[Sideways12]

Hi I'm new at this. I got help for the first time in Augest. I have checked out all the bipolar books at the library. I watch BP documentarys and movies. I come here a lot. My wife went with me to my therapist today and told her about this. Theropist said to stop, she wants to see me weekly now. Sometime I feel like I'm drifting. Can you guys relate?

[czarina1984]

When I was first diagnosed officially, I did the same thing. I still do read everything I can honestly. But it can harm you more than help if you don't set a limit. Use your therapist for information and bouncing ideas off of. That has helped me to balance out all the mis-information that is out there and there is a lot. Everyone is different and their reactions and cycles are different. It is hard to predict what your experience is going to be.

[prepsychmel]

I can completely relate to you. I do the SAME thing. I read everything I can and watch anything I can. Obsessed? Maybe, but I feel like I'm educating myself as well on the disorder.

[~Christina]

If your ignoring things in your life that needs to be done because your researching Bipolar, then you might want to take a step back and think about how to balance out things.

[Tucson]

Researching can turn into an escape. You keep researching instead of doing something about it.

[Tiny Dancer]

When I was first diagnosed, I went through pages and pages of info on bipolar disorder. It really did become an obsession. I think mostly because I felt so powerless and wanted to understand what was wrong with me.

I had to tone it down, though, as the lines started to blur between what I was actually feeling and what I thought I should be doing/feeling based on my research. It was like I was becoming the bipolar character in a novel. I thought I had every symptom I read about, or that every personal story that I saw was my story.

I still read and research a lot about my diagnosis, but have learned to keep a bit of a distance. I am able to say "yes, I do that" or "nope, that doesn't sound like me." Also, as Tucson wrote, I am now more apt to DO something about my bipolar rather than wallow in it.

[jesusplay]

sounds boring.

[Sideways12]

Thanks everyone, I hope this roller coaster levels out soon. I tried to go to a local support group twice and no one showed up. I'm glad I found this site!

[ozzy1313]

I read a lot and do start to exhibit (or think I do) the symptoms I read about. I also do this with physical things- web md is my enemy

I think it's natural and reasonable to do a great deal of research upon diagnosis. I was diagnosed 23 years ago and ran around to every library in the city, including the university ones. I did it partly for amusement. I found the stories of mania hilarious, like this woman who insisted on continuing to campaign for a candidate long after he had won! I laughed so hard at that one i had tears.

But it passed and i rarely read about bipolar now. I haven't gone to the bipolar support group regularly in years and i stopped going to my drop-in months ago. I'm impatient with self-help books and only had a brief look into the new self-compassion movement.

Life goes on.

Yes. But not obsessively. I have always been interested in Psychology and Health.

the closest i probably get to this is seeking out everyone (famous celebrities who are bipolar), then admiring them constantly for the sheer fact that despite their illness they've acheeved so much