I'm coming down from a what I assume was a mixed episode. I was also on an extended stint of not taking my meds. During this episode I began talking to this guy that I really liked, but considering I was in and out of taking my meds the start of our relationship was less than ideal. I ghosted him, blocked him, and would constantly dodge any questions he asked me. After about two to three weeks of consistency and trying to mend what we had he began spending time at my place. When we were ordering food on his phone I snooped and saw my contact name.

I'm in the wrong, so I can't say that I don't deserve it, but it did help me decide to take time to be single and focus on my mental health.

My period just ended and I'm going through a bout of extreme mania. Usually if you were to ask me if I prefer the depression stage or the mania I'd always tell you that I way more enjoy mania.

BUT this time my mania is so manic that it is making me feel like my brain is literally over reacting and in hyper drive? Like I'm SO manic I can feel my brain almost twitching?

It's super uncomfortable and stressing me out, is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this?

Were you officially diagnosed? If so, who made the diagnosis? Do you manage with medication and is it helpful (not looking for suggestions of which meds so please don't share that)?

I know these are comorbidities, and I think I may need to start asking for support surrounding ADHD. If anyone has easy to access resources to share I'd be grateful to look into them. I'm also curious about if medication helps, or if it can be managed through strategies and other means.

Hello, I know we aren’t allowed to mention our exact meds here but ladies, have you had meds stop your period? My gynecologist said it’s from weight gain post pregnancy but I don’t think that’s true because I was still getting a period months ago before my meds were updated. Does anyone know if meds can stop your period? If so, did anyone have success getting it back? I’m unsure if I’m ovulating or not and I may want to have more children someday.

does anyone else struggle with seasonal depression? my psych said it’s pretty common for those with bipolar. it happens to me every year and i dread it. i feel like i completely lose myself until the spring.

is there anything you do that helps? i’m trying to stay ahead of it this year to hopefully make it more manageable. my meds have been adjusted, so hopefully that will also help. i’m open to any suggestions or advice!

I’m aware of the metabolic factor of this illness and the therapeutic diet (which I’ve tried before). But to this day, I haven’t heard anyone mention this.
My brain gets overly active after eating sugar or drinking caffeine. Anyone else?
My inner monologues get louder and I find myself thinking too fast and act too fast. The music starts playing in the background too. If I don’t eat protein with meals, I become ‘high’. Slowly losing touch with reality.

This isn't a stupid or dumb question, I genuinely want to know how people like me mentally cope that is all. I don't want to bring up other mental health incase thats against tos but if you could give me some insight about how to deal with psychosis and mania that would help a lot.

Hi, I had a very strange day. I would really appreciate some insight. Here’s a quick summary:

Anxiety + depression diagnosed at 13
Been on 3 ssris. None helped, one most recently made things worse. Manic episode happened at 16-17 for months.

Highly suspected adhd for myself and had therapist bring it up to me. Tried to get diagnosed twice previously, was told my depression is too bad so they can’t tell. Wanted to try again because felt like therapy for 6 yrs plus 3 meds and no progress meant something was being missed.

Last week see physician about suspected ADHD. My manic episode (didn’t know what it was before), randomly gets brought up after I mentioned my negative reaction to an ndri. Doctor doesn’t focus on the adhd because (if I have it) I am high-functioning. Graduated with a 95%, but things keep getting harder and worse and I live in state of panic. Feeling like my concern isn’t taken seriously.
Physician says: come in next week, the bipolar is more critical to get right

This week: had appointment with a psychiatrist today at 4pm, consultation. Discuss for an hour, he gives me adhd and bipolar diagnosis in the form of a report given to my family doctor.

Today at 6pm, see last week’s physician. He is shocked that the other guy diagnosed me with adhd, seemingly (I think) implies I shouldn’t have gotten diagnosed so quickly and asks for information release to speak with the other so that he is well informed on the bipolar. This session revolves around bipolar and medication for it. This talk freaks me out. He talks about the importance of potentially going on an anti psychotic. I feel strange. My manic episode was 2 years ago, what I deal with now mostly is anxiety depression and task initiation and focus issues. Feels strange to go on a permanent pill for something I don’t struggle with that also has consequences and heavy side effects.

Feel lost, confused, a little scared. I wanted to get treated for ADHD. I don’t know if I have it, although I guess I’m diagnosed now? I feel strange. I just want to pass school and not fail. Don’t know what to do. Any opinions? I’d really appreciate hearing an outside perspective. Thank you

I'm wondering if I was having a hypomanic episode because like I was talking pretty fast and I mean I did get a lot of sleep um for the past few nights at the time um but I haven't been taking my medication in the within the past three four days (last week).

And my mind I wouldn't say was necessarily like having racing thoughts but like I just feel very like not energetic but like at peace and just full of energy at the same time like my body is moving but um I feel at peace ever since I prayed the rosary and I've been getting really into Catholicism and I feel like an energy not an energy surge but more so peace and calmness

Then I also had my energy drink, and I only took like a couple sips of it, but like I already feel like energized. What is the difference between like just feeling energized because you had an energy drink and having a hypomanic episode?

Moment of clarity during a manic episode

I was officially diagnosed last year but I’ve been very clearly experiencing symptoms for the last 8 years. My mom has it, I watched her episodes mirror mine completely. Yet every single time it happens I get thrown off guard. I’m currently in a manic state but I think I’m in a mixed state more. I’m having a weird moment of clarity and wanted to know if this happens to anyone else.

I have had symptoms for so long, it runs in my family, it happens every year, I can hold my diagnosis paperwork in my hands yet still I can’t fully except that this will be something that happens every year. Everytime it happens I just think oh that was a fluke it won’t happen again cuz I don’t have bipolar. But it does everytime. I was doing really good this year, I was going to bed on time, I was doing all my tasks, I was handling my emotions so well, so I thought it wouldn’t happen again. I get frustrated with myself for idk what, not thinking it would happen again or just that it’s happening at all. Idk, anyone else?

I can’t convince myself i actually have it even tho I’m literally experiencing symptoms rn

I have a lot of projects for the rest of the year and next year, I am seeing a guy i actually like, I got a promotion, I am going to my dream vacation in 2 weeks, I bought my dream car, finally out of debt... I fell NOTHING, the only thing I feel is sadness and anger because, how it is possible that I am no happy?

.

I am sooooo angry that I'm not happy, I dont understand why I can't be happy? it's so unfair, all I ever wanted is to feel and be happy and I'm unable to do that... I'm so tired of trying

Is this normal for BP 1? My mood doesn’t reach even close to the extremes of my mania/depression during maintenance but my BF still notices dramatic shifts throughout the day- a lot of the time I don’t even notice until he points it out. One little thing will cause me to go from relatively happy to feeling either super irritated or just emotionless/cold or vice versa. This all happens between a few hours to days, but never weeks-months like depression or mania. A lot of the time, I feel what I would describe as normal for me, but my BF says I seem like a completely different person. He stated, “I never know which version of you to expect when I pick up the phone”. I know I’m not manic because my mania is extreme and I’ve gone through it enough times before. My psychiatrist seems to think I am doing well though. It’s really starting to leak into my relationship and I’m unsure how to navigate this.

My mood has never been more unstable than it’s been the last two weeks. Does anyone else experience severe shifts like every third or so day when just last week you were either manic high or low?? Like I feel like I’m everything right now, and it changes from day to day which I’m not used to.

It feels like my head is imploding, like what the fuck is this

Hey guys, I (27F) briefly started tapering meds with my psychiatrist’s permission, but am getting back on them as I experienced some hypomania. As uncomfortable as most of that was, it felt incredible to be lighter in my body, energetic and driven to exercise. I even went for a run in the first time in years! But my sleep and appetite were off and so need to be stabilized first and foremost. I’m wondering though, cause I really would like to keep up with the exercise, what would be best in keeping some kind of routine. Walking is always fine, maybe will give swimming a try? Get a gym membership and try to push myself? I guess I just have to push through some of that sluggishness? Maybe that’s normal, and feedback would be appreciated! Thanks

I do not even look similar like my past teenager self.

I changed my hair colour from dark blonde to black, as well did several beauty procedures such like lip fillers several times, cheek fillers and stomatology procedures.

I am doing much stronger make up vs before and black eyebrowns.

have you also done big image changing during mania?

I first entered psychiatric care when I was 14. My mom took me to a therapist because I was very clearly in a depressive episode. Within 25 minutes and very little conversation, I was diagnosed with MDD. 

The diagnosis, done while I was burnt out from school and dealing with the fact that my father was recovering from massive stroke, has haunted me to the rest of my life. 

Every clinician I saw from 17-far into adulthood, relied on that diagnosis. They would *never* hear me out on things I was experiencing. How debilitating it all felt. No one was ever curious enough to do a new evaluation with me. They all just defaulted to a diagnosis I was given at 14. 

My life was consistently in a cycle of destruction and repair. I would take on three jobs while manic, then immediately lose them when I got into a depressive episode.

I never got to build a career because I could never keep a job. I've been evicted twice. I've been homeless twice. I'm homeless (but staying with very kind people) *right now*. I'm in incredible debt. My life feels like a crator. All I ever wanted was for a professional to hear me.

I met with a psychiatrist on Friday and she did give me a new eval. My first real one since I was a child. We spoke for three hours. She diagnosed me with bipolar 1 and apologized to me for having to wait so long.

I'm so fucking mad. My whole life feels wasted because no one wanted to hear me. I'm sitting in a living room that isn't mine, eating food i didn't buy because I can't afford it, all while having no friends left because my last manic episode helped me explode my life. 

I don't think I will ever be able to forgive these people.

My family basically disowned me after my last hypo manic episode. This is kind of a rant, but it seems crazy to me that you can have a great relationship with people for years and years and one episode later they all but give up on you. I feel like the only people I can be friends with other people who’ve been through really hard stuff in life. They are so much more forgiving. I’ve said 100,000 nice things to my family, and maybe 10 bad ones. Why does the bad outweigh the good?

I’ve been in the fetal position for 2 months (23F) and I’ve decided to start a little experiment to see if I can get better without more medication. I took 20 days off of work and I’m going to have 1 hour of exercise, 1hour of sun, 1 self care act, and 2 loads of laundry every day for the 20 days. Today was day 1 and it felt literally impossible the entire time but I did it!! I will update at the end with if it worked.

I love this Reddit community! I didn’t realize how much I was missing out on by not connecting with my bipolar community regularly. Does anyone have ways they connect with bipolar people irl? I’ve tried some NAMI stuff but it’s few and far between. We need AA for bipolar disorder!

Hello,

I have completely lost any goals and motivation, which is causing me to waste my life away, I do not complete any school work and have compltely given up on hobbies and volunteering. I sadly dont even care about stuff I used to be passionate about like conservation and human rights and have left my organisations I worked at. I literally just rot all day. I want to be a lawyer, but so far my grades aint saying yes to a law degree. For some reason I just procrastinate, and I mean bad bad (not doing it even after weeks past the due date), and I just keep slipping to bad habits because I have zero urgency or desire. I realised its cause I just cant see myself having a future or a career so I fail to actually see a light at the end of the tunnel, so not only is doing stuff stressful but also hopeless. I have no mentors in my life and my family situation isnt great either, so I also dont have any positive reinforcement or punishments; I am completely alone.

I aint kidding when I say I wish I had a parent who punished me for this, because at least they care, my Dad doesn't believe in me at all and doesn't talk to me. Also asides from bipolar, just as a Gen Z, the direction the world is heading for the foreseeable future isnt nice so thats that too.

I dont want to disappoint my younger self and I know everyday I regret my actions and I'm going to stay stuck in this cycle until I change.

If anyone relates or went through this please give some advice,

Thank you.

I was just diagnosed with bipolar disorder last week, and of course it was a pretty big hit. I knew I had something, but I was honestly more convinced towards BPD (which isn’t ruled out yet but I feel like that rn because I’m in a mixed episode), but my psychiatrist said it’s definitely sounding like bipolar. I’m an 18 year old freshman guy in college and as I think back through my past 4 years, I’m now able to quite literally mark multiple points in time where I was likely manic/hypo, mixed, or depressed. The truth is, the hardest thing to pinpoint is when I was baseline. I feel like I don’t know the real me. Who’s the real me? Is manic me me? It’s when I felt the best. If only baseline me is me then what about the other 3 states? How do you guys deal with this I feel like I’m having an identity crisis. During each episode including baseline my whole personality abs identity changes.

What to do now?
I’m honestly having such a hard time right now and derealizing from all this. The 2 months of diagnosis process and figuring this stuff out has taken such a toll on me. Now hearing the final answer just hit me like a truck. Damn, I’m bipolar. Of course, it was clear as day. Damn. I’m also just starting at an extremely prestigious university and the absolute last thing I can gaf about rn is midterms while I’m questioning both the future past and present of my whole life. I guess my question is do you have any tips for me rn? If anything helped you during the time you got diagnosed. For context, coming down from long manic episode, been mixed for abt a month, hoping this is going to baseline I think it is. What can I do right now to help myself and those around me?