Bipolar 101 -- Answers to basic questions

I think my dd might be bipolar and I'm trying to research as much as possible ..she is 12.

Hello! Im newbie,
Just wondered if anyone on here seem not as moody as others?
I feel Im not as moody if Im on my meds prior to being on meds I believe I was more moodier anyone relate. I feel moddy but I dont take it out on my friends or family maybe hubby gets the grunt of my moods at times very rarely I think he is more moodier then myself I sware he has bipolar his Mom has Clinical depression and her sister has the same he seems depressed and he always isolates himself from making any friends. I'm not like that I like people and want to try enjoy life Im concerned for him more then for myself his stress levels are way high and he tends to bite my head off over nothing alot.
I'm pretty reserved and actaully quit so is he bbut I do like to socialize at times not all the time I'm sure you all know what I mean by At times"
I have ramblings thoughts and tend to loose my place at times which is so embarrassing has anyone done that so not cool.

Raemay18

I dont think its safe for your brain personally I thought this was the old school way of treating bipolar. I thought5 they banned this kind of treatment quess I was wrong.
Why1 did your doctor want you to get this done?
It sounds not very safe but I never heard anyone talk about having it done.
Get sound advice on it or research it on google priot to doing it ok.

Raemay18

I started crying when I was reading this first paragraph, because it sounded so similar to me. I don't know who I am and it petrifies me. Am I outgoing, extroverted, overconfident, energetic manic me or the hermit/recluse unable to leave the house, depressed me? If I don't know myself, how can anyone else? I even go from one set of morals to an entirely different set of rules. Maybe this is one of the reasons that I find it so hard to make even simple decisions.

I haven't been diagnosed BP, but I fairly sure I have it, I've had several bouts of depression since my early teens (I'm now 30) and experience near psycotic PND after I had my son. Once I had been given medication, I got so well but I think on reflection the meds may have contributed to the period of mania from recovery.

I just want to know who I am.

my son-in-law is taking muscle milk and tons and tons of other supplements, which has changed his personality, mood , and has abnormal behavior. since he has been taking all this stuff, he has told his wife (my daughter) that he isnt happy and wants to leave her. He hasn't been doing any of the things he used to enjoy , only eats once a day is very moody, works out for hours very aggresively. please does anyone have any idea how we can get him help

Hi there,
I went through ECT treatments years ago....I had overlapping diagnosis of bipolar disorder with major depression, PTSD, and a dissociative disorder. I think there was so much going on at once, medications weren't enough. I went through three 6-8 week sessions of ECT over a two year period. The first and second sessions seemed to hlep quite a bit. It wasn't too scarey....you fall asleep with the anesthetics and then wake up and it's over. The third session I had didn't seem to help as much and I had one treatment which affected my short and long term memory some.
I thought that all was lost until I finally hit upon a medication combination that really worked for me. In retrospect, I think meds help some, but what is most important is the therpay and life skills learned over time to live with depression. Find balance in your life to keep your stress levels at bay. Good luck.

insightful. All my bipolar pills do is put me to sleep. And nothing change, maybe i have personality disorder. Lol i hope not

I've been diagnosed with depression a number of years ago and have a question(not sure where else to post it). I sometimes have what I can only be described as weird kinda of bursts of energy. I don't have poor judgement or inappropriate behavious which I've read is a sypmton. But I jus feel like I can't sit still. There's a sort of fuzzy static in the backround,I can't even read because I can't concentrate enough.there's also been times.there's even been times when my body jus doesn't feel real,I feel trapped or that somethings inside me and I need to get it out(which results in panic attacks and SI) Even tho I feel kind of 'happy' I still feel like my life is hopeless and feelings of SI and suicidal thoughts.
So sorry this is really long.never told anyone that before and jus poured out.reallly would appreciate ANY thoughts anyone has .
Thanks a mil
Carrie

Thats the way i feel. Ive got 2 kids if it wasnt for them i wouldnt be here. I am on medication but it seems like it only helps to a point. I have tried to commit sucidie twice. I have had it for 3 years and it still seems like it not getting any better. If you want to talk im here.

I think I have BP II - I'm always depressed, but once in a great while I will feel good about myself - within a couple of days I'm back to being super depressed again and just wish I were'nt alive. I tried to end my life once and thought about it a second and thrid time, but gave up the pills to my husband instead of taking them, like I did the first time. I feel guilty most of the time (and don't know why), I feel like crying, I have no self esteem (even though I'm told that I'm very talented in my writing and scrapbooking), and feel worthlelss - like I'm just taking up space - my husband and family deserver better than me. And I just want it to all end!! I want to end - but I don't think I have it in me to harm myself ever again dut to being Catholic.

I almost wish I had mania episodes! Instead I'm always depressed - very rarely do I do something mania - like spending money I know we really need to hold on too. I will order things on line and then be sorry and it's too late to cancel the orders and then I hide the things I bought and then will give them a presents for Birthdays or Christmas. That saves money during the holidays! LOL But those days are few and far between.

I'm just tired of being depressed.... I'm on Effexor XR and Abilify 2.5mg (5mg is too strong for me - I have sever reactions to 5mgs), I take benadryl for the side effects of the meds, and take a mood surpressent to be used as needed. I don't sleep unless I take the benadryl and mood surpressent - I stay awake for up to 3 days at a time or I want to sleep constantly.... Lately I just want to sleep all day. No energy, no interest in any of my "favorite" hobbies (reading, scrapbooking, crocheting). I have to push myself to just clean the house. I have to push my self to even care for myself - put on makeup, fix my hair, dress nice... I just don'g care and do the miniamul in caring for myself - wash, brush my teeth, shower, wash my hair.... I'm over weight and hate the way I look - I feel fat and ugly. My kids told me I need to lose weight too, but I just don't care.

I'm sorry for the novel and "self pity" - but it feels good to let all this out...and it's not anger, it's just feelings of depression.

Thanks for listening.

Sounds like you need to print this out and give it to your pdoc. May need to do some tests to rule out anything else first. You might also have what is called a mixed episode of bipolar. There are some really great articles on this site on mixed moods. Just start reading and see where it takes you. Hugs to you!

Don't give up on meds right away. It can take years to find the right combination. I know I stayed depressed for two years before the right meds were in place. Please see your pdoc and talk about other options.

u aint crazy msgina23 i feel the same

Yes, manic depression/bipolar disorder is hereditary. I speak from personal experience, as I am a fourth generation battling this illness. I've suffered for 25 years.

As a parent, you need to know that more often than not, a child may be diagnosed ADHD and they'll throw several other things into that, be wary if it is not fully explained to you. It may be an accurate diagnosis, but it could also be something else entirely. If a doctor isn't listening to you or your intuition is telling you that the diagnosis might be wrong, seek a second opinion, or a third. Many people have to "shop around" until they find the right doctor(s) who isn't afraid to correctly diagnose, as well as medicate if it is truly necessary.

Bipolar has many facets to it, which is why it sometimes takes years for an accurate diagnosis. Schizophrenia is something else entirely. My recommendiation is to get on-line, do as much research as possible, and always research your doctors ahead of time. I make it a habit to ask a doctor's employees whether or not they would go to him/her if they were faced with the same problem(s). That advice has helped me find people that truly care. Most importantly, communicate to your children that this is not, in any way, their fault. I hope this helps.

I've been looking at the posts for days. I'm spending alot of time lately on the computer, and trying to decide where I'm at. I was diagnosed over ten years ago. I was on disability all that time, and I felt so guilty. I involved myself with every volunteer organization that I could and often kept very busy. I know that there has been something wrong eith me, maybe just a pervasive underlying sadness countered by periods of intense focus and acheivement. A year ago, I formulated a plan to get back to work. I went through VESID, and got only limited help, but lost my social security. I didn't care, I was back, so I just used student loans and decided that I would make good up[on my graduation. I graduated with a 3.8 GPA but found that after ten years of disability, I found no good reason to use to explain my employment gap. Now, I am homeless, without meds, and no-one will hire me. On top of that, I feel like crap. I' am (was until this week) trying so hard to keep my head up but I am afraid that I might be failing, I mean curling up. I'm afraid to look at where I'm at and give in to the monster. I have been denying my diagnosis so hard, my step forward is suddenly becoming a nightmare. Please talk to me, I have lost my friends and have no other support really. I cant even discuss this matter with the friend that I see now, because this individual is scared to death of the idea of bipolar, thinking that they(we) are potentially dangerous people. I am a responsible and kind individual and just dont want to be seen by people that way.

I am so sorry you are having such problems. I hate to suggest it, but could you go back on disability so you can get medication and a place to live? Being on disability is not a weakness, it can be a fact of life.

I,m going to try. right now I'm not sharing this with anyone that I know, but I'm feeling pretty hopeless. I'm going through the mo , I'm not going through the motions. I'm shaking and afraid. I was doing so much, so well for so long, I don't know how to or where to start now. I have no plan.and am losing my ability to formulate a new one. I'm lost. Can it be toughed out?

Can it be toughed out? Not if you are saying something like depression is something you can will yourself out of. To really come out of it you probably need medication and therapy. First thing to do is take care of your basic needs like having a place to stay and clothes on your back. Also, getting the help you need to get medications, and hopefully therapy.

Is it normal for me to be so melodramatic? or might i hava a problem? 4 the last 10 years atleast, I know that my emotions have been somewhat overwhelming... I get too angry & hostile ( I don't think twice about physically attacking sum1 twice my size, & sent sum1 to hospital for just that...) I get dilleriously happy 4 small "mercies" & then all of a sudden there are times I start crying for no good reasons for days on end... i hardly sleep when i'm happy, but eat like a pig, & when i'm depressed all i do is sleep, & my stomach hurts 2 much to try to eat. sometimes i'm so sad i cut myself, to give the pain reason. I went all emo on my family the other day and scared my poor daughter how do i explain this to her when I don't even know the answer? I've always been able to cope (mostly through prayer) but now, I'm starting to doubt if every1 experiences life through my emotions. I feel so isolated, and so fake, like who am i anyway? if anybody out there has some insight...please help me shed some light, am I normal???

I have Bipolar I and have had lot of problems with bp depression. ECT has saved my life on a number of occasions and can be very helpful. Unfortunately (for me) the trade-off was very severe and long-term memory loss. This is unusual--most folks have only brief memory loss for the time surrounding these treatment--particularly if the electrodes are placed unilaterally (this is usually what is a done first) Good luck. It is a treatment thAT frequently works when others do not. It also works pretty quickly (after about 3 treatments).