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.
Struggle with "why" it happened until you no longer need to know "why" or until you are satisfied with a partial answer.
Know you may feel overwhelmed by the intensity of your feelings. All your feelings are normal.
Anger, guilt, confusion, forgetfulness are common responses. You are not crazy!
IT'S OKAY TO CRY: Tears release the flood of sorrow, of missing and of love. Tears relieve the brute force of hurting, enabling us to "level off" and continue our cruise along the stream of life. It's okay to cry.
IT'S OKAY TO LAUGH: Laughter is not a sign of "less" grief. Laughter is not a sign of "less" love. It's a sign that many of our thoughts and memories are happy ones. It's a sign that we know our memories are happy ones. It's a sign that we know our dear one would have us laugh again. It's okay to laugh.
Know you may feel overwhelmed by the intensity of your feelings. All your feelings are normal.
Anger, guilt, confusion, forgetfulness are common responses. You are not crazy!
IT'S OKAY TO CRY: Tears release the flood of sorrow, of missing and of love. Tears relieve the brute force of hurting, enabling us to "level off" and continue our cruise along the stream of life. It's okay to cry.
IT'S OKAY TO LAUGH: Laughter is not a sign of "less" grief. Laughter is not a sign of "less" love. It's a sign that many of our thoughts and memories are happy ones. It's a sign that we know our memories are happy ones. It's a sign that we know our dear one would have us laugh again. It's okay to laugh.
I just had a talk very similar to this with my oldest son who is a recovering opiate addict and has bipolar disorder. My heart aches for him because I know how much he will suffer before he understands how to move past everything to acceptance and growth. He is trying, he is beginning, but has a very long way to go.
I've been close a few times in recent years. So, when I hear people threaten suicide, I know how real that threat can be.
That said, what do we do? How are we supposed to feel? Anger is definitely up there. Suicide spreads pain all over, so I'm angry that somebody would do that. But I understand hurting so much that you no longer care. This casts a pall over today.
We have to take a good, long, hard look at ourselves and decide we have value and reason to live. We have to work hard to be the best we can be. We have to put coping skills in place that will support us through this. I have found that the few times in my life I was down the most with suicidal ideation I had forgotten the afore mentioned points. I lost track of what I needed to do and allowed myself to cross the line. It just isnt necessary, it doesnt have to be.
Is she ok or not? Or do we not know, is there just internet silence? I never found out.