[Wol918]

Hi, I’m a PhD student and was in my second to last year before I experienced a manic episode. I’m looking to see if anyone here has gone to a masters or PhD level while also managing bipolar. I’d like to know of others who’ve been able to finish their degrees while having what many see as a serious and debilitating mental illness.

[Yaowen]

I hope people in your situation will see your post and have good advice for you.

While preparing for my PhD, I had what was then called "a nervous breakdown." It was severe depression. I didn't finish my PhD although I was so close to getting it.

Sadly, I don't have personal experience with bipolar.

There is a famous professor in a psychiatry department who has bipolar and has written about her experiences. Her name is Dr. Kate Redfield Jamison I think. Some of her amazing books are called "The Unquiet Mind" and "Night Falls Fast." Even though I don't have bipolar these books have encouraged in my life.

I wish you only the best in whatever you decide to do and sorry for not being able to be helpful to you!

[HALLIEBETH87]

I wish I had advice but I am sorta of stuck. I start my masters of social work this fall and i am already feeling terrified of it! I wish you good things!!

[Victoria'smom]

My son is in his master's degree and has anxiety, mood disorder, ADHD and asd. With thoughts of going for his PhD after. It's a family effort to keep him on track. He's struggling but still trying. He has maybe a year left in his MS. He's young so he has time to decide. He wants to be a professor so the MS is required for community college. A PhD would be required for university. His major is in something highly engaging to him that he's hyper focused on. It's the assignments that get in the way. Luckily he's doing a compatancy based program so it's one semester long project per class vs a bunch of little assignments. It took a ton of planing and the right program fit to get him this far. Actually he just asked for accommodations for the first time in his school history today so we'll see what happens there.

[Random 503]

It may vary with your field. I completed my PhD about five years before I had a manic episode and got diagnosed. Mine is in the biological sciences. In retrospect though I cycled through hypomania and depression since I was in my mid teens and was able to use hypomania to my advantage at times without realizing it. The depressions were bad; I have a tendency to go toward sui. Back then I never had a plan to do it but wished I would. We don’t seek help in my family so I ignored it as much as I could.

That said, here is my best advice. Grad students waste an enormous amount of time. The cliché of the grad student working 20 hour days is really self-inflicted. Treat it like a 8-5 job, avoid unnecessary chit chat, be productive during that time. I hate to say this but you’re there for an education not to make friends so don’t fall into time traps. If you need to, go home and read papers in the evening but don’t overdo it because you need rest. People may talk behind your back because you don’t appear to “work” as hard as they do but f them. Time management is key, plot your days out to keep on a schedule and get what you need done. There will be periods of tremendous stress and you need to mitigate that. My management techniques were very unhealthy (alcohol mainly but I never said no to any drug). Someone else will need to give you pointers on that, sorry.

If your manic episode was public, if your colleagues know and your major professor knows you have a slight advantage to doing what I said. BP is a disability and recognized as such. Universities are very serious about having accommodations and there will be severe repercussions if your major professor doesn’t follow through. That will help you mold it to an 8-5 job, or if you’re like me 6-3.

And most importantly: stay medicated.