Bipolar Disorder Support Group
Bipolar disorder is not just a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders marked by periods of abnormally high energy and euphoria, often accompanied by bouts of clinical depression. This is the place to talk about your experience with bipolar disorder, learn from others' experiences, and find support.
I'm new to this but I really just needed to reach out to people like me, people who understand. I was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 when I was 15, I am now 22 and highly medicated. My diagnosis is no longer new to my family so now that I'm medicated they feel that it's no longer an issue or something that affects me every day. I have done very well for myself. I recently graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Geological Engineering from the University of Mississippi and am now pursuing a Master's degree in Environmental Engineering. That being said, I am a very big science person so of course I've done quite a bit of research on my condition throughout the years. I am very aware of the symptoms and when I'm about to have an episode. Essentially my family makes fun of this. For example, I have extremely sensitive hearing and can hear things that many people around me can not. The noises even physically hurt me at times. So last night I was talking with my twin sisters' friend (I am home for break) and told him that I had very good hearing. My mom immediately said in a sarcastic tone to not ask me why I have such good hearing. I explained that I wasn't even going to bring it up and she said in a very rude manner that it was because I was bipolar. Things like this happen quite often. It's like they have a problem with me being so open about my condition. They say I revolve my life around it (which I do not believe to be true) but how could I not? Am I the only one who feels like their condition is a huge part of their lives even when medicated and living a mostly normal life? Even though all it takes is for me to stop taking my medication and I fall off the deep end. I feel that I can't talk to them anymore about it and I feel lost and alone in the journey. Does anyone else ever feel that way? They make me feel like I'm being dramatic or whatever and I just need to know if that is the case....
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Hey All...I hope that you have a lovely, peaceful beginning of your weekI have a bunch of chores that need doing but may put them off til tomorrow and just hang out with my landlord/roomie todayWhat about you?...Anything special going on?Have a great day and take good care of you!!..Xo
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Once again I've had a fever today. I'm not going to the hospital because that's a huge waste of time but I did schedule a dr appointment for Wednesday afternoon.
Tricky. I suspect how much you think bipolar affects you may change. If I'd been diagnosed earlier I'm sure for me I would feel it was a big part of my life. Later in life, not so much. Partly because who I am is career, hobbies, loves, marriages, children, divorce, more marriage and so on. Alot of other stuff basically.
While it is there and I am ever mindful of it it's become more in the background.
btw I would think that being sensitive to sound isn't a bipolar thing. Much more like an autism thing.
and re parents..no parent likes to think they have been responsible for their child's unhappiness or problems. They then have different sometimes unhelpful ways of dealing, from denial, being over protective or blaming everything on bipolar. Sometimes in the same sentence.
Environmental engineering sounds cool.
Being Dx'd with Bp 1 is not to be taken lightly, me, 38 years ago. Now I think of bp as just 'a part of me'...I ''''have'''' bp, I'm '''not bp'''.
As for parents, I agree with fish, same thing with friends...that just don't get the daily trudge, side effects of medications etc.
Congratulations!!! Mega!!! on your ability to focus and stay on task with your education.....Success and Happiness To You!!!
You are so much more than your bipolar. You'll see. Maybe make a bipolar friend in your program. You'll see how normal each other are.
I noticed in the experience you described that, technically, your mother brought it into the conversation. Is that standard? If so, perhaps your mom is seeking some kind of emotional validation for parenting a child with a disability but doesn't realise this? That would give clarity to you being the scapegoat if this is subconscious.
I know that my family hated it although they never said so.... They didn't want to talk about it
This is really the cost of 'stopping the stigma'.... It's confronting it and making it comfortable to talk about
This has changed somewhat over the years although it's still not where it should be and won't be in my lifetime
It would probably be easier on you not to discuss this with your family as you know what their response is
If you want to continue to do so there's nothing wrong with calling them on their crap 'respectfully'
If you're mom is being rude and hurtful tell her how much her rude and aggressive comments hurt you
Do what you think it right for you however know going in that this isn't always easy by any means.... There will be those people though who say 'thank you... You have helped me to understand my loved one' and gain more insight
For me it was worth it and I think I did the right thing.... I would come from a place of power though... If you're feeling low and in a depression I don't know that this is necessarily the time to take it on
I think what you're doing is awesome!!!.... Big squishy hug.... xo
In speaking with someone, use the sandwich approach, start and end with a compliment, soften the blow of what might seem like criticism, and not you're trying to develop better practices. There's a book called Crucial Conversations, which discusses handling tough conversations, but it is not geared to bi-polar people.
But I would like to hear more about what works and does not work.