work recently. It sort of pisses me off because basically he's calling me a low life because I'm a patient at a similar facility. That's sort of like taunting an individual is it not? I'm just tired of it. At least I'm getting some help finally, regardless of how.

[Crazy Hitch]

Erm good question that had me thinking for a bit.

I like Christina's response.

For me, when I'm stable, I'm not really quick to anger. But during mania - oh dear all hell breaks loose. I can be somewhat irritable by nature. And by nature I'm not really a happy go lucky person unless I'm entering into an episode.

I would think that people with absolutely no diagnosis what so ever who experience anger perhaps didn't develop the right coping strategies to deal with emotions and how to process their feelings, if there is no chemical balance at all involved. Also, I've heard of the anger "iceberg". The anger is the 10% of the iceberg that you see floating above the sea. The 90% that you don't see that's under the sea is insecurity. And some can be quicker to anger than others. It depends on our threshold and what triggers us.

Someone with bipolar would have symptoms such as euphoria, depression etc jump up during episodes.

I don't think everyone else has ALL the issues you've listed without having something going on, diagnosed or not.

I was only diagnosed with bipolar aged 31 but I know I've had it all along - many years before diagnosis. I was only diagnosed with borderline personality disorder this year - at the age of 36 - but I trace evidence back to my early teens. So it was always there all along. Just undetected.

[Justugh]

well then only thing i have to say about your family member is ppl that judge other ppl on a medical issues are cowards and closed minded ppl ...

the reason so many ppl turn to trouble is because no one helps them and u saying that is well stigma for them not to get help ..in fact u are the cause of more of the troubles in the world then most with this attitude .....u basically killed the baby in the tub with the bathwater because your attitude made the lady scared to open up and get help with a issue outside her control

honestly if he said that to me i would have had them crying on the ground using every issue i knew about them to break them in front of the family than ask do they needs to see a doctor about help ....low life .then walk away from them waiting for the attack to the back side step grab back of shirt keep force going and put tho wall or window or door ( u crack someone like that attacking is normal thing they do 3/4 of the time other 1/4 they just curl up into fetal cry eyes out)

[Victoria'smom]

Does bipolar exploit and amplify issues. I view Bipolar as an amplifier, I sincerely believe my reactions to stimuli is correct but my reactions are over the top. I'm a person that doesn't separate bipolar from myself though.

they are hiding their issues better than I am. I think we're taught that having feelings is wrong especially males. So it leaves everyone to hide. Males are generally taught to channel every emotion into anger and the "healthy" way to use it is physical activity.

[~Christina]

Originally Posted by Lunatic Fringe

I'm not dwelling on bipolar. I'm dwelling on a family member who reiterating that "low lifes" are the clients at mental health facilities because that's where my niece started to work recently. It sort of pisses me off because basically he's calling me a low life because I'm a patient at a similar facility. That's sort of like taunting an individual is it not? I'm just tired of it. At least I'm getting some help finally, regardless of how.

Of course what he is doing is just terrible ignorant and plain rude. You can handle this a few ways...

Take it personal and let it drag you down and doubt yourself or....

Take it for what its worth coming from someone that is ignorant and foolish.

You can turn the other cheek and just ignore him and realize that even tho you have a mental illness , you are indeed a much nicer kinder smarter well rounded human and not a stupid bully type like him.

Im not being a smarta$$ , I'm just wanting you to see his actions for what they are , ignorant and foolish and proof that he has more issues than you do

Thanks so much for everyone's responses. I hope ya'll had a Happy Thanksgiving,

May I be the first to say Season's Gteetings?

[pretty-eyes]

I was the happiest kid you would ever meet. Did what I was told I was super smart. I remember anxiety always being there. I remember a couple of times where I would get so angry Id just start throwing stuff everywhere. I've had approximately 3 black outs where I had no control over anything my body still worked my mouth but it was like my brain just shut off temporarily. During the depression stages I can get irritable from feeling tired but I mostly feel empty and emotionless. My doctor asked me how I felt during manic episodes and i said fu**ing amazing. It's like flying. Being high. But it's scary waiting for them to come cause you never know what your going to do during them nor do you think logically. I've never felt like I've been emotionally stable. It's important to find triggers to your different emotions...depression...manic...anger. You won't ever be able to control it but knowing when their going to happen can help you prepare for it and keep it under control and no when to walk away from something. Seems for bipolar people everyday things are that much more difficult and pushing yourself to much can wear you down. It's good to have at least one thing you will get done everyday. Have a schedule. Have something to keep your focus on.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[A Red Panda]

Originally Posted by Lunatic Fringe

I'm not dwelling on bipolar. I'm dwelling on a family member who reiterating that "low lifes" are the clients at mental health facilities because that's where my niece started to work recently. It sort of pisses me off because basically he's calling me a low life because I'm a patient at a similar facility. That's sort of like taunting an individual is it not? I'm just tired of it. At least I'm getting some help finally, regardless of how.

Oh dude, getting angry with that person so does NOT equal any kind of anger issue.

That's just plain ignorance coming from that idiot of a family member! The only "low-lifes" I can think of are the people who use, abuse, hurt, and judge others because they think that they're better than the rest of humanity. F*** them.