Topic : 08/01 Extreme Highs and Lows

My daughter goes off on people all the time. It just seems I am the target most of the time. I love her with all my heart. I divorced her father when she was just two years old. I remarried and my husband has been a great father, loving and caring. Her biological father chose not to be in the picture until her adult life. But I believe she maintains that relationship.

My daughter is gorgeous, very petite, and use to getting her way. She was raised in a loving home with christian morals and teachings.

Everyone walks on egg shells around her because no one wants her to go off on them. There is no way to describe how bad it gets. She has caused a lot of problems within our family, yet we all love her. The things she says has hurt me to the core. And not just once but over and over again. And not only me but her siblings and anyone else that she goes off on. I guess it hurts me so bad because I love her.

I know the disease is real, I just wonder about her diagnosis. She was given medication but doesn't have insurance so she doesn't take it anymore. 

I wish you well and will be praying for you. Thank you for your time.

Mistysmom

I was diagnosed bipolar 10 years ago. I felt  that after todays show I could not sit here and let the sterotype continue without comment. Granted that many of those who suffer from bipolar illness do exhibit the same behaviors and symptoms as these 2 individuals on the program today however.........and this is what was upsetting is that this only showed one spectrum of the disorder. Not everyone exhibits these same symptoms and that there are many who, once stabilized on meds and therapy can have a "normal" appearing life. Not informing the public that there are many people like your neighbor next door, or your childs Little League coach, or your pastor could be bipolar and you never would have guessed it because of the sterotype. I happen to be one of them. My neighbors don't know, my church doesn'tt know, the school system which I had taught didn't know, all my children don't know.  People only see and hear about those who exhibit the extremes and they don't realize there is a whole other side of this disorder. Even when informing the public about the extreme highs and lows one needs also to inform them that there is a whole other side to being bipolar. If one does not inform the public as to all sides of bipolar illness, then one  is allowing the stereotype/the stigma to flourish.

I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder just over a year ago, and it really sucks not being in control of your emotions. I have been treated for Depression for about six years before finally being diagnosed with Bipolar. I have been in the mental hospital twice for attempted suicide. I am currently taking medications, but they don't seem to work. When I tell the doctor this, he seems to think that I am just trying to get something "stronger." The fact is, I am trying to get something stronger because what I am taking isn't working. I feel like my mood swings are more frequent and getting stronger as the days go on. It is difficult coping with this when people do not understand what is going on. I still don't completely understand, and I have done a lot of research on Bipolar. I guess it would be nice to have some kind of support group where we can discuss the issues that come up with Bipolar disorder. I wish that everyone with Bipolar could have one of those brain-scans done because I think it would help to pin-point the broblem areas of each individual brain. I guess that will be put on my wish list. Thanks for listening.

-Jessica, TN

I am the product of a Rapid Cycling Bi Polar mother, 6 years ago i was diagnosed as manic depressive. I understand how the children on today's show feel as i was raised by a single mother who was either working all the time or locked in her room. When i was growing up my mother held 2 or 3 jobs at a time because my father was not around alot and when he was he didn't help out. When she was working i would do the cleaning and laundry and it was never quite good enough. I have never been good enough, or at least that is the way i have always felt with her. My mother quit taking her medication three and a half years ago and for a while things were okay, we had a deal that if I was getting out of control she would tell me and I would go back on my medication and if she was getting out of control I would tell her and she would go back on her medication, now I realize with her illness this should have never been the case, I should have insisted upon her remaining on her medication, but growing up the way that I did, I am still scared to death of my mother. When we moved to Wa state 7 years ago she moved in with us and has been there ever since, the last 6-9 months have been the worst that I have ever encountered with my mother. She has in the last 4 days moved out of my house and got herself a job and her own apartment and I'm hoping that things can get better between us, and that maybe one day I will be good enough for her, but I don't know that that can ever happen. I know that my childhood was not the greatest living with her in the condition that she was in, and being a mom myself I would hope that I would never put my daughter in that situation and that I could be a better mother, but I feel like I have already failed at that because I have exposed my daughter to this already, my daughter is very smart beyond her 8 years and I know that the last 6-9 months have affected her very much. I love my mother, and I know that I have an obligation to keep my daughter away from a situation that could harm her either physically or emotionally or even mentally, but at the same time I felt I had an obligation to my mother and couldn't just tell her to pack all of her stuff and leave my house. My feeling of not being good enough has also come from things that my mother has said to me, for example my entire life when I would say " I love you mom" the response that I would get from her would be "Whatever" or "no one loves me" or something along those lines. Now being an adult and having the somewhat thick skin that I have developed over the years that is one comment that still cuts me right to the bones. Hearing that my whole life dropped my self esteem off of the radar completely as a child and teenage, and hasn't done much for my self esteem as an adult either. I would like to know how to change my thoughts about myself and how to get past the feelings of not being good enough.

I also didn't like the fact that they only showed the manic part of the disorder. I suffer from both the manic and depressive. I think (for me) it is more frightening to be going through a depressive episode. I have tried to committ suicide twice and (thankfully) was taken to the hospital and then to the mental hospital. I have known others whom suffered from Bipolar that (like you said) live a normal life. I only hope to find this peacefullness in my life. I am still trying to maintain my mood swings and find the right medications and/or treatment. Thanks for sharing this hope of a normal life and good luck.

-Jessica, TN