[MisterUnderstood]

Okay, so I've been getting treatment for... Some kind of psychiatric disorder for about a year and a half, mostly drug therapy the first half of that period and all psychotherapy the second half. Originally, it was straight MDD. Then the hospital said I was Bipolar. After that, the private psychiatrist said that it was probably Borderline Personality Disorder. Then I was hospitalized twice again, both times being diagnosed as Bipolar Disorder. With the hypomania and depression, I just consider myself bipolar, although nobody is 100% sure what I am. My therapist said he officially can't diagnose anything (since he's only a psychologist), but said that it was DEFINITELY some form of mood disorder. Over the past couple of months, I have really weird moods. I feel like I'm physically exhausted and I just can't do anything, like everything is a hassle, and I've been working about 10-15 hours a week and going to school 25 hours a week. But on the flip side, my mind honestly feels like it's hypomanic. I have so much mental motivation to do things, I NEED to start applying to colleges, but like I said, my body just doesn't want to cooperate. Does anyone know if this is possibly a sign of a mixed episode, since the ups and downs are sort of superimposed or am I just stressed or..? I honestly have no clue, and for the past month, I've been taking 200 mg of caffeine every day I work because all I want to do is sleep, but then when I try to sleep, my mind won't shut off and I end up sleeping either 8 hours (from like 1 PM to 9 PM) or from like 9 PM to 3 PM. I have Vistaril and Unisom to help me sleep, but I hate taking them because they leave me extremely tired the next morning. Sorry.. Got a little off topic. What I'm asking is, is it normal to feel hypomanic mentally and depressed physically or is that a sign of a mixed episode? Thank you for your help!

[Tucson]

Stress can be a trigger. Mixed episodes are hell on earth. I am telling you it is really bad. I heard that many suicides occur during mixed episodes. FWIW

This doesnt sound like my mixed episodes but in saying that everyone is different.

I have felt like this before though, it was just a side effect of my meds really. My body was exhausted but my mind wasnt. We adjusted them and it is better now. Are you exercising?

[MisterUnderstood]

I'm almost positive that stress is playing a part in it, but I can't do much about it. I can't quit work or school. I need to graduate to go to college, and I need to save money FOR college. And for a car too, but Eh. And I don't exercise like my doctor suggests (maintaining an elevated heart rate the entire time), but I do manage to walk about 4 or 5 miles a day, according to my iPhone's pedometer. I talked to a cardiologist who came to work yesterday (I work as a bagger for a grocery store) and he actually said that what was important was to just use muscles, not to do cardio exercise necessarily. But I can't exercise well. I did a stress test, and within 5 minutes, I was ready to pass out and my heart rate was over 200 BPM. It used to hover around 110 resting, but the Inderal I take has lowered it to about 80ish. But I don't have the endurance to maintain my heart rate.

Well theres your problem.