Topic : Bipolar Disorder

Go to today's message board and to the title "find out what happened on today's show." If you click on that you will find what you want. 

I am writing to let anyone who reads this know that Bipolar disorder is a very hard disorder sometimes to diagnose, but more importantly it is devastating to families.  I went undiagnosed all of my adult life, thinking that I was just a b*tch.  I have been married three times.  I have said things to my husbands and to my daughter that no mother should ever say to another human being much less a family member.   

I am now on medication and stable, but I can identify wtih Cathy about going from a normal or maybe happy mood to a very upset mood in a few minutes for no good or logical reason.  It is a chemical imbalance in the brain.  My speech becomes fast and my mind races.  I become very distracted and unable to get one thing completely finished.   I didn't have bipolar 1 and am thankful to God for that but  I was diagnosed with BP 2 when things finally came crashing down and I took myself to the hospital because even the slightest noise bothered me to a point that I wanted to cover my ears.   

Stress is a big indicator of triggering episodes.  Please understand also that people wtih BP disorder are many times highly educated, creative, articulate, and many of them are actors and comedians, quick witted.  If you want to google a search on famous people with bipolar disorder you will be amazed at the list.  The devastation comes in the kind that I have which is dysphoric hypomania.  That means that I am mean and foul mouthed, when I am not that way in the core of who I know I am, the person I am when stable.  I love my family and they are the most important people in my life.   

Now that I am medicated, I am stable, and I can identify what my triggers are, which are lack of sleep, money problems, family stresses, etc.  I have so much to say, but this is all for now.  I hope anyone who feels they may be Bipolar will definitely go see a Dr.   If you will look in the People Magazine this week with Cheryl Crow on the front cover, there is an ad about BP disorder and also a quiz you can take to see if you might have the symptoms.   

Don't put it off, don't blame yourself, and know there are millions out there like you.  Help is available, but one set of medicines may not work at first, you may have to keep at it, and find the right combination to take care of your symptoms. 

May God bless and I pray you will find the help you deserve. 

hello there, 

i caught dr phil' s show today, try to watch it everyday after work, today's topic hit very close to home.  i am 35 yr old, diagnosed w/bp @ 26.  my whole life i struggled with very intense mood swings and no support at home when they happened.  one thing i have learned over the last 9.5 yrs is even with meds and therapy, nothing can substitute a good support system at home.  my family was never supportive or understanding, but my husband of 6 yrs has been by far the most supportive person in my corner.  i've done research on my disorder so we can have a better understanding of what is going on.  it breaks my heart to see/speak with people who are so ignorant about this illnes. if it was cancer or diabetes would they be more inclined to look into it? is that b/c those diseases can kill a person?  people die/take their own life from depression every day..  i think that more education needs to be done surrounding mental illness, one of the biggest challenges i faced was peoples scrutiny of me.  we all know that people are accustom to not understanding what they cannot see or touch.  even though bp can manifest itself physically the disease is mental/psychological.  why do people have to be so scared.  i would have been much more receptive to people's questions than there stares and snide comments as i walked by.    this illness has been around for alot longer than we are probably aware of, but it has taken society years to become comfortable with the mere mention of mental illness, how many more years before this is openly discussed w/bias or prejudice?  something to think about.  thanks for letting me rant. 

Hello everyone,  

I have not posted on the Dr. Phil board in about a yr. but I just wanted to say that I caught  the show today. I still think that Dr. Phil is  on the outside looking in.  I was extreemly dissappointed. Even though I can relate to the rage and ager and the bouts of maina and deep depression, I think that most people will have a more negative veiw of the illness due to this program. 

I am nearly at my wits end. My daughter is now in a broken down van in the front of a steakhouse with four cats, homeless, without a job, without money, trying to live in the van in the middle of winter on a very busy street in the middle of a huge city. She has not been able to keep a job for more than a month for the past two years. She's been evicted 4 times in as many months. Finally when she got her tax money back, she spent every penny on a old van with the intention of taking her cats and just start driving and get a job where ever she ends up. She did not get five miles down the road till her van broke down and now there she is. Everyone in the family is fed up with trying to help her so now she has no one to turn to, which might be a good thing. She just expects someone to come along and rescue her, but there's no one. The thoughts of her in that van with no food and freezing is almost more than I can take. My husband has forbidden me to help her anymore. He says she needs to hit rock bottom because she's the only one that can help herself. The only problem is, she doesn't think she has a problem, she thinks everyone else does.  She is so embarrassing to be around because she will just up and cuss someone out in a minute for nothing. Yet at the same time she can be sweet and caring of animals and old people, as long as it's not me. Bottom line, does anyone have any ideas where I could get her some help. 

Thanks. 

Living with this disease is a constant challenge. It affects your relationships both at home and work. I am struggling with my job of 8 months. I was put on my last written notice at work for poor job performance. I am down to a week to shape up or ship out. I have had cognitive problems that came up when I changed my night meds to day so I would not skip so many doses. I did not realize how much this was affecting my ability to think. I find that living in this body, you don't always notice subtle changes until you are in trouble. My friends and familly are supportive of me but your supervisors are not. I have explained what has happened and that I feel better now, but I have not received any feedback about my performance. I have sort of resigned myself to the idea that I will be looking for a new job. But I am doing the best I can so..... 

I have been treated for depression since 96 and was diagnosed as a bipolar 2 when I was hospitalized back in 2004. I put myself in for suicida ideation. I had given up hope and was tired of trying and not gettting anywhere, and struggling with the mood changes. What I learned there has been very valuble. I basically have learned that you have to make the best out of your situation, look at the bright side, TRY to stay happy. Between that and some medication changes, I am  much better-until this whole thing at work. 

It is also a bad case of dejavu. I had a problem at a previous job that drove me off onto disability. That was how the whole medication thing started and I started seeing a psychiatrist, who has seen me through the last 10 years. But I digress...the job thing was again because of performance. But I was also much more out of control with crying jags that I could not control and severe depression. That was what was causing my work problems. 

Everyone has different symptoms which I think makes it so hard to diagnose. 

But whatever happens to me, I'll get by because I chose to. I could just as easily chose to give up, but there is no future in it! 

Above all else, keep your sense of humor! 

Keep well.