Bipolar 101 -- Answers to basic questions

I’ve wondered for years if I have BPD, I’ve even asked my doctor about it before and his response when asking me the questions, was that I didn’t have manic episodes. What are some different ways mania presents?

Unless you present yourself at the doctor's office with clear mania, it is extremely hard to diagnose Bipolar disorder. I take it by BPD you mean bipolar and not Borderline Personality disorder which is also abbreviated BPD.

So, mania means that you have a distinct and abnormally elevated, expansive or irritable mood which last for at least at week or any period of time if you need hospitalization.

During this period, mania is characterized by the following and you need three of the symptoms:

• Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
• Decreased need for sleep (e.g., feels rested after only 3 hours of sleep)
• More talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking
• Flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing
• Distractibility (i.e., attention too easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant external stimuli)
• Increase in goal-directed activity (either socially, at work or school, or sexually) or psychomotor agitation
• Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (e.g., engaging in unrestrained buying sprees, sexual indiscretions, or foolish business investments).

But, there is more. The mood disturbance should be so severe, that it causes impairment of functioning or could even warrant hospitalization, or there are psychotic features. And, lastly, the episode is not attributable to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication, or other treatment) or another medical condition.

So, you see, it are pretty severe symptoms before they speak of mania and bipolar disorder really cannot be self-diagnosed.

My wife has Bipolar 2. Just how severe are suddensex impulses when hypo-manic?

is this chat still available/ ? I was in this chat many many years ago... I have seen mpholmes in years or talk to him or her

hope

extreme!!!!!!! Be careful and safe

Tell you what, I do enjoy that part of it... until it becomes a point of extreme need than want.

Can anyone give any tips on how to keep a loved one safe during a manic episode when the plan has fallen apart, the psychiatrist fired, the meds stopped, she has moved out from her family, consequences building. Our friend is a doctor and can mask the mania when in the presence of a police officer or evaluating physician. The few friends she will still talk to are trying to figure out how to keep her safe and to minimize the on-going financial consequences and potential legal consequences. It is very painful and frightening for her young adult children (early 20s), who are trying to figure out how to help but are completely overwhelmed. She will no longer speak to her partner and sees her as the enemy, as well as anyone who tries to tell her she is manic and needs help and medication to stabilize. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. - Calcal

Calcal, I don't have any real advice for you but you will get more answers if you post this as a new thread on the forum board. For whatever reason nobody uses this question board. If it gives you any idea the last person who posted here was 2 years ago and they didn't get any responses. But a new post on the forum will get you answers. Welcome to the board!

Bipolar disorder is hereditary. It can be caused by a traumatic event in your,life. A hard hit to the head like one that knocks you out. And childhood trauma as abuse physical or sexual.

I have searched but not found anything on this question. I've been wondering, can bipolar get worse even when medicated? I know it tends to get worse untreated, but I had a relapse last year that was worse than anything I had dealt with before starting treatment. I also know, I may have just appeared to be better by coincidence, and then it came back. Also, I have heard medication loses its efficacy for some people. Any thoughts?

I believe in kindling effect which means each episode makes things worse. And causes brain damage.

That makes sense. Too bad medication isn't perfect and there are never any relapses. I'm doing my best to find stability again, and I think I am there. I just hope it doesn't get too much worse over the years.

Dear Dr John, I must say the old WBS Psych Central helped pull me through one of the darkest times in my life (back in the 1980's). I had been a single mother with 3 small kids working full time and being harassed full time by my Ex for 5 years. He would break into my house, steal food constantly threaten me and eventually burned my home down thinking I was inside. He knew the children went to Florida to spent 2 weeks with my mother. They ended up staying all summer so I could rebuild. I had to sleep in a tent on my property most of the time but would drive to my fathers which was over an hour away to get creature comforts to keep me going. Fast forward. I ended up getting in a relationship with a man to keep my Ex away from me. I was already mentally breaking by this time. fast forward again I had 3 miscarriage's and was mentally blown. Dr put me on Zanax and prozac to help combat the baby blues. That didn't work. I flew into a full blown psychotic break. Hallucinations audio and visual. Unable to function as a mother I tried to commit suicide. Luckily I was found and was life flighted out to the nearest trauma center where I was placed in an induced coma for 3 days. . was told all these other details. When I physically recovered I was committed for 30 days. So they could figure out what was wrong with me. After 2 Doctors one finally said I was a bipolar aka manic depressive. Never heard of such a thing in my life. I was set up on a menagerie of meds which gave me the worst side effects I have ever experienced in my life. But I took them and was a good patient but I was still having delusional thoughts and some visual hallucinations. After a year or so of this I found WBS. What a life preserver. Dr John. Dudley Do Right, Patio, Suf, Phoenix fyre, Bebop, Bejose, tiny dance, Erica, Kajunqueen, 3DDD, Fran Oh man so many I could name. 100's of us going through all this together. The love and care we received from one another was amazing. I recovered enough after 6 years and started a very lucrative business that had employed up to 10 employees. That became my daily therapy dealing with customers on a daily basis. I did this for 25 years. I have recently retired because of a physical injury which causes me pain on a daily basis. No not on any pain meds by choice. I have recently gotten where I have no motivation even though I am in a good financial area of my life. I will continue to look under all the rocks to find my motivation again. AT my age there has been many deaths around me of important people in my life. Guess it is something we all go through when we get to a certain age. WBS Chat was my go to place to search those rocks to find what I needed to live the best lfe I could. It taught me to look in all the places. Thank You Dr John us Old Psyche Central crew still love you. Polar1145 aka Wanda