Topic : 08/01 Extreme Highs and Lows

I'm a mother with 2 wonderful children ages 7 and 15 both with BP.  The lady on the show today really touched a cord inside of me that I still hours later am having trouble not crying over.  She was what my fear is for my 15 year old daughter.  My daughter is BP1 and responds and reacts in just the same fashion as the lady on the show.  My daughters BP is made worse due to the fact of being a teenager but as I watched this woman's rapid rage cycling it was sooo like my daughter.  This could be my baby is 5, 10, 20 years.  This is what I'm fighting daily to prevent for her because the system doesn't understand and neither will her future children.  She cycles just like this now with no control once she is "triggered".  I recently had to lay an ultimatumn on her to not hurt her 7 year old brother anymore or she will be out of my house.  I cried so hard as I watched this part of the show mainly because this was my worst fear placed in front of my eyes.  I've been trying to say to other people just how worried I am about my daughters future but no one seemed to "get" it.  This was what the future could hold for my daughter and it scares, saddens, and worries me to no end.   

  

People need to remember that everyone is different.  How you are is not how someone else is.  I was reading down some of the responses and it seems to "some" are forgetting that fact.  Please remember to not judge how someone else is reacting to the same illness that you have or reacting in a different way then you are.  We are all individuals and special in our own ways.  The woman on the show showed great courage to come and open herself up to everyone and their possible rejection or critism.  I can understand her frustration with the meds and mental health system because in all reality for her maybe nothing has worked.  This could be due to several reasons and hopefully now she will get the much needed help that she is seeking.  I say good luck to her.  I just wish that the brain scan tests that she will probably be having were available all over the country so that people could get on the right meds without the guess work that is used today.  This is coming from a mother of a child that can't take most of the standard drugs that are used today. 

I feel about like you do.  I wasn't diagnosed till after I had given birth to both of my children and my depression had got severe.  I work,  go to school part-time for now and I am a good mother/wife.  I take my meds and I can honestly say I can't relate with the people on todays show.  Even some of the chat-rooms I go to I really feel like I don't belong there because I am not as severe as they are. I feel like I might be able to offer them some help of some kind but to actually relate 

I really wish there would of been different levels of people suffering from BP.  Sometimes people just get stuck in the drama or the worse case.  Maybe he should of done a 2 hour round table show and started at the bottom (depression) and worked their way to the top (worse case of BP) 

It just always seems that I don't know where I fit in at.  At first I have Severe Depression,with Bipolar, just a touch of OCD, of course this all blends together and gives me the Personality Disorder!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I completely understand your frustration.I have an 8yr old daughter diagnosed with bi-polar .She has been taking medication for this since the age of 5yrs .I have the same problems with her as you do with your son.normal every things that have been a routine since very young are all out battles when asked.Some times I get lucky and she will comply willingly. Most of the time it`s an all out battle that last for an hour or so. I dread the days that she is off school .School is the only break that I get from the constant arguing and fighting .I`m so stressed  and mentally worn out by the end of the day . The stress of the day and the anxiety of knowing that tomorrow will be the same keeps me awake at night .I`m exhausted to say the very least !! She is on a good medication that has worked well for her up to this point .When the season changed from summer to fall I noticed her starting to slip. I figured that she was going through a phase and waited for it to pass. It never passed . Her emotions kept spiraling down .The mg has been raised twice in the past month from25mg to 30, now 40. I could see progress with the 30 but it`s just not enough.Hopefully the 40 will do the trick. The name of the medicine is abilify. She is also on strattera for her adhd . I know from experience with different meds  such as the one that your son is taking, it takes time for it to build up in the system. A good 3 to 4 weeks before you notice the full effects. You might consider taking him to phyco therapist ,some one who can help him learn to manage his emotions in a more positive way . Hang in there.

I only saw part of today's show and read a bit on this site..It really bothers me when I see shows about this..I was diagnosed as bipolar II after a breakdown in 1996.  I lived in an abusive marriage but had always suffered with depression that I took medication for.  Depression runs in my family but nobody has manic depression.  I was told that trauma could have been the reason I switched from just depression to bipolar.  I have been on so many meds I can't even count.  I was told by several Drs. that each person with this disorder differs from one person to the next.  I have never been violent  or had any psychotic episodes.. No voices No dillusions..From my understanding through my Dr.  someone with bipolar II mainly suffers from deep depression with maybe one or a few manic episodes as far as the so called "highs"..The only time I recall being on the "high" side was when I was up with no sleep for about 5 days and was extremely hyper .  As soon as that ended I went into a black hole so deep I thought I would never see the light.. For 2yrs I was having med changes and visits to the hospital..of course I would go off my meds which is the norm for most of us.  I have racing thoughts..hard to describe exactly wish I could describe it..supposedly that is considered manic.  I am now on 2 meds  Lamictal and Seroquel and have been stable for at least 6 yrs..I no longer go off of my meds.  .. And yes Seroquel is an antipsychotic..that is what I take for the racing thoughts to keep them under control so I can think straight .  I am now divorced and have been for almost 7yrs..As far as my family suffering from my illness ..it was difficult for all of them knowing there wasn't anything they could say or do to bring me out of the darkness and the worst time for them was my attempted suicide..I was a stay at home mom and for the first 6mths after my diagnoses my sister moved in with my ex and I and took care of me and my kids..I was such a zombie from all the meds that I took back then.  I couldn't relate to the show today because of the rages and dillusions and when there are shows about bipolar disorder whether it be bipolar I or bipolar II I think people need to know that we are not all alike ..that we can function normal again when the right meds for each individual is found.  I don't hide the fact about my disorder ..I hate the fact that I have it but  feel no shame from it anymore.  I work full time and have a "normal" life ..lol.. meaning that anyone that met me and got to know me not knowing that I have this mental illness would never know unless I told them..I can't relate to everyone with this awful illness but I do want people to know that it may take time but life can be good again with the right meds .  I do need to say that even though I am doing well ..there are certain life circumstances that still cause some depression but nothing like what I used to have..now it only lasts a few days and I can function because the depression isn't that black hole anymore.  There is hope!

You sound like a wonderful person able to acknowlege your problem. Sometimes those with the problem won't turn to the family as you have done.  Our family member denies having any problems, so therefore, as Dr. Phil says, " A problem can't be fixed until or unless it is identified and accepted by the person."  I know my quote is wrong, but you get the point.  It is absolutely wonderful that you know you have this problem, and it is wonderful that you have a family supporting you.  The very best to you, and I will think good thoughts for you as well.  God Bless you and your family, and I think you will do well, as you have such an open communication regarding your problem and a loving family that is with you as well.  You need to keep that communication going with your family and bless them for loving you so much. Good luck and God bless.

Thank you, Dr. Phil for today's show.  I am 35 years old and was recently diagnosed Bipolar II.  On the show, the folks from Brain Matters said that brain trauma can trigger the onset of bipolar.  I was wondering, can family tragedy trigger it?  My mother passed away last March from cancer, my best friend at the age of 36 also passed away from cancer in July, and my grandfather passed away in August.  I was only sleeping about 15 mintues a night (and did not miss the sleep at all), my job became extremely stressful and my life was spinning out of control.  I was becoming very vulgar towards co-workers and friends.  I kept hearing voices in my head to run my car off the road or to hurt myself to make the pain in my chest go away.  I have been on short term disability for 5 months now and as of right now, I don't see myself ever going back.  I had moved from NY to NC 2 years ago and left my family and friends behind.  My dad doesn't even try to understand what I am going through, he is in fact agitated that I am not working (even though I am getting fully paid).  I truly feel the trauma of death attributed to my condition.  I was there when my best friend took her last breath.  Sometimes I feel the medicine does not work, however I won't stop taking them because I am afraid of what will happen.

Hey Bluesun-- 

What's with the vegemite--cause it stinks so bad or something --or is it being used in a way I missed? 

  

I pretty much agree with the lady who is into unexpressed feelings but not with the second paragraph about religion--people all have different experiences with M/D and what she has come to believe is as valid as the way you think--I have been through every medication on the market--none of them worked--the side effects were awful.  I lost more than I gained because of the drugs--I thought I was thinking normally--but my thinking was very squirrilly.  I've been off all drugs for over a year now--it's not easy, but the control I really have now is so much better and the more I think and reflect about the past and the effects it had on me and how it is working now, the more I see my M/D as controllable without drugs--there may be a chemical/biological component, but it is small compared with the other stuff.  As I said, everyone is different.  If I use what I use and you use what you use, who cares as long as we are progressing forward as good people? 

  

Take care, everyone and keep on truckin' !!! 

  

Susan 

     I attend therapy biweekly, which has helped me overcome a lot, but unfortunately my mother is caught between a rock and a hard place for getting help. She was a stay at home mom with me and, through a few of her decisions and through a lot of my father's manipulations, she's never gotten her full college education; she's 48 now and just feels overwhelmed and unsure of where to start. Since my father is the primary source of income for our family (mainly disability, not work income), she doesn't feel she can get therapy without him stalking her the whole way to the therapist's office. So that's out.

Family groups are pretty well out of the question, too, as we live in a small town that, despite nine years of living here, has never really accepted us (mainly, I think, because of some of the legal issues my father started in town soon after we moved here). I'm not sure there even would be a family support group for bipolar around here. It's a tough spot to be in.

I agree with you (mostly) on the not wanting to be cured being a personal issue, rather than a disorder issue. Unfortunately, being bipolar on top of such a personality is even more problematic, I should guess.

Thanks for not being judgmental toward my first post. :) Hahaha, I was expecting scathing replies! ;)

How did you come to realize you were Bipolar ?  Did you come by it yourself or did your family help you....it seems like famliy support is critical in most cases?  Thanks and Good Luck

I am desperate for help. My husband and I are both 26. We were married right out of high school. And we have to children a son 7 and a daughter 3. Late in the 2005 in five year after being treated for ADHD my husband doctor told him he had Bi-polar tendencies. His anger has become increasingly worse over the last 2 years and has now started to turn to violence toward me. I had to leave in the middle of the night recently to get to safety and now am living with my parents. I love my husband dearly and want so badly for our family to be under the same roof again. But I know that can't happen until he gets help. I recently stopped working to go back to college and I am in nursing school now, so my husband is the only source of income. He is also without any insurance. At this point in our life we live paycheck to paycheck and I don't know where to turn for help. I was hoping someone may have some ideas on any help we can get. Help with medicine cost, or a even counsiling he can get with little cost. I am desperate, Please help!