bipolar
Bipolar disorder; understanding the highs, the lows and the in between.
Post-Party Crash
This past Wednesday, I had what would be considered a mental crack. Not a complete breakdown, but I had broken down throughout the day. Waking up on my day off, I had experienced a series of fluxes in my emotions that all lead up to me feeling empty and overflowing with tears. You may be wondering why or even when did I figure out that I was mentally cracking. Through the tears and anguish, I had begun to search out, to figuring out the reasons why. Why was I so damn sad when everything around me has been going well? Why was I feeling so empty that mustering the feeling of being "full" was a difficult task, especially in the things that had been going very well for me?
By Jay Williams6 years ago in Psyche
Bipolar Penpals
My aunt, who, like me, struggles with mental illness (me, bipolar disorder, her chronic depression). We've begun to exchange letters to track our comings and goings in hopes of at least to keep a steady diary charting our moods, at most to offer one another consolation and guidance to live fuller, more stable lives.
By Ryan Ziemba7 years ago in Psyche
The Ever-Changing State of Mind
I don’t feel anything. Nothing matters to me. I’m feeling more than I can. Everything matters more than it should. Everything is at stake. Meh, I don’t care much about it. Whatever. Why can’t I stop thinking about everything? I need to calm down. Wow, this is weird. I can barely express anything. I don’t feel like doing anything. I feel so stagnant. Oh GOD why!! Why can’t I stop feeling so terrible? I just want to cry. I don’t know how to stop. Why do people have reactions? I barely have any reactions. Wait, why don’t I react to things? I don’t understand why I overreact so much. Why can’t I control my emotions? Where are my emotions? Why? What is happening to me? What is happening to me…………...…?
By Gourav Bhattacharya7 years ago in Psyche
Bipolar Disorder
Many of us have heard the word "Bipolar," I believe. It comes from Bipolar Disorder, a Personality Disorder (definition: An ingrained behavior in which the person shows signs of such a thing by the adolescent period of their life; this may affect their relationships and role in society). There are three major Bipolar Disorders I would like to focus on for this chapter: Bipolar I Disorder, Bipolar II Disorder, and Cyclothymic Disorder.
By Scott Lavely7 years ago in Psyche
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:
By Chuck Hinson7 years ago in Psyche
Nice 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.
By ukconfederate7 years ago in Psyche
More 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!
By Chuck Hinson7 years ago in Psyche
We'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).
By Chuck Hinson7 years ago in Psyche
YOU'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:
By Chuck Hinson7 years ago in Psyche
Going 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...
By Jessica Slade7 years ago in Psyche
