Bipolar 1 Disorder

So I just mainly wanted to share that, you know, my wife has bipolar 1 and a lot of times people think, oh gosh I just got a diagnosis of bipolar or you know You know somebody with bipolar and it's like almost a scary like stigmatized label and you know People can live with bipolar and very normally my wife is very high-functioning Runs her own, you know marketing agency. She's worked for multi-billion dollar companies. She's an amazing You know person who plays the guitar and You know owns a house pays a mortgage like Having bipolar having any really mental illness doesn't mean that you know It's over and I just hope that anybody who's out there listening or thinking. Oh gosh. I have bipolar. I'm horrible or whatever the negative thing is Like you're normal. You're a human and you know There's a lot of people out there who are incredible people who have the same thing

Hang in there, I know bipolar seems like such a big diagnosis and it is, it really is, but you're so much more than your diagnosis, you're so much more than having bipolar, like your life does not have to revolve around being bipolar, like it's just a small part of you, it's a small part that you know does take over your mind and body sometimes, but you can still live a full beautiful life like on medication and doing your therapies and talking to your doctor and talking to your support system and people around in your life that can really help you get through this and like this app, this app is amazing, watch some videos, get some support from real life people, like I recently met someone who has bipolar as well and it was my first time having a conversation with them and honestly it was so inspiring, so wonderful that I recommend everyone to have a support system like that.

Hi, I'm Diagnosed with Bipolar 1 and I absolutely believe that we can all live a normal life and have happiness and love and everything like that. Even though people's stigma against bipolar is that, you know, that it just isn't possible. What I found is I wake up every day and I tell myself it's gonna be a good day. I'm gonna make it a good day. You know, it's not perfect every day, but telling myself that every day when I wake up has, I found, to be incredibly helpful. As well as using, you know, mindfulness from DBT has been great. Mindfulness has kept me in the moment, helped me with my mania, helped me with my depression. You know, I just found that it helps.

So when I found out I was bipolar 1, I was really desperate and I was kind of happy because it was yay, I could do something about what was going on with me and the hardest part was finding the right meds. I had some reactions to a few of them but I hung in there and I would take like a 30-day break in between each med and then start from scratch again and I was able to get stabilized and move on with my life and so don't give up.

I definitely encourage you to talk to somebody, find the right set of meds, definitely find a doctor you can trust, you know, find somebody who will actually listen to you. Never self-medicate, always listen to your doctor and just, you know, do what they say. I've done it for several years, you know, I have manic depression with my bipolar and, you know, with the right meds for seven years I've stayed out of trouble, haven't gotten involved with anything with the law. So yeah, just trust your doctors, they do know what they're doing, even if sometimes things don't seem like they're working, I promise you they will work.

It may seem like every day is a horrible day, whether you're either manic or you're depressed, but life does get better if you work at it. If you go to therapy, you may need some intensive outpatient treatment and some medications. The combination of therapy and medications does go a long way and the medications will help you set the stage for therapy to be effective. And just being around encouraging people, if you add all that to your life, life will get better and life is livable with bipolar disorder. So just keep at it and you will see better days.

Getting the diagnosis of bipolar 1 was actually a huge relief to me. I'd experienced depression, anxiety my whole adult life and in my 20s started self-medicating with alcohol and became addicted to alcohol and I'm a recovering alcoholic and I've been sober for about three years now and it wasn't until I had a manic episode sober that I was able to be properly diagnosed as having bipolar disorder. So once that happened it was just a huge relief. It made a lot of sense as to why I started self-medicating and why I had a really hard time getting sober because I was having manic episodes and depressive episodes while I was drinking. So it was a huge relief to me and my family actually. It's been a real blessing to have this diagnosis and to have finally answers and have the right medication and the right help and it has been actually wonderful. It has been a wonderful diagnosis if I can say that. It's the truth.

Don't give up, keep trying, it's kind of a process finding the right meds that help you and sometimes it can be a little overwhelming because you have to try many different medications but don't give up it will it will work itself out and just try and stay positive as much as you can and know that bipolar is like riding a wave it's gonna you're gonna have ups and then you will always have it down but then you're always gonna have an up again so you just have to kind of get on meds that work stay on your meds and just kind of ride the wave

When it comes to bipolar disorder, don't give up. I know it can be really hard when you're dealing with suicidal ideation, mania, and depression. For me, I tend to be on the depressive end most of the time, but I have dealt with mania, and it's hard. It's a hard life. It's something that nobody wants to live with, but it is something that you can live with. It is something that does get better with time, because you learn as time goes by. You get different skills to put in your arsenal that you can use in time of crisis, and you learn more as the years go by. So just stay in there, and just know that it'll get better.

I know that living with bipolar can be exhausting, difficult, but it can also be incredible because I know when I'm manic there's those exhilarating times of productivity. I have two types of mania and I love the productive mania, but I just want to let you know you can still be successful. I am in my 14th year as a special education teacher and I'm currently working on my third college degree, which is a doctoral degree in special education. Just remember, don't let bipolar hold you back. Instead, embrace it and use the strengths of bipolar to live your best life.

You can have a normal life. Here are some good steps. One, make a plan with your doctor and go to your doctor when he says to come. Follow the plan. Always follow the plan, whether that's meds, counseling, groups, supplements. If the meds don't seem to be working, call your doctor. Go back to him. Don't do it on your own. He really does have some wisdom there. Utilize peer-to-peer groups. They're all over the country now and a lot of them are on the web. Search peer-to-peer bipolar and you'll find some great stuff. Also, life is a balancing act and much more so for bipolar people. It can be done. You can have a normal life. We just have to follow a few rules. Take care.

Like many people who are first diagnosed, it's really hard to process all the information given to you. I know I had a really difficult time at the beginning and I'm here to say on the other side of things that I have invested almost a decade of my life in research and reading, therapy, DBT, counseling. All of that has worked really well now and I'm here on the other side to say you can have an incredible life and it can be full of joy. Yes, it is a lot of extra work on our part but it's achievable and there's so many resources out there including this LifeYap that offer help in making you feel like you're not alone.

I have a couple of people close to me that have struggled with bipolar disorder specifically, and I think this goes for any mental illness. The mental illness, bipolar disorder, is not what defines you. There's so many parts. It's one piece of your multi-faceted life. I like to say there are people that struggle with bipolar disorder that are not bipolar people, because I think it's important to realize that, like my mom, she taught dance lessons, she's very creative, she loved to decorate, she's an artist, an incredible drawer, but she also had bipolar disorder, and that's just one part of her life.

Some words of encouragement for you. If you have a doctor that doesn't listen to you, you need to find a new doctor. Just ask for a second opinion and see what they have to say. They will help you with medication if you're overmedicated. They will help you become stable. I did this 10 years ago after my worst manic and my worst depressive episode. My psychiatrist was just overmedicating me and then I said to my family doctor, I need a second opinion. Like I can't function. I can't work. I can't do any of that. So my new doctor at the time, who is my current doctor now, he helped me get a sleep routine. He helped me get on the proper medication. He helped me lead a more successful and loving and fulfilled life. I work full time. I'm active in my family. I'm active with my friends. It can be done. Hang in there. All you have to do is put the work in, go to therapy, do what you need to do and you can be successful too.