Questions: Bipolar Version 2

I don't like insects.

partly because I am alergic to stings (so need to watch out), and partly because they fly and air is a trigger for me

what are your plans for easter?

I don't celebrate Easter.

Where was the best vacation you've ever had?

I can't pick a favorite but always trips to the Outer Banks with my nieces.

Does your therapist see the real you or do you act differently with him/her?

I don't have a therapist right now.

What makes you anxious?

Life.

Can you make yourself manic? I'm still lost on how people can do this..

well for starters not taking your meds can trigger people into either mania, depression, or a mixed state, so it's kind of like Russian roulette and also drug and alcohol use, stress, environmental changes can trigger an episode of mania so I suppose if you wanted to try.....

how many times have you stopped taking your meds?

Just use stimulants. (I've never been prescribed them and I can't see my pdoc ever doing so for just this reason.)

I get a buzz off of caffeine, but it doesn't turn into an episode. I don't have access to stimulants nor do I think I would ever be prescribed any.

I need extra shots to get a buzz anymore. A regular drink- like a mocha- without added shots just doesn't get me wired. If I were to take stimulants, I can see myself running my mouth like crazy and running in circles. Basically, going manic.

Same.
Think we went off on a tangent, so here is another question...
How many hospitalizations have you had? Inpatient and/or outpatient.

Four, I believe.

Was being hospitalized the first time what you thought it would be like?

No. It was much, much better. I was terrified of hospitalization and refused for years to consider it. When I went I was so glad to be somewhere safe and where I didn't have to fight so hard.

How many times have you been IP?

Three times IP as recently as October/November of last year. When I found out they were going to admit me after spending hours in ER, my mom was so curious as to what it's like in there. I just finished reading One flew over the cuckoo's nest and watched the movie. No wonder she was so confused!

Does mental illness run in your family?

not really


how creative are you?. do you do a lot of creative writing?

it varies.

I have spent many afternoons listening to the radio and writing poems about my helusinations, or the mood changes, what ever (I even wrote a poem about christmas from a low mood point of view) and wanted to do a sequel- christmas from a high point of view

recently though i've got in to story writing.

currently, I write a few stories for fun- a family's holiday to orlando (that goes horribly wrong), a fan fiction story about someone I liked from a soap opera who died (but is now back to life in my story), and something about a guy who goes on a tv show and becomes the first person to actually walk away with the grand prize.

yeah.. I find creative writing helps me (when I have a chapter in my head, I just write it as it comes)
are you the honest/ blunt type?, or do you prefer to handle situations with a little more care

I'm very careful, too in my head

If you could have any superpower what would it be

invisibility.

that would be so cool (and I can think of plenty of times I'd use it)

how do you find talking on the phone?. are you okay with it?, or does it scare you

I do ok with the phone, I prefer to text though
Do you exercise regularly

no.

and I really can't remember the last time I devoted time to doing it either

are their times you doubt your BP diagnoses?, or do you think it is correct

For the most part I think it is correct. I have experienced hypomanic episodes and definitely depression. However, I think I do have some bpd traits that I've always been curious about.

Do you have any other diagnoses in addition to your bipolar diagnosis?

PTSD, GAD and sort-of OCD (probably what they sometimes call pure O).

What is hardest to accept about having a mental illness?

Good question. Off the top of my head, it is explaining that I'm "sick" with an illness that you cannot see. That there is not a test for. That I can't get a blood test or x-ray for you so you know it is real. Among many other things.

Can you say that you are or have ever achieved stability?

No. I've been closer in the last year than ever before but not stable. However, I'll take what I can get; closer is so much better than ever before.

How many years have you been taking psych meds?

Off and on for 10 years with tons of different diagnosis.

What's been the best med for you?

Clozaril and Emsam.

Do you regularly exercise like we're supposed to do?