How often do you cycle?

Dear Melmo, I'm so sorry to hear of your highly stressful existence and the kids are probably under stress, too. One way I keep down stress is to get free personal help from some organization. I don't know if there is anything such as that where you live. Medicaid used to provide me with a Senior Companion, but then they stopped paying for that program. Rushing is very bad for us who have bipolar, and I sure do know that in many cases it cannot be avoided. Do you have time to see a support organization and or a family therapist to find out if there are services to help you out? Like maybe taking the kids to school in stead of you? Helping clean house?

One therapist told me I cycle more rapidly than anyone she'd ever seen. I often cycle every few MINUTES. Today I got into a rage state b/c of some websites that would not take my password, nor let me rest my account. So I got extremely upset, wanted to smash the computer, wanted to take a sledgehammer (I don't have one) and smash the ceiling. I was feeling very destructive -- not to people -- to stuff. Didn't do any of that. Called my therp and he was not very helpful. He said to do something fun, and I did, playing with my cats for a few mintues. (One of them now responds to the Sit! command. She sits when I say Sit several times, then she gets a treat and a"click". It's called clicker training. It's what the circus cats do. The cats love it and I do too.) So that cheered me up for five minutes only....then I was back at it again trying to get into these websites. Then I called the crisis line and made a plan. I'm working the plan now.

I get very upset with customer service agents over the phone sometimes. Like for example my phone got disconnected a few days ago and I couldn't even call the phone company. So I had to borrow my neighbours phone. It took an hour and lots of raising my voice and being out on hold about 4-5 times and I was so frustrated I was in tears. I can't handle customer service over the phone.

Thankfully my dad is a huge help, he takes my kids overnight on Fridays so I get a break. Other than that now that I'm working it's been hard because they're with me 24/7. I don't think there are any services like that to help.

Right!! I thought I was BP2 but I read some of my records and it said BP1 which makes sense because I'm always in an episode. Most recent was like two times in one month and had to have my meds increases. I'm doing pretty good now. I know once I stop sleeping is when I get bad. I'm starting to think I'm med resistant which would really suck.

Definitely more than one per five year period! I was just diagnosed but looking back on the past year, I can say that I've probably had four hypomanic episodes since January with probably at least that many depressive ones in between. Not identifying those up phases as hypomania and only being treated for depression probably contributed to the frequency of those episodes, because antidepressants can contribute to rapid cycling

I do that occasionally, I feel your pain brother stay strong. My cycling speed depends on stress usually.

I'm not always aware when I'm manic versus in a normal mood state, so it's really my best guess. I would say 2-3 times per year.

My situation is so similar to yours it's insane. I am on my 3rd stress leave right now. I want to try going back to work but I'm terrified that with my rapid cycling that it's going to push me into psychosis with the lack of sleep. I go through my phases every couple of days but have had several in one day. It's exhausting. I'm on my 2nd day of maybe an hour or two of sleep. I'm worried I'm going to shut down on turkey day.

Well that's the thing. That episode 5 years ago was the worst I've experienced but I've been medicated ever since so maybe I have been hypo manic but it hasn't been as bad so I'm not aware. I have been reading a lot about bipolar and I do and have had symptoms of mixed episodes and hypo mania but it's never been as bad as that one time.
My dr thinks I have bipolar AND ADHD so we are working on figuring it out.

(Hugs) hope you're doing ok.
Yea I applied for assistance and low income housing and I am moving in tomorrow. They sent me a letter about seeing someone to help me get a job but I don't know what to do. I'm def not ready to get another job already and don't know when I will be but I feel like they'll just think I'm lazy and don't want to work.