Stress Center Peer Support

Lately I have been thinkin maybe all these years I have had bipolar. I noticed that I will get really excited over something and start talking non stop and sometimes get confused in the middle of the convrsation. Then when I leave the person or get off of the phone I get really depressed. I start worrying about how I sounded, did I make sense and did I annoy the person. I don't know but the reason I'm afraid of bipolar is because I heard people can get violent. So what If I hurt someone one day.Years ago I remember when I was in a bad relationship I started hitting my ex in the back. He treated me bad. I'm going to the Phsyciatrist today so hopefully they will be able to diagnose me correctly. Do all bipolor people hurt people??

hi i was diagnosed with bipolar many yrs. ago. I have been on meds and i am doing well, with this program I am doing even better{so grateful to have found it} Anyway, no I don't believe all bipolar people are violent. I am the most unviolent person actually many people don't even know I have bipolar. People tell me all the time how sweet I am! So even if it turns out you have bipolar disorder you are still the same you you have always been.

Christine. . . you sound like me. I do the same thing. I went to two different people and asked if they thought I was bipolar and they said they did not see signs of that, just anxiety. You're making the right decision to go to a psychiatrist. They can tell you for sure based on your symptoms. Let us know how it goes.

My old neighbor is bipolar, and she's never been violent, however I have another friend who is. I don't think it makes a difference, it's just part of her personality. She has always been violent her whole life (gotin fights in school) well before she was diagnosed. I'm not sure which type she has but I know that she lost touch with reality and had to be hospitalized. She's doing GREAT now and is a nurse.

Hi! Having recently been diagnosed with Bipolar II, I've been doing a lot of reading on the bipolar spectrum disorders. Fascinating really. There's a great book that may be of interest to you. It's called, "Why Am I Still Depressed." Reading that book is like reading about me, and my diagnosis makes so much sense. I found myself strangely at peace with the diagnosis because I had suspected as much on more than one occasion. It may take some time working with the psychiatrist to get an accurate diagnosis, so be patient and be honest with him or her about your symptoms. Good luck!

Genie

Genie,

Do you mind sharing what your symptoms are?

Hi, Faith! Sorry it's taken so long for me to get back. I tried responding once before, but there were some technical issues that prevented me from posting.

My symptoms...hmmm. My main symptom is recurrent and chronic depression. I have battled severe and sometimes debilitating depressions since I was 13 years old. My life became depressed/not depressed, depressed/not depressed, on and on. I have tried numerous antidepressants that all work in the beginning, but then begin to work less and less. The med would work, then stop working, up the dosage, work, then stop working, again and again. Then change med. The depression makes me incredibly dysfunctional. I have a hard time doing the things I usually do, have a hard time sleeping, feel completely dead inside, and have a hard time taking care of myself.

On the flipside is the hypomania, which I don't experience as much. (Typical for Type 2) When I feel this way, I can do anything. I work extra hours, hatch a variety of plans and ideas (mostly concerning me and my future and ironically these ideas are forgotten midstream when I become depressed), am super productive, and sleep a couple hours less a night. When I am hypomanic, I can conquer the world. Nothing can get in my way. (I honestly wish I experienced this more often! It's much better than the depression.)

The worst symptom that I experience is irritability and outright anger. I turn into some kind of little monster who gets easily angry. The anger is so intense that I often find myself wanting to put my fist through the wall or pulling over my bookshelves or anything to get it out. Lately, I have been inching up on a new med (Lamictal) and it has been pure hell. It works so slowly that I'm honestly sick of waiting. It takes at least five weeks for me to get to the therapeutic dosage, and it's making me crazy! My temper has been out of control and I'm really easily angered or irritated. I keep hoping that this will go away once I reach the 200 mgs. I guess we'll see.

It has taken me longer than 15 years to be properly diagnosed. I have had good results on the Abilify, but the antidepressant I was taking (Cymbalta) pooped out on me, hence the mood stabilizer.

I hope this helps. The most important thing to remember is that while there are typical symptoms, bipolar type 2 is very unique to the individual. Everyone experiences it differently in that the amount of depression and hypomania are different for everybody. Some folks don't experience hypomania at all. I still have a lot of reading to do, but it's hard to find really good info on this as most folks focus solely on bipolar I (the extreme mania/depression).

Genie

I'm glad that you found someone to diagnose you. I hope that the medication kicks in soon for you.

Hi all, it's nice to see some other people with Bipolar using the program too. I'm bipolar 2, and have just started the program, I'm really hoping it will help. I had tons of panic attacks before meds. I've taken many different kinds of meds to try to get a stable situation. I'm doing pretty well now, but I do have tons of anxiety all the time. What kinds of meds are you guys on? I hope this program can help even though I'm on meds. you guys take care.
Hugs,
Hally

Hally,

I am taking 200 mg of Lamictal, 50 mg of Abilify, and .5 mg Clonazepam. It's the perfect combination for me. I am feeling so much better and way more stable.

Genie

Oops, I meant 5 mgs of Abilify.