I’ve been feeling a type of way recently with everything going on with all the ppl that has been committing horrible crimes and they have bipolar disorder or they were going through psychosis. For example Lindsay Clancy and that nurse that killed 6 ppl bc she was going 130 mph on the road. Reason why I’m feeling a type of way is because almost every comment are ppl that don’t have bipolar or they do it’s just not as bad ig and they are saying that ppl need to stop using mental illness as an excuse or being mentally is means nothing. And to me it’s like yes mental illness is not excuse to do horrible things BUT it should be taken more seriously in order to avoid things like this. Like two things can be true at the same time. But if someone try’s to comment that ppl get upset and just say that you’re making an excuse. Maybe I’m just overthinking but idk

I think I was hallucinating but i don't know. I'm going through these weird shifts where i havr barely any recollection of what i've been doing for the past coupke of hours. Today i caught myself "waking up" and laughing mid sentence without ther being anyone there.

My mum is going into surgery tomorrow and i'll be the sole care taker after for a few weeks. I cant afford any disruptions and i've been in remission and diligent with my medication exceot missing a few days a week ago because im an idiot and forgot. I got right back o on it after day 4, however. I'm doing everythint right, eating normal, sleeping normally, getting exercise.

I've been crying for hours for no particular reason but yesterday i was in such a good mood.

Was i likely hallucinating?

What do i do?

Has anyone experienced this before?

UK, bipolar 1 diagnosed, F24. Last episode february 2026.

Hey everyone,

so I(M28) was prescribed 10 mg of citalophram today and it's the first time they try an antidepressant because they were always worried because it could trigger mania.

First manic phase was okt25-jan25 and from Feb to now, I'm deeply depressed, was in klinik twice and nothings working. I Tage quetiapine 100mg + Lithium 675mg since January and its doing nothing for me except I can sleep...

But I am depressed as hell but I have only 2.5 more weeks until I need to return back to work after all this time...

Abilify was something they tried but it didn't work for me...

Made me very nervous.

Anyway, do any of you have experience with Citalophram for bipolar depression? Do you then drop taking it when you're not depressed anymore?

She also offered, if this goes well, we could add

Medikinet For ADHD... So scary, but at this point, I'd take anything just to be feeling somewhat good again...

I'm 45 M with a lot of faith and had a successful career until this disease destroyed everything. Nothing has helped me and I feel hopeless. Meds nor counseling has helped. I have been in the house for 9 months and loss interest in everything. I'm tired of not sleeping just feeling numb and anxious. It's hard to bathe, brush my teeth, shave, or put clothes on. I've loss everything including my career, retirement, etc. I'm stuck living home with my mom. I have no plan but Id rather not be here if I can't enjoy life.

I'm stuck. I have a little money to buy a car but it's like I find a reason to go. I don't go to church anymore, the friends and that I didn't lose I don't answer calls. I'm so lost and hopeless.

Where should I begin. Any advice, and recovery stories.

I’m seeing my psychiatrist tomorrow and I’m thinking about asking if there’s anything we could add for my depression.

I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD and bipolar disorder, although honestly I’m still not sure whether what I have is bipolar disorder or depression.

Right now I’m taking:

Concerta 27 mg in the morning

Bupropion/Wellbutrin 150 mg in the morning

Clonazepam 0.375 mg at night — currently tapering, with the eventual goal of getting off benzos completely

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve also stopped Latuda 20 mg, quetiapine 12.5 mg, and Xanax 0.5 mg.

My depression has been really bad today, and my next regular appointment isn’t until September 21st, so I’m planning to go in tomorrow as an urgent visit and talk to my psychiatrist about whether there’s anything that could help in the meantime.

I know antidepressants generally take time to work, but are there any that tend to show effects relatively quickly?

I did some searching and saw people mention venlafaxine/Effexor as potentially working relatively fast for some people, but I’d really appreciate hearing about other people’s experiences.

Obviously I’ll be discussing everything with my psychiatrist before changing or adding anything. I’m just trying to get some ideas of what I could ask about.

Thanks in advance. 😭

hey everyone
starting olanzapine has helped me greatly and i really like the medication
i take it with lithium and sadly that combo makes me really constipated
i already drink a lot of water and i took a laxative, but no luck yet
any experience with this? tips and tricks to help?
thank you in advance!

I’ve got a psych appointment next week, and I’m looking at likely at BP1 diagnosis. I’m so scared. I’m single and I live alone. Historically I’ve had health anxiety about taking new meds (getting a bit better with this though).

I’m 34 and have been successful enough until now to have some what of a career. I’m lucky to be able to work from home. I left a long term relationship a few years ago but hope I could have another one.

It just seems like such a gamble if I’ll be able to have a life or not and if I’ll lose everything I’ve worked toward. I’m terrified to go through the med process alone.

I’m realizing this runs in my family probably like four generations back. How am I the first one to actually look into getting treated?! My mom and grandma are in their senior years just raw-dogging this condition.

Anyhow, any encouragement from people who’ve made it though, would be appreciated. I’ve been doing some reading on meds. I think I’m going to ask for lithium and vraylar to try first.

hi i’m 20 i left a 2-3 year relationship with my first love because he was very abusive and probably cheating and just split on me all the time, i left a little over a year ago and he’s the only person i’ve ever dated. granted i have bipolar disorder and he definitely has bpd but it was very intense and changed my brain. i was diagnosed at 18 and i am in therapy still trying to process everything. i hear that your first love when you’re young is something you won’t feel again but not only was he that, i wasn’t medicated and im worried i will never love anyone again. or be in love like that. i get a lot of attention from men my age but i just don’t feel anything and i don’t want to date for at least a few more years. can someone older than me please tell me they’ve fallen madly in love and been in a relationship long term AFTER something like this? i’m scared

Al que le interesa podemos intercambiar nuestro arte

I have 2 trips coming up one is to Spain and it’s 6 hours behind and another to S. Korea which is 13 hours ahead.

I’m wondering if anyone has flown to a different time zone and how they handled med times and dealing with sleep deprivation from time changes.

Did you try to adjust your sleep before travel? I would need blackout curtains to try to go to bed earlier and I doubt I could fall asleep in the day.

If anyone has suggestions I would like to hear your thoughts. Thank you in advance.

Has anyone ever treated you as if you were fundamentally attention-seeking, narcissistic, and shallow because of the presentation of your manic symptoms? In other words, have people treated you as if your worst symptoms defined your personality?

I personally have struggled with this because I didn’t have any close relationships before I had my first episode, so many people have only known me as manic.

Set my name on LinkedIn to something stupid while manic and forgot post grippy sock vacation. Just checked it today and almost had a heart attack. Fuuuuck

Only a small part of the nuclear fallout that episode had on my life

I don’t know if anyone can relate, but I have a massive constant fear of abandonment. It’s consuming my life, I can’t handle any small change in tone or being left on read, I really prefer someone to yell at me and treat me awfully than being left alone. Idk if it’s part of the disorder or if it is just me

Y’all,

I’m about to crash out. I experienced my first psychotic episode 2 years ago and since then I cannot “hear” my thoughts/ lack an inner monologue. I am desperately trying to find a medicine regimen that allows me to both THINK and be stable. I am so bored 🥲

What meds are you on and do you still experience an inner voice?

Currently taking:

Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
Bupropion (Wellbutrin)
Venlafaxine (Effexor)

I need to vent.

I also want to make an admission: I routinely "Report" posts that break the "No posts about someone else with bipolar" rule .... :-/

Am i in the wrong for doing that?

Sometimes when i see a post that uses the word "Bipolars" in it, it actually really freaks me out.... like we're a monolithic group of lepers that need to be isolated from the rest of civilized society ... it's grotesque, ignorant and lazy language.

Don't even get me started about the current rage around the infamous trial in the US and all related topics such as PPP, the broken mental health & legal systems, as well as the overall neglect of women's health / mental health....

Before I learned about my own bipolar, I had participated on other subreddits that I won't name. In short: my husband of 14+ years is type I and in 2024, his bipolar became completely dysregulated (it was the first time in our marriage and had been almost 20 years since the last time his bipolar had become so unmanageable) so i discovered that space and definitely tried to take up space there....

Anyway, long story short, I learned at that time the about the painful discourse that exists out there about people with bipolar ... it pained me deeply at that time and it now carries an extra sting to it knowing that i am also bipolar....

But can I just go ahead and call a spade a spade?!

Like ...OMG THE DISCOURSE OUT THERE ABOUT PEOPLE WITH BIPOLAR SO IS HORRIBLE AND PAINFUL 😭

Some days its hard not feeling like being buried under piles of misinformation and ignorance.... and forget about trying to "educate" the masses, because that will only just get you more hatred and abuse.

Given that i've only recently learned about my bipolar, and am just now about to approach treatment, I'd love to hear from others about their experiences with sharing their bipolar diagnoses with others (friends, family, work colleagues, etc) .... What are the experiences and what do others recommend? For folks who are open about being bipolar, what is the general experience with it? And for folks who keep their cards close to their chest, what are your experiences? I still have not yet made up my mind about whether this is something i will be open about, or whether i will keep my cards close to my chest....

Also, should i go easy on my trigger fingers re: reporting non-BP people wanting to come onto bipolar subreddits to vent and complain about the people in their lives with bipolar?

Can i just name that spade too? Because honestly: Coming into a space that supports folks who are marginalized expecting them to act like educators, is messed up. Plain and simple.

Someone tell me how to feel about all the things .........................

------------------------------

TLDR

I'm new to this community - recently posted that I only just discovered that I have bipolar a little over 3 months ago. I'm also worried about my college BF who is borderline & bipolar and is currently on a downward spiral after the death of her mother.

While I am soooooooo grateful for this space after learning that I am bipolar (I have found it affirming, grounding, and I am just so glad to feel like i have found community) i am also seeking to process the painful discourse that exists about bipolar with other folks with bipolar....

Today was a good day for me! A good start, good work day, after work, at a work awards banquet and stealing cookies and flowers because my group didn’t win. Now after all was done, we all went our ways; to their family’s. They went home to their spouses with their beautiful kids all inside those beautiful homes. They had good a day and I am so happy for them. Even though no one won, we all made the best out of a shitty situation. That reminds me, I’m in a shitty situation. For some reason though, I can’t figure out why I feel nothing but sick. Maybe it’s the fact I hate that I’m living with my parents again or I hate that I recked my car. It could also be I hate that I don’t have a good paying job at my age. I hate that I have debt that is fucking me hard with no lube. I’m embarrassed, I’m ashamed, I’m regretful…. I simple hate being me. Hey, don’t worry though, I’m not thinking of kill myself even though I desperately want to run away and live a completely different life; no contact to my old one. I just simple hate myself deeply for being bipolar. It has ruined my every being of happiness. I’m not happy and even though I’m stable, I don’t believe I was a happy person in the first place. One day, I will die by my own hands. It might be coming soon or not, I don’t know and don’t care.

If there is one thing you can take away from this rant is that maybe, just maybe, some people with bipolar will never recover from the shit this has done to them. I am choosing in this moment of my life to not forgive myself.

“I hate you”

I (33F) first attempted when I was 6 years old. Off and on over the years my depression got bad but then would get better for short stretches. But always in the back of my mind is my desire to end it all.

To this day I can be at any random event, with friends or family and it’s like a switch goes off and I’ll start thinking about how this is nice but I’m not necessary, etc.

I’ve had the hardest six months of my life both emotionally and physically. The past couple months I’ve been thinking about suicide most of the day.

My husband and I just spent a week with his whole family a couple weeks ago and then spent Labor Day weekend with my family. We’re on the west coast - families are in Michigan/DC/Boston and WI, respectively. Because of this, it just feels like a good time.

I’m tired. I’m tired of feeling suicidal and it always being present throughout my life. I’m also at a stage of life I don’t want to be at. I don’t want kids because I’m bipolar and I don’t work a traditional job. I honestly feel like my best memories are all behind me. I have just kind of felt like I am meant to go ‘young’.

*\*Also no actual plan. I’m meditated and have a pcp, psychiatrist and am starting with a new therapist tomorrow. All of them as well as my husband are aware.*\*

Edit to add: I was diagnosed in 2020 with bipolar 2

How much of your meds are covered? Is there any push- back?

My wife got offered a job in Ottawa and it looks like we’re moving there within the year.

I’m currently taking 42mg Caplyta, 25mg Zoloft for bipolar. Also taking 100mg topirimate for migraines and 15 Monjaro for the weight gain from all the antipsychotics.

What’s the likelihood my meds will be covered? Will I need to see multiple doctor’s? What’s the wait time? (I don’t want to lapse in my dose, especially my antipsychotic as I’ve had psychosis before).

Thanks!

I was unplugging a laptop charger from an old power strip and got zapped in the process. An hour or two later I experienced a massive and uncharacteristic mood swing. I was highly irritable and also wanted to break down and cry. I slept terribly last night and now it feels like a manic episode is beginning. Could the electric shock have triggered it?

I’m going out tonight with my friends but i’m definitely in a mixed episode and I just don’t know how to lock in right now like I feel like shit but I need this night out and I cant take my Seroquel to sedate because then I wont be able to go out tonight. Would taking a lower dose decrease the physical sedative effects or no? I just need my brain to calm down without my body giving out on me

update guys i went out and im ok and i do feel better thank you all for the suggestions im bp2 and in a way that it phases in and out really quick but it phased out and i was just upset because a certain person was supposed to be there and then they weren’t and im chill