Bipolar 2 experiences?

[hippiemamato3]

After a really traumatic week last week, my DS is looking at a Bipolar 2 diagnosis. It does run in my family and I'm not questioning the diagnosis really, but I am desperately sad. Any positive stories anyone can share? Things that help? Thanks in advance. 

[Catwoman]

I don’t have any information for you, but I wanted to send you some hugs and bump your thread back up to the top where more people will see it.

[Ottakee]

I have one with bipolar 1.  I remember crying at the diagnosis.  I will say the right meds taken every day has made a huge difference.

[Scarlett]

7 hours ago, hippiemamato3 said:

After a really traumatic week last week, my DS is looking at a Bipolar 2 diagnosis. It does run in my family and I'm not questioning the diagnosis really, but I am desperately sad. Any positive stories anyone can share? Things that help? Thanks in advance. 

I have no experience but I am sorry things are tough.  

[hippiemamato3]

16 hours ago, Scarlett said:

I have no experience but I am sorry things are tough.  

Thank you. I am feeling much more hopeful, and calm, today.

[Night Elf]

I have BP2 and the best thing is for me to be on the right meds combo. It took several tries to find the right one though. It was rough, I won't lie. I have generalized anxiety disorder as well and sometimes it's hard to tell when my anxiety is caused by GAD or BP. I use calming techniques like a weighted blanket, meditation, and hot baths. My manic phases are a feeling of restlessness, irritation, rapid speech and thoughts, and sometimes doing things that I just know will benefit me and my family like opening my own business or buying a franchise or following these get rich quick schemes you see on late night tv. Luckly DH knows the symptoms and can reign me in. I don't know what I'd do without his help. 

I'm lucky that my depression is very rare. I have more manic episodes than depressive modes. I can feel down and hopeless but it's nothing as dark as it was when I was first diagnosed. I'm on Geodon and Lamictal for BP and Ativan for anxiety. It works well. I've had some breakthrough moments and my doctor just increased my meds and I was fine again.

I'm sorry your ds is experiencing it. When I get to feeling really low, all I can think is that this is my life and will be until I die which leads to more depression. DH does what he can to cheer me up and keeps comparing it to other life long disorders that can be managed with medication just fine. I have a great insurance plan through DH's work but I'm worried what will happen in 8 years when we lose this plan and we have to find a single plan for me as he'll be on Medicare. DH tells me not to worry. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I see a psychiatrist who manages my medication and I have a counselor I see when I feel a need to do so. I had to go through a couple of counselors before I found one I clicked with, so don't give up as you're looking for a support team.

[Mergath]

My dh has bipolar II. I won't lie, it was rough until he found the right med combo. My older dd and I had to spend some time in a shelter for abused women when she was a toddler because dh was becoming violent at times. 

BUT, once he found the right med combo, it was like a switch was flipped and he became, for the most part, a normal person. His hypomanic episodes now are few and far between, and extremely mild compared to what he had before. He has a good job, he's now a great father, and our marriage is getting along as well as it can when you have one child going through puberty and the other one is a toddler. Lol.

He's on lexapro, lithium, and trileptal. While he has to be on all three to not gradually descend back into near-constant hypomania, the trileptal was like a miracle drug. Within days of starting it he was a totally different person. 

Things to watch out for, based on my experience, are first and foremost, substance abuse. Dh has never used drugs while we've been together, but he's an alcoholic. Whether that's from the bipolar or would have happened either way I don't know, but when he was drinking, it was bad. So, so bad. He'd use alcohol to cope with the full-blown manic episodes, and because his mania manifested as intense rage, you can imagine how well that worked. At this point in his life, he won't even set foot in a restaurant that serves alcohol. He does say that once he started the trileptal, the urge to drink vanished.

Also, bipolar people tend to want to go off their meds a lot. I don't know why, but it's a thing. It doesn't help that many of the most effective meds aside from lithium cost a bajillion dollars a month. Looking at the price we'd have to pay for dh's monthly meds without insurance gives me a panic attack. I find it helpful to put dh's pills in one of those boxes with the days labeled because it makes it harder for him skip his meds and "forget" to mention it. 🙄

See a psychiatrist, not a family doctor. Been there, done that, and a psychiatrist is well worth any extra hassle.

So yeah, as you already know, things can get really bad with bipolar disorder, but it is totally possible for someone with it to live a normal, boring life with the right meds. I have a friend whose dh is also bipolar and on a good med combo, and they travel and do all kinds of fun things and generally have a great life. I know bipolar sounds really scary with some of the stories of celebrities who have it that have been in the news, but it's certainly manageable just like any other mental illness.

[Fawnmoscato]

The way I feel about mental illness has vastly changed in the last few years. I now fully believe a happy, healthy, productive life can be had. Being open about the struggle, finding the right meds, and by treating self-care as important has medicine. 

Have you heard of the Hilarious World of Depression? It's a podcast that interviews (mostly) comedians about their diagnosis- depression, anxiety, bipolar, etc. It does a great job of showcasing how people will have ups and downs, but can live really full lives. 

Find what works best for your son. Allow him to explore and then encourage him to stick with what works. For a lot of people it's a very stringent schedule of medication, meditation or relaxation, and exercise. Discuss how mental illness should be treated in a similar way to cancer treatment or diabetes management. Someone with diabetes doesn't say, well I feel good today I guess I never need my insulin again. No. Discuss how bipolar will be life long, but highly manageable, like any disorder or disease. 

Also, recognize that talk therapy may or may not be beneficial. I personally don't find much comfort in talk therapy. I've tried and have found that other things work better for me. I do think that a solid effort should be put forth, but I don't feel like I am being held back by not enjoying therapy. 

Take care! 

 

[MercyA]

One of the greatest missionaries I've ever known personally has bipolar disorder. He's been on medication (definitely lithium; I don't know what else) since the 1960's. He is very intelligent and was instrumental in translating the New Testament into two new languages. But more than that, he is wise and kind and selfless. In some other thread I'll have to share some of the miracles that he and his wonderful wife saw in their many years in Papua New Guinea. I am not exaggerating when I say I could never even hope to accomplish a fraction of what he did during his lifetime (and he is still working, in his 80's). I often wonder if he was able to accomplish so much partly because of (rather than in spite of) his non-neurotypical brain. :) 

My cousin also has bipolar disorder. I don't know him well, but he is happily married with kids. He's intelligent and a nice guy. I do remember my mom and grandma discussing him having a lot trouble when he went off his medication. At the time I wondered why anyone would ever go off a medication he truly needed. Ha. I know better now. Side effects can be difficult, but I'm just so grateful these things can be treated now! 

Hugs to you both.

Edited January 8, 2019 by MercyA

[SeaConquest]

I have bipolar type I, as well as generalized anxiety disorder. I was misdiagnosed for a decade as having major depressive disorder because I only went to see the doctor when I was depressed and/or anxious, and my manic periods often were rewarded in my professional life because I didn't sleep, was fantastically creative, and worked relentlessly (and my manic episodes usually involved things like blowing obscene amounts of money, dangerous sexual encounters, substance use, flamboyant/reckless behavior, etc. -- things that I hid and/or that no one ever asked me about until much later in therapy). The mania worked 'great' in Army Special Operations, as an investment banker on Wall Street, and as a litigator in a large corporate law firm because I was super productive. Except when I wasn't, and crashed into the pit of depression. So, yes, a person with bipolar can do 'all the things' (they don't call it the CEO's disease for nothing), but living that kind of high pressure lifestyle wasn't good for my mental health. There was no such thing as self care at that time in my life. I was burning the candle from both ends of the stick, and I nearly burned myself out completely. I was in and out of psych units for awhile. Those were hard years. I was a mess. Truly.

So now, I am poorer than I've ever been, less productive than I've ever been, less successful than I've ever been, but the most mentally well. I take my meds every day. I have a great psychiatrist. I have a great support system of friends and family. I am open with people about my illness and advocate for mental health parity and to end the stigma. I am returning to school to hopefully become a nurse practitioner (perhaps, working with psych patients) because I feel that I have a good handle on managing this chronic illness and would like to start contributing more professionally again. So, it isn't a death sentence, but it needs to be properly managed. I have drawn inspiration from Professors Kay Redfield Jamison (of Johns Hopkins) and Elyn Saks (of USC) -- both struggled with serious mental illnesses and yet managed to lead productive lives and became experts in their respective fields. You might find their stories inspiring as well. My best wishes to you and your son. ❤️ 

Edited January 9, 2019 by SeaConquest

[SeaConquest]

This made me think of this thread:

https://parade.com/727901/lhochwald/jane-pauley-talks-career-highlights-cbs-sunday-morning-and-her-bipolar-diagnosis/?fbclid=IwAR1ho_uSY4lvSXo5EWkujviNrOqYpoQHs1ZMrUU0Sht-VxDxNJf18q4_msE

Staying on her medication is imperative too. “I took it last night and I will tonight and every night,” she says. “It is what has enabled me to be productive. Since my diagnosis I had a daytime show, I wrote two books, I had my grandchildren and now I’m on Sunday Morning. The best part of my life happened after the worst diagnosis of my life.”

She believes her advocacy has been crucial to her overall health. “There is scientific evidence that giving support is as therapeutic as getting it,” she says. “I believe my advocacy is part of the reason I’m as productive as I have been able to be. I’m proud of it.”

[hippiemamato3]

My sadness comes and goes with his moods. I keep hoping the diagnosis was wrong. 

[Terabith]

I was diagnosed with bipolar 2, but after 20 years and looking at what meds I respond to, it was pretty much decided that actually I have depression and severe anxiety/ PTSD instead.  I'm a pretty functional human being, although I do have a lot of anxiety and definitely have to stay on meds.  I've had a few hospitalizations, mostly around when the med I'd been on for 20 years stopped working and we needed to re-calibrate/ figure out something new, and it was easier and faster to do that in the hospital than anything else.  

[rebcoola]

I will pray for you.  

My sister has bipolar and is not a happy story.   Being misdiagnosed for many years didn't help.  She is one who is constantly going off or changing her meds because of how she feels.  It is bad she is not a functioning member of society.

[Scarlett]

1 hour ago, hippiemamato3 said:

My sadness comes and goes with his moods. I keep hoping the diagnosis was wrong. 

I am so sorry. It is so hard to watch our children suffer.  

[hippiemamato3]

28 minutes ago, rebcoola said:

I will pray for you.  

My sister has bipolar and is not a happy story.   Being misdiagnosed for many years didn't help.  She is one who is constantly going off or changing her meds because of how she feels.  It is bad she is not a functioning member of society.

My brother, too. 😢

My son is not like that, however...thank God. 

[Farrar]

I have a friend with bipolar II. They have found happiness with a very unconventional life. It's clearly still a struggle, but if you didn't know that it was a much more serious issue, you would probably think they had run of the mill depression issues - which is obviously not awesome either, but just, you wouldn't think that they were struggling with something this big because it's under control to a pretty good extent at this point. I know that for them, it's deeply affected by seasonal changes and time changes. Also, that a bad combination of meds led them to have a pretty big gap in their long term memories, which is so scary to me, but they're pretty reconciled to it. It's like, well, those are the missing years.

Edited September 13, 2020 by Farrar

[Lecka]

http://clubhouse-intl.org/what-we-do/international-directory/
 

My relative is very involved with a Clubhouse.  That is what we have locally.

It has helped him to build and maintain friendships, and I am pretty sure they help him keep on top of his doctor appointments.  
 

He is really doing well right now and has been for the past few years!

From what my impression is, he has a really hard time with sleep, he always has.  If he gets off his sleep schedule then it throws off his medication because he might be sleeping when he is supposed to take it and it just makes it harder to keep track of when he should be taking it.  
 

He doesn’t have paid employment at this time, so with the Clubhouse he still has something valuable to do in the daytime, and this helps him with his sleep because he has a reason to go to bed and get up.  His sleep issues are way beyond just motivation — he sometimes just cannot sleep and then he crashes.  

I definitely feel like he is a contributing member of society even though he does not have paid employment.  This is a big issue in general though.  I think he has qualified for SSI now, not sure.

What is more common at the Clubhouse here is for people to come in, they have a lot of problems, then they get on medication, they they go through the job training/support program, then they find paid employment.  And just have some support services for doctor visits or housing.  My relative works in the Clerical Office at the Clubhouse to help make all of that happen, but his own job is not paid.  
 

My relative has co-morbid Aspergers so it’s not only Bipolar II for him.  I questioned the diagnosis of Bipolar II for a long time but honestly as I learned more about it I could accept it more.  He is doing better since the medication and I think the medication does help his sleep, and maybe he gets a little off on his medicine first and then his sleep starts to fall apart.  That hasn’t happened in a while now though bc now other people can see it start in the first 3 days and he can get back on track with his medication!   I think — I’m not completely sure.  

Edited September 13, 2020 by Lecka

[ChrisB]

{{hugs}} not easy!

My dad was diagnosed Manic Depressive before the renaming to Bipolar.  I'm not sure which type he'd be considered but not rapid cycling.  He deals more with the depression side than the manic in general.  He also deals with migraines.

About 30 years ago, he had a massive manic episode that lasted a few months (widely productive, but dangerous), ending with a psych ward stay for a few weeks.  (I mean, cops escorting him to the hospital from the doctor's office--that's a story!)  Between his altered reality and the heavy meds given to bring him down, there's a large chunk of time he'll never remember.  Afterward, they had him on, what we "lovingly" call, an upper, a downer, and an in-betweener, lithium being one of them.  He shook sooooo bad on lithium that he wanted off--hated the stuff.

Hindsight being 20/20, my mom thinks he went through a minor manic episode a half dozen years before that, but it righted itself before too long so she didn't think it needed medical attention.  For him, his triggers were some major emotional life change, poor eating, decrease in sun (largest depression episodes always came in the fall), and lack of exercise.  The minor manic episode's emotional trigger was a family business deal that went sideways, and the major episode was he mom dying. 

Over the years, the ONE greatest thing he's done to manage his BP (and subsequently his migraines), more than meds or nutritional supplements, is a clean diet that is tailored to him.  He's mostly paleo (I think???), stays completely away from most carbs and sugars, no added anything, only homemade, simple rotation diet.  He has a few small "cheat" treats every so often.  He has a few restaurant items he knows he can temporarily do ok with. 

To meet him you'd never know he had a mental disorder since it's been managed--he's a great guy to be around.  And, 30 years later he's been able to maintain it well. 

It's hardest on my mom since she's the "gatekeeper" of his health and knows that their relationship has this impediment that blocks a complete adult relationship between the two.  She's learned she can't be completely open with him because she doesn't know how he'd use the information if he goes into another manic state--this is a legitimate concern.  To me, she's a living example of Christian love, what it means to love someone in sickness/health, etc...still tough, no doubt, but when managed, it's mostly fine, living a normal life.  He trusts her completely to recognize symptoms early and knows she has his best interest at heart. 

When he was diagnosed, we passed the news around since it runs in families, and at least one of my 1st cousins was soon diagnosed with it, too, as a young adult and is married now with children.  I also have a niece (young adult) who has "something" that presents a little like rapid-cycling BP.  She manages it mostly through diet (vegan), exercise, and proper sleep, being on the lookout for symptoms that may necessitate meds.  She's also in a normal, serious relationship. I'm always on the lookout for symptoms in myself and kids.  My mom made the decision that it needed to be talked about and not hidden like a secret, for which I'm very proud of her for shining a light on it--it's helped many.

For what it's worth, alcoholism, diabetes, Alzheimers all run in his family.  Dad is from a large family, where most of his brothers were alcoholics (died young-ish from it), but luckily for him, he isn't.  Who knows what they were "medicating" with the alcohol.

There is hope!  I pray there's something in my story that brings light to you in your sadness. 

Edited September 13, 2020 by ChrisB

[hippiemamato3]

Last night I felt really broken, but today we are both better. I appreciate so much everyone sharing their stories and sympathy. My son is doing very well overall. He finished high school, has a part time job, a truly wonderful, healthy relationship with his very stable and loving girlfriend, and has supportive friends and family.  But some days/weeks are still hard even on medication. Thank you for "being there" for me last night. ❤️ 

[Pen]

Maybe this would be inspiring to you:

 

https://mentalhealthrecovery.com/info-center/one-persons-wrap-plan-orthomolecular-medicine/

[Moonhawk]

DH is bipolar II. He thinks the term "manic depressive" fits him better because he sees/feels himself as either manic or depressive or both, but never neither. After the diagnosis things were much easier to piece together, and he has taken a much stronger lead on his mental health.

Knowing what was happening and being able to label it, if not exactly stop it, was the best feeling of relief because at least it was known. He was diagnosed in his mid 30s and probably had at least 3 major manic episodes before diagnosis where we both just thought something was really wrong, or an early midlife crisis, or a bad work environment, etc., and so we made life decisions to treat these incorrect symptoms instead of what was actually going on. Getting a proper diagnosis early in the game will really be a game changer for your son, I can't really emphasize how good it is to know sooner rather than later.

Getting diagnosed is not a sentence to a sad or disappointing life, it's a license to find the best way to live with his particular brain.

Edited September 13, 2020 by Moonhawk