Connect
Mixed bipolar & Traumatic brain injury w/psychosis
I have been diagnosed with mixed bipolar (Type 1) with psychosis after a traumatic brain injury. And symptoms seem to be getting worse as time goes on.
An example of this is things trigger mania (and depression) a lot easier than they were when I was first diagnosed in 2018. The TBI was in March of 2016 (brain injury with coma). I am working and really struggling to keep things managed. It's so frustrating, they seem to be going well and then I find myself with more symptoms.
Most recently, I had prednisone trigger some psychosis, and I have been having issues with intractable pain, so there's depressive symptoms with that as well-most of the depressive symptoms are focused around pain. I have also got some manic symptoms as well. Having had a full manic episode and a depressive episode without the mixed, I think the mixed episodes are the most distressing.
The good part is that I am working-so I have good health insurance, so I am able to be followed regularly and by some really good providers that I would not have if I were still on disability (I was able to get off in 2019). Even so, it's still a struggle and the mixed episode I am having is happening more often-in 2023, I had to take FMLA twice, ten months apart. The ten month period in between was fairly stable. And it was the chronic pain that caused the second time I had to go on FMLA.
It's such a roller coaster it's almost hard to keep track of! Has anyone else experienced worsening of mixed bipolar, psychosis and/or mixed bipolar after TBI? How was it managed?
Thank you!
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Mental Health Support Group.
Connect
Sorry for your troubles. I'm also bipolar. It can make a wreck of your life. Although I played hockey and occasionally had my bell rung pretty good, I was never diagnosed with a brain injury.
It takes a lot of courage and force-of-will to grind away at a job when you're in the throes of a BP depression.
You have my admiration.
Wish I could offer sage words, but a hug sent your way through the ether will have to do.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 Reactions@catmomma I don't have a personal story to share other than I have two cats. One would sleep above my head on the pillow and the other would sleep on my lap all night if I let them into the bedroom. I've had more difficulty with sleep these days and so their movements during the night wake me up. So, I reluctantly close the door to the bedroom each night.
It's take tremendous effort and courage to live with Bipolar Disorder (Type 1) with psychosis and TBI. There are likely days when you feel like staying home from work but you go anyway. Do you have support from a spouse, friends, or family?
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionHi Catmomma,
I read yours and the other two. I’m sorry of your “mixed bipolar”. You said you had a TBI. You didn’t say what happened on your TBI. For me, I had a bicycle accident (falling down on a street as I was riding) that hit the front-top of my head. Close to die, but the last 12 years, reliving helped my brain, but I lost 80% gone in my mind.
Still you can word, good writing, good feeling of your problems, according you your name helps your family. You are upset your needs inside your mind/brain. But you know of what you need which is great cause to many others of a TBI kills their feeling, eating, going to their restroom, talking, reading. I’ve met other people who have a TBI, like me, and went to a 6 hr, M-F meeting to helped us to work at easy things. I did that 5 days then later on 3 days then my past of this was 1 day a week. I ended that as my brain was working more. Now, of course, I take ‘lots of meds controlling and helping to turn-off seizures in my brain. Physically is good & get a beer bottle now & then 😉
Well, take your time and maybe meet a mthly time with other TBI members; that mthly meeting usually are OK people and what they are doing that could help yourself.
Thx,
Greg D (/gregd052756 - it’s my ago born name —- uggg 😳)