Bipolar 101 -- Answers to basic questions

If you're new to bipolar disorder for either yourself or a loved one, we encourage you to spend a few minutes reading Psych Central's Bipolar guide:

Bipolar Disorder - LifeHelper

In it, you'll find answers to your commonly asked questions:

- What is bipolar disorder, what are the symptoms?
- What are the most common treatments?
- What should I talk to my doctor about?
- What are some frequently asked questions about bipolar?
- Where can I find more resources about bipolar?

Thanks,
DocJohn

hello everyone,

I would like to know, if anyone who was diagnosed with bipolar I or II disorders has ever had electric-convulsive-therapy? Has it been effective in treating your bipolar illness? Any long-term side-effects such as short-term memory loss?

If you care to share, it will be very helpful to me. I will be ongoing this surgical procedure within a week to 10 days? Any thoughts or comments for me, would be extremely helpful for me!

hi im pretty sure i may be suffering with bipolar disorder.
me and my friend who ironically enough thinks she has it to are planning to get checked out asap.
can u tell me what i should expect if im diagnosed?

this was proposed for me but my husband and I chose not to go through with it because of possible memory loss. Research this online B4 going through it.

is this heradatory? do you start as adhd then go to bipolor or schizo? my kids have devloped mental illness and the dr said we wil worry when the time is right.. drives me nutty..

Is it really hereditary with ADHD? Because I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was but a baby, and about a year and a few months ago I started worrying about being bipolar, due to my humongous mood swings from angry to sad... That would give me one more reason to look for help!

did anyone resond>i am new to this site and i would like to read the response because i am thinking i might be bipolar II

is it really associated with ADHD? if that's the case then i have a puzzle.
my grandfather has bipolar I, as do i- and my brother has ADHD. does he have a chance of getting bipolar? is bipolar even hereditary?

Please come to Bipolar chat Tonight at 8 o'clock est!!

I Suffer from Mania and Hypo Mania. I hate it!!! im always well more now then ever very angry at the world and people i dont even know lol, ALWAYs Irritable more then ever. I think i have well i know i have bipolar Mania, i think i have ADD, im suffering with insomina, oh and last but not least i thought about killing my self sunday smh i dont even remember why i was severly depressed for no reason at all..i a different person every day!! its like at a point right now where i hate people period lol like ugh!!! im irritated.... now tell me i aint crazy lol

i knw wht u mean ive gt tht aswell it gets me so annoyed nd esp wen people ask me if im crazy ive fekt like killing myself lots of times so i cn understand where ur comin frm

Being bipolar is no picnic.....
FYI
Being either bipolar 1 or 2 are equally hard to manage. and are both serious.
bipolar 1 folks can get so manic that they could become psychotic and get themselves killed and
bipolar 2 folks can get so depressed that they could become suicidal and wind up dead as well......
people who suffer from mixed moods can swing from high to low in the same day.
Being bipolar is no picnic that is for sure.
In regards to these two opposite poles there are a lot of folks who are in the gray zone....falling somewhere inbetween....alot of mental health issues cross over boundaries, OCD, panic attacks, anxiety, phobias, depression, delusions and paranoia, issues with self esteem, self injury, PTSD....
I am a firm believer in getting the proper treatment, seeing a psychiatrist and getting evaluated.
It is equally important to see a therapist and learn how to cope with your particular issues.
For me medications saved my life.
I know that there are varying degrees of bipolar and there are many who do not take medications and what works for one person may not work for the other.
This is called the medication merry go round.
and until you find your right combo it is hard being patient.
and for some..... medications just don't work.
This is very hard to accept but that is the reality.
and for others what worked for a couple of years stopped working and now they are on that reel again trying to find a new path.
There are things that we can do to help ourselves...self help things. The number one thing that will help us is communication....we have to talk....we need a good diet, some exercise, yoga or deep breathing, meditation, massage, accupuncture, sleep hygiene, supportive people in our lives, family, friends, on-line and in real life....pets.
I know that some of us are isolated and this here becomes our family.
welcome all who are here
bizi

Hi BIZI, and everyone ,

Just wondering, what do you think are the best MEDS and what are common side effects ? And how cool is it to be on MEDS, then when you weren't on MEDS ?

Bizi, testify!

Geneticly; it's impossible to give an objective answer to those things since everybody reacts differently to medication. For example, Lithium is one of the meds that are considered to be very good - but it did jack for me. Lamictal is another one, which works for me, but for other bipolars that I know - it didn't. Personally, Lamictal and Topamax are the winners.

Common side effects for SNRI's (1/100): dry mouth, headache, nausea/diarrhea/etc, anorexia (loss of apetite, not nervosa), drowsiness/fatigue, dizziness, abnormal dreams, increased sweating, sexual dysfunction (loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, impotence and - for women - inability to orgasm), high blood pressure, insomnia, tremor, anxiety/nervousness and hypertension.

Common side effects for SSRI's (1/100): increased anxiety or depression, headache, nausea, drowsiness, weight/appetite fluctuations, increased sweating, indigestion, nervousness, tremors, dry mouth, diarrhea or loose bm, constipation, and/or the same sexual dysfunctions as with SNRI's.
Though with SSRI's, they only last for the first 1-4 weeks - if you increase the dosage, obviously you will experience the side effects again.

In my opinion, and based on experience, the "zombie" effect is nothing but BS. Sure you can experience apathy as a side effect, but it's not worse than to add a medication, change med, increase the dosage or reduce the dosage - and you'll be fine. I was a suicial zombie for six months after I was put on Topamax, then we added Cipralex and voila.

Lamictal makes me drowsy/some fatigue, Topamax affected my memory, suppressed my appetite so much that I lost 50lbs (wooh!), and turned me into a zombie, Cipralex doesn't give me any side effects. Zoloft made me psychotic. Lithium made me gain 40lbs, and it didn't help with my depression at all.
^ My medication merry-go-round the past five years.

If I wasn't on meds, I'd be dead. In September, I tried to kill myself - then I was put on new medication, and now I'm fine.
I can't live (literally) without meds. I wouldn't use the word "cool", cos to me this is about being alive vs being dead. I can deal with a lot of side effects, my deal-breaker is weight gain - cos that will just make me depressed. When it's about life or death, things like insomnia and tremors don't matter at all.

Lamictal has a nasty, and luckily very rare, side effect: Steven-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis. The latter being the worst and most aggressive; but both are potentially lethal. Basically they make your skin (epidermis) fall off.

I'm not so sure if my experience what you say neccisarily applies to everyone either.I've been cycling since I was 7 years old and I KNEW it...tried to tell my mom and she said typically, "what do you have to be depressed over," but truth be told the only thing I can say in my fourty odd years of cycling is that meds affect everyone differently. Thelma, you're right, the weight gain sucks...I just got off zyprexa cause of the gain in weight ...don't know if it was helping or not but my doc said fine, wean off so I did. Lymictal made me paranoid and the snri's and ssri's gave me panic attacks. Lithium did jackfor me too but did I ever gain weight on it! Today I'm on good old elevil, a real winner for me and the anti-convulsant tegeratol...I like to stick with the old winners and they work with little or no side effects for me, thank god. I'm not a big eater anyway and I have no complaints about my weight. For me, the old timers work. Please note that I have friends who are non responders to all the meds and others who respond well to anything and side effects I have heard range the gamit for psych med side effects...everyone responds differently. The most often ones people I know complain about are sexual dysfunction and constipation and I feel for them. But everyone seens to say different about every med they have tried...nothing applies to everyone.
Bob

Oh yeh, theama, one good side effect from my elevil...I'm not so good with sleep?...tend to lay in bed awake all night which is a bummer, but that all changed when I got on the elevil...I take it and an hour and a half later I'm alseep like a baby! God bless elevil! It got me off the sleeper merry-go-round...just an option for those considering changing anti-depressants...ask your doc.
Bob

I myself was diagnosed with bipolar ten years ago everybodys symptoms are different all I can share are my personal symptoms and diagnosis while I was only diagnosed ten years ago I recognise now I had the symptoms in a more subtle way all through my teens but they were symptoms all the same. Anyway Im not gonna keep you all day I went through a very troubled adolesence it began with very low self esteem leading into periods of depression my answer was substance abuse then on a few occasions I would have abnormal amounts of energy I went everywhere looking for help but I had no signs of elation or depression as the ilness progressed my periods of elation became a lot more prevalent to the point where I was becoming delusional varying from thinking I was Jesus to thinking famous pop singers wanted to be with me I have struggled to control my illness up until recently using substances to cope it took ten years of hell to get me to the level of understanding I have now and all I can say is if you do think you have bipolar get it seen to right away and Im here if you need to talk it is possible to lead a full life with bipolar

Yes You Can! i just know when im feeling the moment.I try hard not to establish new relationships because it can be stressful. Definitely stay away from the booze and seek hobbies, more natural treatments i.e. riding a bike, jogging,walking,mini travels. I say mini travels because thats all I can afford to do but it helps. If Im in a stressful relationship I let it go. Its my health and sanity I focus on now.

Hi
I am here not for myself, but actually my father who I believe is suffering from bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder runs in my family and several of my cousins along with my grandfather have been diagnosed. My dad is in denial that he has a problem and yet he has all the classic symptoms. I guess my question for everyone here is how do i get him help if he is unwilling to accept that he has a problem? Should i talk to a physician? I am pretty desperate at this point. I honestly can't live with my dad the way he is; if he doesn't seek help he will destroy my family. Any help would be extremely appreciated

It depends on how serious the problem is in my opinion. I was diagnosed with Bipolar type I when I was 19. At that point, I was seriously manic and in the middle of racking of up felony charges in two different states. It was like trying to stop a runaway train at that point. To get me stopped it took legal action.

It's pretty difficult to get help for someone that doesn't want it, from a legal aspect. If you feel the person is in danger of hurting themselves or others, then you can maybe have the person admitted to a hospital for like a five day evaluation, but the trick there is that a doctor has to sign off on it, and this may vary depending on the state. And speaking from personal experience, if I was at all manic, I would do anything in my power to avoid a situation like that if I didn't want to deal with it.

So in answer to your question, I would consult with a physician, and see what they reccomend. Another aspect to think about is that if you force treatment on somebody that doesn't want it, it can really damage trust. But if it saves somebody's life, that's probably worth it in the end. It's not an easy thing.

Hope that helps

I think I may be bipolar. (Those words seem to be so common around here). But I really am too afraid to actually go to the doctor. I tried going to a psychologist. About 20 minutes into the session, he stopped me and gave me the number to a psychiatrist. He told me he couldn't help me. For a while, I could only focus on the words: "I can't help you". If he can't help me, who can?

How hard is it to take that first step?

I'm not sure that a psychologist COULD help you with being bipolar. It is more a matter of getting on good meds that will help control the processes in your brain, because it is a brain matter of chemical proportions and not something that a psychologist can do. You CAN however, go to a good therapist and have that person to talk to about how you are feeling can go a long way. You can also get involved in various support groups in your city for bipolar people. The important thing is to NOT isolate yourself, because then you just get lost inside your head and can't seem to make things work. I hope you do find a psychiatrist. i have been with mine for 7 years already, and being with a good psychiatrist matters a lot. Hope to hear from you soon, telling us of your better plan. abbi

I think Doc John could shed light on this...but I think research is say yes.....both my nephew and I have been diag with Bipolar I rapid cycling for yrs now. My adult daughter is also showing signs.

I am so sorry you were treated that way.

It is awful that, that happened to you. Please know that, that psychologist is the exception!!! Most people in that profession would never have said that to you!!!

You can be helped!!! And most psychologists CAN help.

This one must have been an idiot and a very insensitive one as well.

No one can be diagnosed in 20 minutes, anyway.

And if you do, in fact, have bipolar, which you may very well, the standard treatment is:
1. Medication (long-term) prescribed by a psychiatrist
2. Psychotherapy (long-term) with a psychologist ( a phd, psyd, or a master’s in psychology), social worker, or a psychiatrist
3. Stress Management (long-term)
It is not an easy illness. Bipolar is chronic, severe, debilitating, disabling. But it is NOT hopeless. You CAN be helped!!!!

I hope you keep looking for help. I hope you keep posting here on PC. There are a lot of very nice, knowledgeable people here who can help you through all of this.
Please let us know how you are doing.

oh i am soooo sorry you had such a dumb psychologist. do not be discouraged (((nt))). there are many excellent psycho. out there. one saved my life by helping me with my bipolar. today i can honestly tell you my life is rich with wonderful experiences and i have learned excellent coping skills to deal with the BPD. Feel free to pm me if you wish.
please keep us posted on how you are. we truly care about you!