Home Menu

Menu


Reply
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old Aug 27, 2016, 10:47 AM
Last Unicorn Last Unicorn is offline
New Member
 
Member Since: Aug 2016
Location: Europe
Posts: 7
Hi there,

so earlier this year (March) I was hospitalized for the first time in my life because of a manic episode with psychotic features. I was there for almost two months and put on medication (Seroquel and Valproate).

Now I somehow still struggle to accept the diagnosis, mainly because of the circumstances that led to my hospitalization.
I had been on an antidepressant (Venlafaxine) for some time before (also my first time) and I'm quite certain that this is what kicked me into the mania.
If you want I can elaborate on what happened, but it's not really important for now.

I just want to know if someone has been in the same situation ? How did you deal with it ? I mean what I'm asking myself all the time is: Am I really bipolar or is there a possibility that this was really only the AD?
Also, what I think is quite important: I was a heavy pot smoker for basically half of my life (I'm 26 now) and after some time of being careful when I first started the venlafaxine I soon was back to smoking a lot, I think in the end even more than before. I have stopped now since I was in the hospital. I feel that may have played a role in my depression in the first place and I would really want to know what condition I'd be in now without meds and without smoking... You know what I mean ?

Thanks a lot for reading, any thoughts are appreciated.
Hugs from:
Anonymous37904, Lost_in_the_woods

advertisement
  #2  
Old Aug 27, 2016, 03:40 PM
Bolivar83's Avatar
Bolivar83 Bolivar83 is offline
Member
Community Liaison
 
Member Since: Apr 2014
Location: Green Town
Posts: 293
Hi, glad that you posted. Sorry you are going through this right now....

Ah, I remember my first hospitalization! The indignity of the paper robe, cutlery restricted to spoons, every meal tasting like cotton batting….Sorry to seem flippant, I guess can look back on it now with some humor, but at the time it was very hard to accept I had a problem (aka Bipolar).

Think many here have posted that it is so hard to accept a diagnoses – there was something, to me, so damning and “final” about it. I remember telling myself that this could not be right, that I just needed to try harder; friends told me that I just needed to be myself; family told me to get it together, stop “wanting to be sick.” But it was only with accepting my illness, taking meds and getting therapy, that some of the mania/depression/paranoia, etc was relieved, that I feel I can bring my best, sober self to life.

Antidepressants also kicked me into a he** of a mania (thank you, Eli Lily!) Truthfully, I had been experiencing highs/lows since approx. 13 years old, but the antidepressants by themselves were also triggering.

I was initially diagnosed with major depression, because when I felt manic, I was a ton of fun, and it was good times – it was during the “clean up” phase (eg reconciling the damage I’d done on one of my tears), that the depression set in and I sought help.

Hospitalization actually saved the direction of my life, b/c without proper diagnoses, this probably would have gone on for years, and I would have caused even more chaos than I had. Mind you, this knowledge was not gained with my first hospitalization, but around the 4th or so (I’m a slow learner). But I’m grateful for finally accepting it.

I’m not familiar enough with marijuana for medical reasons, I hope someone who is can share their experience w/you.

But as someone who has been hospitalized due to mania, I can share that I dealt with it by taking my illness more seriously. What I mean by that is, I, personally, accepted that I had Bipolar, it wasn’t going away. I had to be strong enough for myself, that no matter how others might dissuade me or try to discourage my acceptance of it, that I had to do the work necessary to build a better life for myself. I didn’t necessarily share my diagnoses w/every friend, or bring it up, but those who know me, who knew I had been hospitalized – I felt great stigma in accepting a “label.” I can’t tell you how often my best friend said that I didn’t need the meds, I just needed better diet/more exercise/get out more/etc when I struggled with mania/depression. I guess it was just residuals of peer-pressure that I was exerting on myself, really, that made me feel like I needed to get over it and not realize it was a problem. I now know how hard it is for others, who don’t have m.i., to understand it.

This wasn’t a clear trajectory for me – I’ve fallen a lot, and set myself back. But I’ve moved slowly forward; while I still have a lot to tackle (intimacy, retaining relationships, consistency), I feel I’ve gained a lot in accepting my diagnoses.

Anyway, blabbity-blah blah – final anecdote: My father recently got angry with me when I told him I couldn’t meet him, had psych apt. He asked why I still went on and on about this, why I didn’t just stop making excuses and pull myself up, etc etc. I told him mental illness was not like Santa Claus – just because he didn’t believe in it, doesn’t mean it didn’t exist. Not to score points off my dad, but think it was beneficial to set a boundary.

Wishing all the best for you- Bol
Hugs from:
bizi, Lost_in_the_woods
Thanks for this!
BipolaRNurse, bizi
  #3  
Old Aug 27, 2016, 03:53 PM
ComfortablyNumb5's Avatar
ComfortablyNumb5 ComfortablyNumb5 is offline
Grand Magnate
 
Member Since: Sep 2015
Location: Michigan
Posts: 3,504
Quote:
Originally Posted by Last Unicorn View Post
Hi there,

so earlier this year (March) I was hospitalized for the first time in my life because of a manic episode with psychotic features. I was there for almost two months and put on medication (Seroquel and Valproate).

Now I somehow still struggle to accept the diagnosis, mainly because of the circumstances that led to my hospitalization.
I had been on an antidepressant (Venlafaxine) for some time before (also my first time) and I'm quite certain that this is what kicked me into the mania.
If you want I can elaborate on what happened, but it's not really important for now.

I just want to know if someone has been in the same situation ? How did you deal with it ? I mean what I'm asking myself all the time is: Am I really bipolar or is there a possibility that this was really only the AD?
Also, what I think is quite important: I was a heavy pot smoker for basically half of my life (I'm 26 now) and after some time of being careful when I first started the venlafaxine I soon was back to smoking a lot, I think in the end even more than before. I have stopped now since I was in the hospital. I feel that may have played a role in my depression in the first place and I would really want to know what condition I'd be in now without meds and without smoking... You know what I mean ?

Thanks a lot for reading, any thoughts are appreciated.


I think a manic episode brought on by the AD is very possible esp if you're BP. I'm a pot smoker and I had disassociation once from it. Scared the **** out of me lol

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
  #4  
Old Aug 27, 2016, 09:21 PM
wildflowerchild25's Avatar
wildflowerchild25 wildflowerchild25 is offline
Elder
 
Member Since: Mar 2013
Location: NJ
Posts: 6,434
I struggled a lot when I was first dxed, especially when I had my first psychotic episode. It was t until I went off meds and had a manic/psychotic episode all on my own that I believed it. That's when I stopped ****ing around and really buckled down and worked on my recovery. Two years later I haven't had a manic episode and I haven't had a depressed episode since January. I wish you peace in your journey to acceptance.
__________________
Of course it is happening inside your head. But why on earth should that mean that it is not real?
-Albus Dumbledore

That’s life. If nothing else, that is life. It’s real. Sometimes it
f—-ing hurts. But it’s sort of all we have.
-Garden State
Thanks for this!
Bolivar83
  #5  
Old Aug 27, 2016, 10:08 PM
Anonymous37904
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Welcome to the forum
Reply
Views: 429

attentionThis is an old thread. You probably should not post your reply to it, as the original poster is unlikely to see it.




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:57 PM.
Powered by vBulletin® — Copyright © 2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.




 

My Support Forums

My Support Forums is the online community that was originally begun as the Psych Central Forums in 2001. It now runs as an independent self-help support group community for mental health, personality, and psychological issues and is overseen by a group of dedicated, caring volunteers from around the world.

 

Helplines and Lifelines

The material on this site is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by a qualified health care provider.

Always consult your doctor or mental health professional before trying anything you read here.