Questions: Bipolar version

Why Am I Still Depressed? by Jim Phelps, a psychiatrist

How many hospitalizations have you had? Were they voluntary?

1. Involuntary. Apendicitis.

Worst bipolar in history.

No question so I'll answer the prior one to keep it going.
5 hospitalizations, all voluntary.

When you are hospitalized does your own pdoc have input/do you see your own pdoc?

Decades ago yes. Now there seems to be a wall between those with hospital privileges and those that see patients.

If you were ever hospitalized involuntary was it benefit all

Yes it helped tremendously

When you cry is it muted because of medications, or can you cry deeply?

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I can't cry. Never have since I was nine.
Now I see a good movie or read a good story and my eyes get wet. Go figure.

Who was the worst person with bipolar of all times in history. Is this a question?.

I hesitate to believe when they attribute bipolar to someone in history without really knowing and I can't think of anyone particularly evil who was definitively diagnosed. I've had some patients I could tell you about who qualified as pretty evil at times, but it wasn't their fault so that doesn't really count either.

Do you have excessive trouble handling change?

Yes, I do have trouble handling change, but idk if it is bipolar related or not.

How long is the longest you've gone without sleep?

1 and a half weeks by the end I was so tired I slept for 2 days solid.

What do you do when you feel like your meds are no longer working?

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Get really frustrated. Consider stopping all my meds. Maybe stop some of my meds. Talk to my psychiatrist. Happens to me more than I can recall. I seem to be immune to most meds after a while.

What is you favourite season, weather wise?

winter.

are you okay asking for help?. (or do you get afraid because you like to be indipendent)

I hate asking for help but I've learned to do it a lot more than I used to.

Do you have any seasonal symptoms in the summer?

Usually I get hypo in the summer, but not this summer. I think my meds are blotting it out.

What's your favorite vegtable?

Asparagus
Do your meds help you sleep at night?

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Yes my biggest problem is sleep. I take 3 for sleep.

What's your worst symptom?

Racing thoughts that won't stop when manic.

How many people do you think are misdiagnosed bipolar?

Lots, I think it's way too over diagnosed

What do you do when depressed?

Wish/hope/pray for death

Do you have any symptoms you wish you could keep?

Yes, hypomanias.

What is your favorite thing to do?

Reading is one of my favorite things to do. It is the only activity I can always enjoy, even just a teeny bit during depressions when I feel enjoyment from no other activity.

Do you feel better after talking to other people with milder mental illness, like maybe anxiety that someone else really struggles with but that is obviously less severe than your own? Or do you still feel better after talking because you're talking to someone who kinda gets it?

I usually feel better talking to someone who "gets it". Either because they have something not as severe, just as, or more so.

Do you wash your hands before eating?

Yes

Have you ever traveled out of the country?

Yes Dominican Republic, Columbia Venezuela.

How do you push yourself when depressed?

For me the best thing is taking a shower. It may not help all of it, but it helps most of it. Then I try and at least clean up my living space and light a few candles. It actually does wonders surrounding myself by positive smells and cleanliness.

How often do you feel depressed these days?

I don't, I wait for it to pass or get a med increase. That's one thing I can't beat with coping skills.

I'll ask it again, how do you push yourself when depressed?