[general scott]

i seemed to have slipped through the"system" till now at age 50 with bipolar-there is evidence i was one since my teens. i dont even know were to begin with questions-it feels too early like i just woke up from some kind of dream (not that i sleep much} i have a wife and one daughter. I value loyalty above most everything. If any of you real bipolars remember the strange firsts realizations of this when you accepted it as a fact, please,please let me know how you started to let go of the anger. respectfully, ran

[slowinmi]

general scott,

Welcome to PC! I'm not bipolar, but I am your age and newly diagnosed. I finally admitted my symptoms when I could no longer function. My anger comes from having an illness and the stigma that is still attached to psychological illnesses.

PC has helped me come to some sort of understanding with myself. There are many people here with great knowledge and wisdom that they are willing to share.

I hope you find what you are seeking here.

General Scott--I add my welcome to slowinmis'---there are a great many here
who can address your issues---------I wish you all good things--theo

[Rhapsody]

Welcome to PC -

[shaggy dog]

Hi general scott, my story is similar in some regards. I am also a 50ish yr old male with one child. I've suffered with mental issues of one kind or another since my early teens. I wasn't diagnosed though until 1985 and then with major depressive disorder(since changed to bipolar and currently schizoaffective). At first I was relieved because at least my issues and problems had a name. But then came the anger and frustration that I would be battling this for the rest of my life. That anger is something I still struggle with, trying not to get bitter, trying not to let it get the better of me because then it brings my family down with it and me and they are the reason I struggle and fight and battle this illness as hard as I do. shaggy

[ruffy]

(((General Scott))) Welcome to PC!! So glad you are here. I have Bipolar Disorder Type 1. Diagnosed at 40, but felt its effects as early as elementary school. Was angry that my parents didnt see that there was something wrong and get me help as a child, angry that I had to drag myself to a psychiatrist as an adult at the worst stage of the illness to get help, angry that it took the Drs so long to find a coctail of meds that worked, angry at all the side effects from the medications, but relieved to know that I had a disorder and that it was not all in my head, well I guess it is all in my head, but you know what I mean . I believe we grieve just like anyone else diagnosed with a devastating illness, and part of that grieving process is anger. You just have to give yourself time to work through it. You will find lots of support here.

Welcome, general scott.

The Bipolar Forum is here: http://forums.psychcentral.com/forumdisplay.php?f=11
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bip...6/METHOD=print
http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/Page...?pagename=home
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bipolardisorder.html
http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.bipolar.html
http://www.soulspringcounselling.com/illness.htm

The Disabilities and Chronic Diseases Forum is here: http://forums.psychcentral.com/forumdisplay.php?f=88

May your anger diminish so you can plan how to adapt to this illness to have a meaningful life.

How are you doing, general?

[gineda]

Originally Posted by general scott

i seemed to have slipped through the"system" till now at age 50 with bipolar-there is evidence i was one since my teens. i dont even know were to begin with questions-it feels too early like i just woke up from some kind of dream (not that i sleep much} i have a wife and one daughter. I value loyalty above most everything. If any of you real bipolars remember the strange firsts realizations of this when you accepted it as a fact, please,please let me know how you started to let go of the anger. respectfully, ran

hello friend, just wanted to let you know you aren't alone,

I am 52 and just dx with bipolar. It has been one of those ah-ha years, like my eyes were opened for the first time. All of a sudden it makes sense, but until I got onto the right meds I felt harassed and angry. Now that I know what it feels like to get good sleep and began taking a mood stabilizer and antidepressant the irritation has lifted. I wish this would have been identified in my teens. What might have been avoided? I guess the being angry part comes before learning to accept our limits, to let go of the what ifs. Once I got over the "mentally ill" label I was relieved to have an answer for the myriad of things in my life that didn't work. Medication can help, it did for me and it also helped to talk about it.

I saw a poster in a counselors office, it said something like this "I don't have a disability, I have a different ability"... I think I am going to adopt that attitude.