Are you constantly thinking about it? I know that I am...even though bipolar took a back seat to DID...but it’s like at the fore front affecting some alters and not others.

The workers don’t think about it because their job is to work...they stay busy...but the rest of us is glued to psych central because of such.

Always self-analyzing to immediately spot a possible bipolar change moment to bring on the remembrance of the illin times.

Maybe is your life centered around your illness (please be aware...some of us is so entrenched in it that it’s just a fact of life)...or do some manage to have something of a prosperous life regardless of the dx.

Just wondering if you care to share.

We ourselves as a system is geared to advancement and functionality....we do okay. We get the job done because mainly we take on jobs that deal with minimal social contact....so we are a functioning system to the next mental breakdown, rebuild, then carry on.

It's definitely a thing I think about more than I probably should, especially now where I'm constantly questioning if I'm symptomatic and don't have a lot of other things I'm forced to think about. There's also a lot of changes I have to make to accommodate myself. I wouldn't say my life is centered around my illness, more so centered around making the right decisions to make sure I'm my best self.
I do have other actual obsessions right now that are taking "priority" over MI, so not every thought is bipolar-related.

[Moose72]

If you could call my bipolar blog "obsessed" then yes. But I like to think of it as documenting the thoughts that otherwise would pass by unnoticed.

[Cocosurviving]

My oldest daughter and my youngest sister use to tell me I talked about MI too much. This was like when I was still kinda newly diagnosed. After a while I learned to come to PC and there is a mental health Twitter.

[BipolaRNurse]

I used to obsess...the first couple of years after I was diagnosed, I thought and talked about it all the time. Lately it's come back a little because I've been all over the place this spring and have fooled around with my meds, and even gone back to having the occasional beer after 26 years of abstinence. I don't know what's going on so I think about it more than I care to.

I am really pretty obsessed with learning about bipolar. I was rather shocked to see how little I knew when I got here.

I think I’m searching for someone just like me, you know? I was hoping to find someone that has the same co-morbidites and a similar personal life. Someone who is functioning at a similar level.

I haven’t found anyone. Someone said everyone has their own flavor or brand of bipolar. I guess that’s true.

I’m also afraid, and I’m searching for ways to ensure I don’t end up like my mother. She made me miserable, and I don’t want to do that to my daughter. She drove me to the brink and nearly drove off my husband too. She ended up taking her life. The depression side of bipolar was what they couldn’t do anything for.

So, if I end up like her, I now know about ECT. It’s something to try anyway.

[Nola0250]

I was just diagnosed in late December and I’m totally obsessed. I’ve read probably 8 books on it. Like it’s a problem I’m going to solve. Obviously I can’t fix it. Understanding the disorder better hasn’t given me any great insights in managing myself. I hate all the naval gazing but I can’t seem to stop.

[~Christina]

When first diagnosed my entire life revolved around “ Bipolar” I thought every feeling I had was “ bipolar” something. I joined Pc and soaked up every bit of info I could find.

Took me a while to realize not every emotion I had was “ bipolar “

My T and I believed I showed signs of Bipolar at age 6 , I was 43 when diagnosed.

I had Bipolar long before I was diagnosed so ....

Now? I have been more or less stable the last 1-1.5 years Bipolar-wise. Now if I can deal with Ptsd I’ll be back to feeling much better.

I think it’s normal to think a lot more about MI when unstable.

I believe I spent a number of years in an almost obsessive state with my illness. That was after a lifetime of lacking insight into it. Acceptance was tough in the beginning, and when I did I was overwhelmed by it.

I can say that as I get better, and even just as more and more time passes (even if I have occasional episodes) I've grown more interested in a good many other things. I see myself as more of a whole again.

[emgreen]

After decades of this stuff, I no longer give it a whole lot of thought...it just is. I understand the inclinations of those who might obsess over their MI. In my experience, time will take care of that.

[liveforsummer]

Yes I was definitely obsessed when diagnosed last year. Read so much information. I also think I spent way too much time trying to make the people around me understand but that turned out to be pointless - not through any fault of their own. . (But everyone here of course gets it which I’m very grateful for.)

I can actually find myself going a few days in a row now without it being the centre of my universe. Likely because I’ve had other physical issues that have cropped up.

[hopeless2015]

When first diagnosed i was 100% obsessed. Now not so much. I come here a lot though. There are wonderful people here

[WildcatVet]

Never been obsessed...just accept MI as a facet of my life. It is what it is.

[Unrigged64072835]

I was obsessed with it when I was diagnosed. I was relieved that there was something more going on. I don't worry about it now. My BPD, PTSD, and anxiety take up more space, unfortunately.

[amicus_curiae]

I have to stay on top of matters lest all of my Westworlds come tumbling down.

I’m not obsessed, really, but I try to be aware at all times. That’s not easy. I have so many active symptoms that I feel like I’m juggling twenty to manage two.

I’m not a great juggler and sometimes I am overwhelmed and I lose it. I just lose it. I’ve not spoken for six days and I’m wondering ‘how long,’ this time?

At present I’m holding on to a thin, unraveling thread of a single narrative. I’m left with nothing but sorrow and silence. I think that the story is due for a drastic change.

I once cared.

[scatterbrained04]

I find that I think about it a lot when I'm having symptoms and not so much when I'm not having symptoms.

Sorry..been gone...a DID thing..l

Originally Posted by Cocosurviving

My oldest daughter and my youngest sister use to tell me I talked about MI too much. This was like when I was still kinda newly diagnosed. After a while I learned to come to PC and there is a mental health Twitter.

Know it...we are so alone.

Originally Posted by key tones

I am really pretty obsessed with learning about bipolar. I was rather shocked to see how little I knew when I got here.

I think I’m searching for someone just like me, you know? I was hoping to find someone that has the same co-morbidites and a similar personal life. Someone who is functioning at a similar level.

I haven’t found anyone. Someone said everyone has their own flavor or brand of bipolar. I guess that’s true.

I’m also afraid, and I’m searching for ways to ensure I don’t end up like my mother. She made me miserable, and I don’t want to do that to my daughter. She drove me to the brink and nearly drove off my husband too. She ended up taking her life. The depression side of bipolar was what they couldn’t do anything for.

So, if I end up like her, I now know about ECT. It’s something to try anyway.

You are not alone, we are all here of common condition regardless of background and history.

I try not letting BD define me, but to be a winner...but I am absolutely obsessed about the DID thing because it affects my life moments more then BD....then both combined...anyways...

I am just happy to hear that most have come to terms over a period of time to some form of acceptance...and to keep living which is possible in our own special personal way.

When we (for me) throw away my wants and accept what is...I just try. This in my own mind makes life more acceptable without the self-pressured expectations.

Thanks for responding yet this so far.

[tecomsin]

At first I was obsessing a lot over my diagnosis. Sometimes I would convince myself it wasn't really true and they were wrong. I never doubted my lung cancer diagnosis though. Since then when I am obsessing over health matters cancer tops MI although on a day to day basis I notably suffer more from MI issues.

[Zigy]

It's hard not to obsess if the illness is basically controlling my life. Everything I do is affected by it. I'm constantly aware of my depression, I'm sad and tired all the time. Of course it makes me think about my illness most of the time

[Scooter9]

Originally Posted by AlwaysChanging2

Are you constantly thinking about it?

Just wondering if you care to share.

I was diagnosed with Bipolar about 6 years ago and was diagnosed with anxiety, panic and depression 8 years before that so I have been living wiht MI for a while. I don't obsess over bipolar but I take every opportunity to learn more about it, and coming to PC is part of that. Interacting with others here is definitely a help.