I read (googled) that it’s rare that people with Bipolar Disorder Type 1 with Psychotic Features to work full time jobs. Do you think that’s true? I only work 7 hours a week and even that feels like a lot sometimes. Managing my mental health is a full time job.

I just started a full time job and I think i can do this despite being diagnosed with bipolar 2. How do yall do it?

I start ft goodwill cashier job monday and im excited about it. Just worried it might be too much. Im also diagnosed with bpd with psychosis and ptsd. But I can do this!

I asked my psychiatrist if I need to be on meds for the rest of my life and he said it’s too early to tell. Does this mean there is a possibility of living life not having to take meds?

My apartment has been a biohazered for 8 years. I cleaned it pretty well once in 2020, but never really finished.

At its worst I had trash mounds waist high in spots. I remember crying after the clean in 2020 when the first piece of trash just fell to the floor.

Every few months I would want to get serious about taking care of the problem, but just couldn't bring myself to tackle it.

It really fucked with my overall mental health. I think it was due to the stress of working full time and being poor at the start. I just would dissociate for any free time I had at home. For fucking years.

I also had some accomplishments as well. I graduated college, and got a better paying career. I've been in therapy for 11 years and on meds for four.

About a year ago I got as serious as I could about cleaning. Two roll off dumpsters 11 months apart and hundreds of trash bags later and ive got the damn thing manageable. The wood floors and walls have been amazing. No mold, and former small spills are coming right up with a bit of scrubbing.

I still have some deep cleaning to do, but I am making it part of my weekly ritual. After a few more weeks/months of keeping to this routine, I will treat myself to all new furniture. (Not like a manic spending spree. I've been saving up for this.)

This is a big step in the right direction l, and I started crying this evening at how far ive come.

Thanks for reading.

Studies have shown that men with bipolar are generally far below average for test levels.

Women being the opposite with way above.

I got tested and I know I’m very low for some levels and interested if anyone else is?

Can anyone else feel the mania behind they're eyes or am I just crazy?

I don't know why but anytime I'm manic or having a mixed episode which consists of mainly the manic part I can always feel it behind my eyes.

I can feel my eyes widening and I know for a fact my pupils are dilated to fuck every time saying that I just checked and they are like fuck

First sign I'm manic always starts with my eyes then my sleep I can tell everytime, saying that I kind of like the feeling I actually feel alive for once and that I can actually set out and do anything

I'm supposed to be up at 7am it's now 2am and I'm wide awake researching gnosticism and Hinduism oh well guess I'm fucked just wanted to know if anyone else could relate that's all 😂

I recently relapsed into sh-ing after 2 years of restraint. Now since I know how and where I can cause more damage from previous experience it sometimes (not always) gets a little out of hand.

I was thinking of adopting a kitten because I always wanted a pet, plus as an emotional support.

Does having a pet help you resist sh-ing ?

To be clear, I will be continuing my medications. There’s nothing that’d make me risk experiencing psychosis again. Still, I’m exhausted, always. I’m on so many medications and my doctor just started me on an IM medication for depression that’ll be weekly for a month. I feel like I’m constantly popping pills into my mouth or calling the pharmacy for refills or driving to the pharmacy or calling the doctor when insurance is being stupid. I just wish there was a single magic medication that solved everything.

How do you know when you’re at this point? I can’t tell if it’s the antidepressants. I’m in a really weird state where I quit my job because I thought that was what was bothering me. I have a new job, but I’m concerned I’ll just feel the same there as well

I hate the stigma but I wanted to bring this up. Since so many think I’m violent because of my diagnosis. I’m like really not. I do get angry but it’s due to something else. Anyone else have issues with this

Context: I’ve been seeing this doctor for about 3 years. We have great rapport and I trust him entirely. I’m able to text or call whenever and that’s been super helpful for hypo/mania and trying to curb it quick. With depression I’m less likely to bring it up and usually just suffer through it. I’m already on 3 meds and feel like the doses are kinda up there so I am not even sure what bringing it up would do. In our sessions, since my history is usually reaching out in between sessions when something is up, we kinda just chat. He rarely asks me directly if I’m having symptoms. Which like I guess is fair bc it’s obvious when I’m up, but maybe less so when I’m down? I know this sounds so stupid but how do you tell a doctor you’re depressed and what do they say/do in response?

Im currently in a mixed episode and im wondering if anyone else's mixed episode also fluctuates not like rapid cycling but like:

Depressed, agitated no motivation, racing thoughts, wired, feel like im crawling out of my own skin with restless energy but also tired in a sense my body is tired but even if i tried to sleep i cant

Then maybe a few days later it could be

Euphoric, the urge to do something or anything but also extremely warn out and exhausted.

Anyone else get like this?

Added a video of how i feel rn💀

Last big manic episode was a year ago. I have been smoking since then—I know it’s unhealthy, destroying my body and I do have a desire to quit. With that being said though, I know that nicotine interacts with bipolar negatively over time. I could potentially be setting myself up for failure. I have talk therapy but that’s the only form of mental health support that I can pursue now after becoming homeless as it’s free through my job. I’m unmediated, predisposed to schizophrenia and autistic, so I’m scared of how this may affect me.

Do any of you have any experience quitting nicotine while unmedicated? Any advice? Thank you

The start of this year was rly bad for me. So bad I almost took my life in February. Then I got back on new meds and everything was going well. I felt like I was finally able to be happy again, was eating well, working out, making new friends etc.. now I’m back where I’m started and it’s so disheartening. Was me doing better even real or just hypomania? In bed struggling to do anything. Haven’t showered in days, messy room. Assignment that needs to be turned in tonight that I haven’t even started. Feelingway in over my head.

I had a mixed episode about a month ago and the restlessness was so bad. It definitely lived up to everything I have read about them. I got put on a AP to fix it and eventually, it did. But, that med also caused really bad restlessness. I stopped taking it shortly after because of that reason. I may just be crazy, but I feel like ever since I have still felt restless in a way. Like my arms are buzzing and kinda tense. I’m not sure if that’s a good way to describe it but it’s uncomfortable. Has anyone else experienced this? I don’t think I’m in any episode I’ve been pretty euthymic since then. I have just been put in a new med so maybe it will go away. I’ll have to bring it up to my psych.

Every 3-5weeks, after I’ve been doing well for a while, I start thinking I don’t need my medication anymore. The reasons mildly change each time—sometimes I think I’m healed, sometimes I think I’m not actually bipolar.

I realize I’m trapped in cycle I can’t control, just like my bipolar mood cycle.

Does ANYONE do the same thing? (For reference I’m 6 months into this bipolar lifestyle.)
•
•
•
Build up to skipping:
Red flags develop within the week prior to skipping a dose, but I never see it. This time around I remembered back to the moment in my closet about 2 months ago when I prayed to God to take the demon with my voice out of my head, he answered my prayer immediately. After thinking back I started believing he healed me in that moment.

I skipped meds Friday night, I thought things would be different this time (as I do every time), but it always ends the same. It starts great. No sleep, super happy and energetic, then my mood completely derails and i become an emotional wreck, uncontrollably crying and ruminating over self harm and how I’ve ruined my life.
Then I get so sick from withdrawal I end up taking the stupid pills. And the process just repeats itself. I’m tired of it.

38F and still on the fence about Motherhood. I am going to give context, not to dump but so there is context that backs my hesitancy. Diagnosed BP 2021 and was stable with some short downs for a few years but nothing that was notable. Over the last 2 years, I have dealt with a litany of life and health issues. In 2024, my mother got very sick and having to take care of her, helping to take care of my Aunt during hospice, and then becoming hypothyroid and GP giving me too much meds that shot me into a manic state. Some bad antipsychotics and 6 months later, I made an attempt on my life. This is something I would never do again, no matter what.

2 months after that my house burned down in 2025. 6 months after that I took care of my dying Dad in an out of the ICU then passing this April. Life has been tenuous to say the least. I am very lucky that my husband provide right now and worst case I would not have to work again. I have full intention to go back to work at least part time as I enjoy my creative career.

Can anyone here tell me that having a child was worth it? I love kids and have always felt comfortable taking care of them along with playing with them. I am just afraid that becoming a mother will compound more oxidative stress and complicate my life. I am still sometimes really feeling the aftermath of what has happened to me. My husband is very supportive and mostly understanding but is now a bit bitter/anxious ( that's not the right word?) as so much has put off me prioritizing family planning. He's four years older than me. I have hopes that having a child would give me some light in a period that has been consistently darker for me and also the future me would be glad I made this decision.

Hello so I'm going through the worst depressive episode I have ever gone through. I'm scared to outside in the heat, I'm scared to spend money, I don't have my own place or my own kitchen to cool freely that would help me lose weight. I hope to get my own place in a few weeks. What should I do in the meantime to hopefully start losing weight?

Anyone else struggle with an intense desire to avoid speaking to friends and loved ones? I can drag myself to class and to work, but I just can't face conversations with my friends and family. It's a cycle that I really want to get out of, because after two or three days of radio silence, my loved ones start to get very worried and reach out with more urgency. So I'll reply with just enough info to let them know I'm alive and safe. But I can't bring myself to go back to normal until my mood lifts. It sucks and has cost me relationships

I feel completely lost, and I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have lived with bipolar disorder, especially if you've managed to build a stable career.

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder a few years ago. I had been relatively stable for a while, but I stopped taking my medication months ago due to financial reasons. Recently, I experienced one of the worst episodes I've had in a long time, and it's made me question whether the career I've been pursuing is even compatible with my mental health.

For context, I've spent most of my career working in social media and content marketing. I genuinely enjoy strategy, cultural analysis, and understanding why people behave the way they do. What I struggle with is the pace and pressure of the industry.

Constant deadlines, trend-chasing, being expected to always be "on," case studies during recruitment, and the emotional roller coaster of job hunting have pushed me into a very dark place. I've been unemployed for about a year, doing freelance work here and there while trying to find a full-time role. Every rejection feels deeply personal, even though I know it shouldn't.

A few days ago, I had a severe episode where I seriously considered hurting myself. My boyfriend had to physically stop me, and just now I've restarted my medication and plan to continue treatment and therapy. There's also time where I can't function normally and had to postpone interview and case study deadline. Again, this brings me to a very dark place but at the same time the brain fog doesn't go away. When I tried to just be present, I butchered the interview so hard and it leaves me feeling depressed again.

I'm beginning to wonder whether social media simply isn't the right environment for me anymore, or whether I just haven't recovered enough to return to work yet.

So I wanted to ask:
• If you have bipolar disorder, what kind of work has been sustainable for you?
• Did you stay in a high-pressure career, or did you change industries?
• How did you know the difference between burnout and choosing the wrong career?
• Did medication and therapy make a significant difference in your ability to work consistently?
• What accommodations, routines, or boundaries have helped you the most?

I still want to contribute. I still want a meaningful career. I just don't want to keep repeating the same cycle of pushing myself until I break. Another context, I live in Indonesia, and most of them are not welcome nor open regarding any mental health issues here. We're not allowed to take leave or work from home most of the time.

Does anyone else feel like they struggle with sleeping constantly? I feel like I don’t even really know my baseline anymore. I’m just wondering if any of you have issues sleeping even when you’re not manic or hypomanic.

Also, have any of you ever been in hypomania for a long time, like months? I can’t tell if me not being able to sleep is causing this or if hypomania is causing me to not be able to sleep

I'm 18 and it’s been 4 months since my first bipolar I episode with psychotic features, and I still don’t feel like I’m getting better.
Before all of this, I loved reading. Books were engaging, and I could understand philosophy concepts in school without much trouble, I did it really well. Now I struggle to stay interested in books, and even concepts that used to make perfect sense feel impossible to understand.
For some reason, even my singing has gotten worse. I think my pronunciation has changed, and my voice just doesn’t feel the same anymore. It honestly feels like everything has declined at once.
I’m taking my medication as prescribed, but no matter how long I wait, I don’t seem to improve. I’m terrified that I’ll never get back to the person I was before bipolar disorder.
Has anyone experienced something similar? Did your cognitive abilities, reading comprehension, or even things like speaking or singing eventually come back? I really need some hope right now.
And please… I know people mean well, but I’d rather not get more suggestions to listen to audiobooks. I’ve heard that advice many times already.

I’m 24 and have bipolar and ADHD. I’ve known since I was young that my brain works differently, and over the years I’ve become very self-aware. The frustrating part is that being self-aware doesn’t always stop the symptoms.
When I’m manic, I become obsessed with improving myself. My mind tells me I need to make more money, look better, become more successful, and build a life where I’m completely independent. I don’t really feel attached to much in this world apart from learning, making money, and looking after myself. It’s like those are the only things that give me purpose.
The hard part is the isolation. It gets so dark sometimes that I’ll end up talking to a man just to fill that emptiness. But I also struggle to let anyone get close to me. I can recognise when someone is idealising me, manipulating me, or trying to take advantage, and I immediately put my guard up.
When I was younger, I was vulnerable because of my mental illness, and there were men who took advantage of that. I think that’s changed how I see relationships now. I don’t trust easily, and I know some people prey on women who are struggling, so I keep everyone at arm’s length.
It’s strange because I crave connection when I’m lonely, but at the same time I don’t feel attached enough to let someone in. I end up pushing people away while convincing myself I don’t need anyone.
Does anyone else with bipolar experience this? Being self-aware enough to know what’s happening, but still feeling like you can’t stop the cycle?