Questions Bipolar Version 3

Many months, maybe a year at most.

Has your Bipolar worsened with age?

Yes. I had my first psychotic episode, several years ago after Lefty left me!! lol
Kidding. It was the stress of a breakup and several days of intravenous cortisone and a trip to Europe. I freaked out.

What medicine is your favorite? Meaning works the best for you. You can only name one.

Valium is sweet honey in the rock.

Do you listen to the same song(s) thousands of times when manic?

Yes. I have a few songs I love.

Do you have substance abuse issues? If you do, elaborate.

I smoke too many big ol' doinks in the Amish.

Does your illness follow a regular, predictable waveform or is it nonlinear?

Both. There are predictable times such as the change in seasons. Then there are "events" that usually cause mania. Examples are vacations, celebrations, holidays, etc.

How often have you been hospitalized?

Never.

Do you receive scrips from a mail-order distributor?

Does your mother remember me?

My mother is dead.

Is bipolar a gift or a curse?

when I was first diagnosed, I would have said 100 percent gift.

it would be unfair to say I walked out screaming I have bipolar, and jumping for joy, because I didn't

but, to finally have someone put a name to something you felt for so long...

yeah, it was... not, a happy time, but a sort of relief to know I wasn't the only weird person in the world.

fast forward 15 years..

and i'd call it a curse

their are so many things attached to it that are... unfair?

the stigma is the worst, and that's not even a psymptom.

things like rash decisions and crippling depressions and loss of friends and dreadfull imsomnia

and and and and...

question:

if you could touch bipolar (if it was an object), what do you think it would feel like?

The ocean. Your mood changes with the tide.

If there was one symptom you could completely "cure" what would it be?

Anxiety.

What is the best sign that you're going manic?

Staying up all night, involved in too many "projects."

Does Bipolar run in your family?

On both sides.

Do you have other mental illnesses in your family?

Anxiety, depression, schizophrenia

okay.

heres a really random question

if you were creating your own bipolar commercial (either for a drug or for the illness), what would it involve?

how would you advertise

I would try to be as factual as possible because I think too much information about bipolar and treatments is not as truthful as possible.

Is a cool fall or a hot fall better for your mood?

Hot fall? I live in a place with a short fall season and I would like it to be a bit longer.

Do you get weird sound distortions when you are turning manic? My hearing gets strange. Certain sounds amplified and I can't tell where they are coming from.

Yes! My therapist has various sounds I can hear or am disturbed by in his office that he can uses to tell if I'm manic or not; manic I hear them, otherwise I don't.

Does someone in your family help you when you are not doing well?

My husband tries really hard.

Q. Here's a 2 parter..
1. How many hours a week do you spend on forums?
2. How many forums outside of PC do you belong to?

I don't know how many hours but a lot. I'm on PC and a figure skating forum.

Do you YouTube as a distraction?

Rarely and if I do it's usually looking up bands.

Q. Are you able to forgive yourself?

Not easily. We work on that in therapy a lot.

What is the nicest thing your therapist or pdoc has ever said to you?

You are very bright

What is the one piece of advise you'd give to your younger self if you could?

Work outside the home, even when you have kids.

Regrets about a manic period?

Oh god yes left a 100k a year to drive across country because I was being chased.

Q What gives you peace?