[iterance]

Hello! I'm writing here for the first time seeking information about the course of bipolar spectrum disease. I'll be posting a short version of my personal bipolar disease history and a few questions I've been posing to myself lately that I'd now like to pose to you. Your advice or positive thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

I was diagnosed with Bipolar II in May of 2001 while passing through a low point in my late adolescence yet the incidence of disorder-related symptoms has markedly dropped and I feel fine taking a relatively small dose of Lamictal (25 mg/dy) and a very infrequent dose of Zyprexa to help me sleep (2.5 mg). I had communicated symptoms of unipolar disorder to close family members before attending my first year of college, but wasn't taken seriously. The ensuing year at school and trouble was dramatic, yet not irreversible. I sought a diagnosis for my symptoms at a student psycholgical health center and was told that I probably just had a flu bug. I scored poorly on tests, had trouble studying, couldn't sleep, and had hot-cold flashes and eating problems. I also had social anxiety and growingly pessimistic perspectives about other people, family members, and myself. Regretfully, no medication has ever successfully removed these symptoms, just caused me to be so drowsy that I didn't really care about anything enough to worry, which helped a lot for a brief period. Afterwards, it caused me to sleep ridiculous amounts of time and even have problems remembering people's names and important dates. I just wanted to feel better, and tried anything I could. In the end, the best medicine was meditation, and changing the way I thought (my filters), and by embracing positive life changes and friendships (called life therapy, I think).

When I experienced my first major depression in college our family was going through a really rough patch following a particularly difficult divorce. My father became angry and frustrated with heavy financial trouble caused by the child support payments and his failure to reconcile with our mother, who viewed his behavior as sociopathic (narcissistic personality disorder) and wanted nothing more to do with him. She remarried a stable, loving, hard-working man a year later who helped raise us (with some difficulty and a lot of patience!). Meanwhile, the dual visitation created two very contrasting family environments that caused me a lot of stress at the time.

I have been giving the matter of bipolar disease a lot of thought this year. When I was originally diagnosed almost eight years ago my stress level was very high, and I had a lot of pessimistic ideas and self-perspectives/concepts that I currently attribute to surviving relatively short-lived childhood physical abuse and the post-traumatic afteraffects of living with an emotionally unstable parent. I am the first individual in our family's history who has ever received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, ocpd, ptsd and rapid cycling. Having spent years out of that environment, and after it all worked out well in the end, I've found the symptoms to drop off so much that social interaction, relationships, travel, career development and education, and developing my diverse and long-lasting personal interests are very positive and enduring aspects of my daily life.

In contradiction, I can say that I did fit the description of a mentally-ill, depressed person about as long as I stayed in my parent's house, but when I moved away, went to school, supported myself and than moved to another country I met some wonderful people who helped me see things in a new way and well, I have truly never been happier. My happiness level feels like it increases in subtle ways regularly, for which I feel profoundly grateful. My emotions, if charted on a graph, would look (to me) like a steadily upward affective curve since I stabilized, but particularly in 2005-present, when I moved out and distanced myself from the family dyfunction while simaltaneously trying to be a positive, supportive force for my younger siblings.

Lately, my low point this year was a couple weeks where I felt tired a lot faster in October, which was my big culture shock month (just having moved in September). I haven't been manic, but I've been jittery and high energy, and suffer minor, irrational worries from time to time. In fact, I've never had a full-blown manic episode, mostly just some low-energy and attention span-problems that occur from time to time and constantly high creativity and emotional sensitivity. I haven't been able to establish a pattern. I have no idea what my cycle currently is, and I'm usually too busy to worry about it. The only other problems I have are some sleep disturbances, feeling a lot of energy (but not grandiose plans, more just...peace, happiness, gratitude, and hope) and a curiously voracious appetite combined with an inability to gain weight. I find a lot of comfort in exercise, meditation, prayer, Tai Chi, and focusing these activities on bettering my health. I find worrying to be a tiresome zero-sum activity; its an exhausting waste of time that lowers my happiness and immune system response, and makes other people around me edgy and tired. I'm thinking of looking into energy work, and I try to stay up to date on bipolar disorder breakthroughs to see if there's a new treatment option I should discuss with my doctor.

Well I think that just about covers it. Any help or advice/alternate perspectives would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[Berries]

Hi Iterance! Welcome to PC. You sound like a really neat person.
Yes, low stress can lead to some remission in bipolar. It's part of how to manage the illness.
I would like to give you some advice or alternate perspectives but I think I am missing something. What is your current angst? I need to hear more about that.
Everything you wrote points to a pretty good handle on things. And you don't seem to be directly tell us what is wrong. Only what has worked for you in the past and what is working for you now.

What is not working for you? What is bringing you down? What is affecting you negatively? You need to be more specific in that regard.

I know something is wrong or you wouldn't be here. I need you to talk more about that before I can give you my thoughts.
I'm interested in helping, if I can; I just need to hear more of what is difficult for you, currently. Please write more.

[Michah]

Iterance, have you had your thyroid or adrenals checked? Funny, but you also have symptoms that swing between hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism......not saying thats what you have but the correlations are interesting.

I was dx bipolar II 2007. I have had thyroid problems for about 3 years undiagnosed although my condition is genetic so I have had it all my life. Thyroid conditions are often related to autism/aspergers and personality disorders. Autism is in my family. Hypo(or Hyper? not sure)thyroidism is often misdiagnosed as Bipolar disorder and generalised anxiety disorder. It presents as any one of these symptoms......mania, insomnia, irritabilty, sleeping alot, hot flashes/night sweats, anxiety, panic attacks, increase in rage and a bunch of more physical symptoms.

Hyper can also make you want to eat more and you never put weight on.

Don't want to alarm you and this may not be the case, but I just thought I would throw that in there and maybe you can talk to your doctor about it. The reason it took so long for my psych to dx me was that there were a few bipolar "inconsistencies". I am on lithium but I am very unwell physically and so my head follows. Its tough. I have started on thyroxine prescribed by my surgeon.

My point is that for years before I had my first manic episode, I knew something was wrong but I have a mental health history that spans 15 years and it was really difficult to get someone to listen. Just think you should explore all your options.

Good Luck, babe. Keep us updated

[Berries]

Just curious, Michah. How does one have their thyroid and adrenals checked? Is it just a blood draw?

Originally Posted by Michah

Iterance, have you had your thyroid or adrenals checked? Funny, but you also have symptoms that swing between hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism......not saying thats what you have but the correlations are interesting.

I was dx bipolar II 2007. I have had thyroid problems for about 3 years undiagnosed although my condition is genetic so I have had it all my life. Thyroid conditions are often related to autism/aspergers and personality disorders. Autism is in my family. Hypo(or Hyper? not sure)thyroidism is often misdiagnosed as Bipolar disorder and generalised anxiety disorder. It presents as any one of these symptoms......mania, insomnia, irritabilty, sleeping alot, hot flashes/night sweats, anxiety, panic attacks, increase in rage and a bunch of more physical symptoms.

Hyper can also make you want to eat more and you never put weight on.

Don't want to alarm you and this may not be the case, but I just thought I would throw that in there and maybe you can talk to your doctor about it. The reason it took so long for my psych to dx me was that there were a few bipolar "inconsistencies". I am on lithium but I am very unwell physically and so my head follows. Its tough. I have started on thyroxine prescribed by my surgeon.

My point is that for years before I had my first manic episode, I knew something was wrong but I have a mental health history that spans 15 years and it was really difficult to get someone to listen. Just think you should explore all your options.

Good Luck, babe. Keep us updated

[Michah]

Originally Posted by Lbien6

Just curious, Michah. How does one have their thyroid and adrenals checked? Is it just a blood draw?

Hey Babe, good to hear from you! Initially it is blood tests. The basics include TSH(Thyroid stimulating hormone from pituitary gland), T3, T4, Thyroid antibodies then for adrenals, cortisol, ACTH and then more comprehensive testing if levels are out of range. You need a good endocrinologist for diagnosis. Unless your GP is fantastic, they do not specialise so small anomalies can be missed.

Talk soon........

[skeeweeaka]

Originally Posted by Michah

Hey Babe, good to hear from you! Initially it is blood tests. The basics include TSH(Thyroid stimulating hormone from pituitary gland), T3, T4, Thyroid antibodies then for adrenals, cortisol, ACTH and then more comprehensive testing if levels are out of range. You need a good endocrinologist for diagnosis. Unless your GP is fantastic, they do not specialise so small anomalies can be missed.

Talk soon........

Great point Michah...both adrenals and thyroid can cause the same symptoms... IN addition to those tests you need to have your Free T3 and Free T4 tested... This is the hormone that is not bound but that your body is actually using... Most of the time Endos specialize in diabetes and it may be difficult to find one that is going to do all of these tests...been there and done that...usually they just do the TSH, T4 and Free T4...

Also, they may tell you that your tests are normal, that they fall within the "normal" range. Normal for everyone is not 'OPTIMAL" so you could be borderline and be symptomatic of thyroid illness.

You can find out more information at stopthethyroidmadness.com and doctors here...http://www.thyroid-info.com/topdrs/.

TJ

[madisgram]

Originally Posted by Lbien6

Just curious, Michah. How does one have their thyroid and adrenals checked? Is it just a blood draw?

i had had a goiter as a teenager and the radiation they used to shrink the thyroid actually was too high a doseage. when i went into the hospital to get help for what later was diagnosed, among many things, bipolar. the pdoc first ran a thyroid test. as it turned out now my thyroid was under-performing and it contributed to the depression i experienced. was very fortunate to have a pdoc that checked this right away. now take synthroid to balance me out. and yes the t 3 and t 4 are necessary to really get a good profile of the thyroid.
hope this helps.

[skeeweeaka]

Originally Posted by madisgram

i had had a goiter as a teenager and the radiation they used to shrink the thyroid actually was too high a doseage. when i went into the hospital to get help for what later was diagnosed, among many things, bipolar. the pdoc first ran a thyroid test. as it turned out now my thyroid was under-performing and it contributed to the depression i experienced. was very fortunate to have a pdoc that checked this right away. now take synthroid to balance me out. and yes the t 3 and t 4 are necessary to really get a good profile of the thyroid.
hope this helps.

Happy to hear that you are being treated properly...

TJ

[Michah]

Hi guys! I am on Eutroxig at the moment and seeing an Endo in March so hope some answers. My surgeon put me on thyroxine. Got to have biopsy on Monday(not looking forward to that). Could not believe how much my thyroid can effect behaviour. SCARY!!!!

[skeeweeaka]

Originally Posted by Michah

Hi guys! I am on Eutroxig at the moment and seeing an Endo in March so hope some answers. My surgeon put me on thyroxine. Got to have biopsy on Monday(not looking forward to that). Could not believe how much my thyroid can effect behaviour. SCARY!!!!

I'm learning a lot about it, not only how it affects moods but how it affects female hormones and cycles...quite interesting!

TJ

[iterance]

Originally Posted by Michah

Iterance, have you had your thyroid or adrenals checked? Funny, but you also have symptoms that swing between hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism......not saying thats what you have but the correlations are interesting.

I was dx bipolar II 2007. I have had thyroid problems for about 3 years undiagnosed although my condition is genetic so I have had it all my life. Thyroid conditions are often related to autism/aspergers and personality disorders. Autism is in my family. Hypo(or Hyper? not sure)thyroidism is often misdiagnosed as Bipolar disorder and generalised anxiety disorder. It presents as any one of these symptoms......mania, insomnia, irritabilty, sleeping alot, hot flashes/night sweats, anxiety, panic attacks, increase in rage and a bunch of more physical symptoms.

Hyper can also make you want to eat more and you never put weight on.

Don't want to alarm you and this may not be the case, but I just thought I would throw that in there and maybe you can talk to your doctor about it. The reason it took so long for my psych to dx me was that there were a few bipolar "inconsistencies". I am on lithium but I am very unwell physically and so my head follows. Its tough. I have started on thyroxine prescribed by my surgeon.

My point is that for years before I had my first manic episode, I knew something was wrong but I have a mental health history that spans 15 years and it was really difficult to get someone to listen. Just think you should explore all your options.

Good Luck, babe. Keep us updated

Originally Posted by skeeweeaka

I'm learning a lot about it, not only how it affects moods but how it affects female hormones and cycles...quite interesting!

TJ

This is all very helpful. Thank you all for posting. Its intriguing to learn that these symptoms can also be caused by imbalanced adrenals/thyroid. One of my friends suggested that it could be caused by thyroid problems a few weeks ago. I'm going to get the tests done here in Spain, but first I have to make sure I'm insured in the US. As soon as I find something out I'll post it.

In response to the first reply, I'm posting here because I want to talk to people I don't know about a puzzling experience that for years has appeared to be related to bipolar spectrum disorder. I haven't had very many productive conversations about the illness with my family or friends. Similar to what Micah said about nobody listening to her, in my experience some people can be quick to doubt the following if they don't trust your ability to think rationally or act predictably, among many other things: the veracity of your claims (Are you "up"/"down" again?), the accuracy of your descriptions ("Are you exaggerating/omitting something?"/"Are you sure that's how you're feeling?"/"Did you forget that XYZ might also contribute?"), the probability of having received an inaccurate/incomplete diagnosis ("Dr. So-and-So is very reputable. I doubt he'd get it wrong. Psychiatrists don't hand out diagnosis like candy bars. You have a problem, just like your father. We've all witnessed it for years. That's proof enough"), among others. These kinds of people are also quick to mention that bipolar disorder can encompass a WIDE range of secondary physical/cognitive problems in comorbidity with the illness. Bipolar looks like a lot of other problems, and its understandable that it can be misdiagnosed. And hey, for all we know, maybe bipolar shifts into other/no problems in the absence of stressors, making it appear to be misdiagnosed. It sounds like science fiction, but I wouldn't be surprised if it showed up on the front page of a newspaper.

The above should help to illustrate why eliciting casual advice from (helpful) strangers on the internet seemed like a good idea. For one, I write anonymously. This removes some possibility of association bias. Secondly, I have the option to luxurious and languidly edit my reply, giving me the ability to articulate information in the clearest way I possibly can, stating facts and experiences, not thoughts/fantasies/emotions, which are subjective and yet which often arise in my physical, in-the-moment conversations about difficult life experiences. Thirdly, explaining feelings in an objective context is seldom productive: I might, for instance, say that I feel "angry, remorseful, frustrated and helpless to change my life situation using conventional methods". What does that mean? Well, given the same lack of association that grants me some freedom from bias, a stranger might think any number of things, including "those are classic depression symptoms", which would cause my thread to degenerate into a discussion about how to interpret my subjective experiences. In reality, even a healthy person who is stuck in some form of catch-22 is more than likely to feel some or all of the above for a short time. I doubt the emotional impact of any number of ordinary situations (such as not being able to pay my rent on time this month due to a bank error), is a sign of chemical instability. But nobody could know why I felt those feelings if they didn't have all the information. I'm the only one who does, so that's why I spare everyone from emotional replies on an analytical thread. But, maybe you guys don't mind. I'm trying to be courteous.

Every one of my four siblings is similar to me in this respect, I should also add - body type, these kinds of quirks, insomnia, attention problems. My brother received a diagnosis for ADHD and depression at 16 (my parents thought he was making it up). We're all very emotionally sensitive, a lot of us have high intelligence and some of us have highly retentive memories, musical ability or an uncanny social "knack" for reading people (I call it uncanny because that's what other people tell us). We all do great in school. We're all also very introspective. I should also add that I've told this story to any number of doctors and friends, with surprising results. In one case, I described my everyday life to a doctor in a bipolar support group. He said, with a very pleased expression, that I probably had achieved so much success because I was so introspective, and that people with the illness who are introspective have higher success rates. If so, that's great! :-p Another doctor told me I might have been misdiagnosed. I didn't believe him, because its always been a great comfort to have a name for whatever it is that's bothering me. I searched for ways to describe it to my psychiatrist eight years ago, researching borderline, bipolar, schizophrenia, and ocd. I wanted to be prepared with helpful descriptions so I could have the right answer. I read symptoms that sounded like my problem. I knew my father was mentally ill, and my parents thought I also "had problems". When I described my feelings to my doctor I described them as sleeping problems with high mental activity and periods of low mental activity, social shyness and suicidal ideation (this would be better explained with a lengthy catharsis on what it feels like, as a teenager, to be abused and ignored by people who are supposed to love you. I'm not all that bothered by it currently, though I've noticed that I still don't like being touched by men I don't know. I understand it now, and I've forgiven them). He told me right than, without hesitation, that I had bipolar disorder. I was, at the time, immensely relieved to have some form of new information to investigate and apply towards feeling better. Who wouldn't be? Yet now, as I'm writing I'm uncomfortably hot and thirsty after taking a short nap, feel tired and yet hyper and yet still feel like the same person internally. Everyone else in the house is obviously cold, because they're all wearing sweaters. I'm astounded that my doctor could have omitted a thyroid test, if that's the case. I have the feeling is going to take some time to figure this one out, yet there is hope. I'm certainly not the only person to feel this way.

Curiously enough, leaving home did the most help, and even more so when I left abroad. All my social connections entered a sort of suspended state due to the high cost of communicating abroad, and I left all the places that reminded me of the last eight years. I have achieved even more happiness, not the stress-induced bipolar disorder disaster my doctor suggested as a dangerous possibility. The curious part is that even when I don't feel good the way I always haven't, I still feel really happy. Why would I be sad? Life is wonderful now, for many reasons. When things are good, I feel great. When they're bad, its not great, but at least I have a new project to work on. This contradiction has left me mulling over the whole situation for months, which is why I posted here. I posted to get information that others might have learned, to share mutual experiences and support in the absence of clarity from the medical community in my city in the US.

I greatly appreciate everyone's input. Thank you for the information. I'll keep you updated.

[skeeweeaka]

Originally Posted by iterance

This is all very helpful. Thank you all for posting. Its intriguing to learn that these symptoms can also be caused by imbalanced adrenals/thyroid. One of my friends suggested that it could be caused by thyroid problems a few weeks ago. I'm going to get the tests done here in Spain, but first I have to make sure I'm insured in the US. As soon as I find something out I'll post it.

In response to the first reply, I'm posting here because I want to talk to people I don't know about a puzzling experience that for years has appeared to be related to bipolar spectrum disorder. I haven't had very many productive conversations about the illness with my family or friends. Similar to what Micah said about nobody listening to her, in my experience some people can be quick to doubt the following if they don't trust your ability to think rationally or act predictably, among many other things: the veracity of your claims (Are you "up"/"down" again?), the accuracy of your descriptions ("Are you exaggerating/omitting something?"/"Are you sure that's how you're feeling?"/"Did you forget that XYZ might also contribute?"), the probability of having received an inaccurate/incomplete diagnosis ("Dr. So-and-So is very reputable. I doubt he'd get it wrong. Psychiatrists don't hand out diagnosis like candy bars. You have a problem, just like your father. We've all witnessed it for years. That's proof enough"), among others. These kinds of people are also quick to mention that bipolar disorder can encompass a WIDE range of secondary physical/cognitive problems in comorbidity with the illness. Bipolar looks like a lot of other problems, and its understandable that it can be misdiagnosed. And hey, for all we know, maybe bipolar shifts into other/no problems in the absence of stressors, making it appear to be misdiagnosed. It sounds like science fiction, but I wouldn't be surprised if it showed up on the front page of a newspaper.

The above should help to illustrate why eliciting casual advice from (helpful) strangers on the internet seemed like a good idea. For one, I write anonymously. This removes some possibility of association bias. Secondly, I have the option to luxurious and languidly edit my reply, giving me the ability to articulate information in the clearest way I possibly can, stating facts and experiences, not thoughts/fantasies/emotions, which are subjective and yet which often arise in my physical, in-the-moment conversations about difficult life experiences. Thirdly, explaining feelings in an objective context is seldom productive: I might, for instance, say that I feel "angry, remorseful, frustrated and helpless to change my life situation using conventional methods". What does that mean? Well, given the same lack of association that grants me some freedom from bias, a stranger might think any number of things, including "those are classic depression symptoms", which would cause my thread to degenerate into a discussion about how to interpret my subjective experiences. In reality, even a healthy person who is stuck in some form of catch-22 is more than likely to feel some or all of the above for a short time. I doubt the emotional impact of any number of ordinary situations (such as not being able to pay my rent on time this month due to a bank error), is a sign of chemical instability. But nobody could know why I felt those feelings if they didn't have all the information. I'm the only one who does, so that's why I spare everyone from emotional replies on an analytical thread. But, maybe you guys don't mind. I'm trying to be courteous.

Every one of my four siblings is similar to me in this respect, I should also add - body type, these kinds of quirks, insomnia, attention problems. My brother received a diagnosis for ADHD and depression at 16 (my parents thought he was making it up). We're all very emotionally sensitive, a lot of us have high intelligence and some of us have highly retentive memories, musical ability or an uncanny social "knack" for reading people (I call it uncanny because that's what other people tell us). We all do great in school. We're all also very introspective. I should also add that I've told this story to any number of doctors and friends, with surprising results. In one case, I described my everyday life to a doctor in a bipolar support group. He said, with a very pleased expression, that I probably had achieved so much success because I was so introspective, and that people with the illness who are introspective have higher success rates. If so, that's great! :-p Another doctor told me I might have been misdiagnosed. I didn't believe him, because its always been a great comfort to have a name for whatever it is that's bothering me. I searched for ways to describe it to my psychiatrist eight years ago, researching borderline, bipolar, schizophrenia, and ocd. I wanted to be prepared with helpful descriptions so I could have the right answer. I read symptoms that sounded like my problem. I knew my father was mentally ill, and my parents thought I also "had problems". When I described my feelings to my doctor I described them as sleeping problems with high mental activity and periods of low mental activity, social shyness and suicidal ideation (this would be better explained with a lengthy catharsis on what it feels like, as a teenager, to be abused and ignored by people who are supposed to love you. I'm not all that bothered by it currently, though I've noticed that I still don't like being touched by men I don't know. I understand it now, and I've forgiven them). He told me right than, without hesitation, that I had bipolar disorder. I was, at the time, immensely relieved to have some form of new information to investigate and apply towards feeling better. Who wouldn't be? Yet now, as I'm writing I'm uncomfortably hot and thirsty after taking a short nap, feel tired and yet hyper and yet still feel like the same person internally. Everyone else in the house is obviously cold, because they're all wearing sweaters. I'm astounded that my doctor could have omitted a thyroid test, if that's the case. I have the feeling is going to take some time to figure this one out, yet there is hope. I'm certainly not the only person to feel this way.

Curiously enough, leaving home did the most help, and even more so when I left abroad. All my social connections entered a sort of suspended state due to the high cost of communicating abroad, and I left all the places that reminded me of the last eight years. I have achieved even more happiness, not the stress-induced bipolar disorder disaster my doctor suggested as a dangerous possibility. The curious part is that even when I don't feel good the way I always haven't, I still feel really happy. Why would I be sad? Life is wonderful now, for many reasons. When things are good, I feel great. When they're bad, its not great, but at least I have a new project to work on. This contradiction has left me mulling over the whole situation for months, which is why I posted here. I posted to get information that others might have learned, to share mutual experiences and support in the absence of clarity from the medical community in my city in the US.

I greatly appreciate everyone's input. Thank you for the information. I'll keep you updated.

It's amazing the number of people I have came across in other threads who were told of this possibility, only to come back to update and say that they were diagnosed. Then there are those who are borderline, where they are not out of the range but are right at the edge of the bell curve, either high or low! In those cases, it is difficult to find treatment because the doctors will tell you that your lab results are "normal" when in fact you are borderline and SYMPTOMATIC! In those cases, we must seek the assistance of an alternative doctor, naturopath, or DO... Don't forget to GET COPIES OF THESE TESTS FOR LATER VISITS!!!

I am currently on this path, seeking treatment with a long history of thyroid disease behind me...additionally, adrenal fatigue can be another problem and if that is left untreated then the thyroid meds will not work properly. You would need a saliva cortisol test 4 x day to see if that exists!
TJ

[Berries]

I couldn’t “feel your pain” when you first wrote. I understand why now, I think. It’s because you purposely didn’t show it, right?
OK.
But, just so you know, you do NOT have to be courteous here and down play your pain. We all understand and actually want to hear it. Not that we want you to have it, but we want you to be able to express it without fear of judgment.
We will believe your pain. We won’t dismiss it. We will relate to it.
I think you should definitely get your thyroid and adrenals checked out. I hope that is the answer for you.
I also think that bipolar is very stress related. The lower your stress the less symptomatic you will be. Also, one can go thru long periods of time without a depressed or a manic (or hypomanic) episode. It just depends on the person, life events, and stress.
Plus, medication can be helpful in management.
I have too, been told that because I am very introspective that I can compensate a lot for my illness.
Good luck.

[skeeweeaka]

Originally Posted by Lbien6

I couldn’t “feel your pain” when you first wrote. I understand why now, I think. It’s because you purposely didn’t show it, right?
OK.
But, just so you know, you do NOT have to be courteous here and down play your pain. We all understand and actually want to hear it. Not that we want you to have it, but we want you to be able to express it without fear of judgment.
We will believe your pain. We won’t dismiss it. We will relate to it.
I think you should definitely get your thyroid and adrenals checked out. I hope that is the answer for you.
I also think that bipolar is very stress related. The lower your stress the less symptomatic you will be. Also, one can go thru long periods of time without a depressed or a manic (or hypomanic) episode. It just depends on the person, life events, and stress.
Plus, medication can be helpful in management.
I have too, been told that because I am very introspective that I can compensate a lot for my illness.
Good luck.

We all need to get it out there every once and an a while, and this is a great place for it!

Peace!

TJ

[noah24]

saw a recent study on medscape (owned by wedmd, I think) that talked about stress causing mania