Aa
recently diagnosed
i'm trying to learn to handle being bipolar needing friends to talk with & that can help me learn how to control things so it will not affect my family so bad
Welcome!
I'm not newly diagnosed, but I'm fairly new at actually accepting help for my bipolar.
You are definitely in a good place, there are a lot of knowledgeable people here who love to help :)
I'm not newly diagnosed, but I'm fairly new at actually accepting help for my bipolar.
You are definitely in a good place, there are a lot of knowledgeable people here who love to help :)
If u have any concerns or questions u are in the right spot. everyone is great here. I was diagnosed with o schizo effective disorder the worst form of bipolar I believe. feel free to write we me anytime Id lov to talk. It helps having friends who understand and u can find them here :)
I am new to the Genetic Disposition as well. I'm young, 17 years old and I survived a fatal crash on the way back from my senior yr. High School Spring Break. My left femur was fractured and every bone in my foot crushed. Out of the hospital the doctors sent me on my way with 345 mg Vicidine and other severe pain killers like Perkisets. These had a horrible effect on me and threw me into my first of many manic episodes... I was Baker-Acted by the ER one night after a bad rage. After a week invol. And three days of outpatient Therapy in a Mental Health instit. I found Jesus and investing all of my trust and faith into him and God, I've seemed to be happier than I have ever been in my life! I'm prescribed about 325 mg of Depakote and 1 mg Rispiridol. With a great Therapist and great Faith I have been able to proceed in my daily life.
Hi,
I'm a little further down the road, but was diagnosed a year ago. My advice would be to set yourself a goal to educate yourself over at least the next two years about Bipolar. As I found a lot of good information early on, but then had a lag and have now started educating myself again.
For me the number one thing that has helped has been using the mood chart here on the forum. I can't recommend it enough, I try to fill it in each day and spent the first couple of months just jotting down how I was feeling and not trying to work out what it all meant. In the journal section most of the time I normally only fill in a couple of sentences but I also try to make a point every now and then to write a brief story about part of my back history that I think might be useful to a psychologist. Best to do this only when you are in a stable mood as it can bring up some painful past memories. It's also important to be aware of not getting obsessed by it. By doing this though whenever I go to see my psychologist, she has a much better understanding of me and I don't have to spend my whole time trying to fill in a back story, drives me nuts. Also I found sometimes especially when I'm having an episode (which is when I normally need to see my psychologist) that it is harder for me to communicate, this helps with that as well. The other great thing is once it is down you can take the information to anyone else you think may need it as well, I've used the information for Doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, triathlon coaches, nutritionists everyone. I've even had some of them join medhelp and invited them as friends. I've set my journal articles to be so only friends can view them to keep the information private. Although I am seeing different people one thing I have found is that really the best person to manage this is myself as it is really only I that knows how everything feels on a day to day moment.
I had one psychologist give me a good book to read between visits, this I also found helpful as I didn't have to wait for another visit to find answers.
The next best thing that has worked for me has been getting involved in a team sport, any team sport will do, really look for one with a social aspect if you can. For me it was triathlon as I found swimming really really good at bringing me out of episodes, I'm not sure why it works but it just does, I feel like I've been baptised after going for a swim. I'm lucky as it has a great social aspect and the whole club even stays in touch on Facebook as well. The coach is aware of my condition but I'm yet to tell anyone else yet. If you do get into that you may even want to look at using the exercise and weight tracker also. Try to set a realistic long term goal as well, something to work towards. For me it was a triathlon a year after I joined the club. Most people when they start try to enter one the following week but I just set it for the following year and used the year to get well and if I was fit enough to do it when it came around great I'd do it but if not postpone it for the following year.
I guess what I'm trying to say is now that you know you are bipolar, use the next little while to work yourself towards getting as healthy as you can, but don't rush it, it really is a lot to take in that you are bipolar, and takes a while to adjust your mindset. But please understand this, you are no different today than who you we're the day before you were diagnosed, the only differnece now is now that you know, you are on the road to getting better and learning techniques that will assist you on your way. Sure there is still going to be set backs and rock n roll times.
The important thing to remember is to not be afraid to ask for help and support. On that note you may want to look at joining a support group as well.
I'm a little further down the road, but was diagnosed a year ago. My advice would be to set yourself a goal to educate yourself over at least the next two years about Bipolar. As I found a lot of good information early on, but then had a lag and have now started educating myself again.
For me the number one thing that has helped has been using the mood chart here on the forum. I can't recommend it enough, I try to fill it in each day and spent the first couple of months just jotting down how I was feeling and not trying to work out what it all meant. In the journal section most of the time I normally only fill in a couple of sentences but I also try to make a point every now and then to write a brief story about part of my back history that I think might be useful to a psychologist. Best to do this only when you are in a stable mood as it can bring up some painful past memories. It's also important to be aware of not getting obsessed by it. By doing this though whenever I go to see my psychologist, she has a much better understanding of me and I don't have to spend my whole time trying to fill in a back story, drives me nuts. Also I found sometimes especially when I'm having an episode (which is when I normally need to see my psychologist) that it is harder for me to communicate, this helps with that as well. The other great thing is once it is down you can take the information to anyone else you think may need it as well, I've used the information for Doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, triathlon coaches, nutritionists everyone. I've even had some of them join medhelp and invited them as friends. I've set my journal articles to be so only friends can view them to keep the information private. Although I am seeing different people one thing I have found is that really the best person to manage this is myself as it is really only I that knows how everything feels on a day to day moment.
I had one psychologist give me a good book to read between visits, this I also found helpful as I didn't have to wait for another visit to find answers.
The next best thing that has worked for me has been getting involved in a team sport, any team sport will do, really look for one with a social aspect if you can. For me it was triathlon as I found swimming really really good at bringing me out of episodes, I'm not sure why it works but it just does, I feel like I've been baptised after going for a swim. I'm lucky as it has a great social aspect and the whole club even stays in touch on Facebook as well. The coach is aware of my condition but I'm yet to tell anyone else yet. If you do get into that you may even want to look at using the exercise and weight tracker also. Try to set a realistic long term goal as well, something to work towards. For me it was a triathlon a year after I joined the club. Most people when they start try to enter one the following week but I just set it for the following year and used the year to get well and if I was fit enough to do it when it came around great I'd do it but if not postpone it for the following year.
I guess what I'm trying to say is now that you know you are bipolar, use the next little while to work yourself towards getting as healthy as you can, but don't rush it, it really is a lot to take in that you are bipolar, and takes a while to adjust your mindset. But please understand this, you are no different today than who you we're the day before you were diagnosed, the only differnece now is now that you know, you are on the road to getting better and learning techniques that will assist you on your way. Sure there is still going to be set backs and rock n roll times.
The important thing to remember is to not be afraid to ask for help and support. On that note you may want to look at joining a support group as well.
Hello i was only diagnosed a few weeks ago and I don't have any friends and I can't tell my family because I don't want them to treat me differently so if you need any one to talk to Im here, maybe we can share our experiences.
I would say educate yourself as much as you can on the disorder and also have a few people you trust to let you know when things are getting out of hand as mania can include a lack of insight into the disorder which can lead to all sorts of problems that you don't realize are happening such as the spending sprees as you described. I don't know if you have a lack of insight or not when this occurs but it can happen with some people.
i walked off the deep end in 2007 when my mom died all of a sudden but i always suspected there was some thing wrong with me .i had been to the best mental facitlty money could pay for they never told me anything ...i cause my husband to lose alot of very good jobs. i was spending money like water caused us to lose 2 homes many vehicles. in 2009 i almost caused my family to be homeless from spending sprees .
i have violent tendency i stay to my self a lot...so I'm learning to cope day by day .my family does not have anything to do with me so i have no support system .cause all of my siblings have some form of mental illness.
i have violent tendency i stay to my self a lot...so I'm learning to cope day by day .my family does not have anything to do with me so i have no support system .cause all of my siblings have some form of mental illness.
Hi there,
Welcome to the forum. I wanted to respond to your post because I'm in a very similar position having been diagnosed with BPII about two weeks ago - I've already had loads of support and great advice from the people on here who have years of experience in dealing with the condition.
So what's your story? I got diagnosed because I had a hypomanic episode, quit my job, spent loads of money I didn't have, stopped sleeping and drank myself stupid for six weeks - has something like that happened to you? If so I know it's scary, but after just a couple of weeks I'm starting to get a handle on the situation; I've left myself in a mess but I'm getting loads of help, and now I know what's wrong (I was misdiagnosed with with Seasonal Affective Disorder about six years ago) I've got somewhere to start from and can start getting my life back under control.
Message me if you want to talk about anything, or if you have any questions the people on this forum are really supportive. Do you know what type of BP you have, by the way?
Best wishes.
Welcome to the forum. I wanted to respond to your post because I'm in a very similar position having been diagnosed with BPII about two weeks ago - I've already had loads of support and great advice from the people on here who have years of experience in dealing with the condition.
So what's your story? I got diagnosed because I had a hypomanic episode, quit my job, spent loads of money I didn't have, stopped sleeping and drank myself stupid for six weeks - has something like that happened to you? If so I know it's scary, but after just a couple of weeks I'm starting to get a handle on the situation; I've left myself in a mess but I'm getting loads of help, and now I know what's wrong (I was misdiagnosed with with Seasonal Affective Disorder about six years ago) I've got somewhere to start from and can start getting my life back under control.
Message me if you want to talk about anything, or if you have any questions the people on this forum are really supportive. Do you know what type of BP you have, by the way?
Best wishes.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Bipolar Disorder Community
15 signs that it’s more than just the blues
Discover the common symptoms of and treatment options for depression.
We've got five strategies to foster happiness in your everyday life.
Don’t let the winter chill send your smile into deep hibernation. Try these 10 mood-boosting tips to get your happy back
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
