Bipolar how does it feel

Try joining a support group or talking to a trusted friend. In fact, most friends will be flattered that you trust them enough to confide in them, and it will only strengthen your relationship. Stay closely connected to friends and family. Make healthy choices. Healthy sleeping and eating habits can help stabilize your moods. Keeping a regular sleep schedule is particularly important.

Monitor your moods. Keep track of your symptoms and watch for signs that your moods are swinging out of control so you can stop the problem before it starts. The depressive phase of bipolar disorder is often very severe, and suicide is a major risk factor. In fact, people suffering from bipolar disorder are more likely to attempt suicide than those suffering from regular depression.

Furthermore, their suicide attempts tend to be more lethal. The risk of suicide is even higher in people with bipolar disorder who have frequent depressive episodes, mixed episodes, a history of alcohol or drug abuse, a family history of suicide, or an early onset of the disease.

If you or someone you care about is suicidal, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the U. You can also read Suicide Prevention. Bipolar disorder has no single cause. It appears that certain people are genetically predisposed to bipolar disorder, yet not everyone with an inherited vulnerability develops the illness, indicating that genes are not the only cause.

Some brain imaging studies show physical changes in the brains of people with bipolar disorder. Other research points to neurotransmitter imbalances, abnormal thyroid function, circadian rhythm disturbances, and high levels of the stress hormone cortisol. External environmental and psychological factors are also believed to be involved in the development of bipolar disorder.

These external factors are called triggers. Triggers can set off new episodes of mania or depression or make existing symptoms worse. However, many bipolar disorder episodes occur without an obvious trigger. Stressful life events can trigger bipolar disorder in someone with a genetic vulnerability. These events tend to involve drastic or sudden changes—either good or bad—such as getting married, going away to college, losing a loved one, getting fired, or moving. Substance Abuse.

Drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, and amphetamines can trigger mania, while alcohol and tranquilizers can trigger depression. Certain medications, most notably antidepressant drugs , can trigger mania. Other drugs that can cause mania include over-the-counter cold medicine, appetite suppressants, caffeine, corticosteroids, and thyroid medication.

Seasonal Changes. Episodes of mania and depression often follow a seasonal pattern. Manic episodes are more common during the summer, and depressive episodes more common during the fall, winter, and spring.

Sleep Deprivation. Loss of sleep —even as little as skipping a few hours of rest—can trigger an episode of mania. DSM Library. American Psychiatric Association, They may also believe things that seem irrational to other people delusions. These types of symptoms are known as psychosis or a psychotic episode. Find out more about living with bipolar disorder. Page last reviewed: 14 March Next review due: 14 March Symptoms - Bipolar disorder.

I had some embarrassing moments of drunkenness, self-harm, obnoxiousness and accruing of debt. I had my life. I avoided hospital, thanks to my psychiatrist, brilliant GP, online peer support and carefully nurtured insight. And because I found a sense of purpose through volunteering. My parents were unquestioningly supportive, financially, emotionally and practically. They resolved to push me through my degree at whatever cost. I am lucky they were able to. I got involved in the student union movement and student mental health campaigning, which led me to my career.

Bipolar shaped me. But never broke me. Nowadays all I have left is a ghost of an identity formed in a diagnosis. Sometimes my self-stigma or real stigma inhibits my career. Sometimes casual disclosure leads to awkwardness. I am recovered. I am so aware of how a-typically bipolar I am and how lucky that makes me. Every time my heart swells with empathy for a fellow traveller in trouble, or dead to young, I thank my stars. And commit to continuing the work I do.

Other people I spoke to had a range of views. At times suicide seemed the only real option. Fortunately, recovery and relearning about myself has brought its rewards and I have a good life today. It disrupted education, disadvantaged my career, and decimated my relationships. Hannah, a woman in her 30s describes the need for constant awareness of experience:.

I am bipolar all of the time. Trying to stay well and steady takes a lot of effort. Cait, a mother in her 20s talks about the ongoing impact of experience that started at a young age:. Becoming unwell at such a critical period in my life shaped my self-image and I struggle with social anxiety.

I put off having children for a long time because I was frightened of getting ill. The negatives focusing on some of the more harmful actions I have taken as a result of the disorder, such as falling in to self-medicating habits which lead to addiction.

I am very lucky to have a close circle now, each person I know truly value me, and see the real person that I am through the disorder. Since I started medication, my symptoms have become manageable and mostly unnoticeable. I have a loving husband and a three-year-old son. My mother has been my backbone through it all; when I first got on medication she stayed with me for a few weeks to make sure I was stable.

Starting a new medication can be difficult at first and she was very much there for me during that time. The depression is what scares me the most about bipolar. The low is so low that you just don't want to wake up anymore regardless of how great your life [might actually be].

I'm also afraid that my son will end up having bipolar. But I want people to know that though it can be a difficult disorder, most of us can lead perfectly 'normal' lives. I've always been someone who has what I'd call 'an unusually wide emotional range,' and my family and friends have described me as 'extreme,' but the first time something felt truly off was with a sudden overwhelming wave of depression. I felt completely hollow. It persisted for a few weeks and then suddenly lifted, like it was never even there.

Then not long after, I started feeling riled up in a way that's still hard to describe. Everything felt faster: My heart rate increased, I couldn't keep up with my thoughts, and I couldn't sit still or sleep. I went five days sleeping just one or two hours a night, yet I didn't feel tired. I had all these ideas about what I wanted to do and I'd just go for it , like starting projects by spending hundreds of dollars on stuff I never touch now, giving myself tattoos, and shaving my head.

Then one day, I could sleep and my heart calmed down. That didn't last long. I had my first mixed state a few months later. Those are nightmarish. I had so much energy, but it was angry energy. I was on edge about everything, destructive, aggressive, and angry.

My suicidal thoughts were real and actionable. These different states repeated with feelings of normalcy in between. It took a year to get somewhere close to stable with medication and therapy. In that time, I lost my boyfriend of a decade and my best friend, both of whom said it was just 'too much for them to deal with.

When I get really stressed or big changes occur or sometimes just out of nowhere , I start cycling again. My symptoms are less intense now, but the depression can still be temporarily debilitating, and I tend to do and say stupid and inappropriate things when I slip into hypomania.

I'm freaked out by the thought that I'll never have a full grasp on stability and normalcy. I'm terrified by the idea that I depend so heavily on psychiatric meds to achieve what stability I have, and that if something happens that changes my access or my reaction to these drugs, I'll go off the rails again.

Now, I'm working on my Ph. My family is wonderful, and I have a phenomenal group of friends and a super supportive boyfriend. He struggles with depression and is very understanding when I get a little shaky. All of my best supporters have had some mental health struggles, and I think that surrounds me with a group of people who are extraordinarily empathetic and patient.

Speak honestly about your symptoms with your doctor or therapist, and they can help you figure out a treatment plan. And if you're having thoughts of suicide, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at or use their Lifeline Crisis Chat service.

SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.

Julianne, "My emotions were so uncontrollably heightened that I wanted to die. Emma, "It drives me crazy, this attitude that mania is a gift that justifies the pain of depression. Danielle, "The suicidal thoughts that come when I'm down are really tough.