I can't decide if this should be here or in health and well-being... mods, feel free to move it if appropriate. I'm not going into the back story, but at the age of 28, I have been diagnosed as bipolar. I'm in outpatient therapy now and have just started Celexa, but am nowhere near stabilized. I'm able to look back and recognize my first manic break was at 13 - that's 15 years of an undiagnosed mental illness. That fact alone is a little overwhelming. A few friends that I've told, that have known me throughout the years, have almost been surprized that I didn't know I was bipolar. When I started this journey on March 11, I never had expected a diagnosis of bipolar. However, within a few hours it was suspected and within a week, confirmed. At first, I was blown away but now... it makes so much sense of my life. I'm posting here because although there are tons of forums for bipolar disorder, I don't identify myself with it yet enough to really explore them. This board - I know this side of myself. And I'm sure I'm not the only one here who is bipolar. Is anyone willing to share their diagnosis experiences? Experiences of those early weeks, when you knew but the meds weren't working yet, how you handled the initial recovery while trying to maintain the rest of your life? If you're not comfortable posting, I'd welcome pm's about it as well. And I'm willing to share my entire story privately - one of these days, I want to write it down anyway. I guess I'm just looking for comraderie. JB
im not bipolar just depressed with manic side but i know how ya feel and i know how hard it can be talking to family and friends fearing judgement and them not understanding nobody can really understand you apart from yourself. youll find good support i hope the help your getting works take care xx
dude, me too. I havent officially been diagnosed, but it runs in my family, and it has started to take its toll on me, i am seeing a psych next week, so maybe illl get diagnosed, but wow, it definitely makes sense for me, super happy to absolutely miserable, although i could maybe chalk it up to a very life defining change ya know?
I was diagnosed with mild depression a couple years ago. Not as extreme as bi-polar, but still the same stigmas. When I talked with my mom about it, she was happy to see that I was on medication. My friends could see a different side of me that hadn't ever shined. Those first few weeks, I was skeptical. I knew of the placebo effect, and I wasn't sure if I was happy because I thought I should be or because the pills were working. However, after a while I could feel a difference. During those first few weeks, just focus on what changes will come and how you can benefit from them. This may help you get through the time when the medicine hasn't kicked in yet.
My brother was diagnosed bipolar and depressed and obese (ok, obesity is not so much along the same lines, but it messes with your self esteem) in high school. He's a couple years older than I am and I was in junior high/middle school at the time. He had a few years that just sucked, till he got out of high school I don't think he he felt he had anything to live for and the only thing keeping him alive was me and our mom. He's 22, and off all meds and he's doing just fine. I'm not that aware if bipolar is something you have for your whole life or not. So he's either learned how to control it, or he's kindof passed through it. Once you're on meds I think it's very important to not miss one, when my brother missed one, it was like starting over for him.
Bipolar is generally a lifelong thing, caused by chemical imbalances in your body. It's not feeling down for a while, and then feeling happy for a while; It's feeling suicidal one second and manic the next, and it's completely uncontrollable. You can win the lotto and still not want to live. More Info.
My doctor couldn't properly diagnose me, when I was Bipolar (or Clinically Depressed with Manic episodes) - but he said my symptoms were irregular and put me onto another doctor - who basically said the same thing. But once we found the correct medication I started functioning normally again. It's all about finding the right medication for you, which can take a long time. I was on about 5 different meds before we found one that worked properly for me. The early weeks of being medicated were hell for me.I suffered badly from side effects, etc. After the third different type of medication, I was ready to throw myself off a cliff. But support from my family and closest friends helped stop me from doing such things. In short, I was a complete and utter f*****g mess. After I started the right medication at the right dose, Things started improving in leaps and bounds from thereon in. I actually started attending school again, managed to graduate after a 3 month absence.
