bipolar
Bipolar disorder; understanding the highs, the lows and the in between.
We Can ALL Be Winners Despite Our Diagnosis
"But I don't know WHY I feel this way. Do you think I could be bipolar or something?" That's the first question I asked my counselor when, years ago, my life was full of inexplicable ups and downs. Here's what I took away from that:
Chuck HinsonPublished 5 years ago in PsycheNice Days Don't Reach Everyone
I’m the first to admit that I’m a real moaning git when I have anything wrong with me. I hate being ill, even in the slightest way. I always feel like I’m a "malfunctioning human" when I’m ill... "defective"... a thought contributed to by people close to me slagging me down because I can’t work and make money.
ukconfederatePublished 5 years ago in PsycheMore Tips on Winning, Despite Our Bipolar Diagnosis
Before we begin this installment, let's review some of the highlights of the last one: An activity that can help us keep our diagnosis under control is to keep a written journal of how we're feeling. It doesn't matter how you write it or what words you use; just let your mind and emotions go as you write!
Chuck HinsonPublished 5 years ago in PsycheWe're Gonna Win, Despite Our Bipolar Diagnosis!
In my last post, I listed a number of toll-free numbers that we can use in the event we need someone to talk to, and help us through a "cycle" (the word's used to describe either a manic or depressive stage). Then we covered the issue of medications (and, listen, I can't be too emphatic on this: If you've been prescribed med(s) to help you, then take them regularly! Don't skip a dose, or take too many of them! If you have bad side effects, discuss this with your psychiatrist. He or she can find a better one for you).
Chuck HinsonPublished 5 years ago in PsycheYOU'RE GONNA WIN, Despite Your Bipolar Diagnosis!
While it's true that bipolar disorder is incurable, there are things we can do to handle it successfully and live a happier and more stable emotional life. So, before I begin this second article, let's review what we learned from the first one:
Chuck HinsonPublished 5 years ago in PsycheI'm Gonna Win, Despite Being Bipolar!
Although my psychiatrist diagnosed me as being bipolar back in 2015, I was neither told of nor treated for it until three years later. The explanation for the delay was simple: My files were "lost in the paperwork."
Chuck HinsonPublished 5 years ago in PsycheGoing Through Life with Bipolar Disorder
I recently was diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder in April. I was in a mental hospital in the capital city. Only 45 minutes away from my home. I came in an ambulance from the emergency room in my hometown. I took the advice from my OBGYN nurse to go to the ER. I was feeling very overwhelmed, and just not me. When they told me I was going to go to a facility, I freaked out. I didn't want to go and that type of hospital scares me. I ran. I ran out of the hospital, straight to my car and went to a friend's house. My friend was watching my younger daughter, and my oldest was at school. I thought I had rights to refuse to go, but I didn't. The cops found me at the school picking up my oldest daughter. They took me back to the hospital and transferred me to the hospital 45 minutes away from home. I didn't know where I was. I just knew the name of the hospital. I spent a week there. The first day I didn't want to come out of my room. I just wanted to call my fiancee. It sucked. That same day, I talked to a nurse practitioner. He diagnosed me with bipolar disorder. How he explained it, I'm in the middle, between manic depression and very low (hardcore) depression. This was part of postpartum depression I was experiencing. Yes, you can have postpartum depression after having a baby (toddler) and being pregnant at the same time. I had a nurse tell me I couldn't and she just looked at me in disgust. She was terrible. I think she was having a bad day at the ER that day...
Jessica SladePublished 5 years ago in PsychePlagued: Living with the Voices
It was like I was in a nightmare. It started when I was first hospitalized. I accidentally overdosed on melatonin tablets, only desperately trying to go to sleep after being sleep-deprived for nearly 20 hours. I ended up unresponsive, unable to move, and my best friend was there at the time. She saw that something was wrong, and she knocked on the door next to mine to tell my aunt what was going on. I remember my aunt squeezing my hand and telling me that if she could hear me, I should squeeze her hand. I did so, just barely. Soon enough, the ambulance came and rushed me to the hospital.
Cynthia B.Published 5 years ago in PsycheAnalyzing Conflict Between My Different Mental States
To begin this conflict analysis, it would be most suitable to discuss the beginning of the conflict, which was August 11, 1997. Coincidentally enough, it’s also the date of my birth. Though it may seem strange, my conflict analysis won’t be between myself and another person, so to speak, but between myself and myself. While I don’t remember much from this date up until a few years ago, except for a few glimpses and flashes of memories, it’s safe to say that the origin of my internal conflict has been with me since birth. This mysterious origin is a hereditary mental illness, passed down to me by my father, which makes me feel like two or more different people in constant conflict—bipolar disorder.
Life with Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder affects as many as 60 million people worldwide. Bipolar is a lifelong chronic illness for which there is no cure. Someone living with this disorder will experience revolving episodes of depressive and manic behavior, each episode lasting for a week or more at a time. Due to the nature of this illness, many who are diagnosed as bipolar also have at least one other mental disorder diagnosis such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Dissociative Personality Disorder, PTSD, and Schizophrenia.
Kristin WilsonPublished 5 years ago in PsycheThe Fight of My Life
I have a dream that I've been dreaming about since junior high school. I love writing and I love music. If I were able to put them both together, that'd be amazing. But being a songwriter, you have to know that right people and I don't know people. I don't like people. People make me anxious. I don't like feeling anxious.
Janice PagePublished 5 years ago in PsycheAre You Actually Bipolar? Now You Know
Chances are you've heard more people than not claim that they are bipolar. The truth is if they actually knew what "bipolar" was, they wouldn't use the term so lightly.