bi poler anyone know anything about it?

[ashley]

hi i have a friend who mentioned they have bi polar anyone know anything about it i thought it had to do with mood swings?

[Ray&Donna]

Yes, bipolar disorder is characterized by wild mood swings from maniacally happy to terminally depressed. It's a bit more complex than that, however--I studied it quite extensively during my undergraduate course work.

For some quick 'n' dirty data:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipolar_disorder

[Garrison]

Is that like bi-sexual?

[Luke]

Is that like bi-sexual?

Garrison, must you bring your own issues up in every thead...

Ashley, bi-polar is very serious. I know a lot about it having worked some who have struggled with this. Do lots of research, it plays itself out differently for every person. Some can handle the ups and downs on thier own, others need medication. Ensure your friend is seeking regular doctor's care and let me know if you want to know anything specific. It is hard to say how it will effect any given person as I said, it can play itself out drastically different. That being said if your friend has been diagosed with it, it has already gotten to a serious stage.

[emmalovesdallas]

[QUOTE=Luke;2859312]Garrison, must you bring your own issues up in every thead...QUOTE]


!!!!

[Afton]

Is that like bi-sexual?

Are you like a f**king moron? You have nothing constructive to say, stay the hell out of a thread.

Ashley, I wish I had some advice to give you however the example I have of the person I knew with bi-polar disorder ended very tragically unfortunately.

[Garrison]

Are you like a f**king moron? You have nothing constructive to say, stay the hell out of a thread.

You're right, it was completely inappropriate and I'm sorry if I caused anyone any offense with that joke. Like many, I have friends and family who suffer from bi-polar disorder and I know it is nothing that should be taken lightly. I should have used better judgment.

For Ashley, I think MargaretKrebbs got it right. Accept them for how they are.

[Mayor Gregory]

Is that like bi-sexual?

... for Polar bears...


Friend of mine is this - honestly the best medicine is laughter, lots of it.
Last time I phoned he said I did more good in 1 hour making him laugh
like hell, than in a week of so-called "help"

[Ome]

My mates sister was having quite a few problems, some of them were ignored, not intentionally, but my mates family were unsure about what was going on.

Eventually she was diagnosed with bi-polar however it was too late in her case, as she ended her life. She was 19

Sadly I feel our country lacks compassion in mental illness, but hope that one day we will sit and listen to mental problems, rather than brush them under the carpet.


Hopefully Ashley, your friend will get the right attention she needs

[MargaretKrebbs]

I live with a person suffering from bi-polar disorder, or more accurately, hypo-polar disorder, a more mild form. It is a serious disorder and not to be taken lightly. Unfortunately, his younger brother had a more serious diagnosis of bi-polar disorder, and ended his life at the age of 27, even though he was under good care.

If your friend is already talking about it and telling you, I'd take that as a sign of acceptance and that he/she trusts you with this information. Your friend is letting you know not to take the mood swings personally. People mistakenly think that others can just "snap out of it." People with this disorder cannot just decide to change their mood. Accept your friend as he/she is - he/she may break engagements, be uncommunicative at times, and private about their treatment. But I think it is important to let your friend know that you will be unjudgmental and around even through the rough times - and there will be rough times. A little compassion goes a long way.

[ashley]

thanks everyone my friend had it 8 yrs ago but he is very up and down will talk to me one min then ignore me the next.i dont know if he is on medication or not.

[Mojo]

thanks everyone my friend had it 8 yrs ago but he is very up and down will talk to me one min then ignore me the next.i dont know if he is on medication or not.

Hey Ashley,

If you'd like to understand a little more about Bi-polar from a sufferer's point of view, but still be entertained at the same time read "The Best Awful There Is" ..by Carrie Fisher.. one of the better known bi-polar sufferers around.

it's not a new book, should be able to find it at your local library..
enlightening, and interesting.. i recommend it.

cheers
Me

[nofoodleft]

I was diagnosed with bi-polar in march last year, at first i was an emotional mess because i didnt understand what bipolar meant, I was stupid enough to believe i had a disease or terminal illness. But bipolar is neither, it's very complex and really varies from person to person.

What intrigued me was if I had had it my entire life, or if it was triggered somehow. In around the time I was diagnosed I was beginning to fall madly in love with someone, and I still am. In the early days I would go out with my friends and have so much fun and laugh all day, then when I went home I'd either sit in a vegetative state for a few hours or cry. I tried to suffer with bipolar ALONE as much as possible, because I believed I was being unfair to my friends by inflicting my fluctuating moods on them. However, they are much more understanding now and some days when I'm with them and I feel down (usually for no reason, it just happens) I say I just need to be alone and they understand. During this time I was not on any meds, as I refused to take them. After a while, I didnt see any harm in going on any meds, especially if they improved my condition.

I was very wrong, after about a month of the meds, I became so much worse. I sat at home for weeks watching television, taking the meds and crying frantically from morning till night. Unable to sleep, very late one night I confided in my neighbour that I wanted to commit suicide and needed help before I did anything stupid, because even in my blurred state I knew it would be the wrong thing. I spent a little while in a clinic, and for about six or seven months now I've been doing fine. Sure I have my bad days but I find any bad patch I go through makes me a better person because I'm still here and I refuse to be conquered by my condition.

It sounds like I'm harping on in a 'poor me' style, but what I learnt from all of it were a few things..

1. Alcohol was a MAJOR problem for me, it numbed me therefore I didnt have to deal with the depression, but in the long run, it made me so very much worse.
2. I took up smoking, and I know this is a very wrong thing to say but it actually helps, its also scientifically proven that people with bipolar in particular are more likely to take up smoking due to its 'calming' effect. I'm not saying your friend should become a chain-smoker, but when things get really bad, a cigarette every now again will do a world of good. (I can't believe I'm encouraging smoking)
3. Research bipolar as much as possible and be sensitive with your friend regarding her condition, because some of my lowest points where when none of my friends understood it and I felt abnormal. It really makes you desperate when you strive to think and live like everyone else but just can't.
4. Meds are not necessarily a good thing. It depends on the person whether they improve the condition or completely worsen it. I was the latter, and there are no words to describe how you feel. Yet you keep taking them thinking they are the answer when they are clearly not.
5. You may notice your friend can be alot more talkative and outgoing at times, when he/she is like this, try not lose your patience when you think it is getting a little too much.
6. If they experience an episode of mania (which usually doesnt happen that often) be there for support but don't go overkill, because there's nothing worse to a bipolar person than one of those 'don't jump, we ALL love you' speeches..

I hope this helps

[SnarkyOracle!]

2. I took up smoking, and I know this is a very wrong thing to say but it actually helps, its also scientifically proven that people with bipolar in particular are more likely to take up smoking due to its 'calming' effect. I'm not saying your friend should become a chain-smoker, but when things get really bad, a cigarette every now again will do a world of good. (I can't believe I'm encouraging smoking)

Isn't that due to the effects of nicotine? I'd recommend the gum--- yum!

[The Colbys]

I was diagnosed with bi-polar in march last year, at first i was an emotional mess because i didnt understand what bipolar meant, I was stupid enough to believe i had a disease or terminal illness. But bipolar is neither, it's very complex and really varies from person to person.

What intrigued me was if I had had it my entire life, or if it was triggered somehow. In around the time I was diagnosed I was beginning to fall madly in love with someone, and I still am. In the early days I would go out with my friends and have so much fun and laugh all day, then when I went home I'd either sit in a vegetative state for a few hours or cry. I tried to suffer with bipolar ALONE as much as possible, because I believed I was being unfair to my friends by inflicting my fluctuating moods on them. However, they are much more understanding now and some days when I'm with them and I feel down (usually for no reason, it just happens) I say I just need to be alone and they understand. During this time I was not on any meds, as I refused to take them. After a while, I didnt see any harm in going on any meds, especially if they improved my condition.

I was very wrong, after about a month of the meds, I became so much worse. I sat at home for weeks watching television, taking the meds and crying frantically from morning till night. Unable to sleep, very late one night I confided in my neighbour that I wanted to commit suicide and needed help before I did anything stupid, because even in my blurred state I knew it would be the wrong thing. I spent a little while in a clinic, and for about six or seven months now I've been doing fine. Sure I have my bad days but I find any bad patch I go through makes me a better person because I'm still here and I refuse to be conquered by my condition.

It sounds like I'm harping on in a 'poor me' style, but what I learnt from all of it were a few things..

1. Alcohol was a MAJOR problem for me, it numbed me therefore I didnt have to deal with the depression, but in the long run, it made me so very much worse.
2. I took up smoking, and I know this is a very wrong thing to say but it actually helps, its also scientifically proven that people with bipolar in particular are more likely to take up smoking due to its 'calming' effect. I'm not saying your friend should become a chain-smoker, but when things get really bad, a cigarette every now again will do a world of good. (I can't believe I'm encouraging smoking)
3. Research bipolar as much as possible and be sensitive with your friend regarding her condition, because some of my lowest points where when none of my friends understood it and I felt abnormal. It really makes you desperate when you strive to think and live like everyone else but just can't.
4. Meds are not necessarily a good thing. It depends on the person whether they improve the condition or completely worsen it. I was the latter, and there are no words to describe how you feel. Yet you keep taking them thinking they are the answer when they are clearly not.
5. You may notice your friend can be alot more talkative and outgoing at times, when he/she is like this, try not lose your patience when you think it is getting a little too much.
6. If they experience an episode of mania (which usually doesnt happen that often) be there for support but don't go overkill, because there's nothing worse to a bipolar person than one of those 'don't jump, we ALL love you' speeches..

I hope this helps

yes if you get the wrong pills it can make you a lot worse trust me on this one i think some people think if you just take a pill and everything will go away well sometimes it just doesn't work that way.

[Fajita Mel]

I will say one thing about this topic: People do not fully understand bipolar disorder until they have to live with it--and even then they do not fully understand it. It's a catch-22. What irritates me the most is when people confuse psychosis and schizophrenia with bipolar disorder--because it's not! Bipolar disorder's "old" name was manic depression.

Here is another resourceful site: http://www.bipolar.com

[The Colbys]

yes i have it i was on pills but it doesn't seem to work the last time i took it i was really sick so i stopped taking them.

[SnarkyOracle!]

Interesting.

This probably wont sound very nice, but most people I've known who might be so diagnosed seemed to fluctuate between "manipulating badly" and "manipulating less badly".

[Jon-R]

I was diagnosed as having bipolar disorder last year. It started off when I went into therapy for an anxiety disorder that I was suffering from and eventually it was discovered that the anxiety and social phobia was linked to the bipolar. After my now ex-boyfriend (who also happens to have bipolar - believe me 2 bipolar people together can at once be so great together but also very mutually harmful) broke up with me last year it led to a suicide attempt where I tried to OD on tranquilizers but luckily I didn't take enough to do any serious harm.

However, with therapy I've learnt to recognise when I'm heading for a depressive episode or a manic episode. Oddly enough I've never had many major depressive episodes, I tend to have more manic episodes and I've come to realise that the signs of this are that I start believing that I'm so fabulous that everyone should know who I am and that I'm a celebrity, I start buying a lot of unneccesary things that I don't really need or want but I buy them for the sake of buying them and so that I can give the impression that I have loads of money which sadly I don't and which is why I now have tons of debt , I drink alot more than usual, I smoke more , I'm alot more sexually active and dare I say it promiscuous and I find that I don't eat very much at all.

I was on medication for this for a while but I've since stopped taking that anti-psychotic that I was on. The medication helped me alot but I decided that I don't want to live my life reliant on medication and so against doctors advice I took myself off the meds although I do still have a supply in case I decide that I want to go back on them. I realise that this is not the best way to do things and I wouldn't suggest that anybody else go that route but I've learnt to manage my condition on my own and while I'm not in weekly therapy anymore either I do still have the odd therapy session here and there and most importantly I know what the warning signs are for a manic or depressive episode and so the minute I see the warning signs flashing I make sure I get some help.

Right now I'm doing better than I have in months though. I'm drinking a lot less than before, I've stopped smoking for 6 weeks now, My head is a lot clearer, I'm eating normally and am managing to maintain the same weight and I've not had a panic attack in months.

[The Colbys]

i had it for along time had it since i was a kid i have personality disorders and dissociative identity disorder i all so have mood swings you never know what i'm going to do for me it's like being really drunk and waking up the next day thinking oh my god did i do that.