Comments for Bipolar Lifeline

Comment on Recovering from a Manic Episode by Luann

Luann — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:32:32 +0000

Hi Kelly,
I suggest that you call your doctor right away. It’s very insightful that you are aware that you are becoming manic and it gives you an opportunity to get help before you are so into it that you don’t think you need help. In my experience it doesn’t resolve quickly on its own.

Mania and hypomania are very seductive but you know ultimately how destructive mania can be on your relationships with family and friends. I’m not a medical doctor but it sounds like you may want to have your doctor work with you to adjust your lithium level a bit until your episode resolves.

I also did not do well with Seroquel and I had a terrible reaction to Lamictal. Glad lithium is helping. Don’t hesitate to call your doc.

Luann

Comment on Recovering from a Manic Episode by kelly

kelly — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:03:21 +0000

It’s nice today to read all the comments, needed it.
Been on lithium four months now, had allergic reactions to seroquel and lamictal- so just Li for me! And mood wise, its been ok- til today
Had first manic episode since starting drugs, am worried.
I don’t like how I acted, or what I said to family, but…
it was soo nice to think “like myself” again you know? Episode fueled by
distressing news, no food and massive amounts of caffeine.
But enjoyed getting ideas and plans again.
Debating calling doctor tomorrow, conflicted!
Anyone else ever feel this way?!

Comment on Bipolar Infidelity by nick

nick — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:38:50 +0000

Luann: Thanks. She is doing just great and has been well for a year and a half. Mild depression happens but nothing serious in the mania department since Summer of 2010. I think that one starts to recognize the sings of mania over time. She is such a good wife and mom again. I thank the good Lord that she is so dedicated to her treatment.

Comment on Recovering from a Manic Episode by Luann

Luann — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:25:23 +0000

Thanks for posting Dave. Hang in there – it takes time but you will recover. I’m sure your post will help others who are going through hypomanic and/or manic episodes. The more we share with each other the better.

Best wishes to you for a complete recovery and a GREAT life!

Comment on Recovering from a Manic Episode by Dave

Dave — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 06:32:35 +0000

Hi All,

Thanks for all the posts – this is a great resource – to be able to understand what happened to me last year to from others who have gone through a similar experience – at 43, I experienced my first ever hypomanic episode – this result in my losing my job and subsequently bringing about a changing in my accommodation situation. It has taken me quite a while to recover but am getting there slowly. Hearing others’ experiences really helps me on the road to recovery – hope it helps others too

Comment on Recovering from a Manic Episode by Luann

Luann — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:56:39 +0000

Hi Tim,
Thanks for your post. You sound like you are doing all the right things to be well again. Stay the course with your treatment. One researcher suggests that it take about a year for the brain to get back into its normal routine after an episode ends. I must be slow, because for me I could still feel some of the fog effects for a couple of years. But by 6 months I could think much more clearly and look back and cringe at some of the things I’d done while manic.

Comment on Recovering from a Manic Episode by Luann

Luann — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:51:57 +0000

Hi tcast,
Sorry to hear that you are having to recover from an episode. Lack of concentration, inability to make clear decisions, inability to plan, and social anxiety are all things that stayed with me for quite some time. The symptoms do lessen over time. Everyone is different though so what I experience will be very different from what you experience.

The best way to avoid or minimize the impact of another episode is to work with your pdoc and therapist to find the right combination of strategies and medications that help you stay stable. Best wishes to you on a speedy recovery.

Comment on Recovering from a Manic Episode by Tim

Tim — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:13:30 +0000

You describe the pressured feeling nicely. It is so hard to describe to the doctors. Whether outside or in a room full of people I feel like there is always something that needs to be done and I’m easily distrated. This is 5 months after a psychotic manic episode (my third hospitalization). And then the racing thoughts kick in and I obsess if I will ever feel better. The one nice thing about the disease (if there is one) if that once the doctors up the medications, and find the right one…all of a sudden within a few days the mind calms and I’m less distracted. My thoughts become more coherent and I can start to trust myself again. But it is a long road. I required 12 days in ICU and 5 months out of work in an out-patient setting. They tell me it will be another 6 months before my brain is fully healed.

Comment on Recovering from a Manic Episode by tcast

tcast — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:47:24 +0000

Hi, a couple of weeks ago I was going through a mized episode, it culminated into a dysphoric mixed manic episode and I had to be taken to the hospital. Currently I’m recovering from the fallout of major depression.

I’ve been experiencing so far lack of concentration, inability to make clear decisions, planning sucks, inability to pick up social cues or maintain concetration, social anxiety,etc. This is my major episode I do not want another one again.

I’m worried that there has been major damage that will be there the rest of my life or that some of these symptoms wont go away. Will these symptoms last forever?

Comment on Bipolar Infidelity by Luann

Luann — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 02:27:51 +0000

Nick, You write “She is blessed to have such a great therapist that can describe the dark half of mania and it’s horrible consequences.” I’d have to say that she is blessed to have you for her husband. Thank you for your inspiring comment.

Comment on Bipolar Infidelity by Nick

Nick — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 02:17:03 +0000

Many bipolar people don’t want to be described as hypersexual or obsessed with having affairs. They find it offensive to be stereotyped. However, just look up the topic on any internet search and you will find scores or stories that are so similar. I don’t know how different it is for the sexes but Kay Jamison PHD says that research indicates that bipolar hypersexuality seems to be a bigger part of womens’ mania. My wife has had Jekyll and Hyde like behavior over the last decade. I don’t even know her during mania. The loving wife and mother becomes a lying, unloving, selfish, discontent, irritable and hypersexual woman that is capable of child abandonment, stalking a potential lover, multiple infidelities, stealing, manipulation and obsession with finding a new life and new love. Her type of mania has lead her to depravity that I can’t really describe.
This harsh description of her mania is actually very kind. What would drive a woman tha loves her husband and kids so much when she is well to do some of the things she has done? I don’t know if it is simply because bioplar type 1 is much more severe than type 2 but my wife’s transformation is startling. She has been so determined to confront and beat mania for the last two years. Before that, she longed for the high during the first year of treatment. She was just going through the motions. The longer she has been on meds and in therapy, the more healing and restoration has taken place. She is such a beautiful person again and doesn’t want to lose herself ever again. She is blessed to have such a great therapist that can describe the dark half of mania and it’s horrible consequences. Some of the stories I read are even more heartbreaking than mine. Be patient and keep praying for miracles. God has answerd our prayers and he is a God of miracles.

Comment on Surviving a Manic Episode by Luann

Luann — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 22:59:30 +0000

Hi Frances,
I’m so sorry that you are going through such a tought time. Yes, I am lucky to have a supportive family and some resources. I wish I had some solid answers and could point you to some good resources. I often find helpful resources and get great ideas from people at http://www.bipolarsupport.org There are a lot of people there who have lots of great feedback and ideas for getting help. Hope that helps a bit. I also have a link to the forum on the front page of my site on the right hand side. A friend of mine uses an organization called NAMI http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=About_NAMI and finds helpful people and resources there as well.

Comment on Surviving a Manic Episode by Frances

Frances — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:55:45 +0000

You had a loving supportive family and income to get you through. What if you are alone and no income and you blew all of you savings on a manic episode? I have no income and no health insurance. Securing medical treatment is almost impossible. I am spiraling down a dark path, I need hope.

Comment on Bipolar Infidelity by Luann

Luann — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:00:07 +0000

It sounds like you are doing everything in your power to control the bipolar hypersexuality problems and the resulting chaos and pain that it causes you and others in your life. I wonder if perhaps a medication adjustment would provide more control of the intrusive thoughts?

I’m glad you have a supportive and understanding husband. Mine is really helpful and tries to point out when I seem to be behaving in ways that are out of character for me. Good to get it early if possible.

Comment on Bipolar Infidelity by lunajenn

lunajenn — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:10:28 +0000

I am bipolar and have been diagnosed for 10 years, and have been on medication constantly since I was diagnosed. Before I was diagnosed I did have episodes of hypersexuality which were totally uncharacteristic of my normal behavior. I got married to my husband 8 years ago and since then I have had a few episodes where I have become obsessed with another guy. For me there is an original thought that might spur the obsession, like, “I bet so and so would understand me better or know how to love me better”, but then the thoughts can become so intrusive that it is almost impossible to get them out of your head. Any random sign can be interpreted as a confirmation that these obsessive thoughts are true and valid. I can tell you I truly love my husband and I work so hard to keep these annoying thoughts out of my head and I still can’t. When the thoughts enter my head I try to push them out as soon as I can. The hardest part is trying to not act on them when it would be so easy to.
I begged my husband to take away my access to the money, that way I HAVE to talk to him about any major purchases. I don’t have access to more than about 40 or so free spending money at a time. It’s limiting, but so much better than all the guilt after making compulsive purchases. It’s a struggle each day, and that is on medication.

Comment on Bipolar Infidelity by Nick

Nick — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 10:55:09 +0000

A year and 8 months later after I postrf this, my wife has been veruy well and is more willing to try to prevent mania before it happens. Last August, she got manic and it was close to doing something terrible again. Family intervention worked after they noticed all of the historical signs and that she wanted to quit medication. She was able to overcome and our marriage is stronger today. This summer, she recognized that mania had happened 4 summers in a row and she asked her doctor to inrease her medication during these high risk months. It worked. I am so proud of her. Mental health reqires freedom of choice and she is making great choices these days.

Comment on Recovering from a Manic Episode by Luann

Luann — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:45:59 +0000

Hi Pete,
It took me quite some time for my brain to process information correctly after getting the mania under control. I hope you recover quickly and do well. I was 57 when I had my first major and very destructive manic episode. I’ve been mildly bipolar all my life but it became extremely difficult to deal with in my fifties. I was diagnosed correctly after the major manic episode. Working with my family and psychiatrist has made all the difference. I’m able to stay relatively stable for the most part. No other major manic episodes so far! But lots of little to moderate mood swings even on medication.

I don’t know why the anxiety seems so prevalent but it does with me as well, mostly when I have to deal with groups of people whether social or in a work situation.

Take care and know that there are many people out there who understand what you are experiencing.
Luann

Comment on Recovering from a Manic Episode by Pete

Pete — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 03:42:41 +0000

Thank you Luann and Josh for this exchange. I am recovering from my first full-blown manic episode at age 53. Very scary. It has been almost three weeks and I am now wondering why I am so anxious, particularly at the end of the day, and why I can’t write or type as easily. You remind me (as well as others with which I have spoken) as to how long “recovery” takes. I will be patient and give it “months” as Luann and others have told me. God bless.

Comment on Anxiety and Bipolar Disorder by Easy_Does_It

Easy_Does_It — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:29:36 +0000

Hi Dr. Peers,
That is an interesting theory. I wonder if any other major studies have been conducted and published in peer reviewed journals to support the studies that you cite from 1997. I’d like to also see more research reports supporting your idea that inositol and a low-fat diet rather than lithium is a better approach to controlling stress hormones and anxiety. I may do a literature review to see what I can find. Thanks for sharing your thinking.
Dr. Luann

Comment on Anxiety and Bipolar Disorder by Dr Rob Peers

Dr Rob Peers — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:31:17 +0000

Hi Dr Luann,

Thank you for your query. I deduced a causative link between fatty maternal diet and offspring anxiety, back in 1997, on finding a study on maternal diet and gestational diabetes (L Tapsell, 1997), and another study (B Metzger, 1997) describing introversion in the 7 year old offspring of such pregnancies. My scientist daughter suggested that diet-induced placental inflammation might allow maternal cortisol to reach, and epigenetically re-programme the foetal brain. Licorice does the same thing (D I Phillips). I already knew families where a calm, but fat-eating mother had produced anxious children. Fat-fed rat dams have offspring that binge-eat (S Liebermann; P Taylor). Dr E Sullivan, in Oregon, now reports anxiety in offspring of fat-fed monkey mothers. The epigenetic change reduces brain corticosteroid receptor expression (M Holmes, Edinburgh), which impairs negative cortisol feedback on the HPAA. This means chronic CRF-induced anxiety, which is blocked at serotonin 2A receptors, by Inositol (C Brink, 2004). Problem solved. One of lithium’s actions is to inhibit the enzyme GSK3beta (which may promote mania): increased GSK3beta activity is now known to be caused by stress hormones (S Buko, 2009). Low-fat diet plus Inositol will completely replace this outmoded guesswork drug, as a case report in Greece shows ( K Kontoangelos).

Comment on Anxiety and Bipolar Disorder by Easy_Does_It

Easy_Does_It — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 14:06:34 +0000

Hi Dr. Rob,
I watched one of your videos on YouTube and was interested in knowing how I can access the data that supports the theory of maternal fat eating during pregnancy causing a person with biolar genes to become bipolar? I searched several medical databases but could not find any articles on it. My husband is taking 2 gm of inositol a day based on suggestions by his psychiatrist. I very much hestitate to blame mothers for exacerbating bipolar disorder in their offspring by eating a fatty diet while pregnant. Any info you can point me to that supports this theory would be very welcome.
Thanks for posting.
Dr. Luann

Comment on Anxiety and Bipolar Disorder by Dr Rob Peers

Dr Rob Peers — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 21:38:38 +0000

Bipolar genes are for benign unipolar hypomania–like Teddy Roosevelt. They do not cause anxiety. What causes co-morbid anxiety is fatty maternal diet in pregnancy–or even high maternal licorice intake. The genes, which go with creativity and energy, do not cause bipolar unless there is the above anxiety, and personal fatty diet, too, makes a huge contribution, by inflaming the brain. Any bipolar who goes on a very low-fat diet–including CHOCOLATE avoidance–will soon feel better. But if they have the anxiety, they will need Inositol supplement, 5 gm or more a day. This fixes anxiety fast. If you can’t find it, drink lots of citrus juice, and eat plenty of whole grain cereals, nuts, and legumes. Guaranteed to work.

Comment on Monitoring Bipolar Episode Warning Signs by Luann

Luann — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:39:34 +0000

Hi Tina,
When I suddenly decided to leave my husband, take up with someone I didn’t even know well, lease an apartment in Seattle, and file for divorce stating that my husband could have everything the houses, boat etc. Now that’s not me!! We’ve been married for over 30 years and are very dedicated to each other.

But it wasn’t until afterward – working with my doctor that I realized the extent of my illness and that I’d need to work hard to control it the rest of my life. My hubby and I just take life a day at a time now and that seems to work.

I think your sister may need to hit bottom before she becomes concerned enough to seek help. Denial is a huge part of bipolar disorder. 1974 is quite a while ago.

There is a theory that the longer you leave the illness untreated the worse the episodes become over time and the harder it is to treat it. That’s the kindling theory.

There was not one “ah ha” moment and it took others to get me the help I needed. Looking back now it all makes sense and explains a lot in my past.

Hope your sister is able to recognize her illness and see someone who can provide proper medical help.
Luann

Comment on Monitoring Bipolar Episode Warning Signs by Tina

Tina — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:05:16 +0000

Luann, My sister was diagnosed (and hospitalized) back in 1974. I believe she has to admit she’s sick before she can begin to do what you’ve described here on this wonderful post. Can you recall any ah ha moments where you finally saw what was going on?

Comment on Bipolar Disorder and Memory by Luann

Luann — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:15:48 +0000

Alan and Shattered Soldier,

I’m super clear and alert and in control when I’m manic. In fact I can convince most people to go along with my seemingly brilliant ideas. I’m not proud of this.My memory seems worse when I’m depressed but it’s always hazy. Every day is a new day!!!

My brain looks good in MRI imaging too but something is not right and I’m hoping that medication help. So far, I don’t think it is making it any worse.

Comment on Monitoring Bipolar Episode Warning Signs by Luann

Luann — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:10:47 +0000

Hi Tina,
I just started dealing with my bipolar illness at age 55 so there is hope for your sister. I didn’t have a clue as to what was wrong until I experienced a major manic episode. Now that I look back I can see that I’ve had this all my life and that over time it has progressed. I only wish I’d been able to understand what was happening and have a diagnosis much earlier in life.

Luann

Comment on Monitoring Bipolar Episode Warning Signs by Tina

Tina — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 11:18:23 +0000

I appreciate your article as I continue to wonder if my sister after 40 years denying she’s bipolar, will ever take the step to own & manage her illness.

Comment on Bipolar Disorder and Memory by Shattered Soldier

Shattered Soldier — Wed, 25 May 2011 05:12:06 +0000

My memory was also pretty bad even before I started medications. The only times when my memory clears up is when I’m super-manic. I also had an MRI done by a neurologist (for headaches, not memory problems) still, he found absolutely nothing wrong with my brain. This leads me to believe that the problem is either chemical or microscopic in nature.

Thank you so much for writing such a comforting blog that will hopefully decrease the worry that a lot of people have concerning memory and bipolar disorder.

Comment on Bipolar Disorder and Memory by Alan

Alan — Sat, 21 May 2011 16:37:25 +0000

I thought I was the only one. My memory issues started when I started taking Topamax. I am on a different med now and still have problems. Made me wonder if it is the BP and not the meds or a combination of them.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Comment on Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy by Luann

Luann — Sat, 07 May 2011 02:07:37 +0000

Hi Elizabeth,
Thanks for posting your message on my site about Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy. I don’t have any contacts for you in the Toronto area. I would recommend contacting your daughter’s psychiatrist and asking for names of people he or she would recommend. If your daughter’s physician does not have a specific name for you – they should be able to point you to therapists who would be able to put you in contact with an IPSRT therapist. Perhaps your daughter’s CBT therapist knows of someone in your area.

Good luck. I wish you and your family well.
Luann

Comment on Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy by Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Sat, 07 May 2011 00:09:07 +0000

Our family is very interested in finding a therapist in Toronto, Ontario
who offers IPSRT. This whole area has come to our attention as supporters of a daughter who is Bipolar, but who has responded very well to medication and other CBT’s, but who needs to have this more direct approach to feeling healthier and less anxious. Any name suggestions in Toronto, Ontario, would be extremely helpful.

Best regards,
Elizabeth

Comment on Research on Strategies for Managing Bipolar Disorder by Luann

Luann — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:52:35 +0000

Thank you for your comment Dr. Miller. I’ve just ordered your book and I’m looking forward to reading it.

My dissertation was about using self management strategies along with other instructional techniques to help young writers improve their writing skills. We found that self management and self monitoring of progress was extremely motivating for participants and writing quality improved significantly.

Comment on Dr. John Geddes on Bipolar Disorder by Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:37:28 +0000

Excellent video and talk about bipolar. Dr. Geddes is outstanding and his work and research well respected. Thanks for posting his talk.

Comment on Research on Strategies for Managing Bipolar Disorder by Dr Liz Miller

Dr Liz Miller — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 08:29:42 +0000

Excellent post – self management works! I have been off medication and living a happy healthy life for the last ten years thanks to omega 3 fish oils and self management strategies

I have just published a book, describing those strategies MoodMapping by Dr Liz Miller, available from Amazon

Comment on Recovering from a Manic Episode by Luann

Luann — Sat, 22 May 2010 02:09:00 +0000

Hi Josh,
I’m sorry that you are going through the hell of gettting over a mixed episode. In retrospect it took me 4 months to get to a point where I could make good decisions and not feel constant dread, anxiety, and intrusive thoughts when trying to go to sleep. It took upping my Lithium and adding others (Seroquel) just for a short time so that I could get to a point where my prefrontal lobes came back online and I could think and actually write again. In one book I read, it actually described how during an episode your prefrontal cortex stops working. That’s the executive in your head who helps you make decisions and monitors your information processing.

It is a horrible disease but I have to admit that I’ve been most productive at work and in grad school when hypomanic – that is of course – until it got out of control (as always) and I crashed and burned. Not a good strategy for managing the disease. I can’t imagine how many episodes I’d have to endure if I went off lithium. It doesn’t stop them but it helps manage the extremes when they happen. I’ve tried Lamictal and other meds but lithium works well for me.

Hope you are able to think straight again soon. Give yourself some time and be kind to yourself. Thanks for checking in. I wish you all the best.

Luann

Comment on Recovering from a Manic Episode by Josh

Josh — Sat, 22 May 2010 00:13:36 +0000

Thank you for reminding me how long it takes. I had a mixed episode this month that lasted for only two weeks and only because of the lithium intervention. I’m back at work (graduate school) wondering why I can’t think straight after 4 hours. Is it the lithium? Maybe, but I think it’s the fact that my episode was over only last weekend.

This is a horrible disease we share, and I’m tired of the somewhat false association (in my opinion) of bipolar disorder to creativity and genius. More like anguish, fear, and misery.

Comment on Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy by admin

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 16:46:11 +0000

Hi Terese,
I’m sending you a private email with some ideas for connecting with a Seattle area cognitive or ISRT psychologist.

Please check your email.

Comment on Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy by Terese

Terese — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:32:25 +0000

Could you please give me a few people in Seattle, Washington that are offering ISRT as well as cognitive therapy for my son whom is 19 diagnosed as bipolar/schizo-affective.

Thank you!

Comment on Birds of a Feather by Jason

Jason — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:37:51 +0000

I’d have to agree that there is something to selecting a partner with bipolar. My wife and I found out later in life that we both have bipolar disorder and we had no idea until several years after we were married. It was totally unconcsious on both our parts but definitely not coincidental I think. We are both artists with emotional temperaments and were drawn to each other’s strong personalities and eccentricities.

Comment on Mood Check In by Luann

Luann — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:01:35 +0000

Greetings Dr. Miller,
Good to hear from you again. I’m not quite as optimistic about not needing drugs to help control my bipolar 1 disorder. I’m very open to using self management techniques like mood mapping because I know that self monitoring helps tremendously. My experience with this disorder is that no matter how well I take care of myself, I find that I need lithium to keep me from going to extremes in mood states. For me, it’s not just mood swings or problems in life that need fixing – for me it is clearly brain chemistry. Perhaps the strategies you talk about help with chemistry. Your book has shipped and I’ll read it as soon as it gets here.

You might want to check out Giana’s site at: http://bipolarblast.wordpress.com/ It’s now called Beyond Meds. Giana spent the last several years blogging her experience about getting off of psych meds and she now focuses on other ways to keep her BP under control. Her site has won numerous awards and she has a lot of web traffic. I’m sure she’d be interested in hearing about your book.

Thanks for posting,
Luann

Comment on Mood Check In by Dr Liz Miller

Dr Liz Miller — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:50:01 +0000

I think that anyone with bipolar disorder or living with someone with bipolar disorder needs to understand “Mood”

Mood has two parts, energy and well being – which gives four basic moods
High energy, positive wellbeing = Active
High energy, negative wellbeing = Stress

Low energy, positive wellbeing = Calm
Low energy, negative wellbeing = Exhaustion and depression

Once you can map your moods, you can start to work out why you feel that way, and start to use strategies to change the way you feel.

Moods are there for a reason – to tell us how we feel and why we feel that way. If you have “bad moods”, you have problems to solve, not a drug deficiency disease!

Mapping your moods means you can start getting strategies in place to manage your moods effectively – without the need for drugs!

Comment on New Personality Disorder by Luann

Luann — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:43:21 +0000

Hey Shake,
Good to hear from you. Feel free to write articles for this blog anytime.
E
a
s
y

Comment on Bipolar Infidelity by Luann

Luann — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:32:23 +0000

Hi Nick,
Thanks for sharing your experience and your philosophy. Your approach sounds like it combines both Joe and Stephen’s. You have empathy but you won’t allow yourself to be hurt again. I think that’s a fair and humane approach. I wish you and your wife all the best.

Sincerely,
Luann

Comment on New Personality Disorder by Nick S.

Nick S. — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:32:15 +0000

Nice job easy- it certainly looks
a lot better than when I wrote it.
There have got to be other ways
of getting this to the world at
large… I’ll see what I can think of

Comment on Bipolar Infidelity by Nick

Nick — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:42:31 +0000

Being a surviving husband of a similar but less severe story to that of Stephen’s, I’d have to say that (like me) Stephen has a codependency problem. Look it up on any psych web site, Stephen. I’ll bet ya a $100 that you fit the bill to a T! Read Dr. Dobson’s book, “Love Must Be Tough.” I forgave my wife and we are giving it a real deal attempt to save our marriage and family. We have 4 kids and she is the love of my life but for the last 8 to 10 years, she was obsessed with another life with her old highscholl boyfriend that she stalked and wanted to have an affair with. She frequented internet sex hook-up sites and almost had an affair with a stranger. She had cyber sex with another bipolar man and ended up leaving me and our 4 kids to have an affair with him and start a new fantasy life. Believe me, this guy is nobody to be jealous of but my wife obsessed over him and had several sexual encounters with him and at least one other guy while she was gone for 4 and a half months in another state. Following two hospitalizations for mania, it took months of meds and counseling before she became stable and now she can’t believe she did any of this. I have to say that we have been together for 20 years and what she did was insane and totally inconsistent with her real self.. She is educated and intelligent but this disorder does not care. I can tell you for a fact that I do not intend to but up with infidelity or obsessions that would lead to infidelity ever again. I could not stand that kind of pain again. It sounds like Stephen would.

Comment on Bipolar Infidelity by Anon

Anon — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:18:10 +0000

Mania & hypersexuality are real, but I don’t know how to handle either. It’s not something that I can control easily. Take my meds and watch for triggers is what I do. Sometimes it works.

Comment on Bipolar Infidelity by Luann

Luann — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:25:40 +0000

This is a tough topic to deal with. Its drawn alot of attention on the blog and several people have written harsh comments that I’m not comfortable posting. Please remember that people with Bipolar Disorder are not able to judge their behaviors when in the throws of a severe manic episode. And we are not lazy or immoral, nor do we use our disorder to justify or excuse bad behavior.

Comment on Bipolar Infidelity by Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 06:39:18 +0000

Interesting. Having been involved in several manic episodes that have involved hypersexual behaviour, I’d have to say that both Steve and Joe combined would be the best approach for me.

Comment on Bipolar Infidelity by Anon

Anon — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:02:28 +0000

I think Stephen’s wife is very lucky. He is very understanding and devoted and willing to work through the manic periods

Comment on Bipolar Infidelity by Bipolar Guy

Bipolar Guy — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:50:21 +0000

I’m with Joe. NO way would I put up with what Stephen is putting up with. No Way. See you on the BPS forum. Like your blog.