[hartbroken]

I was 21 and in a stormy relationship. We were doing things together which conflicted with my core beliefs. I didn't feel comfortable around her anymore. I wanted to join a church and find God in my life. Suddenly the first bipolar symptoms started in, lots of mania, then delusions (thankfully no hallucinations).

This first time around they diagnosed me with OCD, but later on I had another lapse and they diagnosed me with schizoaffective bipolar type.

[Perna]

Realizing I was going to graduate from college and thought I had to go out into the "big, wide world," all by myself, age 20 and wasn't "prepared"/had no clue.

[-jimi-]

I had a sudden onset of tics that grew into something else. There were no life events, it just happened. I did have a lot of strep infections and some people seem to think there is a relationship here. I have no clue though.

[glok]

From the beginning. Although controversial, there is some evidence of fetal origins of adult behaviors and conditions.

Fetal Origins: In the Womb, In the News - Neuroanthropology

[Bluesday]

Had problems as long as I can remember.

[gayleggg]

I was having extreme work stress when I had my first depressive episode. One day I was fine the next day I couldn't quit crying.

[ifst5]

Being on the receiving end of poor single-parenting (and a generally dysfunctional set up), an autistic brother (turns out i'm autistic too but it wasn't picked up when it should have been), frequent emotional/infrequent physical abuse, inappropriate schooling/continued bullying and then a break down right before those awful exams teenagers are put through (the results of which become invalid months later - ha). I was shoved into some adolescent ward for 28 days soon after and from there the nightmare truly began.

So where am i now? Well i live alone, barely functioning and i'm about to go tell my so called professional team to go f themselves once and for all. So yeah, life's been pretty rubbish both pre/post MI.

[brainhi]

Always felt I was different. High school was the first time I saw a therapist. Grew up fast & could not relate to kids my age. Mom in the state hospital a lot when I was young..always the concern that we (the kids) would be like her.

[thickntired]

I did copious amounts of street drugs to self medicate, so it was hard to differentiate the chemically induced side effects from the mental illness. But, I always knew in my heart that I had some major issues. My friends who did more drugs were able to handle it better and expressed concern for my wellbeing. For years I just took Prozac off and on for depression.

Bipolar mania can be triggered by life changing events both positive and negative. So, I flipped out when I got married and was properly diagnosed bipolar I at age 37

[Hellion]

It's hard to say, I don't really remember not having anxiety and depression issues....but I suppose being born for sure as I am pretty sure it didn't develop till after that at least.

I was always kind of weird. I had these paranoid ideas as a 7-8 year old that people hated me so when I went to visit them I would try not to move around too much so it would be easier for them to remove my presence once I had actually left.

In terms of a major sign though at around 12/13 having just been on the receiving of yet another verbally abusive tirade from my father I attempted to over dose on pills I'd been prescribed for stress headaches. (Failed miserably. Didn't even need to got to the hospital.)

It wasn't until I was 16 and my then girlfriends baby daddy threatened to take her son because of our relationship and I OD'ed because I thought it would make her life easier if I were gone that I came to the attention of the necessary people though.

[glok]

I too was told I was/am weird. Quite a number stopped talking to me because I scared them.

[brainhi]

It's been emotional reading these posts....at the same time I hope we can see postive changes in ourselves from when we recognized our first signs.

[thickntired]

Originally Posted by glok

I too was told I was/am weird. Quite a number stopped talking to me because I scared them.

I'm sorry. I used to want to play games where some of us would die and that didn't go over so well. In elementary school the girls told me I played too rough and hurt them. When I was 12 I asked my Dad if he had to kill me or my Mom who would he chose.

you're not alone

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