[nothemama8]

Okay I was talking to T and she said as we get older the mood swings increase, has anyone been told this, and if so WHY !!!!!!!!!
Angie

[sqrlb8]

I've always heard that bp is a "progressive" disorder which tends to worsen over time. But I would characterize the statement that the mood swings get worse as we get older as rather uninformative by itself. We also get better at dealing with it. Life is progressive.

Help some?

[nothemama8]

Oh poopers last night was the worst, now look what I have to look forward to yuck
Well all I got to say about that is you all had better be close when needed
Angie

[giri_piri]

I like what sqrl has said... I'll put a positive on this topic.

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
Life is prigressive

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

With that in mind, does it not make sense that one can progress in understanding and controlling of their problems?

Cheers,

G

[jennie]

I doubt the theories on bipolar illness are true. For one, which chemical imbalance are we talking about? Another, is it a chemical imbalance that we are talking about? And, define mood swing, high, or low? These are all subjective and variable. We can label and group people by behaviors and symptoms. But, are we really identifying "what" the problem is? No! Psychiatry cannot identify the cause of bipolar illness. That's why there is no cure for bipolar disorder. Bipolar medications are to sedate (aka stabilitze). My point is, take all bipolar theories with a grain of salt (dose of lithium). We are all individuals. Psychiatry is limited in the ability to predict of how individuals with bipolar disorder will act in the future, if on a particular med or on no meds. Without prediction, is it a "science?"

Angie, I'm always here for ya. I was also told that the disorder is progressive. And as sqrl put it, we do get better at coping. I'm coming out of a major bout that the meds didn't help even a little with, but some of the coping techniques I have learned from others here and from the short time I've been in therapy kept it at bay. I hope that things get better for you. I'm just a PM away if you ever need me.

Ryan

[nothemama8]

Jennie , love your avatar, thanks for the kind words, I don't want to be a science project but if it helps others I guess I can live with it so long as I can be there for others

Ryan sweet Ryan, thank you for you, I'm still looking for ferrat pictures to post to you
Angie

[sqrlb8]

I bet I could team up with Jennie to hone a blistering rant on the woeful shortcomings of what we know as psychiatric science. One day our current understanding of mental illness will most resemble the wisdom of blood letting barbers of olde.

But the idea of a progressive nature to what is called bipolar doesn't seem too far fetched to me. After all, we all lived however long before dx, right? At least for me, it wasn't until my "disorder" progressed to such a point that something was "obviously" other than it should be. Indeed, in the five years since my dx, the nature of my swings has completely changed in frequency and severity. Some of it is for the better. I've learned to sleep for one. Some of it is not so nice, frequency for me has increased.

But I get more and more concious. In some way, I actually care about it less. I mean, I stay focused on it, survival demands that, but it's also like being tall or short, or right or left handed too. "I yams what I yams." So is everyone else.

Hope I stayed on topic. I've got that ramblin thing goin on.

[nothemama8]

Want to say something cutesy, but am too upset over the crap with Greg
Love ya Bushy tail

I don't know if this will help..but if you're old enough to either experience peri-menopause or if you are in it or if you're past it........my psychiatrist says that our hormones affect it big time.....I was surprised but later it made sense.....pat

[nothemama8]

Hey Pat, been there done that, not menopause, plain good old bi-polar disorder

Angie, I love how you refer to it as plain good old bi-polar disorder. It's like HORRAY FOR BP!!!

[nothemama8]

Well Ryan it's like this if I got it I may as well laugh at it, before it bites me in the butt
Angie

I agree totally. Learn to live it, laugh at it, and as sqrl says, surf it.

Ryan

i like the fact that i've finally been diagnosed and that the drugs are working and i'm feeling nearlynormalnow..........

[darkeyes]

Never was told this by my pdoc, but he did say being pre-menopausal (yep, I'm middle aged ) doesn't help matters with moods, you know our hormonal change (estrogen dropping)can give us PMS symptoms and I suppose if one strays off their mood stabilizers during this change of life stuff things can get unpleasant.
My brother, is 10 years older than me, was DXed Bipolar-I back in the 60's, with him I've seen over the years he's gotton more and more mellow with age and maintainance level of his mood stabilizer.
I would think, it is not possible to say in one's future that their mood swings get worse with age, unless the pdoc has a "crystal ball", I just am kind of curious what caused your T to come to such a conclusion.
I hope you are doing alright and wish you lots of luck with this.


DE

[darkeyes]

I think that is if a person has never been under treatment or non compliant with meds. I've read they term this as "kindling" effect", sort of makes sense to me.
I feel it all depends on the individual, med history, and if they keep pdoc appts. to say for sure if this is "progressive" or not.
Just my 2 cents

DE

[cocoa]

I have my doctors appointment today and thats a subject I will be bringing up.

Jacqui

[Eva1nder]

My grandmother suffered with bi-polar most of her life. Had an early diagnosis. Went in and out of hospitals starting from a young age all the way up into her late 50's.

She received ECT in her last hospital stay and was released on a certain regimen of meds one being lithium.

About 5years later my grandfather passed. She maintained. As she got older she did fine. In fact, her dosage on lithium got smaller and smaller.

This isn't to say that everyone will get better with age, but I would think that every case is different.