Hello, all. Some of you may have seen some of my posts and know that I suffer from depression. Plain and simple, I wont delve into it too much. Weird thing is, I get these little bursts of energy every three or four days. I am trying to determine whether these "episodes" would be considered mania. It'll often start with me cracking a couple jokes with my girlfriend, and teasing her, poking her and just wrestling around and messing with her. I get this big rush and start playing peekaboo and shit behind walls, running around in between rooms. During the whole thing, which might last an hour or two, I start realizing that I'm acting a bit strangely, especially since I'm usually seriously down very recently. As I calm down and sit in my chair to watch tv or something, I still have this rush in my chest and neck. Tough to describe, just a feeling. I can feel my heart beating and my muscles are tense. Kinda fidgety. The worst part is that I just get all around sarcastic and irritable. I walk around feeling like I need to explode, and an anger just sits at the bottom stomach until I go to bed. The next day I'm usually just down. This is a common situation, but sometimes I get the same feeling when I feel like I'm really dragging and things are piling up. I've been getting angry a lot more often, actually. My dad is apparently bipolar, so I am obviously pointing to that for a self diagnosis. I have been telling my girl that I really need to get this figured out, I'm going crazy, I need to talk to a doctor so someone can at least tell me exactly what's wrong. But a doctor isn't going to do any good just telling me I'm fucking crazy, he will want to medicate me, and I really can't bring myself to do that, and my health insurance doesn't stretch very far. So I guess I'm looking to you guys. Does this look anything like a manic episode any of you have experienced or heard of? Wikipedia says mania in bpd is basically an elevated mood, but I really don't feel optimistic or elevated, just tense and sped up I guess. Also, wiki doesn't really give any guidelines regarding length of time or intervals between the different states, so I'm not sure if I'd fall under any specific category concerning severity or even legitimacy of the disorder. Also, if anyone does confirm my suspicion, how the fuck do I deal with this? Don't recommend pot because honestly, I'm almost positive it hurts more than helps right now. The thoughts and damaged self esteem are something I've just been trying to work through, but the anger just doesn't feel controllable. Honestly, it feels a bit dangerous around my family. Everything in between just feels flat and fake, pretty crazy. Exercise helps a lot, but it only lasts so long, and situational factors drag me down pretty easily. I can't just exercise 12 hours a day. Can you guys give me any guidance? This routine is really getting old, and I'm not doing well lately, so nearly anything you say can probably only help. Tldr; Do I qualify as bipolar? Barring medication, what the hell do I do?
i was diagnosed with bipolar disorder about 3-4 years ago. i had the same thing happen to me as far as mania goes. my manic phases would not last very long. maybe a few hours to a day at best. i was told by my last psychiatrist that mania has to last 4 days or more for an individual to be considered bipolar. so it was hard to diagnose me since i have more of the depression symptoms than mania. but in the end i was diagnosed because i did have manic episodes even though they didn't really fit the medical mold for bipolar. as far as what you should do, i would talk to your doctor. no case is ever the same and you should talk to someone who knows before diagnosing yourself. and since your father is bipolar you do have more of a chance of having it yourself. my dad is bipolar with schizophrenic tendencies, and his mother also had issues. so i've got a double whammy in my background. in the end i would still just talk to your doc. unless you are a danger to yourself or others they can't make you do anything. just give their medical opinion. meds aren't the only option. i knew a few people who swore by specific vitamins. good luck man
Appreciate it. Thanks for the info on length of time, that was exactly what I meant. I guess I don't fall into the standard either. I'll see what I can do with the doctor, though I feel a bit embarrassed talking to people about it. But I need something, I guess.
Stop being a drama queen and man up, bro. You don't have to be an attention whore to feel important, just relax and enjoy the herb.
Mood swings/emotional issues =/= neurological diseases. Psychiatry = quackery. Any label you want to put on your personality, behaviors, and emotions, is a imaginary label. And nothing but, a imaginary label.
Sorry, but I have to chime in. I was diagnosed as Bipolar 2 years ago, and this is nothing but bs. First off, there is more than one kind of bipolar. Some can be caused from an event from their childhood or if their parents get divorced. The other kind, which I have, is hereditary. I had a great childhood, did pretty good in school.. no real complaints. Well when I was 18 I was diagnosed with being depressed. I didn't tell anyone about the anger and things getting broke. Well sooner or later, my parents seen it was more serious. I went to therapy for 6-8 months and seen a psychiatrist for 4 months before they found a medication that worked for me. But like I was saying before. My bipolar is hereditary. My mom has the same issue, as well as my brother. It has nothing to do with how we were raised or how much of a pussy we are. It's a chemical imbalance of the brain, there's nothing we can do about it except get medication and/or therapy. And trust me, coming from someone that went through a battle for years, both of these got me back on my feet and cleared my state of mind. Here's some info for anyone that is mis-informed. What causes bipolar disorder? - Genetics, Chemical Imbalance, Stress and More The "Chemical Imbalance" in Mental Health Problems - MHM: Living With Mental Illness
gwardmonger316; Feel free to PM me with anything your not sure about. I'll do my best to help you out.
Well, the first statement is obvious. maybe you didn't realize it, and thought you were presenting a groundbreaking discovery. Mood swings and emotional issues are not the same as neurological diseases, but they can definitely stem from neurological diseases. Nice try though, doc. Don't listen to this guy, OP. If you think you need help, seek it, from a professional. And, psychiatry is not quackery. Psychiatry is very much about science. Psychiatrists study natural AND social science. They should know the relationship between the brain, behavior, and chemicals within the body. Psychiatrists can prescribe medication that he/she feels will improve a person's functioning.
...Personally I am schizophrenic...and I have a tendency for bipolar like episodes... for example around the end of summer I can get rather manic...I go into a state for a few months of uber activity...I'll start reading multiple books at a time start all sorts of activities...I joined one forum and got 1,200 posts in less then a month (all legit philosophy related stuff not just random silly posts)... then feeling amped up for school I feel like I can do it all easy and then half way into the first semester I go down and get lazy as fuck...depression used to be an issue but much of conquering that nad anxiety comes with becoming ok with one's life situation...and conquering anxiety as much of anxiety is typically socially related (at least for me) came down to just learning not to give a shit about what people think... regardless of what many think a lot of it is social anxiety because people get anxious about not living up to expectation that they have for themselves that are influenced by the current social climate. The first thing that comes to mind is that I would recomend practicing meditation...I fid that can help to a degree with many...maybe even taking lessons from someone if you can...get involved in a buddhist or taoist or some such meditation oriented thing for a while... that doesn't mean you have to believe the philosophy of course...but I find some of the ideas of controlling the mind and looking at suffering in certain lights can aid one in psychologically coping with what is going on in their lives... Talking to a psychologist would be good and most good ones will to their best to avoid medication first (just don't start off by going to a psychiatrist...) But not being able to afford that try to find a psychology forum and get their help...that can often be better then talking to a paid psychologist as you can get help from a lot more people. or you could get specific and ifind a bipolar forum but I would start with the psychology forum... (doesn't have to be filled with psychologist professional as just people familiar with the stuff helps...) Here are some sites: www.uncommonforum.com/ psychology-forum.com/ www.psychforums.com/ forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=8 And of course I have had to understand psychology a lot my self to deal with y issues and have a handle on many coping methods... I may have a different situation but I am open to further discussion private or otherwise...
[quote name='"Sparky73"']gwardmonger316; Feel free to PM me with anything your not sure about. I'll do my best to help you out.[/quote] Thanks, dude, really appreciate it. [quote name='"masterchiefer"'] Well, the first statement is obvious. maybe you didn't realize it, and thought you were presenting a groundbreaking discovery. Mood swings and emotional issues are not the same as neurological diseases, but they can definitely stem from neurological diseases. Nice try though, doc. Don't listen to this guy, OP. If you think you need help, seek it, from a professional. And, psychiatry is not quackery. Psychiatry is very much about science. Psychiatrists study natural AND social science. They should know the relationship between the brain, behavior, and chemicals within the body. Psychiatrists can prescribe medication that he/she feels will improve a person's functioning.[/quote] Thank you. Though, a lot of the time, I share the other guys' view. Like, come on man, get the fuck up, everything is fine, everyone is fine, we're all gonna turn out fine, there is nothing wrong with you. But idk, it's just fucked up. As far as psychiatrists and medication goes, I have read about the potential difficulty of treating it, and how some people just go blank and get funked for a while. Also had a good friend that got really messed up when her dosages would stop helping. I never want to get into a cycle of take a pill to get normal > become tolerant > feed pharma and doctor more money > take more pills. And therapy is just expensive.
Mania, to me, is characterised by generally becoming restless with my life, ideas as to how to make money (often quite outlandish ones, or practically inobtainable ones), staying up with only a few hours sleep for long periods (weeks at a time), the usual racing thoughts and in order to explain my schemes they come out incomprehensibly, and when people don't understand I can get irritable and angry, my worst ones have led me to some strange foreign places in an attempt to get away from everything. Money problems, erratic spending and occasional homelessness sometimes result. If it worries you that much, go see a psychiatrist. Don't be expecting him not to try throwing pills at you; as in all honesty, apart from good healthy diet, and excercise and sleep; there isn't much that they can really do for it, if it gets bad. If you do choose pills and get a diagnosis, there is little chance that the first ones you try will work. Trial and error really. And yeah, ganja really only helps when one is properly manic in order to try and calm them down, that'd be the only time anyone would recommend me smoking. It isn't a cure-all, by any means.
O yes, the umbrella term they use for every single one of there imaginary labels "chemical imbalance". Such a ridiculous thing, when you and nearly everybody else get diagnosed with these "diseases" by the quacks you call psychiatrists, do you get a spinal tap? Do you even get a MRI? Do you? No you don't. You simply go in there, tell them about your personality, your behaviors, your emotions, and they tell you that there neurological diseases and you need to take drugs. Every single average human being, could be diagnosed with a "psychiatric disease". Don't believe me? Sadness Lethargy Inattentiveness Impulsiveness Mood swings Anal organizational skills Shyness/bashfulness low self-esteem Anxiety/panic And pretty much any single PERSONALITY TRAIT, BEHAVIOR, OR EMOTION, that society views as abnormal, is labeled as a neurological disease. Every single fucking average human has atleast one. So if you believe psychiatry isn't bullshit, then I guess you believe every single average human on Earth is sick, with neurological diseases. Dumbass. Psychiatrists, have created a living, by taking common human personality traits, behaviors, and emotions. And indoctrinating people into believe there diseases. Its bullshit and only a complete fucking moron would actually be susceptible to the indoctrination psychiatry has fed this society. Unfortunately I live in a society full of fucking morons. Guess what? According to psychiatrists, mood swings, and every single emotional problem is a neurological disease. They don't have to do physical tests to know this, all they have to do is simply interrogate them, and with there godly powers give them a label. How bout that doc? Psychiatry isn't about science. Its nothing but pure pseudoscience, and anyone who isn't a complete fucking retard would be able to comprehend that.
You are so off base. It's actually pretty surprising to me that you seem to believe yourself, too. Give me some proof that "according to psychiatrists, mood swings, and every single emotional problem is a neurological disease according to psychiatrists" (By the way, nice redundancy. That was intentional, since you're quite the intellectual, right?) Every single average human being, could be diagnosed with a "psychiatric disease". Don't believe me? Sadness Lethargy Inattentiveness Impulsiveness Mood swings Anal organizational skills Shyness/bashfulness low self-esteem Anxiety/panic To be considered to be suffering from some sort of disorder, ONE of these is not enough. There are many criterion that are considered before a diagnosis is made. Man, there are so many things I want to refute..but I know that I am wasting my time, and have wasted the time I've already taken to reply.
I think the issue he might be touching on is that many of the things called "disorders" or disease would perhaps better be considered differences in that given different social conditions and civilization organization those of such types could be functional. In other words what is often labeled a disorder is so labeled simply because it id abnormal in relevance to the current social average...
Ya, I fixed that error before you even made that post. Seriously, go to a psychiatrist, and tell him how lethargic and sad you are all the time. He will tell you have a depression, and explain how its caused by a chemical imbalance.
Considering that all thoughts are chemically resultant anyways saying that it is a chemical imbalance is the same as saying your not thinking about stuff right...isn't it?
Well, I see that you're biased to the point that you're set in your ways and unwilling to listen to others. "Any label you want to put on your personality, behaviors, and emotions, is a imaginary label. And nothing but, a imaginary label." So, depression doesn't exist? Neither does borderline personality disorder? I have talked to psychiatrists, psychologists, other mental health professionals (as this is what I am studying), and none of them would act in the ways you are describing, and would all disapprove of any psychiatrist or psychologist acting in this manner. But, whatevs. You need a hug. This I can tell.
Yes, Im telling you, depression, and BPD, for all intents and purposes do not exist because they are imaginary labels. Imaginary labels, fabricated by quacks, to indoctrinate people into believing there personality traits, behaviors, and emotions, are a neurological disease. Hows it feel knowing you're pursuing a career in quackery?