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Anybody know anything about Bipolar?

7

I already have diagnosed major depressive disorder and anxiety and I take 100mg Sertraline for them, but last Wednesday I had what I can only describe as a bit of an "episode", ie,, pacing, banging my head, repeating sounds, losing track of time and being generally agitated and irritable. I'd say it lasted about 12 hours.
It's the first time anything like that has happened so although it was scary I just put it down to the medication (though I have been taking SSRIs since March). However, a bipolar friend of mine said that what I described sounded like a manic episode.

I don't know anything about Bipolar so could somebody enlighten me? I thought manic episodes lasted for weeks? :confused:

Reply 1

ballerinabetty

12

if it was an actual manic episode it would have lasted at least a week. i would guess you have a unstable mood.
i have suffered from major depression and been hospitalised several times for it, now i am better and the best think i found was therapy and good gp. meds only made me more depressed.
pm me if yu need any advice, i know how tught this can be.

Reply 2

insanetothebrain

8

Dont take medication, you might get dependent on it.

Reply 3

Fail Whale

OP

7

insanetothebrain

Dont take medication, you might get dependent on it.

GP says I should stay on it. :frown:

Reply 4

ballerinabetty

12

then listen to yur gp. all im am saying is that after a period of time you can become more and more dependant on it.
my advice wuld be to speak to your gp about this episode you have and try to find other cognative ways of coping with it. otherwise when the time comes to come ff the meds you will have a higher mountain to come dwn frm.
but of course do nt come off any meds with out you gp involved and in agreement.

could yoou seek psycological help. ask for a referral to your local mental health team maybe.

Reply 5

shouldbeshot

7

This isn't a manic episode. When I have a mania episode it lasts a week plus, I sleep maybe for an hour a night, I am extremely creative, hyper I sing disney songs loudly, I laugh at myself for hours, I am joking aggressive but still aggressive etc. Its mental....But at the time you think you are simply on top of the world,but people around you describe you as having gone beserk

Reply 6

Undiscovery

From experience with a close friend of mine who has bi-polar - it's an awful condition to have for yourself and your friends and family. I remember how she'd ignore people including myself for up to weeks on end and then suddenly make contact again as though nothing had happened.

Then there were the massive spending sprees she'd go on that got crazy out of control.

It was mainly her turbulent relationships with friends that were most tragic as it was crushingly draining and hurtful being friends with someone who was so hot and cold all the time.

Reply 7

HearTheThunder

17

ballerinabetty

if it was an actual manic episode it would have lasted at least a week. i would guess you have a unstable mood.
i have suffered from major depression and been hospitalised several times for it, now i am better and the best think i found was therapy and good gp. meds only made me more depressed.
pm me if yu need any advice, i know how tught this can be.

Rapid cycling??

Also I'm bipolar and that does sound reminiscent of a mixed state. Have you ever had anything like that before?

Reply 8

shouldbeshot

7

I can relate to the ignoring people thing, I tend to do it so people notice. Well occasionally I genuinely am ignoring people. At the time it never seems like a big deal. Bring on the Lithium.
Should watch Stephen Fry's documentary on bipolar, its really interesting

Reply 9

HearTheThunder

17

To those of you saying a manic episode would last longer - I have a very rapid cycling form of it and have gone from manic to depressed in a matter of hours.

Reply 10

Undiscovery

shouldbeshot

I can relate to the ignoring people thing, I tend to do it so people notice. Well occasionally I genuinely am ignoring people. At the time it never seems like a big deal. Bring on the Lithium.
Should watch Stephen Fry's documentary on bipolar, its really interesting

It's absolutely horrible to be on the receiving end of it.

In the end - I grew apart from my friend. She kept chopping and changing friends and groups literally every month. She'd often say ''you're the only one that has stuck Jon'' but she didn't realise she often treated me badly :rolleyes:

I saw our friendship as extremely draining and not worth it.

Reply 11

shouldbeshot

7

Undiscovery

It's absolutely horrible to be on the receiving end of it.

In the end - I grew apart from my friend. She kept chopping and changing friends and groups literally every month. She'd often say ''you're the only one that has stuck Jon'' but she didn't realise she often treated me badly :rolleyes:

I saw our friendship as extremely draining and not worth it.

But you also have to understand that there are occasions were its genuniely uncontrollable... I tend to be able to see the warning signs of a manic or depressive episode and my best friends get warned. At the end of the day, we are close enough to be able to handle it because we have our own little system in place. I'm not extreme when it comes to ignoring people, tends to only last a couple of days I do know people who've done it for months though. When I go off on one, my friends know and leave me to it. Thats what the medication is there for.

The point is, Bipolar should never be used to excuse a persons behaviour, I can't turn around and say that everything I do is because I am Bipolar. For instance today, I had a mini episode, my friends were buying food, I didn't have any money, and they sat right in front of me eating it. Now if I had been on a downer, I would have taken great offence to it and it would have probably triggered me into paranoia thinking they hated me, yes things like that set me off. But I was alright today, it annoyed me a bit but I just thought to myself don't be an idiot, stop being a **** and get over it.

If I really had been on a downer, I probably would have gone off on one, and not really realised I was being a dick. I try to manage myself, and by doing that I am not as twattish as I could be

But to turn away from someone who has a problem seems a bit harsh to me.

Reply 12

Undiscovery

shouldbeshot

But to turn away from someone who has a problem seems a bit harsh to me.

Err it wasn't easy. I just couldn't be doing with the constant drama so gradually drifted apart and I didn't bother to fix it...

Reply 13

smilee172

14

ballerinabetty

if it was an actual manic episode it would have lasted at least a week. i would guess you have a unstable mood.
i have suffered from major depression and been hospitalised several times for it, now i am better and the best think i found was therapy and good gp. meds only made me more depressed.
pm me if yu need any advice, i know how tught this can be.

Not true. Manic episodes don't last for a specific amount of time. Could be very very short i.e. an hour or so or very very long. Depends on the type of bipolar

Reply 14

shouldbeshot

7

I don't have an particular cycle of my bipolar. its sometimes rapid and sometimes not.

Anybody know anything about Bipolar?

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