There are several parts of bipolar disorder that can make you feel awful. The up feeling is called mania and the down feeling is called depression. The in-between part is a mix of both mania and depression and is called a mixed episode. Many people suffering from bipolar disorder say that a mixed episode is the worst. Then there are times when you may be episode free and feel pretty good.
During a manic episode you usually have tons of energy, are sometimes irritable, and often overly self confident. During a manic phase you may schedule more tasks than you can accomplish. Risky behavior is also a symptom of mania. You might spend too much money or experience an overly active sex drive – this is called hypersexuality. Your judgement recedes and you might make choices and engage in behaviors that put you at risk.
During a depressive episode you can feel very isolated and tired. You might feel slowed down, sad, and have changes in your sleep and eating habits.You may also have difficulty with memory and concentration.
Some people who suffer from bipolar disorder will also have psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions. If a person is hallucinating with bipolar disorder they will see or hear things that are not there. Grandiosity is common. Usually these symptoms happen during a severe manic episode but not always.
Approximately 6 million Americans have bipolar disorder. You could have bipolar disorder and not even realize it. For me, a diagnosis of bipolar disorder explained so many things in my life. If you suspect that you have bipolar disorder contact your doctor and ask for a referral to a good psychiatrist (pdoc). Pdocs are highly trained physicians well qualified to diagnose and treat bipolar disorder.
Question:
My friend just quit his job and is spending all his money. He stopped taking his medication. He has a plan to start a new international business but he doesn’t know the first thing about it. He isn’t worried about anything though. I’m sure that he is having a manic episode. Does a manic person believe that they are making good decisions and functioning well when they are manic? My friend is destroying his life and no one can talk him out of it. Is there anything that I can do or say to get through to him?
Your friend probably won’t be able to listen to you while he is manic. He’s feeling really good right now and doesn’t want those feelings to stop. He’s most likely convinced that he’s on the right path, is perfectly well, and is behaving and thinking correctly .
Feeling pretty cool and together is one of hallmark features of early mania for many people. In a manic state you feel so sharp and acute. You’re sure that you know everything and you are convinced that you can do anything. You have creative and grandiose ideas like starting a new business and/or maybe saving the world. Mania, especially euphoric mania is very addictive. It’s hard to give up once your enmeshed in it. Don’t bother arguing with your friend. I guarantee that he’ll have 10 counter agruments for every point you make.
Until he’s ready to help himself there’s not much you can do. Some people have to hit bottom pretty hard before they take their Bipolar Disorder seriously. It sounds like he will continue on his manic journey until it winds down on its own, or until he gets the help that he needs to stop the episode. Good luck to you and your friend.
Stress often plays a major role in making Bipolar Disorder worse. Stressful events can induce manic or depressive episodes or just make you plain miserable. Research studies suggest that controlling stress is one of the most powerful tools you can use to take control of your life. Developing skills to minimize the impact of stressors in your life will help you manage your illness more effectively.
Begin by identifying the stressor(s) that are causing you to feel unstable. Once you have identifed the stressor(s) you will want to start thinking about a strategy for resolving them. For example, imagine that you’ve been through a manic episode and you’ve charged tons of money on your credit card. You can’t pay your bill on time and you are worried about mounting debt and you also feel very ashamed about your behavior. First of all, feeling ashamed about behavior that occured when your frontal lobes were offline is not useful. Give that up. It won’t help you or anyone else.
Now, you are ready to prioritize the issues creating the stress and define the action steps needed to alleviate them. I find making lists to be very helpful. If you are unable to identify the stressor or prioritize the issues and define action steps to resolve the problem, then you may have some kind of barrier that is keeping you from doing so. Gather more information about the stressor and problem that has resulted from it. Continue to gather information until you understand it thoroughly. It’s quite all right to ask friends and family for help in removing barriers and clarifying issues so that you are able to know what steps you need to take to fix the problem and reduce the stress.
Create an action plan. In this example you might call the credit card company and ask them to work with you on a payment plan that will minimize interest payments and help you pay off your card over time. Another action you might take it to make sure that your credit limit is lowered to an amount that will not create a debt problem for you if you happen to max out your card again.
The steps in this stress reduction plan include: identifying the problem, deciding on a strategy for solving the problem, listing all the steps needed to implement your strategic solution, taking the steps you’ve outlined, and then evaluating how well your solution worked.
Another key to being able to do this is to drop all guilt for your behavior and take steps to move your life forward in positive ways while reducing stress. Doing these things can help ensure that you don’t end up repeating behaviors that wreak havoc in your life.
Normal is a setting on your washing machine!!!
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