Managing Bipolar Disorder

Hello friend,
I also struggle with all of the above. I rapid cycle frequently when unmedicated, meaning I'm manic one minute then suicidally depresses the next. This can happen for a couple of weeks to a few days to a few hours. The most important life changing thing I've done is to get a good provider and to find the right medication combination. It's absolutely changed my world. I'm regularly medicated, I'm religious about taking them. Vraylar and lemictal have been my magic combination. At the first signs of mania I take a three day dose of clonasopam (a benzo) to slow it down and it works a treat. It took about six months for my doctor and I to find what works so I would say get a good doc (this is so important as not all providers are good at what they do, my previous was less than helpful) and try and try and try until you find what works for you.
I also come from a community who do no take mental health seriously so I understand. My family behave as though it doesn't exist even though I've struggled with it from as young as my early teens and I'm forty two now. It's possible you may never get the acknowledgement from family, but that's okay, you know what you need to do for you.
I'm also fairly antisocial. I have a small group of people I seek support in more like affirmations. I say hey, I'm having a hard time, can you send me some good vibes because I could really use them. Then I get some supportive statement and I feel better. They don't have to understand, they don' t even have to know what I'm dealing with, just a little kindness helps.
If you are a creator, and many of us are, I'm a writer for instance, dig into your work. If you're manic and you haven't got a full hold on it, dig harder. It helps to channel your energy into something positive. If you are depressed take it hour by hour my friend. Sometimes that's just the way it is, you decide to survive and you know, absolutely know as this is your condition, that it will pass. I've attempted suicide twice so I understand the appeal of what I call self-mercy. The trouble is, you don't know what your life could become. Some beautiful thing could be right around the corner and you never would have known. Hold onto that idea. There is good to be had, this is manageable. Best wishes to you, you aren't alone in your struggle, always remember there are others just like you, myself included.

how to manage bipolar with delusions, connecting with reality?
I have bipolar with mania but I also suffer from delusions. When I'm well managed on meds I can usually logic myself out of them, but even still I struggle with what is real and what is imaginary. It leaves me feeling unsettled in my own life. If I'm actively believing my delusions I'm always waiting for my life to change whereas if I can accept my life as it appears to be in reality I can relax a bit. The trouble is my delusional world is so much grander than the one I live in. Anyone else struggle with this? And how do you maintain your hold on reality?

I have the same problem as you. I have schizoaffective disorder, and if I don't take my antipsychotic (Ariprazole)
I can invent another, much better reality. However, I can't function and perform my daily activities, so i don't have a choice. Ariprazole has unpleasant side effects, and I can't lose weight on it, but it does keep me functional.

That is the nature of bipolar. It can seem like a never ending cycle of lows to highs and back again. It is a challenging mental health diagnosis but there is hope. There is no one size fits all treatment because individuals are all different and because the ailment itself is a moving target. A professional provider can help with an accurate diagnosis and then work with the individual to develop a customized treatment plan. Components of this plan may include medication, therapy, support groups ….. a combination of things that best suits the individual’s needs.

I have bipolar. In 2015 I checked myself into a hospital and told the doctor I liked last time that I couldn’t manage my feelings and that it was the other way round. He prescribed me Latuda and things since then have been much better. I still get manic and depressed but I know that both phases are temporary, so they don’t last long thankfully. I myself have learned to hate drama and avoid it.

Hello, have anybody out there also have addiction problems with bipolar....

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after years of having a diagnosis of major depressive disorder, the couldn't figure out what I kept functioning at such a high level. Prior to that I was diagnosed with a substance abuse disorder (at that time I was simply an alcoholic and drug addict).

The one consistent thing was that alcohol and drugs (legal and illegal) made everything worse. Much worse!

A mental health diagnosis can not be made when one is I the throes of addiction. When my addictions were gotten under control I was able to begin psychotherapy and so began the best years of my life, thirty two of them. Regardless of why I started drinking after thirty two years clean and sober I picked up a drink. In ninety days I was on my way to prison.

Nothing good can happen until the addiction problems are addressed. If you are addicted to anything, alcohol, drugs, people, get help!

I now know I drank and drugged to avoid the depression I felt as a child and latter to deal with a medication driven psychosis, but this knowledge is useless as long as my addictions were active.

For me I am motived to stay well not so much by my own suffering but to make sure I don't cause anymore suffering to people I love. Whatever motivation you can find you taken a step by reaching out here. Maybe you can go to an AA/NA meeting. You will meet others who suffer as you do. You don't have to be clean and sober, you just have to have a desire to be.

One thing I had to be careful about was using my mental health disorder, substance abuse/depression/bipolar as an excuse for continuing to do what I was doing. After all if someone was suffering as much as I was they'd use too. That path just led me to more suffering.

I hope you find the peace you deserve.

Wow - thank you! Beautifully written and expressed!

I can almost see myself in your descriptions, though as far as diagnoses, I've not been diagnosed with anything further (yet) beyond "dysthymia". I am summoning the strength to continue to slog through the murky waters of the medical system to find a medical professional who will "see me" - truly - if only within their 10-15 min visit allotment - and assist me in making my internal life more fulfilling these days.

Just as of yesterday I had yet another invalidating experience with a doctor visit - this time, just an ENT doctor for long-term congestion, GERD issues. Without going into more detail, it is so consistently dehumanizing to meet with a doctor who has no time for detail, your lived experience (symptoms), let alone conversation/intelligent discussion about what may likely be going on. Instead you are spoken to with their back to you, symptoms dismissed, and they can't walk out the door fast enough.

But I believe my sister, who has struggled in ways you have - a suicide attempt, and other ways that I can only guess at - may have had a bipolar diagnosis along the way.

Thank you for communicating your journey - it really, really helps.

Best wishes...

@dfb

dfb is on target with one critical element of mental illness, when he shares about addiction.

Giving up addictions and facing one's deepest fears are part of the healing process.

Once you find the root cause of your mental illness and face that, the other aspects of healing your body, soul, and mind, of rebalancing your being, become a labor of love 💕

From the deepest place in my heart,
Joe L