Topic : 08/01 Extreme Highs and Lows

I watch DrPhil every day but today's episode of the bipolar disease really got my asking myself questions about my daugther. She is a 11 year old ... dignosed with ADD and ADHD about 4 years ago ... She also have a mild case of cerebral palsey as well (which means she DOES NOT need help at all in the state of North Carolina) ... she has had it since birth ... just gets better and its going in the other direction right now ... During spring break this past school year, my daugther got to spend her's in the 10th floor of our local hospital (which is the Children and Adolescent Psychiatry department). You see my daugther has heard voices talking to her for years ( at least for the last 4 or 5 years ... she started to talk about them) ... 5 voices all together but only that is "bad". She can tell you anything you want to know about this person that she hears. From what she wears ... what she looks like ... to what her house looks like on the inside ... The "bad" one is now intruding her to hurt me, her grandma and her brother ... Knives and guns she says ...She was ready to get help ... so I took her ...  She was in the hospital for a week and all they wanted to do was dope her up . I told them to release her and I could do that at home with benedryl (which I would NEVER do) but to just show them how stupid I thought they were. After that ... they scheduled her an appointment at a recoverly center here in Winston Salem, NC. They are helping her more than the hospital but to start with they were going to asset her for bipolar ... Talking to the Dr and he is saying schizophrenia. I wrote all of this to ask this one question ........ Is there a difference in bipolar and schizophrenia? If so ... could someone please tell me ... I want them to help her but help her with what it "truely" wrong with her.

Thank You in Advance

 

My husband suffers from bipolar/manic depressive disorder.I feel for any family living with this disorder. It disrupts every aspect of your life holidays even public outings become a walking on eggshells situation. I have learned over the years that this disorder has affected several members of his family,which included his  father who shot his mother in her sleep.It can be scary,frustrating and embarassing all at the same time. My husband can go from loving and sweet to an enraged maniac the next. The family tells me stories of grandfathers and uncles who were  just so mean and cruel and the  symptoms just scream bipolar.I have now become aware that my son has begun to show symptons of the disorder and it scares the hell out of me.I just wish there was more understanding  for this problem.I know a lot of people use the bipolar excuse just to be mean, but trust me there is such a difference between the two.I hope in the  future they can  recongnize this problem earlier in children and have programs  in school to help parents and teachers help their students.

Please if you have been or know someone who has been incarcerated from a bipolar manic episode please help me.  My husband is incarcerated for the first time ever in 46 years, I am frightened he will serve a long time in jail.  I begged for help and was told until he hurts himself or someone there was nothing they could do.  I called Dr's, hospitals, the police and now look where he is.  If they would have listened to me he would be home.  Please if you have any info that may bring peace let me know.

 

Jeannie

One can be BP1 without psychotic features, but it is the type that can have psychotic features if it gets really bad.  Psychotic features are delusions (false beliefs in the face of what's actually true) or hallucinations (seeing and/or hearing things that are not there.)  It sounds like the last poster's daughter may have been delusional when she was claiming to be beaten.  To be BP1, you have to have had at least one manic episode.

BP2 never has psychotic features and the symptoms are typically milder than BP1.  The person with BP2 is typically depressed more often than hypomanic.  Hypomania (literally meaning less than mania) is often characterized by confidence, increased energy, lessening of inhibitions leading to poor choices, irritability/impatience.  The hypomanic person may be in an incredibly good mood or a very irritable mood. 

Mania is more extreme than hypomania; hence, BP1 is a more extreme illness than BP2.  It does seem that sometimes people are diagnosed as BP2 instead of BP1, because it is easier for people to accept being less than manic than it is for them to accept being possibly capable of psychosis.  If someone is on the wrong medication, he/she can elevate from BP2 to BP1.

I have BP1, diagnosed eight months ago with mania w/out psychotic features, and am currently on three medications and feeling back to normal.  If you are taking 12 medications, then you might think about shopping around for a new psychiatric doctor (pdoc.)

BP1 can have schizoaffective disorder attached to it.  Sometimes children are misdiagnosed ADHD when they have bipolar.  It sure looks suspicious when your daughter has both ADHD and schizophrenia.  There are many medications that are used for both schizophrenia and bipolar.  If she really has BP1 and is manic, benadryl will not knock her out for long--been there, tried that.

BP in children is usually characterized by wild, aggressive, outrageous behavior.  They often don't have the ups and downs one normally thinks of with having bipolar.

Hope this helps.

You need a lawyer ASAP.

I am twenty-seven and was diagnosed with depression at the age of eighteen and then bipolar disorder when I was twenty-two.  Bipolar disorder usually does not present itself until people are in there twenties, although there are many exceptions to this.  I have been on and off a lot of medication and have seen many doctors.  It is frustrating because mental illness is difficult to describe and it isn't physical so know one else can really see it but you.  I have read a lot of books about bipolar disorder and mental illness in general.  It helps to understand that there are other people who have had similar experiences.  Reading the book An Unquiet Mind by Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison really helped me.  The book is a memoir about her own experiences.  She has a PhD in clinical psychology and also suffers from bipolar disorder, so she has a unique perspective on the disorder.  She has cowritten a text book that is pretty much the authority on bipolar disorder in the world of Psychology/Psychiatry.  She also teaches at John's Hopkins University.  Her story was very inspiring and in the end showed me that you can manage this disorder. 

What I have found is that being conscious of your behaviors and trying to see patterns and warning signals helps a lot.  I understand myself now to the point that when I begin feeling paranoid, am not sleeping, my mind is racing or whatever it may be, I call my doctor right away.  Also having a supportive person in your life to help you monitor your moods is helpful too.  Having Bipolar disorder isn't the end of the world.  At my worst I have thought about suicide and felt unable to bear the depression, but I am stable now and I am proud of who I am.  I believe that my pain has helped me be a more loving, tolerant and accepting person and that can't be a bad thing.  I hope that helps.  Good luck.

Your husband's condition should be treatable.  If he is on medication and still acting this way, then you need to fire his psychiatrist and find a good one.  Good luck! 

My mom was diagnosed with schizophrenia a little over a year ago.  She was hospitalized after she freaked out with me on the phone.  I called my cousin for help.  I live in Northern MN and she lives in Michigan.  My (other) cousin was dying; and while talking to my mom on the phone she started not making sense and talking about the world being better if she wasn't in it anymore. 

 Anyway, a long story shortened she was taken to the hospital and they admitted her into the psych unit.  My cousin died the next morning, and off I went to check on my mom and to the funeral of my  cousin. 

 

When the DR came in to talk to me, he said (in front of my mother) that she is schizophrenic, My brother and I were dumb founded.  Mom had never had any problems before other than being depressed sometimes and on pain meds for a long period of time for back pain.  I thought for sure they misdiagnosed her and believe to this day it has something to do with being on pain pills for so long and stopping them all in a day.

 

Now this bipolar episode on Dr. Phil, has me thinking what if this is what mom has.  I had never heard of anyone hearing voices with bipolar.  I truly don't know much about it, has anyone else heard voices?

They have put her on so many pills.  She can't afford them so when they run out she seems to break down again and is back in the hospital.  Meanwhile my brothers and I have lost our mom to pills it seems to us.

 

We talk about this every week to each other (me and my youngest brother).  We are both living away from home, and married.  This has broken us up, and we would love some answers.  I can't see my mother truly being schizophrenic. 

 

I don't want to grasp for straws, but the meds that she is on for her previous diognosis don't seem to be working for her, and if this could be something else ...we just want our mom back.  What they are doing now is making a zombie of her. 

 

Can someone with Bipolar live a "normal" life?

 

It seems like all we hear is about the (for lack of a better word) "entertaining" symptoms and behaviours associated with being bi-polar? Are there any success stories about living with bi-polar?

 

I've spent all my life (almost 45 years) hating myself with a near-psychotic fury. I'm a loser and a failure. I have no talent, skills, people skills, abilities or intelligence,,,or so I constantly, unendingly tell myself. I've lost track of the number of times I've tried (half or whole-heartedly) to kill myself, my first that I can remember was in kindergarten. I've lost friends, lovers, jobs, possibilities, etc. because of this. I've physically, verbally, financially and in many other ways assulted myself. But, I've never intentionally hurt anyone. I am incapable of harming or hating others, mostly because they are all so much better than I. So I take out all my anger on myself, and it is well deserved. I've had counseling, therapy and all with no success, medicine (Zoloft, Lexapro, Burpropion currently) has helped take some of the edge off, but certainly hasn't controlled the depression or self-loathing. I refuse to accept anything good about myself.

 

My life is basically an existance. Can people live a (moderately) adequate life like this? Are there any success stories that can give me hope?