[Skywalking]

I was once told by my doctor that if I had not been in an incredibly stressful situation that pushed me over the edge, I might not have ever had bipolar issues that needed treatment. But the strain of multiple life changing events broke me.

I was wondering if anyone else was diagnosed after experiencing a long period of intense stress, or if you've heard something similar from your doctor about the relationship between stress and the onset of bipolar symptoms when it had not previously been a problem.

Thanks.

[HALLIEBETH87]

I was told my pdoc who first diagnosed me thjat my childhood abuse is why I even have bipolar. I was treated for major depression before that. I don't know why what is what but that's what I was told. It was after my Dad died I was diagnosed.

Nope, my first depression came on at 12, no stress, no trigger that anyone has found, no reason. Out of the blue. I still get out of the blue mood shifts but I can identify triggers when there is one.

When I was 5, my dad took me to go help him fly his model airplane. It made a loud buzzing noise that I couldn't hear over. He started it and was unrolling the string controls while I was holding it. I then heard a voice yell at me to "let go". I watched as the plane made a high arc into the air and then to nose dive into the pavement. My dad didn't say a word. He was pissed. I instantly had the realization that it was all my fault. Then and there I had a mood switch from mania to utter depression. Even at that young age I was hearing voices, and hallucinating visuals. I thought it was weird to feel that mood switch and vowed to never tell anyone, except y'all! Lol

[greylove]

I developed full blown mania five years ago after a lengthy period of extreme stress. This was relatively late in life; I had never shown a sign of bipolar before. My doctor agreed it was the stress of the situation that set it off.

[cashart10]

I was 14 and had a major school change. It was the first major change in my life. If the episode was brought on by anything, it was both this change and teenage hormones. I am very sensitive to hormones.

[*Laurie*]

I recall the very first time I felt rage, what might have been manic rage. I was four years old, sitting in a restaurant with my very loving parents. Something just "snapped" and I saw red and black fury. I knew something was odd, or off, and I felt ashamed, but I could not stop the waves of fury.

[Blitter2014]

I suffered from Depression from my teenage years but was unmediated. It wasn't until the stresses of my first marriage falling apart that was diagnosed with Bipolar after a full blown manic paranoia episode and hospitalization. After the diagnosis we looked back on my life and saw that I had all the classic symptoms of bipolar from a very early age.

Nothing neccessarily triggered it but loss and hurt made it worse, and drove me to an experience that seems to have made me very difficult to treat….

[~Christina]

I have not a clue, I wasn't diagnosed until age 43. But we have traced my first signs of Bipolar back to age 6. Of course no one diagnosed a kid back in those days.

Originally Posted by ~Christina

I have not a clue, I wasn't diagnosed until age 43. But we have traced my first signs of Bipolar back to age 6. Of course no one diagnosed a kid back in those days.

Lol right. There was no such thing as ADHD then!. Jk. It was rare.

[ChaoticSymphony]

Yep undiagnosed episode before moving out of town then diagnosed after trauma.

[dillpickle1983]

My mother's sudden death started everything. However my childhood was scattered with extreme outbursts and physical abuse by me.

[jacky8807]

I was 14 when i exhibited signs out of the blue with no trigger
But my first major psychotic break happened after a prolonged period of stress

[Angry1541]

Originally Posted by PoppyRoad

I recall the very first time I felt rage, what might have been manic rage. I was four years old, sitting in a restaurant with my very loving parents. Something just "snapped" and I saw red and black fury. I knew something was odd, or off, and I felt ashamed, but I could not stop the waves of fury.

This -- over and over since I was a child, as an adult, substance abuse just made it worse.

[touched by fire]

Yeah, I was born...

Looking back on my life, there were so many extreme highs and even more extreme lows. That fit just about every single symptom off 'the' list. It's amazing I made it thru my teens & 20's alive. I don't even know where to place a finger on when it 'began'...

But the official Diagnosis came just a few years ago. I had a complete mental blowout, which turned into talking to the special doctors. They determined I was bipolar from what I told them about my life and my current issues at the time. I hid nothing and was very, very honest with them... more than I have ever been with ANY other person.

I had just checked an item off the top of my bucket list, that took me almost 2 years to accomplish and was on top of the world (pretty major mania). Less than two months later I came the closest I've ever been to ending things. Not even my family knows how bad a place I was really at. I was overwhelmed with stress and rage from work, financial issues, family issues, community activities and a pretty extreme neighbor problem that had been going on for years. Basically everybody else was 'the' problem... except me right? Everybody has problems with these to some level... but I was so far beyond 'normal' and at the point of not being able to function anymore.

i can't remember it was such a long time ago.

round about now i'd probably say my mother's extreme abuse towards me when i was younger, but i remember when it happened she was no where near me.

so no idea..

[violet66]

Pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum triggered my first episode. Before that, I was chronically depressed for 10 years.

[electricbipolargirl]

Everyone in my family knew something was "off" about me, but they had no idea what. I think I was born with it. Looking back, I believe my grandmother had it and passed it to me. And my parents thought this "psychology stuff" was b.s., so they never took me to a doctor. They just thought I was a bad kid.

As an adult, I had been on Paxil for 9 years for anxiety. Then when I was 33, I went to see my first pdoc and was diagnosed ADD and prescribed Adderall. Within a month, I was in the middle of a horrible manic episode that included psychosis. This then turned into a mixed episode. I ended up hospitalized. It was the worst time of my life. BP really sucks.

[Gray Rider]

I started having more anxiety, depression when I started moving cities for work. It could also be that I was getting later in my 20s too, not sure. My drinking and partying may have had some effect. Its something I dwell on sometimes, probably does not help.

[aged2324]

I was diagnosed after major changes occurred in my life...divorce...sold business and family moved...I was hit hard by bipolar depression and mania...I was in my 30s when I was diagnosed...I quit drinking at the same time...life has had its ups and downs but I'm grateful for my diagnosis...it helps me understand me better...good luck

[Zuniga]

Originally Posted by HALLIEBETH87

I was told my pdoc who first diagnosed me thjat my childhood abuse is why I even have bipolar. I was treated for major depression before that. I don't know why what is what but that's what I was told. It was after my Dad died I was diagnosed.

I was diagnosed after my father died. My father was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when I was just a kid. My psych dr said it is hereditary.

[pepper2009]

It started in high school for me. I didn't not suffer any trauma and have any big life changes. I just suddenly became extremely manic then nose dived into the bottomless pit of depression. I have rapid cycling BP so this pattern continued for years.

[wildflowerchild25]

Hmmm good question. It's hard to say. I have two distinct periods of illness - from 14-19 years old and now from 25 to present (27). I actually remember being really angry and unhappy and anxious all through my childhood, but that was because my father was ill and in and out of the hospital all the time and my mother was completely neglectful. I was really depressed and angry when my father died - that was from 10 - 12. Then I suddenly got happy out of nowhere (first mood swing maybe?). Then when I was 14 everything went to hell and the depression got severe.

After I had ECT at 19 I thought I was cured and denied that I ever had bipolar. So I wasn't watching for episodes. I would have moments of depression but no mania - at least I thought so at the time. Now that I look back I see some hypomania.

But I had my first full blown mania at 25. And severe depression before that. That's when I said to myself maybe the doctors were right and I do have bipolar. I've tried to figure out why I was good for so many years and then just wham - right back into it, worse than before. The only thing I can think of is that I started a new job and was having a really rough time, especially because my coworkers were making my life hell.

[Manic Trance]

I was diagnosed after a period of lots and lots of travel, self medicating with drugs and alcohol, and tons of stress in my marriage. Eventually I just couldn't level out, I think I was in this never ending mixed state. Hilariously, I was watching homeland, I had never given much thought to bipolar, and there was this depiction of Claire Danes going up, working through the night and listening to jazz and being like I'm feeling great, and then this massive crash, and I was like 'I have that!'...

That said, thinking back on my life, I could come to understand lots of the changes and bends in the road as functions of bipolar. I don't actually remember my childhood, by I had an absolutely awful time in school, I think about it everyday, it was miserable.

Anyhow, not sure, but I guess I think I've had it for a long long time. I am afraid for my daughter!