Comments for Being Bipolar http://beingbipolar.today.com Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:52:18 +0000 http://www.today.com/version-2.3.1 Comment on Coping with anger displacement and Bipolar Disorder by Shana http://beingbipolar.today.com/2008/11/29/coping-with-anger-displacement-and-bipolar-disorder/#comment-6520 Shana Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:52:54 +0000 http://beingbipolar.today.com/2008/11/29/coping-with-anger-displacement-and-bipolar-disorder/#comment-6520 Hi Joy, I totally understand what you are going through... I am a victim of a similar situation. It is unbearable. We have been together for nearly 13 years but things have not changed.... My thoughts and prayers are with you. Hi Joy,

I totally understand what you are going through… I am a victim of a similar situation. It is unbearable. We have been together for nearly 13 years but things have not changed….

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

]]> Comment on Being Bipolar: Living with a bipolar spouse by Liza http://beingbipolar.today.com/2009/03/10/being-bipolar-living-with-a-bipolar-spouse/#comment-3451 Liza Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:53:12 +0000 http://beingbipolar.today.com/2009/03/10/being-bipolar-living-with-a-bipolar-spouse/#comment-3451 Hi. My husband of 9 years was diagnosed 6 weeks ago as bipolar. he has always been moody (ups and downs), but when his last down mood just wouldn't lift I asked him to see the GP. The GP thpught he was BP and sent him to the psychiatrist who said he wasn't BP and put him on high doses of antidepressants. 5 weeks later my husband flipped out with mania, police and ambulance people had to take him away. He was committed against his will for 2 weeks. He is out now and on Depakote and Cyraquil. He is not manic anymore, but he is still very hard to deal with. He blames me for having him committed - I should have waited until the morning and he would have gone to the hospital then, etc. While he was manic, he thought I was great, he loved me so much, his sex drive was great, he apologised for all his past shortcomings as a husband. Now he has grown distant and irritable, especially towards me. He is not depressed, he is up and out of bed on regular schedules. Unlike many partners of BP's - I cannot say he drinks, does drugs or is abusive--- he is just distant and irritable towards me and seems to treat me with disdain. He is not a terrible father, grumpy and yells too often, but not terrible - he loves our 8 and 6 year old children. So, in a way I can't complain, but then again, this really just isn't any way for me to live. He has ceased being a partner to me. I feel he has stopped loving me and I don't feel much love for him. But, at the same time, I know he is sick and I am worried that this is his illness/medication talking. But to be honest, he has been unpleasant for much of the 9 years we have been married. Assuming that illness dates back a good bit, maybe that past nastiness was also caused by the BP. So... I don't know: how much of our problems is caused by his illness, his medication, his personality, my personality, problems in our relationship??? I just don't know and I feel like I am thinking about leaving him when he is still possibly 'not well enough' for me to be making such decisions. But then again, you can only have your heart broken so many times. Any and all advice would be very appreciated. CryingIrishEyes Hi. My husband of 9 years was diagnosed 6 weeks ago as bipolar. he has always been moody (ups and downs), but when his last down mood just wouldn’t lift I asked him to see the GP. The GP thpught he was BP and sent him to the psychiatrist who said he wasn’t BP and put him on high doses of antidepressants. 5 weeks later my husband flipped out with mania, police and ambulance people had to take him away. He was committed against his will for 2 weeks.
He is out now and on Depakote and Cyraquil. He is not manic anymore, but he is still very hard to deal with. He blames me for having him committed - I should have waited until the morning and he would have gone to the hospital then, etc. While he was manic, he thought I was great, he loved me so much, his sex drive was great, he apologised for all his past shortcomings as a husband. Now he has grown distant and irritable, especially towards me. He is not depressed, he is up and out of bed on regular schedules.
Unlike many partners of BP’s - I cannot say he drinks, does drugs or is abusive— he is just distant and irritable towards me and seems to treat me with disdain. He is not a terrible father, grumpy and yells too often, but not terrible - he loves our 8 and 6 year old children.
So, in a way I can’t complain, but then again, this really just isn’t any way for me to live. He has ceased being a partner to me. I feel he has stopped loving me and I don’t feel much love for him.
But, at the same time, I know he is sick and I am worried that this is his illness/medication talking. But to be honest, he has been unpleasant for much of the 9 years we have been married. Assuming that illness dates back a good bit, maybe that past nastiness was also caused by the BP. So… I don’t know: how much of our problems is caused by his illness, his medication, his personality, my personality, problems in our relationship??? I just don’t know and I feel like I am thinking about leaving him when he is still possibly ‘not well enough’ for me to be making such decisions. But then again, you can only have your heart broken so many times.
Any and all advice would be very appreciated.
CryingIrishEyes

]]> Comment on Being Bipolar: Intentionally trying to induce mania is bad by atorturedsoul http://beingbipolar.today.com/2008/12/21/being-bipolar-intentionally-trying-to-induce-mania-is-bad/#comment-3281 atorturedsoul Sun, 07 Jun 2009 15:49:34 +0000 http://beingbipolar.today.com/2008/12/21/being-bipolar-intentionally-trying-to-induce-mania-is-bad/#comment-3281 Reread the article and ask me again. P.S. The answer would be: I advocate wellness. There is no way I would tell you how to purposely induce an episode. Remember, what goes up must come down, and with bipolar disorder the crash can be debilitating. Inducing mania is no better than trying to induce depression. Either way, you're going to end up depressed. Reread the article and ask me again.

P.S. The answer would be: I advocate wellness. There is no way I would tell you how to purposely induce an episode. Remember, what goes up must come down, and with bipolar disorder the crash can be debilitating. Inducing mania is no better than trying to induce depression. Either way, you’re going to end up depressed.

]]> Comment on Being Bipolar: Intentionally trying to induce mania is bad by Shane http://beingbipolar.today.com/2008/12/21/being-bipolar-intentionally-trying-to-induce-mania-is-bad/#comment-3264 Shane Sun, 07 Jun 2009 06:25:07 +0000 http://beingbipolar.today.com/2008/12/21/being-bipolar-intentionally-trying-to-induce-mania-is-bad/#comment-3264 Does anyone know the right combination to force a manic episode ? I've been thinking about trying lithium with other things. Does anyone know the right combination to force a manic episode ? I’ve been thinking about trying lithium with other things.

]]> Comment on Being Bipolar: Can toxoplasmosis trigger bipolar disorder? by Angelique http://beingbipolar.today.com/2009/04/04/being-bipolar-can-toxoplasmosis-trigger-bipolar-disorder/#comment-3251 Angelique Sat, 06 Jun 2009 11:42:18 +0000 http://beingbipolar.today.com/2009/04/04/being-bipolar-can-toxoplasmosis-trigger-bipolar-disorder/#comment-3251 Hi I just found your blog, and I will certainly be following your entries! I too have bipolar disorder. The toxoplasmosis findings are very interesting because I have cats as well. About a year and a half ago I had what I call "The Year That I Was Missing". In a moment of hypomanic brilliance I had decided that all of my symptoms were simply the result of major nutritional deficiencies due to various physical symptoms I had been experiencing. My eureka moment resulted in a firm resolve to go off of my meds, change my diet, and take massive amounts of vitamins. I think you probably know how that went! After 7 months of having the worst depression I have ever experienced in my life, I decided to listen to my doc and go back on my Lamictal. Yay! Relief! It surely is a miracle drug. So now to get to the point...Recently I found out that I had Crohn's disease, which explained all of my various physical symptoms. Part of my treatment required 3 weeks of antimicrobials. Your post makes me wonder if I had toxoplasmosis as well, and is there a way to test for it if the meds ended up clearing it from my system. Possibly a brain scan? I will bring this up to my GI doc next week. Sorry for the long reply! I just think you are neat & find it a relief to ponder this idea with someone like myself! I will let you know if my doc goes along with this idea and investigates further! Hi I just found your blog, and I will certainly be following your entries! I too have bipolar disorder. The toxoplasmosis findings are very interesting because I have cats as well. About a year and a half ago I had what I call “The Year That I Was Missing”. In a moment of hypomanic brilliance I had decided that all of my symptoms were simply the result of major nutritional deficiencies due to various physical symptoms I had been experiencing. My eureka moment resulted in a firm resolve to go off of my meds, change my diet, and take massive amounts of vitamins. I think you probably know how that went! After 7 months of having the worst depression I have ever experienced in my life, I decided to listen to my doc and go back on my Lamictal. Yay! Relief! It surely is a miracle drug.
So now to get to the point…Recently I found out that I had Crohn’s disease, which explained all of my various physical symptoms. Part of my treatment required 3 weeks of antimicrobials. Your post makes me wonder if I had toxoplasmosis as well, and is there a way to test for it if the meds ended up clearing it from my system. Possibly a brain scan? I will bring this up to my GI doc next week. Sorry for the long reply! I just think you are neat & find it a relief to ponder this idea with someone like myself! I will let you know if my doc goes along with this idea and investigates further!

]]> Comment on Being Bipolar: Living with a bipolar spouse by Rachel http://beingbipolar.today.com/2009/03/10/being-bipolar-living-with-a-bipolar-spouse/#comment-2983 Rachel Tue, 26 May 2009 03:47:17 +0000 http://beingbipolar.today.com/2009/03/10/being-bipolar-living-with-a-bipolar-spouse/#comment-2983 So, what is the first thing one can do if they suspect their spouse is bipolar yet the spouse does not think they are? I guess I realized that my husband might potentially be BP when I read another entry that said she felt more like a mother to her husband than a spouse. That is exactly how I have felt everyday for almost 10 years. After reading other entries on the subject, many of my husbands personality traits fit the descriptions. How do I get my husband to agree to be looked at by a Dr. when he thinks his actions and behaviors are perfectly normal? So, what is the first thing one can do if they suspect their spouse is bipolar yet the spouse does not think they are? I guess I realized that my husband might potentially be BP when I read another entry that said she felt more like a mother to her husband than a spouse. That is exactly how I have felt everyday for almost 10 years. After reading other entries on the subject, many of my husbands personality traits fit the descriptions. How do I get my husband to agree to be looked at by a Dr. when he thinks his actions and behaviors are perfectly normal?

]]> Comment on Being Bipolar: Anyone on Lamictal? by atorturedsoul http://beingbipolar.today.com/2009/03/16/being-bipolar-anyone-on-lamictal/#comment-2902 atorturedsoul Thu, 21 May 2009 19:37:16 +0000 http://beingbipolar.today.com/2009/03/16/being-bipolar-anyone-on-lamictal/#comment-2902 Hi, John! I emailed you some information about Lamictal. I hope it helps you to make a decision. Hi, John! I emailed you some information about Lamictal. I hope it helps you to make a decision.

]]> Comment on Being Bipolar: Anyone on Lamictal? by John http://beingbipolar.today.com/2009/03/16/being-bipolar-anyone-on-lamictal/#comment-2901 John Thu, 21 May 2009 18:52:48 +0000 http://beingbipolar.today.com/2009/03/16/being-bipolar-anyone-on-lamictal/#comment-2901 Hi, no comment on the female issue:) My question is, my son who is 16 is being started on Lamictal. I heard that it is only recommended for 18 year olds and up. Do you know anything about this? thanks, John Hi, no comment on the female issue:)

My question is, my son who is 16 is being started on Lamictal. I heard that it is only recommended for 18 year olds and up. Do you know anything about this?

thanks,
John

]]> Comment on Being Bipolar: Agoraphobia by Michael http://beingbipolar.today.com/2009/03/02/being-bipolar-agoraphobia/#comment-2724 Michael Fri, 15 May 2009 13:47:00 +0000 http://beingbipolar.today.com/2009/03/02/being-bipolar-agoraphobia/#comment-2724 When I was young most of my peers thought that I was strange because on the playground I would generally keep to myself or to a small, controlled group of friends. In High School everyone thought that I was a complete jerk because even though I was a star athlete on our football team I never went to any pep rallies, dances or any other social event. In college it was the same story, though in college I started to consider the fact that maybe this was more than just some mild anti-social behavior which is often displayed in adolescents. After college I joined the Navy, and in my desire to avoid large crowds of people I joined the special forces where we were kept in small teams and not hastled much by superiors. In truth this was where I was the happiest in my whole life, however when we were put into the field I found out a very terrifying truth…. Crowds will kill you. When dealing with crowds of hostile people the innumerable loose ends and x factors begin to come into play and you cannot watch every person and you cannot control them. It was during this time that I was able to add logical reason to my illogical fear… As it stands now if I am in a crowd large enough that I cannot see everyone’s hands I lose control, I pour sweat and my heart palpitates. This is a terrible thing and no amount of therapy or medications have been able to help me. I am not necessarily afraid of leaving my house, though I don’t particularly like to and I don’t have a problem holding down a job, (I am an audiologist and only see one or two people at a time ) but when it comes to being able to take my wife out to dinner or dancing or even to the mall to pick up a few things I cannot do it. When I was young most of my peers thought that I was strange because on the playground I would generally keep to myself or to a small, controlled group of friends.
In High School everyone thought that I was a complete jerk because even though I was a star athlete on our football team I never went to any pep rallies, dances or any other social event.
In college it was the same story, though in college I started to consider the fact that maybe this was more than just some mild anti-social behavior which is often displayed in adolescents.
After college I joined the Navy, and in my desire to avoid large crowds of people I joined the special forces where we were kept in small teams and not hastled much by superiors. In truth this was where I was the happiest in my whole life, however when we were put into the field I found out a very terrifying truth…. Crowds will kill you.
When dealing with crowds of hostile people the innumerable loose ends and x factors begin to come into play and you cannot watch every person and you cannot control them. It was during this time that I was able to add logical reason to my illogical fear… As it stands now if I am in a crowd large enough that I cannot see everyone’s hands I lose control, I pour sweat and my heart palpitates.
This is a terrible thing and no amount of therapy or medications have been able to help me. I am not necessarily afraid of leaving my house, though I don’t particularly like to and I don’t have a problem holding down a job, (I am an audiologist and only see one or two people at a time ) but when it comes to being able to take my wife out to dinner or dancing or even to the mall to pick up a few things I cannot do it.

]]> Comment on Coping with anger displacement and Bipolar Disorder by Joy http://beingbipolar.today.com/2008/11/29/coping-with-anger-displacement-and-bipolar-disorder/#comment-2606 Joy Mon, 11 May 2009 19:46:24 +0000 http://beingbipolar.today.com/2008/11/29/coping-with-anger-displacement-and-bipolar-disorder/#comment-2606 Married one year in our second marriage. Both of us are in our 50's.I knew he was bipolar but I had no idea of the anger I would have to deal with. At first I believed him, that it was all my fault for something I said the wrong way. He refused to accept my apology or request for forgiveness. Instead he makes me pay the due he thinks he is owed. He yells at me. He puts me down because he says I cant understand his logic since I am "uneducated". ( he has a masters, I have 2 yrs of college). The anger lasts about 10 days and then it breaks and he turns back into this sweet man. This happens at least every month and sometimes it is only 2 weeks between. Every holiday brings an outburst. Every time he takes extra days off work. We were going to counseling but he didnt like the first counselor. We started a new one who he liked and picked. This weekend he said he was not going back. He said he is divorcing me because I will never change. I try to be quiet so as not to escalate his shouting. I try not to answer him but then he accuses me of stonewalling. If I answer him he interrupts me and keeps talking and wont let me talk. Life is hell at the moment. Yes he is on lithium and has been for 30 yrs. I have 2 kids at home. This weekend they were shocked to hear the way he spoke to me. Please pray for me. Pray I get some help in dealing with this. It is so hard. I am a kind, easy going person but this is so awful I feel I am living a nightmare! Married one year in our second marriage. Both of us are in our 50’s.I knew he was bipolar but I had no idea of the anger I would have to deal with. At first I believed him, that it was all my fault for something I said the wrong way. He refused to accept my apology or request for forgiveness. Instead he makes me pay the due he thinks he is owed. He yells at me. He puts me down because he says I cant understand his logic since I am “uneducated”. ( he has a masters, I have 2 yrs of college). The anger lasts about 10 days and then it breaks and he turns back into this sweet man. This happens at least every month and sometimes it is only 2 weeks between.
Every holiday brings an outburst. Every time he takes extra days off work. We were going to counseling but he didnt like the first counselor. We started a new one who he liked and picked. This weekend he said he was not going back. He said he is divorcing me because I will never change. I try to be quiet so as not to escalate his shouting. I try not to answer him but then he accuses me of stonewalling. If I answer him he interrupts me and keeps talking and wont let me talk.
Life is hell at the moment. Yes he is on lithium and has been for 30 yrs. I have 2 kids at home. This weekend they were shocked to hear the way he spoke to me. Please pray for me. Pray I get some help in dealing with this. It is so hard. I am a kind, easy going person but this is so awful I feel I am living a nightmare!

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