Questions: Bipolar version

No celebrity crush. Little exposure to that world with no tv.

How do you distract yourself?

Listen to music, watch TV, take shower, play with my cat, color...

I distract myself when my negative emotions or symptoms are beyond the point at which I can handle them with skills. When I'm too upset to be able to do anything productive about how I'm feeling, that's when I distract myself. My distractions are usually activities I usually enjoy (I enjoy them when I'm not symptomatic), things that require my focus, or five senses things.

Enjoyable activities - TV shows, paper crafting, working on my recipe book, reading
Requiring focus - coloring, organizing something, creating a system, making the charts for my mood journal
Five senses - eating yummy food, a soft blanket


When you talk to people with only a basic understanding of mental illness (like for one example people who have had a diagnosis of depression for two years, or someone who is wondering if they have anxiety problems) do you feel like you're talking to a child? Like you have to break everything down for them to explain?

Depends on the person I think. I haven't done that in a while. I know I used to feel like I was constantly repeating myself.

Have you signed releases giving your therapist or pdoc permission to talk to someone about you in an emergency?

I have a psychiatric advance directive on file but it needs to be updated. The PAD lists those I'm willing to know whats going on and decide a plan, it also lists meds I will not take and how to deal with me( no grabbing at me, it just triggers me worse)

Do you have a PAD?

I used to but it is out of date now.

Are there meds you would not take? What if you had no other option besides that med?

Depakote! If there was no other option I choose no option.

Would you participate in a clinical study if you didn't know anything they were giving you?

I did if you count "not knowing" as placebo versus lamictal. Although it was pretty clear I was on placebo as soon as I started the open label phase of the trial--there were headaches immediately and I started feeling better.

If you had to choose a medication with side effects you didn't like or no medication which would you choose?

So far, the side effects I've experienced have been enough to stop me from taking my meds. I guess I would choose to be med free, but ask me in a week and you could get a completely different answer.

If you could give your hypo/mania to one person in the world for 1 day, who would it be and why?

My dog. He's too lazy. Hey, he's a person.

How many blocks you walk an hr.

Blocks? You mean miles down the country road? Probably 2 since I do 1 in 30 minutes. But 2 miles means a dangerous part of the road so 1.5 and then getting squished by a car going too fast.

Do you have problems concentrating?

Not really, unless I'm symptomatic. Which I often am, so I guess a better answer is: often, but not always.

Do you like naps?

If I'm sleepy.

Your special plate.

My special what?

Which is more problematic for you, depression or hypo/mania?

Depression.
Special plate - pernil rice and madudros.

Book that helped you the most with mental illness and what's it about?

Madness - A Bipolar Life by Marya Hornbacher. It is a memoir of her experiences in her life with Bipolar. This is brutally honest, confronting and hilarious. I love how she doesn't take herself too seriously and has both a brilliant intellect and sense of humour.

Would you prefer living in the country or the city?

I'm a city girl

What's your most frustrating hypo/manic symptom? (If there is one)

Confusion when things get really bad. I lose time and often hurt myself.

What is your "saving grace" when you are suffering?

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No because I go to try to write things and my mind goes blank, I have trouble explaining how I am feeling.

What do you do when you are still having bad days even with meds that normally help

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Depends on what you mean by "bad day". If you mean angry, I punch things and get violent. If you mean depressed, I try to sleep everything off

What is your worst symptom? (It could be a symptom of mania, depression, mixed)

Bad temper.

Like lollypops?.

Its definitely depression. I have a lot of responsibilities, its my daughters birthday and I don't get to talk to her or see her and I just found out my aunt is in CICU. She seems to be in good spirits but it is all still hitting me like a ton of bricks.

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And your question is?.

How many in ur household?.

Just me.

Have you ever had a phone session with your t? Experience?

I've had phone sessions from IP which were good.I've done a few from home which were ok but hard beause I hate talking on the phone. I did one a few days after a hysterectomy where I was falling asleep on my therapist and not realizing it.

How often do you see your therapist?