Bipolar 101 -- Answers to basic questions

If you are concerned about whether you have bipolar, your first step might be to start seeing a psychologist. If he/she has a concern you may be referred to a psychiatrist for a diagnosis.

Desperate to help a family member fighting bipolar depression. Failing school, taking meds and not taking meds, angry then happy, not truthful with doctor. Over 18 so privacy issues abound...meanwhile this young adult is falling into an abyss, drifting away. We have 3 months before college begins...what do we do?

I was diagnosed with Bipolar I two weeks ago. My husband was diagnosed with Bipolar today. To me this seems like a dangerous combination and I'm so afraid that because of this we are going to continue having problems we've been having. We were both started on medications....I on Lamictal and Seroquel, he on Lithium and Abilify. Do we stand a chance of a happy, "normal" marriage???

Certainly you could continue to have problems unless you take steps to improve your relationship. I would suggest that along with taking medication you should be see a psychologist and potentially have marriage counseling along with individual counseling. The key is, how badly do you want your marriage to work? What are you willing to do to make that happen?

My husband is an abuser. I feel his untreated bipolar disorder is the main cause of his mood swings and his anger. We are both getting separate counseling for this and will begin marriage counseling once we have completed the program we are in for batterers and their victims. I will do anything it takes to see that smile on his face and in his heart that I have seen before. We have just begun learning how to effectively communicate, which is going well. We have both read "The Five Love Languages" which has helped us recognize the way we both perceive and give love. We were totally off on this and are learning how to speak in the languages we recognize. Thanks for your comments and help.

Kunderwood - you and your husband are really an inspiration. The effort you are both putting in is heartwarming. I'm sure it must have felt terrible when you were first dx'd, and to have your husband dx'd a few days later... I cannot imagine what you are going through.
I also truely hope that your husband's abuse is only due to BP left untreated. I too can get very physical when I get angry, but I try direct it at a wall or anything else other than a human. I am still working on my med combo and hope this physical anger will lessen with time
Please look after yourself, being in a somewhat abusive relationship. I really do understand. Don't make excuses for him or his behaviour. Give him a fair chance to improve now that he's on medication, but don't allow the wool to be pulled over your eyes with regards to why he is abusive. He is seeking help and I'm sure an improvement will be inevitable

((HUGS))

I am new to this site. I am Bi Polar ( a rapid cycler) and I am pretty stablized for the most part. I have a tough time with hypomania but me and my doctor are getting me there. I hate when i step on peoples sentences because I get so hypomanic

Lokking forward to being on the site

Butterfly Effect

I have a question. I think I may be bipolar. I seem to have some of the symptoms, and I'm fairly certain it runs in my family, possibly on both sides. I'm 16, which I know is young, but if one of the relatives I believe is bipolar is indeed bipolar (she hasn't been diagonosed), then she started rather young as well (I've heard stories of some of the things she's done, but I don't know her and can't judge for myself as she's estranged). My problem though is getting help, because even if I'm not bipolar, I do know for sure that I have other problems. However, as I'm 16, there's getting parental approval to go see somebody. My dad and I have issues (Both my mom and myself believe he might be bipolar, but even if he isn't he is a horrid person), so I can't talk to him about anything. My dad has created a bad family enviornment, and my mom is emotionally weak because of him. I take care of her in that sense. I've mentioned going to therapy to her before, but she gets very upset because she thinks it's her fault. I can't stand seeing her upset, let alone making her upset. I guess my question is, how do I get help when these issues stand in my way? Thanks for any comments or ideas you may have.

[quote=Angelfire093x; I guess my question is, how do I get help when these issues stand in my way? Thanks for any comments or ideas you may have.[/quote]

I would suggest writing a letter for your mom, so you could let her know what's going on and she has time to take it in before reacting to a face to face conversation. You may even want to see a school counselor. Sorry no one responded to this and feel free to post in the BP forum because it gets viewed more often.

I have no idea what I suffer from as I have been diagnosed with Clincal Depression but I believe I have BP too. I have enormous mood swings where I am vile one minute, thinking horrible thoughts about dying the next, then an hour later I am happy and buzzing around like ive had a good dose of happy pills!! Does anyone know what tests are available to help discover if BP is part of my issue?

Welcome Shen; I would suggest you start tracking your mood and also note what you eat, drink, medication, stress etc. to see if that's triggering the mood swings. I found a good one online at:

http://www.medhelp.org/land/mood-tracker

There are tests on this site to take, but in saying that self diagnosis doesn't replace speaking to a mental health professional about your concerns. I hope you find this site supportive.

There are no actual tests for bipolar, only lists of symptoms you can say yes or no to. Would be great if there were a blood test but can only go with symptoms. PsychCentral has a good description of bipolar and the list of possible symptoms. I would check there first... and be sure to see a psychiatrist if you really want to know for sure.

i have bipolar. i take seroquel for it. i was wondering how is this medicine affects anyone else cause i have gained almost 30 pounds since ive been on this medication. is there any other medication for bi polar for the day?

How are you doing on the seroquel? I thought about trying it myself.

need help getting some help

the most positive way to look at being bipolar would be to see that the maniac stage allows us to excel in whatever we do.............like those famous people with bipolar e.g. Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and others...............
but it is hard to live when life is hard on you and nobody understands how you feel and makes your feelings valid and stops in their tracks to help you with your day

As well as having bpd i also suffer from cyclothymia. Sometimes i feel so lost as to where my emotions lay, and how long my mood will be low for. its been low for a couple of months, im in therapy at the moment... my question is can i also be suffering from depression?

Hi sunnygirl1uk; cyclothymia is on the bipolar spectrum and includes hypomanic and mild depressive episodes. Two months is a long time to feel depressed, so if you aren't already I would suggest seeing a Psychiatrist.

Hello,

I have bi-polar disorder amonst other mental disorders. I have been doing the ECT treatments for a total of 8 treatments now. Personally, I am going to stop them for various reasons. First of all I am a cancer surviver and when they give these treatments they must of course access a vien and my viens are bad do to all the things I have had to do. In ECT they first of all give you a shot to numb the area they are going to access the vein to put you to sleep. After they do that they put a oxygen mask over your mouth and as you breathe deeply into it they give the shot to put you to sleep. Oh I forgot to mention they also put a mouth guard in to protect you from biting your tongue or hurting your teeth. When you are asleep they start the ECT that causes you to seizure however you won't remember a thing about it. The doctor controls your seizures, they are only a few seconds long. Yes it does effect your memory however they say it is only tempory and after you stop treatments you get it all back with time. I do forget the sillyest things but every one is different. It also makes me a little sore (muscles) from the seizuring. It's not BAD, just a little sore. When you wake up you won't remember a thing, meaning you have no recollection of the seizure. It seems like you are put to sleep and then you they wake you up and allow you to rest for a few minutes. You may feel a little wobbely at first, like sea legs but that to doesn't last very long, a few minutes for me, other have said they feel just fine. Every one is different. Personally my veins are what they call "stripped" meaning they have been through heck so it has become harder and harder for them to find a good vein for me and when they inject the stuff that puts me to sleep it burns like fire and my arms gets all red. Like I said, that is just me. The others that have been doing this on the same days and time as me tell me it does not hurt them very much, a little sting and they are OUT LIKE A LIGHT..

For myself, I do not feel they are helping me feel better. However I talk with this guy a little bit before treatments and he tells me it has helped him, and there are a coupld of ladies that feel the same as he does. There is only one lady that feels the same way as I do, it makes her feel worse because she feels weird forgetting so much. I wish I could forget the bad, but it doesnt work that way. They are designed to help you "cope" with your issues in a more positive way than to be depressed by them. Many swear by these treatments for the better, a few feel such as myself. I am stopping them because my veins are bad, they feel the same on that issue, I don't like the terrible pain I feel as they are injecting me and my memory loss, well I hate that to.

If you are looking for advise here, I suggest ( I am not a doctor, just a patient and this is only MY opinion) that you give it a couple of tries and see how it affects "you". Don't be afraid, you are very well monitored and very well taken care of. They usually do these treatments VERY EARLY. For me I have to be there at 5:45 A.M.and it is all done around 8. That is because there are 6 other people getting treatments as well and they let you sleep for a while before they wake you up and then.....you just go home to rest.

Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions. Like I said I can only speak of my expierence, I am not a doctor or nurse etc.

Good Luck. Let me know if you want what you decide and if it helps you. I will say a prayer for you.

Thanks for that, yes it is and yes im seeing a psychiatrist and she says its a reaction to my therapy.