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Although we have plenty of topics in mind and plans for future content, we would like to provide the content that you, visitors to the Bipolar Blog, would like us to cover. We invite you to post questions or describe issues you would like us to cover. Due to time constraints, we may not be able to answer all questions individually and we cannot offer specific medical advice or counseling, but your questions can help us determine which areas we need to focus on. Please post your question. We will try to select at least one question per week to answer.
August 17th, 2007 at 3:02 am
good evening. I have had bi polar for a time now but just been diagnosed . have been in the hopital many times phsy ward. lost my job after working 27 years sales.back in 2004 and havent worked since. used up my 401k money to try new carrer shot down on both trys. kicked out for no show from school. missed family funerals. I am going for a psycological exam at the end of august for ssdi. I am not sure if I am crazy. should I go back to work or try. I just dont know what to do. my doctors dont seem to be helping Is there any body out there who has felt this way. am i just making this up my mind is boggled. thank you
August 25th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
Kevin, I find that the place in my brain that is bipolar-affected is the same place that seems to want to talk me out of my illness.
Those things that you feel and described so well in your post on August 17, 2007 (at 3:02 am when you probably couldn’t sleep)….the things that you said in that post: “I am not sure if I am crazy,” and “Am I just making this up?” are the same things that many people with this disorder feel. The bipolar brain analyzing itself is always a noisy circus act.
Before you can move forward and make life changing decisions about whether to continue to work or whether to apply for social security disability instead, you need to find the truth about yourself. Only you know for sure if being bipolar renders you unable to work. No doctor can tell you whether or not you can or cannot work because everyone with this diagnosis is different. Many of us can work successfully by tweeking things to compensate for medications’ side effects, and other challenges which are unique to us as bipolar individuals. Many of us can work but then stop working due to things that happen in our lives which are directly consequential of being bipolar. Everyone is different.
“The truth will set you free,” is a powerful statement that can be applied to any situation in life. If you start by taking your own personal inventory of your life and of your work history, you will find patterns and sequences of living that will help you to remember why being bipolar is considered a “disability.” We all have to grab onto that reality and not forget it…..then, ask ourselves, “Can I function successfully WITH this disability in a work environment?” It’s quite possible that you cannot, and that’s okay. If you can work, that’s okay too. There isn’t any right answer, only the truth to be found, your truth - not mine or someone else’s. Finding the truth isn’t always easy, especially when we are looking for it within ourselves with a brain that is bipolar. But finding that truth is possible, and when you find it, that’s where you will find your freedom, your answer to this question.
Try to walk out on what you think is the truth about yourself and see what happens. If you are wrong, you can choose the opposite. Either way you will learn much about yourself and be closer to finding the peace that we all who are dealing with double-mindedness (bipolar disorder) seek so desperately. All the best to you.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:43 pm
hi this is david from manchester if u have read my story u will know i am struggleing i am not on meds as one sends me down the other up they never seem to keep in the middle anybody got any ideas as for the above questions i to keep thinking am i making this up its like writeing about
somebody else not myself it gets harder to keep from losing ur sanity
i have to cut my self of from all out side stimulus to try and controll
my emotions some times it works only the problem with this
is u miss out on life .kind regard david
January 4th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Hi, David–
You need to find a psychiatrist who has experience treating bipolar disorder. You may need a combination of medications to stabilize your moods–a mood stabilizer to treat the manic side and an antidepressant to treat the depressive side. Unfortunately, it can take some time for the medications to have the desired effects and for your body to adjust to them. Trying to deal with mania and depression without the aid of medications can be too great a burden for anyone. Please get professional help. If one doctor doesn’t work out for you, find another.
January 4th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
hi thanks for the reply joe i should of said i hsve seen two psychiatrists
both who wounld not commit them self is the ocd causeing the moods or moods causeing the thoughts so i took it in to my own hands changed
docs and got referred to the clinic of effective disorders thats where afer a medical blood tests and three hours of questions they came up with bipolar 2 stroke 1 and ocd possable borderline counld it get any worse
i have tried all ssri meds most give me hypomania like i said the trouble is
when i take carbamazapine or depakote they stop most of the hypomaniia
but make me feel totaly stress anxious and agressive with the kids that when i panic and drop them and as u know if u come of something that brings u down u fly back up twice as strong they gave me seraquel to calm me and help me they made me even moore stressed and depressed
so if they cant calm me what can it seems so simple to me give me
lamical with the carbamazapine as i have been adviced to stay of ssri meds
but the british nhs service doent widely use this like the states and he wouldnt give it to me so like i said here i am at quare one loony toons .
any similar experiances like this would be greatfuly shares
kind regard .david
January 16th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
hi david again first of all sorry for mailing so many posts
as u know i am on no meds at the mo and want to start the carbamazapine
and zolft that the doc as now given me but i am to scared as each of these meds sends me either way on there own also the question the question i wanted to ask was the syptoms of bipolar2 from what i have read account for the ups and downs even the parania but why do i feel like a child in a adults body all the time unable to cope with my emotions or unable to express my self one moment ok with poeple then nasty with them like its all there fault i am like i am im 39 and i act emotionaly like i am ten some times is this common with bipolar 2 and anxiety or could it be somrthing else any insight would be grateful kind regards david
January 17th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
David–Has your doctor tried you on Lithium? My wife just started taking carbemazapine and that seems to be working well for her, although she says she’s been feeling a little tired and achy. Trouble is, she might have the flu. Sometimes when you might think the medicine is the problem, it could be something else.
Not sure what to tell you about the rapid mood shifts. I think maybe some of the irritability and anxiety you can feel during a mixed mood episode can lead to sudden shifts. I’m glad to hear that you are working with your doctor and wish you the best.
February 15th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
hi joe can i ask u a question if im not feeling up i feel down and i can stop blameing my partner for my problems it all her fault for holding me down or its her insecureity thats the problem did it effect ur partner like that
i hope u dont mind me asking just looking for some advice to why i blame her for everything also when ur partner took lithium and now shes taking carbamazapine did they or do they make or feel deprested at first
as thats the reason im finding it hard to stay on them thanks for hereing
me out joe i ask ur advice because myself and my partner are most
likeley at the stage u and ur partner was when u was thinking about splitting up like u say weather its the kids we love each other or we just couldnt take that sort of turmoil we are sticking it out sorry if the question
was to personal will under if so kind regards dave
February 15th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Hey, David–
I can’t tell you and your partner whether you should stay together or split up. Cecie and I decided to stay together, and from my perspective looking back, I think we made the best decision for our family. I do think it is a mistake to split up when moods are cycling. You can’t possibly make a rational decision when the moods are getting in the way.
I would say treat the disorder and make sure the moods are stabilized and then meet with a relationship counselor to hash out any issues that remain. Trying to work on issues when one person in the relationship is manic or depressed and not thinking clearly can be counterproductive.
I’ve found that when Cecie’s moods are cycling, we often get into arguments and she tends to find fault with me. When her moods are stabilized, the faults she saw in me magically disappear. I haven’t changed, but her perception of me becomes much more negative when she is feeling manic or hypomanic. Treating the disorder first removes it from the equation. Then, if she still finds fault with something I’m doing or not doing, we know it is a real issue we need to resolve and not something drummed up by the disorder.
Hope this helps. Remember, I have no qualifications as a doctor or therapist. I’m just a regular Joe speaking from my experience.
February 19th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
hi joe it isbecause u are speaking from experience that i find ur advice so helpful pdocs are great at dishing out meds but to hear what u have to say
as a person on the receiveing end of bp and to hear the syptom that ur wife as makes me realise i am not alone in the way i feel in this illness
and also makes me realise how my partner must be feeling and ur right
when i feel calmer all those arguments and irratations with har do go away
that the most frustrating thing one min im great with her then the next everything she does anoys me thanks for hearing me out again joe
and hope we can chat again i have tried bp advice sites but find them hard to do when i cant concertrate this site is so easy to use kind regards david
April 17th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Do you think a combination of different herbs can cure any form of bipolar disorder and if so what are those herbs?
April 17th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Hey, Robert–
In Chapter 9 of Bipolar Disorder For Dummies, we discuss a host of alternative treatments for bipolar disorder, including ECT, light therapy, vitamins & minerals, and herbs, used alone and in conjunction with traditional forms of medicines and therapies. For example, some people claim that St. John’s Wort is useful for treating the depressive pole in bipolar disorder. (Of course, unfortunately, like most other antidepressants, St. John’s Wort also increases the risk of triggering a manic episode, especially in someone who has bipolar disorder.)
Dr. Fink will need to weigh in on this herself. (She’s extremely busy right now.) However, there is no magic herbal brew that I’m aware of. Substances like omega-3 fatty acids may have some benefit for some people; vitamins, minerals, and herbs may be effective in reducing symptoms of bipolar, mania, or both in some people; but there are potentially serious risks in trying these alternative treatments.
The most important advice we provide in our book and on this blog is to consult your primary care physician or psychiatrist (whoever is in charge of managing your bipolar medications) before adding any herbs or other substances (including “all natural” ingredients) to your medication cocktail. Any additions could be dangerous.
April 21st, 2008 at 5:56 pm
My 4 year old son was diagnosed with bipolar about six months ago…he is currently on seroquel and the doctor added lithium today. I am scared that my baby has to be on these medications at such a young age and I am wondering if there is anyone out there with children (or yourself) taht started these meds so young.
Thank you for any feedback.
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Hi, Danielle–
You may want to read Dr. Fink’s article “Bipolar Disorder Overdiagnosed in Children?.” Of course, I’m sure Dr. Fink would not want you to apply the general observations she makes in that article to your situation or the diagnosis of your child. These are general statements based on trends she has observed in her field. She fully understands what parents struggle with in such situations and is careful to avoid causing further anguish by making parents “doubt” the diagnosis. I refer to the article only because I think you may find the information useful.
If you haven’t gotten a second opinion on the diagnosis and the medications being prescribed, that may be a good idea. I know, these second opinions can be expensive, in time, energy spent, and money, but having a second opinion could place your mind more at ease about the diagnosis and what your son’s current doctor is prescribing.
I would be careful to question any “medical” advice that you might receive online that tries to guide you on your specific situation, even advice you might pull up on the Bipolar Blog. Discuss your concerns with your son’s doctor, and if you are still concerned, seek a second or even a third opinion.
I wish you and your son the best.
May 5th, 2008 at 12:28 am
Okay, my neighbor has no family left anymore, I have tried to help but I can’t be the nurse or doormat anymore. She has had all the drugs, rehab, pscychiatrists(many…all with a different drug) Where can these people go for help when there is no one to take care of them anymore?