I have discussed this with my doc previously. He thinks there are so many variables that it would be difficult to prove why or how. He has many BP patients who are "high functioning" and many who are not. All are at different levels of the spectrum, different ages, and all have different exposure to adequate medical care.

I can only speak for myself. I struggled a great deal when I was younger as my support system was nil and I was not allowed to take meds or therapy. Since, I have taken lots of different meds, been in therapy off an on most of my life, have a very stable support system etc. I think what has been the greatest asset is my will and determination and change in mindset about my disorder. With time I have learned so much about this disorder and how to live "with" it. I function within my own boundaries and set my own limits. I avoid the triggers I can and live with what I have to. It is not always easy and I have some long periods of depression with periods of dysphoric hypo mania. During those times I am the least functioning.

Any success in my life takes planning and thourough assessment. I work daily at managing my disorder and any symptoms I might be faced with. It was also very important in the beginning that I differentiate between "learned behaviors" and "bipolar symptoms". By working through and changing behaviors, it made the disorder more obvious and manageable.

I follow a daily regimen, I make time for myself, I nurture my gifts, I meditate, exercise, take care of me. By doing this, I am a better person for others around me and less frequently episodic.

I have daily challenges but have a business I created to fit into my life as I need it to, I have been married for 26 years to a very supportive man, and I have raised four sons. None of this is or was easy. It takes constant effort and working together to understand one anothers needs. It is a team effort, not an "I" effort.

We are all different but how we see ourselves and view this disorder in our lives, is very important. xo

What a fascinating post, I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing your viewpoint Shelly. :-)

Shelly - you said it very well! All the variables...

I to struggled more and more until I started with a chaos plan. And the whole family is in on it - even my mother in law! (But she is an angel...) If something goes haywire with me, everyone knows what the plan is!

I have a life coach that I work with every week. I got to know my body and when meds need to be altered I contact me psychiatrist. The most important that I want to emphasise - You have to trust your medical team 100% When you are in a difficult spot you need the know that they are taking care of you. I believe we need consistent structured support.

You have to venture to see what is your best coping mechanisms - writing, reading, exercising etc. Maybe a combination of things. But getting to know yourself - not the bipolar-you but the real you.

Take care

I"m worn out right now, so if I say something that repeats what Shelly said, sorry.

For me, it has been not only BP gradually getting worse, but also life events (particularly loosing my son) that has tipped me over. But even before then, I was slowly declining and having more and more trouble. I also have fibromyalgia and PTSD so the co-existing conditions contribute as well.

Also, it can depend on the strength of someone's own psyche, severity of brain chemical imbalance, life stressors that could trigger or worsen things, and stuff like that.

I was told that there is a considerable amount of research indicating that if bp is first treated early in life, the chances of achieving remission or less severe symptoms in older age are greater than when treatment is started at an older age. Because many of us (including me) have been treated for depression for years prior to bp diagnosis, we tend to have more severe bp than those treated at an earlier age. I seem to have terrible bipolar depression which gets more and more severe with each episode.

As we get older, we \have a history of disrupted relationships, multiple hospitalizations, and record of absences from work which all contribute to reducing our level of functioning.
The older I get, these issues appear to be insurmountable. Although I truly appreciate all of the words of encouragement I get from this site, I know (based on years of experience) that hope is hard to come by, and is fleeting and undependable.

I was told that there is a considerable amount of research indicating that if bp is first treated early in life, the chances of achieving remission or less severe symptoms in older age are greater than when treatment is started at an older age. Because many of us (including me) have been treated for depression for years prior to bp diagnosis, we tend to have more severe bp than those treated at an earlier age. I seem to have terrible bipolar depression which gets more and more severe with each episode.

As we get older, we \have a history of disrupted relationships, multiple hospitalizations, and record of absences from work which all contribute to reducing our level of functioning.
The older I get, these issues appear to be insurmountable. Although I truly appreciate all of the words of encouragement I get from this site, I know (based on years of experience) that hope is hard to come by, and is fleeting and undependable.

sorry for duplicate

For me personally i function at different levels at different times....

sometimes I'm completely stable and am in a place where i could work and what not ...during these times i make plans and have ideas and want to go places in this world and then sometimes i can barely handle getting out of bed and getting my little one off to school...forget anything extra

I am college educated, made it through a bachelors degree and worked for a year and a half (full time plus overtime) before i completely fell apart...

as for where i stand right now
its a day by day thing
still trying to get the meds right
i thought i might be stable for a little while but then i crashed again...i wonder if i will ever be in a place again where i can hold a job and be what i feel i need to be to function in society
I hope so...but at the same time I'm scared i wont ever be

This is quite well documented, I think...I guess it's having a good med cocktail (not being overly sedated/out of it), being med compliant for starters..then there is the severity. I dunno.

Very interesting question. I have made assumption that the chemical imbalance is of varying degrees on each of us and that is why some function differently than others. For me personally, my condition got worse with external influences, I believe. Such as chronic illness and high grade life stressors. I've always had tines where I would "fall apart" but they were short lived "episodes" , where now my whole life is affected, and my thought process andood is more long term depressed rather than short intervals.

Just like there are different types of other people in the world, the same applies to those with bipolar but I do know what you mean. I think it has to do with alot of factors. education level, medications one is on and how long they have been on it, etc... etc...That's just my opinion.

There are diffrent types of BP.
BP2 a person can be fully funtional. BP 2 is similar to BP1 but their diffrent.

I have already picked out apt complex that has nurseing & Dr care available.
I have also sercured future place for me in adult care center & picked a nurseing home - if i need physiacl therapy.
I know my future. some day "their coming to take me away, hee hee, ha ha " Ya "the men in white coats are coming...hee hee, ha ha "
I have a writen - posted daily schedule & med sheet.works for me.
My night stand is actually an apt size refg.
I keep case of bottle water & sodas in my bd rm. I also have 4cup coffee unit on top of small refg. it's conventant Plus it comes in handy on those days that I barly manage to get up long enough to take a spong bath.
I have schedule my bp & bp phases into my activitys. 3 wks ago I came out of shop till i drop phase. 2wks ago I went through the phase where i spelled every thing that I seen & heard & touched. During that phase I normal do math in my mind & not outloud.
Last wk my sleep schedule work itself around the clock. every n night it was an hr longer than night before that I could actually sleep. This being my stable wk.. oh ya, I have physical entergy phase etc...
Learn about yourself. create a daily schedule & time table that's liken to pie chart of moods - phases.
When I go into care facily I will be known as the wild girl. everyday someone in facilty will have birthday. I will have strip-o grams pizza partys everytime they let me at a phone,lol

Y'know, I think luck plays a part too.

another thing is the 'kindling' theory- that the more Manic/psychotic episodes an individual has the worse their condition.

Which is why, apparently, people with BP who don't take meds can so rapidly deteriorate with their unbridled illness.