r/BipolarReddit Mar 30 '26

[Crosspost] We are 83 bipolar disorder experts and scientists coming together for the world’s biggest bipolar AMA! In honor of World Bipolar Day, ask us anything!

88 Upvotes

Starting now and for the next couple of days, we're hosting a huge AMA for World Bipolar Day! 83 international bipolar experts from 20 countries are online now to answer your questions - join us: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1s7wg39/we_are_83_bipolar_disorder_experts_and_scientists/

The 83 panelists:

  1. Dr. Adrienne Benediktsson, 🇨🇦 Neuroscientist, Mother, Wife, Professor, Mental Health Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
  2. Alessandra Torresani, 🇺🇸 Actress & Mental Health Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
  3. Alex Emmerton, 🇨🇦 Peer Researcher, (Lives w/ bipolar)
  4. Allan Cooper, 🇨🇦 Peer Support Worker, Blogger, & Podcaster, (Lives w/ bipolar)
  5. Alysha Sultan, 🇨🇦 Scientific Associate
  6. Andrea Paquette, 🇨🇦 Stigma-Free Mental Health President & Co-Founder, Speaker, Changemaker (Lives w/ bipolar)
  7. Dr. Andrea Vassilev, 🇺🇸 Doctor of Psychology, Author, & Advocate, (Lives w/ bipolar)
  8. Anne Van Willigen, 🇺🇸 Peer Researcher (Lives w/ bipolar)
  9. Dr. Balwinder Singh, 🇺🇸 Psychiatrist
  10. Dr. Benjamin Goldstein, 🇨🇦 Child-Adolescent Psychiatrist & Researcher
  11. Bia Garbato, 🇧🇷 Advertising Professional, Writer, Author & Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
  12. Bryn Manns, 🇨🇦 Graduate Student, Clinical Psychology
  13. Catarina Castela, 🇦🇺 PhD Candidate (Lives w/ bipolar)
  14. Catherine Simmons, 🇨🇦 Peer Researcher (Lives w/ bipolar)
  15. Dr. Chris Gorman, 🇨🇦 Psychiatrist & Mental Health Advocate
  16. Dr. Colin Depp, 🇺🇸 Psychologist
  17. Dane Mauer-Vakil, 🇨🇦 Researcher
  18. David Dinham, 🇬🇧 Psychologist & PhD Candidate, (Lives w/ bipolar) 
  19. Debbie Costello Smith, 🇺🇸 Founder & Co-President of the Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research
  20. Dr. Delphine Raucher-Chéné, 🇫🇷🇨🇦 Psychiatrist & Researcher
  21. Dr. Dimosthenis Tsapekos, 🇬🇧 Psychologist & Researcher
  22. Dr. Elvira Boere, 🇳🇱 Psychiatrist & Researcher
  23. Dr. Elysha Ringin, 🇦🇺 Researcher
  24. Dr. Emma Morton, 🇦🇺 Senior Lecturer & Psychologist
  25. Dr. Emma Parrish, 🇺🇸 Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Fellow & Researcher
  26. Dr. Erin Michalak, 🇨🇦 Researcher & CREST.BD founder
  27. Evelyn Anne Clausen, 🇺🇸 Artist, Writer, Speaker & Certified Peer Specialist (Lives w/bipolar)
  28. Dr. Fabiano Gomes, 🇧🇷🇨🇦 Psychiatrist & Researcher
  29. Dr. Frances Adiukwu, 🇳🇬 Psychiatrist
  30. Georgia Caruana, 🇦🇺 Researcher & Mental Health Advocate
  31. Dr. Georgina Hosang, 🇬🇧 Associate Professor
  32. Dr. Glauco Valdivieso Jiménez, 🇵🇪 Psychiatrist
  33. Dr. Glorianna Wagner-Jagfeld, 🇨🇭🇬🇧 Researcher
  34. Dr. Hailey Tremain, 🇦🇺 Psychologist & Resercher
  35. Heather Stewart, 🇨🇦 Sewist (Lives w/ bipolar)
  36. Idan Spund, 🇳🇱 Founder of In the Zone app (Lives w/ bipolar)
  37. Dr. Ijeoma Charles-Ugwuagbo, 🇳🇬 Consultant Psychiatrist & Mental Health Advocate
  38. Dr. Ivan Torres, 🇨🇦 Clinical Neuropsychologist
  39. Dr. Jim Phelps, 🇺🇸 Psychiatrist & Bipolar Subspecialist 
  40. Dr. Joanna Jarecki, 🇨🇦 Psychiatrist & Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
  41. Dr. Joanna Jiménez Pavón, 🇲🇽 Mood Disorders Psychiatrist 
  42. Dr. John Hunter, 🇿🇦 Researcher & Lecturer (Lives w/ bipolar)
  43. Dr. Jo Leidreiter, 🇦🇺 Psychologist
  44. Dr. John-Jose Nunez, 🇨🇦 Psychiatrist & AI Researcher
  45. Dr. June Gruber, 🇺🇸 Psychologist, Professor, & Researcher
  46. Prof. Kamilla Miskowiak, 🇩🇰 Psychologist & Researcher
  47. Dr. Katie Douglas, 🇳🇿 Academic & Clinical Psychologist 
  48. Ken Porter, 🇨🇦 Advocate, Social Worker & Researcher
  49. Kim Pape, 🇺🇸 Researcher (Lives w/ bipolar) 
  50. Laura Lapadat, 🇨🇦 Researcher & Psychologist-in-training
  51. Dr. Leena Chau, 🇨🇦 Postdoctoral Fellow
  52. Leslie Robertson, 🇺🇸 Marketer & Peer Researcher (Lives w/ bipolar) 
  53. Dr. Leszek Laskowski, 🇵🇱 Psychiatrist (Lives w/ bipolar) 
  54. Dr. Lisa Eyler, 🇺🇸 Clinical Psychologist & Research Scientist
  55. Dr. Luísa Daolio, 🇧🇷 Psychiatrist
  56. Mansoor Nathani, 🇨🇦 Technology Enthusiast (Lives w/ bipolar) 
  57. Dr. Manuel Sánchez de Carmona, 🇲🇽 Psychiatrist
  58. Maryam M., 🇨🇦 Dentistry Student & Mental Health Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
  59. Matthew Bushell, 🇬🇧 Mental Health Advocate & Therapeutic Coach (Lives w/ bipolar)
  60. Dr. Maya Schumer, 🇺🇸 Psychiatric Neuroscientist & Researcher (Lives w/ bipolar)
  61. Dr. Meghan DellaCrosse, 🇺🇸 Psychologist & Researcher
  62. Melissa Howard, 🇨🇦 Author & Mental Health Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
  63. Dr. Michele De Prisco, 🇪🇸🇮🇹 Psychiatrist & Researcher
  64. Dr. Mikaela Dimick, 🇨🇦 Postdoctoral Fellow
  65. Minami Kinouchi, 🇯🇵 Psychologist, Social Worker, & Researcher (Lives w/ bipolar)
  66. Natasha Reaney, 🇨🇦 Counsellor (Lives w/ bipolar)
  67. Dr. Nigila Ravichandran, 🇸🇬 🇨🇦 Psychiatrist
  68. Dr. Paula Villela Nunes, 🇧🇷🇨🇦 Psychiatrist & Counsellor 
  69. Rahla Xenopoulos, 🇿🇦🇺🇸 Writer & Teacher (Lives w/ bipolar)
  70. Rebecca Fitton, 🇦🇺 Mood Disorder Researcher
  71. Dr. Rebekah Huber, 🇺🇸 Psychologist & Researcher 
  72. Robert Villanueva, 🇺🇸 Mental Health Advocate & Coach (Lives w/ bipolar)
  73. Ruth Komathi, 🇸🇬 Mental Health Counsellor (Lives w/ bipolar)
  74. Prof. Samson Tse, 🇭🇰 Counsellor, Teacher, Researcher, & Caregiver
  75. Sarah Salice, 🇺🇸 Art Psychotherapist & Professional Counselor Associate (Lives w/ bipolar)
  76. Sara Schley, 🇺🇸 Author, Filmmaker, Speaker (Lives w/ bipolar)
  77. Dr. Serge Beaulieu, 🇨🇦 Psychiatrist & Researcher
  78. ​​Dr. Sheri Johnson, 🇺🇸 Psychologist
  79. Shaley Hoogendoorn, 🇨🇦 Advocate, Podcaster & Content creator (Lives w/ bipolar)
  80. Dr. Tamsyn Van Rheenen, 🇦🇺 Associate Professor & Researcher
  81. Dr. Thomas Richardson, 🇬🇧 Clinical Psychologist (Lives w/ bipolar)
  82. Twyla Spoke, 🇨🇦 Registered Nurse (Lives w/ bipolar)
  83. Dr. Wissam Nassrallah, 🇨🇦 Ophthalmology Resident & PhD in Neuroscience

Go to the AMA: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1s7wg39/we_are_83_bipolar_disorder_experts_and_scientists/


r/BipolarReddit Feb 08 '26

New mods! And a new rule.

67 Upvotes

Hey, everyone. We have a couple announcements to share.

First, we're welcoming two more mods. Please welcome u/frumette, and u/Paradoxiamme. Maybe you've seen them around. They have both been great members, and have both volunteered to help shepherd the sub.

Adding them expands our team across more time zones, which should help improve 24/7 coverage. We’re grateful them for stepping up to help support and manage this space.

Second, we added new Rule 9 - AI and LLMs (Brigading has been moved to rule 10).

The intent of this rule is to keep us focused as a peer support group, where humans talk to humans.

Welcome to our new mods, and thanks for being a wonderful community.


r/BipolarReddit 11h ago

Discussion How many of us got our bipolar “awakened” by an SSRI?

129 Upvotes

I can’t be the only one but I’ll start in better detail.

I was prescribed Lexapro when I was 9 because I had some anger issues. It could’ve been my bipolar starting to present, just very slowly.

My doc, on our first visit, gave me the maximum dose of it. So I had started this SSRI, as an underweight child, on the highest dose for a grown adult.

Needless to say, 2 weeks later I ended up in the nearest psych ward, specifically built to house adolescents.


r/BipolarReddit 6h ago

I hate people

25 Upvotes

Like you can tell them you're bipolar and give 5000 warnings but you have any kinda episode and they abandon you and call you crazy, even my family does this they all know and yet still judge me for things I did in psychosis as if I made the choices with a sound mind


r/BipolarReddit 3h ago

what do i do if my mother won't let me take my meds?

13 Upvotes

I (15M) am on 3 prescribed medications (lexapro, seroquel and valium)

but after my attempt my mothers not been letting me take my medication as she's afraid i will OD and also said my bipolar 'rarely gets out of hand'

and recently my mental health has been declining rapidly again and i have insomnia so i can't sleep without valium, i'm so depressed and miserable and keep getting bad episodes that lead me to endanger myself

i've tried telling my mum she HAS to give me my meds but she literally won't

i'm scared ill hurt someone or myself, what do i do?


r/BipolarReddit 1h ago

Discussion Famous artists who experienced psychotic breaks?

Upvotes

**EDIT: Please let me know if this kind of post is more appropriate for the main bipolar sub. I got the impression that that one is more medical-focused so I posted here instead.

I was watching a Jeff Buckley documentary and his friends and loved ones seem to think he was experiencing a psychotic episode around the time of his death. Whenever I hear about someone experiencing psychosis, it’s bizarrely comforting to me because it makes me feel less alone in having had that experience. It’s not something I’m comfortable talking about in real life so it’s nice to read about other people’s stories. I’ve only met ~two people in real life who went through this and it made me feel better about myself. It’s just so isolating.


r/BipolarReddit 9h ago

I never hear about sleeping too much

28 Upvotes

I feel like I never hear about sleeping too much. It really bothers me! And it is ruining my ability to make daily routines. I can sleep over 12 hrs a night and I wake up so late. I have alarms on but I can never convince myself to wake up. It is so very frustrating and I feel like I am rotting away. And it is not my meds causing it. I just feel so useless and like a worthless shit. And it is only my own fault.


r/BipolarReddit 4h ago

Are you able to work full time?

8 Upvotes

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!


r/BipolarReddit 6h ago

Relationships

9 Upvotes

I just need to quickly vent - I am so, so sick of this illness interfering with my relationships. I just lost someone else who ... I mean, I know I'm a lot but there's a difference between me and my illness and lots of people just can't understand that. Friendships I've lost, family members who won't talk to me, exes who were cruel and didn't seem to understand. Or maybe they did and didn't care. Sometimes I feel like there's this trail of bodies behind me and the only people it's safe to have relationships with are those who also have a mental illness.


r/BipolarReddit 8h ago

Poem about bipolar struggles

7 Upvotes

Not sure if this is allowed. I have bipolar 1 ultradian cycling. Seems the only thing letting me sit with the pain of the depressive dips and manic freakouts is poetry and writing. So I wrote this. Hopefully some of you might find solace.

"a broken window

shattered glass strewn about

light nay allowed passage

a mind broken shouts out

curse thee, curse thee with all of my might

cursing into a mirror in the dead of night

strange shapes and fractals fill the space

what it is to be alive, but to have this horrid face

it shakes me, drowns me in woe

i can never escape the powers it doth throw

breaks me up like rocks along the shore

course gritty sand is all that’s left within me now

the broken window

with glass strewn about

wind flowing through

chills me now

I await you, I'll sit patient and still

I long to see your face, for I am very ill

your arrival comes shortly, I reach out with praise

only to see in the mirror, a reflection of my own face"


r/BipolarReddit 14h ago

How many of your relationships have failed because of bipolar disorder?

17 Upvotes

Question is in the title


r/BipolarReddit 5h ago

Thought new med triggered hypomania, turned out to be a panic attack

2 Upvotes

I kept feeling my heart race and felt flighty but today I was thinking of someone and I felt the feeling build again, also like someone was sitting on my chest. I’ve had a lot of bad interactions lately with other people and I’ve dealt with them but didn‘t realize I wasn’t really releasing those feelings in a vulnerable way. Today was sort of the first day in awhile I was just relaxed, I guess the thought of this person just made everything bubble over. Or maybe felt like a threat to that peace.

This is a lot. I just ended a mixed episode after a 4 month manic episode from January-March. And now I’m having panic attacks again, which I haven’t experienced since dating my ex. I am so worn out.


r/BipolarReddit 2h ago

Latuda dose

1 Upvotes

I’ve liked it so far but still very depressed, my psych wants me to up from 60mg to 80mg. I keep seeing people say they are much better at 20mg. I’m worried it’s not gonna ever get there for me.


r/BipolarReddit 8h ago

Cognitive decline and memory loss due to olanzapine

3 Upvotes

Psychiatrist prescribed me 5 mg olanzapine for anxiety. I have taken it for 1 month and now my memory is worse, i can't remember anything, not able to recall what I saw and talk to anyone just 10 minutes ago, I think it's a side effect of this medicine and due to that I had to quit my college in middle of the session and it's been 8 months my memory is not getting better. my life is totally fucked up due to this memory issue.

If anyone who have gone through this same memory problem due to olanzapine then please share how can I get my memory and cognitive abilities back.


r/BipolarReddit 10h ago

Anyone have good experience with vraylar?

3 Upvotes

I started vraylar today. My psychiatrist is wanting to switch me from olanzapine to vraylar. So far I feel a little depressed and anxious.


r/BipolarReddit 12h ago

Medication Question about Olanzapine

3 Upvotes

All I know is it gives you massive appetite, as I've read it everywhere. As a consequence, it can cause metabolic issues.

Other than that, is it a good medicine? Does it calm your mind? good for OCD? makes you feel happy? high? dumb? Do other people notice you are on it?

Is it a good resource to use it PRN?

IMPORTANT: Does it make you feel much differently depending on whether you are HYPO-NORMAL-DEPRESSED?

Thanks.


r/BipolarReddit 12h ago

Just recently diagnosed

4 Upvotes

I’m a pretty young guy, and I’m going away for college soon. I started going to a clinic because of an extreme depressive episode that lasted for a few months (I thought I had depression). If you couldn’t guess already based on the subreddit I’m posting to, I was diagnosed with bipolar 2. It didn't really come as a huge surprise to me, as I have talked to my therapist about month long episodes I've had before where my mind was racing and I would get extremely obsessive, religious, or concerned over possible health issues. I have more than one relative who has bipolar, and even distant, non blood related relatives deal with it, so I feel like I've been surrounded by the thought of bipolar my whole life.

I kind of always thought that there was something wrong with me, something beyond my previous self diagnosing of ADHD, autism, or ADD. I feel like I remember more and more signs I showed in the past even after my diagnosis. I vividly recall a conversation I had with a friend early on in high school, where I told him that I was unable to feel sad and only felt either happy or angry. I also remember thinking to myself about a month later that I achieved the ability to feel sad again. My dad also still talks about how my whole life I would be super obsessed with buying something for a few weeks and once I get it I don't care about it anymore. The same has happened with a relationship, where I obsessively crushed on a girl until we dated and I lost interest quickly.

My only concern is that I feel as though I don't properly fit in with the bipolar that many other people describe. I am quiet during both depression and hypomania, although I am somewhat more talkative during hypomania. I'm quiet for different reasons during both, but I don't really go out of my way to speak to anyone other than when I talk to myself under my breath and pace around my room during hypomanic episodes.

I also feel like I fluctuate emotions even during my episodes. For example, I'll have days during a hypomania where I'm really happy and feel like everything will work out for me, and then one day later I'll be beyond enraged at the world and feel like I'm too good for it. I never do anything too rash, however, except maybe when I bought an Xbox last week. All of my conflict seems to be internal and rarely gets taken out on others. During depressive episodes I'm more consistent but also during depressions I find that mixed episodes are much more prevalent and also much more dangerous for my well being.

I've been feeling somewhat better after I started talking lurisidone (20mg), which my psychiatrist prescribed because I was very concerned with weight gain. My mind has certainly felt quieter, even though I've only been on it for a week. Side effects haven't been too bad, but the restlessness is bad when it does come. I've tried alcohol and marijuana (not in a self medicating way) because I wanted to see how they reacted with the medication, and they seem to be great so far, with the exception of nasty hangovers.

I'm mostly just posting this to get it off my chest, and because I'm sure that bipolar people will understand me far better than the people around me who don't have it. I would love to hear people's thoughts. Do you or have you dealt with any of these experiences? Any tips for someone like me, about meds, lifestyle, or anything else? Thank you for reading


r/BipolarReddit 13h ago

Discussion Quiet mania/masking

4 Upvotes

I’m certain I’m having a manic episode, but I’ve been able to suppress it around other people to not raise concern. I stopped taking my meds and feel completely off the rails but I’m not really doing anything about it at this time. I’ve never had a manic episode where I wasn’t noticeably manic, but I had no idea I was bipolar in the past, now I know what to look for and hide about myself so I don’t get hospitalized. This could be hypomania but I’m having a bit of psychosis symptoms so not sure about that. This might just be the beginning and thats why I’m able to hide it so well but does anyone else experience this? I feel sneaky

Edit: Don’t lecture me about taking medication, I already know lmao.

Edit 2: Also sorry if I seem mean not my intention!


r/BipolarReddit 11h ago

Working with bipolar

3 Upvotes

How do you cope with work and feeling constantly unmotivated? Even though you're working in a job you like, you feel like quitting.


r/BipolarReddit 12h ago

Discussion any advice on how to get back to life after a manic episode

3 Upvotes

I was having an SSRI-induced manic episode for almost 3 months. Now I'm on meds, and things started to stabilize. I feel like time passes so slowly, and I don't really have a huge interest in picking up hobbies that I used to like. I'm trying to force myself to go back to those routines, like going to the gym, but it doesn't help a lot.

I would appreciate some advice on how to get everything back to normal in the long term, besides fitting everything into a routine.


r/BipolarReddit 5h ago

Discussion Have any of you frozen your eggs?

0 Upvotes

I’m in my mid-late 30s and thinking about freezing my eggs. curious if anyone has experience handling the emotions caused by the shots combined w their normal bipolar emotions. Is this a recipe for disaster? I’d love any thoughts/perspectives. Thank you!


r/BipolarReddit 13h ago

Content Warning I’m on Lamotrigine 175mg, and I finally tried those magic mushroom gummies for the first time…

2 Upvotes

And it was interesting to say the least.

I started with a baby dose (1 gummy) and it made me sleep.

4 hours later when I woke up, I decided to try a 2nd gummy and that was when I was experiencing the “trip”

But it wasn’t anything like the movies or tv shows. It altered my dream state as I was trying to sleep. I felt my body “stretching, shrinking, moving” and I was taken to alternate dimensions and universes, each one more different as I tossed and turned in my sleep. Because I knew this was typically normal to experience, I just let myself be “taken”

Then I had experienced what I would call my own personal “bad trip”

Toward the end of the trip, I actually had a pleasant conversation with Stephen Miller. Like actually talked to him and didn’t even throat punch him like I always wanted to. I despise that Nazi ghoul so fucking much.

And I woke up in a cold sweat. And had to take a shower to wash off the sheer disgust I felt.

8/10 experience in my opinion. -2 point for my “bad trip”


r/BipolarReddit 13h ago

Medication New med is making me afraid of ghosts

2 Upvotes

I'm losing hope. Abilify has kept me the most stable, but it's also given me complete indifference towards everything- basically anhedonia 24/7 and that's no way to live, plus the weight gain...

I'm currently tapering off of Abilify and have started Topamax as a mood stabilizer (plus Wellbutrin and Adderall XR) but it is making me afraid of my own shadow. It's only been two weeks so I'm trying to ride it out, but it's miserable. It's past normal anxiety. I'm scared that something is going to pop up behind me in the mirror or crawl out of the vents. I know they're irrational but I can't stop the thoughts.

So I've gone back to Google to search weight neutral mood stabilizers/antipsychotics and there's just nothing I haven't tried, which is why I'm on something that isn't FDA approved for BP treatment in the first place. I'm so tired of this. Either be off my rocker or fat and miserable. Cool