Bipolar Disorder ask a question/discussion thread

CrystalShip

OH and what meds are you on FD?
I exercise every day. I don't want to gain weight or lose my hair. For obvious reasons..

Flamed Diving

CrystalShip wrote: »

Thanks so much FD, that really made me laugh.

I think I'd prefer to be manic, I'd be way more fun that way. Ha. I've had years of people walking up to me saying "hey are you ok? You look pissed off" and I'd be thinking- "er, I'm grand what are you talking about??". At least people think you're a laugh I bet.

Is it unusual to have such rapid cycles?

I too have dropped a few people from my life, it feels so much better.

My Dad had a drinking prob so I was never interested in it bar a social one or two.

Thanks again!!!

When I am the right kind of manic I can only describe myself as Buddy Love from the movie The Nutty Professor. Lot's of fun to be, and lot's of fun to be around. But I couldn't find the off button, and it got progressively worse over time until I turned into a paranoid asshole. I sometimes miss it, though.

Rapid cycling is rare enough in bipolar. The more rapid, the rarer. You will probably need an extra drug for that. Don't be put off by the medication, though. I'd say you'd be quick enough to take something if you were in horrible physical pain, wouldn't you?

CrystalShip wrote: »

OH and what meds are you on FD?
I exercise every day. I don't want to gain weight or lose my hair. For obvious reasons..

I would rather not discuss the meds, more for your benefit, than anything. The last thing you should do is rely on the medical advice of strangers on the internet. I can tell you about personal experiences only, and unless you are a DNA replica of me, this information is useless. However, I will say that I am on the standard mix and that I am still the same weight, same appetite, and that I have never been hairier.

CrystalShip

Ha. Ok, thanks. Are there any official forums/groups for "us"??

Thanks!

nesf

So an update from me I suppose:

I'm in a low phase the past month after being in a high the previous month. It's getting really hard to take. The lack of enjoyment in everything is so dehumanising. Every day follows a similar pattern, worst early in the day improving slowly as the day goes on. At about midnight each night I'm feeling somewhat human but still low. And so it goes, day after day. It's just a series of stumbling from day to day just filling in the hours between sleeping as best I can.

I'll post more later when I'm able to concentrate better. Right now, I'm just having a lot of trouble even typing the short paragraph above.

Gremlinertia

I've been trying to build the energy to post here again, it just seems as if gravity has a stronger pull on me, i feel smashed into the floor, so i can empathise nesf.. It's a constant drag cycle of work, home lie on bed willing myself to sleep, getting angry because i can't, then back to work.. I work nightshifts because i'm so panicky about how messed up my head gets, lack of sleep is making the whole thing kind of surreal. Sorry if i'm not making too much sense.

nesf

Cheers Gremlinertia, I know exactly where you're coming from. I refer to it as going into "day to day" mode, where you just focus on getting through today to the exclusion of all else. Sleep used to be a serious problem for me but thankfully medication has helped a lot with that aspect of things (I'm on multiple drugs with strong sedative effects which usually, but not always, manages to knock me out).

Today I'm thankfully doing somewhat better (first day in over 3.5 weeks, so very welcome), don't know if this is a change or just a slight bump before another low patch as of yet.

Stench Blossoms

I was diagnosed about 3 years ago as having depression and then after 2 years was told I'm bipolar.

I lean more towards to mania side mostly, only having really two or three major depression episodes.

I've gone through phases of thinking "these pills do nothing" or thinking that they are causing me to not been able to concentrate and decided that I'm a better doctor and stop taking the meds only to go, what generally has been called "metal".

Thankfully someone usually notices when I'm 'mental' or in a 'mania' stage. My mania stages usually consist of me going out and spending bucket loads of money that I don't have, thinking I am god's gift to humanity and that nothing could stop me from doing anything.

The lack of sleep is the part that bugs me the most. Getting up in the morning after not having a good sleep, going to work, trying to get through the day but at the same time knowing that when I go home and try and sleep it's going to be the same thing over and over again.
Will post more another time.

nesf

I suppose it would be interesting to list meds that we're on so people who are curious can ask about side effects etc.

I'm on:

1500mg Trileptal
400mg Seroquel
400mg Solian
25mg Anafranil


The main side effect of the first three is sedation after taking them. Since I take them at night before going to bed this is a useful side effect and allows me guaranteed sleep most nights. Biggest issues would be that an hour or so after taking my meds I'm extremely dizzy, disorientated and good for nothing except lying down in bed. This is only really a problem if there's a dirty nappy needing to be changed or similar since my wife has to take over once my meds kick in.

Other than that, I've had no real weight gain or other side effects from the meds and am quite happy with them from that respect (I've had weight gain problems with different drugs in the past so it's nice to be on meds which don't have this effect on me, also this should be of interest to people who've had weight gain problems on some drugs, it doesn't mean that you'll automatically get weight gain problems on all meds if you get it with some!).

ntlbell

nesf wrote: »

I suppose it would be interesting to list meds that we're on so people who are curious can ask about side effects etc.

I'm on:

1500mg Trileptal
400mg Seroquel
400mg Solian
25mg Anafranil


The main side effect of the first three is sedation after taking them. Since I take them at night before going to bed this is a useful side effect and allows me guaranteed sleep most nights. Biggest issues would be that an hour or so after taking my meds I'm extremely dizzy, disorientated and good for nothing except lying down in bed. This is only really a problem if there's a dirty nappy needing to be changed or similar since my wife has to take over once my meds kick in.

Other than that, I've had no real weight gain or other side effects from the meds and am quite happy with them from that respect (I've had weight gain problems with different drugs in the past so it's nice to be on meds which don't have this effect on me, also this should be of interest to people who've had weight gain problems on some drugs, it doesn't mean that you'll automatically get weight gain problems on all meds if you get it with some!).

Any issues with memory loss?

nesf

ntlbell wrote: »

Any issues with memory loss?

I've had memory loss issues from before I started on medication. I haven't noticed it getting worse on the meds but it hasn't improved much either.

PIOP

I'm currently just on 30mg of citalopram. I did move down to 20mg when we introduced zyprexa into the mix, but after 2 weeks on zyprexa, the side effects were intolerable and I had to stop taking it.

Waiting to restabilise on the citalopram (as 20mg was not enough) and then back to the doctor to maybe look at introducing an anti-psychotic or seeing if I can manage without.

As this is all pretty new to me, I'm still at the stage of medication experimentation until we get everything right. Still, even though it's maybe not quite right yet, I'm still a lot better than I was.

nesf

PIOP wrote: »

As this is all pretty new to me, I'm still at the stage of medication experimentation until we get everything right. Still, even though it's maybe not quite right yet, I'm still a lot better than I was.

It can take ages to find drugs that suit you sometimes. The best bet is to remain as patient as you can manage. In general there's a choice of medication with minimal side effects out there for everybody, it can just take a good few goes to figure out which one works. Hopefully you get lucky and find the drugs that work quickly.

PIOP

nesf wrote: »

It can take ages to find drugs that suit you sometimes. The best bet is to remain as patient as you can manage. In general there's a choice of medication with minimal side effects out there for everybody, it can just take a good few goes to figure out which one works. Hopefully you get lucky and find the drugs that work quickly.

Don't I know it. I've been on 20mg, 30mg, 20mg, and now back up to 30mg. My zyprexa experience was, I'm very sorry to say, a disaster, as I just experienced so many of the side effects (some extremely disturbing and others just downright upsetting) that I had to come off them. I should stress that this shouldn't discourage others from trying them - even my doc was surprised that I had the side effects and so many of them. Just happens sometimes, I suppose.

When I went onto zyprexa, we came down on the citalopram dose. Unfortunately, I came off the zyprexa and still had to wait a while on the lower citalopram dose until my next doc appointment. In that time, I established that 20mg doesn't seem to be enough, at least not right now, as I went through some fairly low days. Back on 30mg now and waiting for my levels to stabilise a bit before we can examine putting a different antipsychotic into the mix, or leaving them out altogether. I suppose the only worry now is that being on ADs only does tend to push me a bit towards mania. I have been trying to control the flare ups using techniques from CBT, and so far have avoided full blown mania, but I can definitely feel the edges of it creeping in a little.

I didn't realise it until I started down this whole medication and therapy path, but I've always suffered with big social anxiety problems. Didn't even realise it until I started examining my behaviour, and spotted all the classic signs of it. I've found that the citalopram does seem to help a bit with the levels of anxiety I feel. I'm definitely less likely now to end up having a panic attack over something silly. But, as with many things, I'm much more prone to anxiety attacks when I'm feeling manic.

I've got another appointment with my doc soon, to see how I'm doing on just citalopram. Hopefully things will have levelled out a bit by then. I'm still early in the process of finding a drug combination that works for me, so even though it hasn't been quite right yet, I'm hopeful that it'll come in the future. Plus, even with my slightly imperfect drugs, I'm doing a little better. While there's nothing really keeping the possible mania in check other than my willpower at the moment, the citalopram at least makes it possible for me to get out of bed, stop crying, and stop thinking about ending it all on those darker days (which are, themselves, less frequent now).

All in all, this rambling post does kinda have a point - namely, there are medications out there to help, and even if you have to try a few different combos, eventually one will be found that works, so it's worth giving it a try, and seeing how it can help you change everything.

Gonna sign off now, as I can feel myself getting a bit giddy!

nesf

PIOP wrote: »

Don't I know it. I've been on 20mg, 30mg, 20mg, and now back up to 30mg. My zyprexa experience was, I'm very sorry to say, a disaster, as I just experienced so many of the side effects (some extremely disturbing and others just downright upsetting) that I had to come off them. I should stress that this shouldn't discourage others from trying them - even my doc was surprised that I had the side effects and so many of them. Just happens sometimes, I suppose.

When I went onto zyprexa, we came down on the citalopram dose. Unfortunately, I came off the zyprexa and still had to wait a while on the lower citalopram dose until my next doc appointment. In that time, I established that 20mg doesn't seem to be enough, at least not right now, as I went through some fairly low days. Back on 30mg now and waiting for my levels to stabilise a bit before we can examine putting a different antipsychotic into the mix, or leaving them out altogether. I suppose the only worry now is that being on ADs only does tend to push me a bit towards mania. I have been trying to control the flare ups using techniques from CBT, and so far have avoided full blown mania, but I can definitely feel the edges of it creeping in a little.

I didn't realise it until I started down this whole medication and therapy path, but I've always suffered with big social anxiety problems. Didn't even realise it until I started examining my behaviour, and spotted all the classic signs of it. I've found that the citalopram does seem to help a bit with the levels of anxiety I feel. I'm definitely less likely now to end up having a panic attack over something silly. But, as with many things, I'm much more prone to anxiety attacks when I'm feeling manic.

I've got another appointment with my doc soon, to see how I'm doing on just citalopram. Hopefully things will have levelled out a bit by then. I'm still early in the process of finding a drug combination that works for me, so even though it hasn't been quite right yet, I'm hopeful that it'll come in the future. Plus, even with my slightly imperfect drugs, I'm doing a little better. While there's nothing really keeping the possible mania in check other than my willpower at the moment, the citalopram at least makes it possible for me to get out of bed, stop crying, and stop thinking about ending it all on those darker days (which are, themselves, less frequent now).

All in all, this rambling post does kinda have a point - namely, there are medications out there to help, and even if you have to try a few different combos, eventually one will be found that works, so it's worth giving it a try, and seeing how it can help you change everything.

Gonna sign off now, as I can feel myself getting a bit giddy!

I had very similar experiences myself (me and Zyprexa did not mix well at all). Honestly I'm still in the middle of drug adjustments these many years on but it's fine tuning at this stage rather than anything more drastic. I went on to find two other antipsychotics (Seroquel and Solian) far kinder to me side effect wise and I hope you have a similar experience in the months to come!

flyswatter

I'm in a tricky situation regarding Zyprexa. It's been really good for my symptoms but I hate the side effects.

It's kind of a 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' situation but I'm going to ask my doctor can I try a different anti-psychotic soon.

PIOP

Seems like zyprexa isn't the most popular drug around here For me, I'm not sure it did manage my symptoms, mostly because the side effects I was experiencing were so upsetting and distressing that they really negated any possible positive effect that the drugs might have.

In short, in two weeks I swelled up (retaining water) such that half of my clothes no longer fit, my breasts became so large that none of my work shirts would fit, they became so tender that I couldn't be touched anywhere in the chest without almost crying from the pain, and I started lactating. Yes, that's right, lactating. So, basically, in two weeks on zyprexa, I became 4 months pregnant!

I find it funny now, although then I found it very worrying and upsetting (as you can imagine). I stayed on it for almost a month hoping that the side effects would abate, but no dice. After 2-3 weeks in pregnant mode, I called my doctor and told him that I couldn't stay on them. Interestingly, even though my side effects seem totally weird, they're actually all in the very common and common side effect list. Go figure.

So yeah, zyprexa - not for me. I'm sure there's another one out there that will work, though, without turning me into a crazy pregnant lady!

PIOP

Is it just me, or does illness really throw the cycle off for anyone else?

I find that whenever I'm sick, I just hit such a slump. Perhaps because I'm down physically, I can find myself feeling more down mentally too. At the moment, I'm still feeling low as I'm coming out of an illness.

nesf

PIOP wrote: »

Is it just me, or does illness really throw the cycle off for anyone else?

I find that whenever I'm sick, I just hit such a slump. Perhaps because I'm down physically, I can find myself feeling more down mentally too. At the moment, I'm still feeling low as I'm coming out of an illness.

I find the same. If I get sick for any extended period (i.e. more than a few days) then I hit a low period.

degausserxo

Hey, I'm not exactly sure if this is the right place to post this, but any help would be hugely appreciated!

Last Thursday or Friday (days have been escaping me recently!) I was taken to A&E after suffering from bouts of psychosis and panic attacks, which had never happened to such a bad extent before. After waiting for twelve hours, during which I had more panic attacks and very mild hallucinations, I was seen by two psychiatric liasons, one of whom expressed the thought that I am suffering from bipolar disorder, but did not elaborate any further.

This was followed up by an appointment with a psychiatric registrar and someone who was apparently some sort of senior, 'high up' I suppose, doctor. I felt at the time that the first doctor I had seen in A&E seemed to understand what was going on with me more, and that this 'higher' doctor didn't at all, to the point that he was taking calls during my meeting with him, where the registrar was present. This doctor vaguely mentioned bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, although he did not elaborate on either, which left the impression that I was suffering from neither of those. I was told that I had to wait for an appointment with a different doctor, but in the meantime I was to start on 200mg of Seroquel, and to increase the dosage after a few days. This particular doctor also mentioned dissociative disorder, and asked me to check it out on the internet and to come back on Thursday to let him know how the meds are going and if any of the symptoms of a dissociative disorder are similar to what I am currently experiencing.

I looked up the medication that I'm on and it is used primarily to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, yet I was of the impression that I suffer from neither of those because of the doctor's attitude. I am really, really puzzled as to why I have been prescribed this medication. As well as this, 'dissociative disorder' seems to be an umbrella term for several illnesses, including multiple personality disorder, none of which are even remotely like what I'm currently experiencing. After searching bipolar disorder, it seems identical to what has been happening to me the past two years or so. I feel that I should explain this to the doctor, but I'm also afraid that it might be completely dismissed as it might seem that I'm self-diagnosing.

I was just wondering if anyone else experienced anything similar to this, or would have any advice as to how I should go about dealing with it? Thank you.

flyswatter

degausserxo wrote: »

Hey, I'm not exactly sure if this is the right place to post this, but any help would be hugely appreciated!

Last Thursday or Friday (days have been escaping me recently!) I was taken to A&E after suffering from bouts of psychosis and panic attacks, which had never happened to such a bad extent before. After waiting for twelve hours, during which I had more panic attacks and very mild hallucinations, I was seen by two psychiatric liasons, one of whom expressed the thought that I am suffering from bipolar disorder, but did not elaborate any further.

This was followed up by an appointment with a psychiatric registrar and someone who was apparently some sort of senior, 'high up' I suppose, doctor. I felt at the time that the first doctor I had seen in A&E seemed to understand what was going on with me more, and that this 'higher' doctor didn't at all, to the point that he was taking calls during my meeting with him, where the registrar was present. This doctor vaguely mentioned bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, although he did not elaborate on either, which left the impression that I was suffering from neither of those. I was told that I had to wait for an appointment with a different doctor, but in the meantime I was to start on 200mg of Seroquel, and to increase the dosage after a few days. This particular doctor also mentioned dissociative disorder, and asked me to check it out on the internet and to come back on Thursday to let him know how the meds are going and if any of the symptoms of a dissociative disorder are similar to what I am currently experiencing.

I looked up the medication that I'm on and it is used primarily to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, yet I was of the impression that I suffer from neither of those because of the doctor's attitude. I am really, really puzzled as to why I have been prescribed this medication. As well as this, 'dissociative disorder' seems to be an umbrella term for several illnesses, including multiple personality disorder, none of which are even remotely like what I'm currently experiencing. After searching bipolar disorder, it seems identical to what has been happening to me the past two years or so. I feel that I should explain this to the doctor, but I'm also afraid that it might be completely dismissed as it might seem that I'm self-diagnosing.

I was just wondering if anyone else experienced anything similar to this, or would have any advice as to how I should go about dealing with it? Thank you.

Hi,
I'm currently being medicated for one of the illnesses mentioned in your post.

You should let the doctor know your feelings on your symptoms and let him make his judgement in due course. Just because he didn't elaborate on those two illnesses may not mean you don't suffer from one of them.

I was diagnosed with a different condition (OCD) by my first consultant before my current doctor decided it was schizophrenia. So, maybe it'll just take some time before the doctor comes to any conclusions.

Hope that helps a little and good luck.

nesf

degausserxo wrote: »

Hey, I'm not exactly sure if this is the right place to post this, but any help would be hugely appreciated!

Last Thursday or Friday (days have been escaping me recently!) I was taken to A&E after suffering from bouts of psychosis and panic attacks, which had never happened to such a bad extent before. After waiting for twelve hours, during which I had more panic attacks and very mild hallucinations, I was seen by two psychiatric liasons, one of whom expressed the thought that I am suffering from bipolar disorder, but did not elaborate any further.

This was followed up by an appointment with a psychiatric registrar and someone who was apparently some sort of senior, 'high up' I suppose, doctor. I felt at the time that the first doctor I had seen in A&E seemed to understand what was going on with me more, and that this 'higher' doctor didn't at all, to the point that he was taking calls during my meeting with him, where the registrar was present. This doctor vaguely mentioned bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, although he did not elaborate on either, which left the impression that I was suffering from neither of those. I was told that I had to wait for an appointment with a different doctor, but in the meantime I was to start on 200mg of Seroquel, and to increase the dosage after a few days. This particular doctor also mentioned dissociative disorder, and asked me to check it out on the internet and to come back on Thursday to let him know how the meds are going and if any of the symptoms of a dissociative disorder are similar to what I am currently experiencing.

I looked up the medication that I'm on and it is used primarily to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, yet I was of the impression that I suffer from neither of those because of the doctor's attitude. I am really, really puzzled as to why I have been prescribed this medication. As well as this, 'dissociative disorder' seems to be an umbrella term for several illnesses, including multiple personality disorder, none of which are even remotely like what I'm currently experiencing. After searching bipolar disorder, it seems identical to what has been happening to me the past two years or so. I feel that I should explain this to the doctor, but I'm also afraid that it might be completely dismissed as it might seem that I'm self-diagnosing.

I was just wondering if anyone else experienced anything similar to this, or would have any advice as to how I should go about dealing with it? Thank you.

One way to look at this is to not focus on what the overall label is (i.e. bipolar or schizophrenia) and look at the symptoms that need immediate treatment: in this case the psychosis. Seroquel is used in bipolar and schizophrenia but really it's used to treat psychosis (and as an anti-manic). Don't worry too much right now about what category you fall under and focus on whether the Seroquel helps with the psychosis you've been suffering. I'm on Seroquel for precisely this purpose and it works well for me for what it's worth.


With regards to the self-diagnosis stuff. Don't worry about the diagnosis, focus on a list of symptoms that you've had and let the doctor worry about what box you fit into.

degausserxo

Thanks for the replies.

I'm trying not to worry about a label as such, but it's just frustrating not knowing what's causing all of this.

nesf

degausserxo wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.

I'm trying not to worry about a label as such, but it's just frustrating not knowing what's causing all of this.

My advice: From being there, try not to worry about the cause and focus on beating the symptoms. Your goal becomes tackling the psychosis and calming yourself down. The cause will be worked out at a later stage the focus right now is getting you to a stable frame of mind free from psychosis and panic.

Flamed Diving

What's really been irritating me lately is filling out job applications, and they ask you whether you have a disability (mental health included). I don't want to be dishonest, but I know for a fact that it would be looked upon negatively. Pisses me off.

PIOP

Hi degausserxo. Sorry to hear you're having a rough time at the moment. I hope that the seroquel will help to balance things out in the short term for you and get you to a better place.

The tricky thing about most mental illnesses is that there isn't a definitive test for them. There's no simple blood or urine sample to test and definitively diagnose you as anything. As such, then, the diagnosis tends to be based on self reported symptoms, symptoms reported by friends, family, and/or doctors, etc. So I wouldn't worry too much about being dismissed about self diagnosing. go to your doctor, and discuss the way you are feeling. Suggest to him/her that you believe it may be as a result of bipolar disorder or something similar, and take it from there. They will help to establish what is causing the problems and hopefully your doc will be able to get you started on a program of medications and maybe some therapy that will help you to get better.

If you're not too happy with the higher up doc, then perhaps you could see someone else who you are more comfortable with. Particularly with things in such flux at the moment, it'll probably be best if you're comfortable with the doc who's leading your treatment.

As nesf said, don't worry too much about the label. First priority is getting you treated to manage the symptoms so that you can actually feel better. From there, you can see things more clearly. And, at the end of the day, the label is only a label. The medications that help you will probably also help a range of mental conditions, and may be indicated for plenty of things other than bipolar, but as long as they're working for you, it doesn't matter.

I worried a lot about the label when I was first being treated and diagnosed. Once I reached relative stability on the meds though, I realised that the label didn't matter so much. I have a problem, I take medication for it, just like plenty of other people.

One last thing - try not to get discouraged if you don't find the right med combination straight away. As you can probably see from reading this thread, it can take a while. I've been adjusting meds for some time now and am still in the process of finding that right combo for me. It may take some time, but they will find something that works for you.

PIOP

Flamed Diving wrote: »

What's really been irritating me lately is filling out job applications, and they ask you whether you have a disability (mental health included). I don't want to be dishonest, but I know for a fact that it would be looked upon negatively. Pisses me off.

I think that's a really tricky one. I think it's a real shame that there's still such a stigma about mental illness, and one that prevented me from getting treatment for more years than I care to remember.

I do wish that people would be more open and understanding about it. After all, if I had diabetes, you wouldn't think it odd that I took medication every day. If I broke a bone, you wouldn't think it odd that I needed a hospital stay to right myself. And yet, if I break or hurt my mind, then it's a huge taboo.

I have a separate username here on boards, and a separate blog from my own personal blog, simply to enable me to discuss my condition without it affecting my professional life. Even though the drugs that I'm taking have helped me to improve my life no end, both personally and professionally, I'm sure that the fact that I'm taking them would impact on job prospects, which seems bitterly unfair.

I wish I had some sort of answer for you, but instead, all I can really say is that I sympathise

me_right_one

hitlersson666 wrote: »

Is it normal to have a short manic episode and then a depressive one? I know im mentally ill but i have to wail till im 16 so I can get help but i do get little ''fits'' where I would say/do very odd things e.g lick shoes

Do you realise when you're in the middle of one of these "fits"? Its one thing overspending or feeling invincible etc., those are things that everybody does occasionally, bi-polar or not. As far as I can see, bi-polar is about a predictable frequency and extreme nature of these otherwise normal events.

nesf

me_right_one wrote: »

Do you realise when you're in the middle of one of these "fits"? Its one thing overspending or feeling invincible etc., those are things that everybody does occasionally, bi-polar or not. As far as I can see, bi-polar is about a predictable frequency and extreme nature of these otherwise normal events.

The frequency can be very variable and the mood states themselves unstable. It isn't just a predictable manic then depressed state for every bipolar sufferer. It's a lot more complicated than that unfortunately.

sam34

me_right_one wrote: »

Do you realise when you're in the middle of one of these "fits"? Its one thing overspending or feeling invincible etc., those are things that everybody does occasionally, bi-polar or not. As far as I can see, bi-polar is about a predictable frequency and extreme nature of these otherwise normal events.

bipolar disorder, or amy mental illness for that matter, is far from predictable in terms of relapse

Flamed Diving

nesf wrote: »

The frequency can be very variable and the mood states themselves unstable. It isn't just a predictable manic then depressed state for every bipolar sufferer. It's a lot more complicated than that unfortunately.

sam34 wrote: »

bipolar disorder, or amy mental illness for that matter, is far from predictable in terms of relapse

Indeed, that book I cited above stated that the general public often make the mistake of assuming that everyone is "a little bipolar" because they may experience one or two of the 10+ symptoms of mania. However, what they fail to realise is that, while people may go on the odd spending splurge, or get overly-energetic from time to time. No "normal" person experiences all ten symptoms, at the same time, often for prolonged periods of time. That is mania.