Life before and after diagnosis of Bipolar effective disorder

My name is Olga and I suffer with Bipolar disorder. I am writing this article to help others in understanding what Bipolar disorder is, how its started and what I have been doing so far to manage my condition. In this article I will explain giving examples from my own experience so its easy to understand when it comes in detecting the Bipolar disorder and therefore getting the right help at the right time before it escalates into more severe form of illness that requires hospitalization.

Let us now define what is Bipolar disorder. It is a disorder previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder where you have abnormally elevated moods. It can be a severe form that associated with psychosis. It is also called mania or if it is less severe, it is called hypo mania. During mania periods I felt abnormally energetic, happy and sometimes irritable. I was feeling euphoria, was engaging non stop in religious activities, all my posts were just about religion and nothing else. It raised concerns amongst my family members.

I didn't sleep that much I simply didn't want to sleep, I was awake listening to religious radio or reading a Bible. I was listening to music and danced in the kitchen all night. I saw cosmic creatures, Sphinx outside my house and Jesus Christ. The creatures were gigantic and were out of this world. Their appearance was scary but they didn't harm anybody. They were there to protect my family. It was the Sphinx that safeguarded my house. I was speaking in a high class accent without my own accent where I normally have a slight accent to my voice.

It was the time of great concern as I was giving these long speeches because I thought I was the Queen and it was my job. I didn't ask for help, my husband did ask for help because I didn't understand the severity of the situation. It was very difficult for my family as it was shocking to know that I was in a totally different world. This world was a place where I resided for about a decade starting with mild symptoms and progressively it turned into what I just described in these couple of paragraphs.

So what are the causes of Bipolar disorder? Reports suggests that the causes are unknown but genetic and environmental factors play a vital role. Normally prolong exposure to stress or childhood abuse. In my situation none of my parents had this disorder so the only thing could contribute to such illness is the history of stress and car accident in May 2007 that was extremely frightening and caused me to stop driving for a year. It was extremely challenging to recover from a concussion.

However with the CBT I was back on the road but in much bigger vehicle for safety reasons. I've lost my job and therefore my status, which was extremely difficult to learn. The recovery process wasn't easy and at this stage I had to retrain again to gain my confidence. My new job was interpreting which was very challenging for me to do especially interpreting bad news to the families and relatives of the limited English speaker. It was effecting my mind and very often I would cry in my car before going to a different job. I basically got on with it. However in 2014 I've lost my interpreting job due to prolong mental problems.

Despite all this I still refused go to see the doctor and it lasted another 4 years until my Bipolar disorder completely overtook, which required an urgent hospitalization. I refused to take medication and the injections were administered against my will and I was sectioned. The medication was making me tired but I was doing much better and after 1 month in the hospital I was ready to go home. My journey from exiting the hospital wasn't easy and I was troubled a lot as I was on different medication such as lithium, which required constant blood tests to check the levels. I had to go to hospital few times due to high levels of lithium.

Miraculously I was making some progress impressing my husband who was my rock at this difficult time. It was extremely painful and challenging to wake up each morning and cope all day with the symptoms. I couldn't do that much and I've always been extremely busy person. So this is how my journey has been so far for two years since the diagnosis and now I'm on medication that makes me put on weight. It is unlikely that I will come off of my medication as there is always a scare about the relapse. So I'm staying strong and positive that hopefully one day I comeback to normal.

Just to mention I had several sessions of psycho therapy, which was very helpful however these appointments don't last forever so now I have to do it on my own with the right medication and all the tools I have been given to cope with Bipolar. It is always challenging hence this is why I decided to write this article to help other people who are struggling. We must remember that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and we can follow this light wherever we are. The least thing is pay attention to your diet because right nutrition is a key to staying well. I'm on cellular nutrition now, which helps me tremendously and I indent to follow this diet for the rest of my days.

Finally I jut want to give some insights into how you can cope with the symptoms. Remember exercising is the best way to engage your mind and lead a healthy lifestyle. I just go for long walks and it helps me to unwind and at the same time I stay fitter. I must admit there are some days when you don't' feel like you want to do anything but you have to have a plan for the day and I normally stick to it. The love is the main drive for me so I do it for my loved once. It helps me to just do it – a motto in life. I started to write my articles and help others with what I have been experiencing so that they can succeed too. I hope you enjoyed reading my article. All the best in your future!