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> My belief is that everyone has minor bouts of mania and depression, and bipolar people just experience it more extreme if you read about the symptoms of bipo

> My belief is that everyone has minor bouts of mania and depression, and bipolar people just experience it more extreme if you read about the symptoms of bipolar disorder you will see that it is a bit more complex than this. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml#part_145404 http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index... Take a look at the list of manic / depressive episode symptoms. Every single one of those applies to me in a very extreme way - i have been hospitalized once and believe i am going to be again soon as i feel very similar currently as i did in the past. Edit: oh also forgot to mention - i appear to be the kind of bipolar which comes with a touch of psychosis... its definitely more complex than the minor ups and downs of a normal person. second edit: yes you sound bipolar and should probably get it under control because its pretty much wrecking my life now and had i not ignored the signs / knew what to look for earlier in life i would be in better shape right now.

ModernMech 8y ago
Sleep. Sleep sleep sleep sleep sleep is the key. I cannot stress that enough. Sleep and schedule. Wake up at the same time every day, no. matter. what. Don't stay out late just cause it's the weekend, don't go out partying just cause your friends are. Don't pull an all-nighter just to get an A on a test or meet a deadline. Once your sleep gets out of whack, a manic bout is not far behind, and that's 6+ months of your life turned into chaos. If you find yourself staying up all night, unable to sleep, that should be a huge warning sign. I speak from experience. Lots of it.
- cassowary37 8y ago
  Amen, and well said. I'm a psychiatrist and I worry the most about sleep, full stop. In a disease (or set of diseases, or whatever) that can make people feel so out of control, sleep is one of the best ways to take back control.
- bipolarengineer 8y ago
  yes! i agree. i have lots of sleep issues. now i go to sleep early in the evening (nearly right after the sun goes down) and i wake up between 3 and 5am. my biggest problem right now is work: i have had issues holding a job throughout my life. there was a 6 year stint that i was able to keep 2 jobs, but beyond that i usually quit due to what amounts to nothing in the end. have been trying to get a fully remote position as seclusion seems to help.
- louithethrid 8y ago
  This guy gets it - although i must admit- the mania sometimes is breath taking. You undertake endavours a rational person would not even attempt. And sometimes you even succeed. But then comes the day of reckoning, where all beckoning - for "sweet,sweet mania, take me on your wings"- will not be heard- and all that remains, is you, a empty room full of half finnished projects and list of phone numbers that wont pick up.
pmoriarty 8y ago
Radiolab had a very compelling depiction of the manic phase of bipolar disorder: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/audio.wnyc.org/radiolab/radiolab082315a.mp3 https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/audio.wnyc.org/radi... (starting at 3 minutes 30 seconds)
DoreenMichele 8y ago
Let me suggest you start a food diary as a useful tool. I have been successful in mitigating certain somatopsychic symptoms largely using diet.
- bipolarengineer 8y ago
  I probably should. just started looking through the list again: many people have bipolar disorder along with another illness such as: anxiety disorder substance abuse eating disorder delusions runs in family Feel very “up,” “high,” or elated Have a lot of energy Have increased activity levels Feel “jumpy” or “wired” Have trouble sleeping Become more active than usual Talk really fast about a lot of different things Be agitated irritable or “touchy” Feel like their thoughts are going very fast Think they can do a lot of things at once Do risky things like spend a lot of money or have reckless sex Feel very sad, down, empty, or hopeless Have very little energy Have decreased activity levels Have trouble sleeping, they may sleep too little or too much Feel like they can’t enjoy anything Feel worried and empty Have trouble concentrating Forget things a lot Eat too much or too little Feel tired or “slowed down” Think about death or suicide literally everything... and i've been denying it until like 2 days ago and am heading to the dr on monday after being talked out of killing myself for the 5th time by my wife ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  - DoreenMichele 8y ago
    I'm not going to post a link to it on HN, but I have a discontinued food blog with some information potentially relevant to you. The tldr: I am often suddenly suicidal. I have essentially a salt wasting condition. There is a salt and lithium connection and I have found it really helpful at times to eat a meat and potatoes meal to mediate the salt-lithium connection when I am under stress and expecting to soon fall off the deep end suddenly.
    - bipolarengineer 8y ago
      i am supposed to be taking lithium but have refused medication for a few reasons. mainly everything i have been prescribed has screwed me up further -- lithium specifically felt absolutely amazing to be on, i felt "content" and started feeling more balanced and creative etc... however i was sleeping until noon and felt a weird fog and felt like i couldn't program well (which is pretty much the only thing i do). edit: the above fogginess may have been from the seroquel actually i can't remember. I tried other medications but has other weird effects (i'm not good with drugs). secondly, the suicidal thoughts weren't fading and I was very focused on the drugs as a means to my end (they were hidden from me by my wife because of this and she would give me my dosage when it was time). i have to use a number of techniques to keep me grounded and most of the time I'm fine (i meditate, read, listen to specific types of music, exercise, etc) however there are triggers in my life which i have no control over and i lose control (ex wife making my life a nightmare via legal system, lack of funds etc). to be honest i'm sort of fucked. i'm an aging dev with mental health issues, little to no support from family, can't really do meds because it fucks up my ability to work. sucks
limeblack 8y ago
The defining factor between Bipolar I and Bipolar II is that you have been essentially never been hospitalized(and never had a completely documented manic episode). Ignoring psychosis the defining characteristic of a mental illness is often abnormal behavior which is slightly subjective. It is essentially the scale of the issue(mania typically) when it becomes a mental illness.
- bipolarengineer 8y ago
  I'm not sure what you're saying. i was hospitalized last year during the election while thinking that the gov. was after me, reporting a coworker as a terrorist (def not a terrorist) etc. i could go on. actually i will go on: reported the nicest guy to HR (he's fine) was on the verge of suicide, then thought "people" were after me and just completely flipped shit. family member kindly allowed me to stay at their home and then took me to the hospital the following day where i checked myself in.
  - limeblack 8y ago
    Psychosis is not required to have a diagnosis of bipolar and frankly I do not personally believe that it should be included in bipolar(it should be a separate diagnosis). IMO and many other psychologists opinions is that bipolar by the general public is often viewed as a mood disorder(not the psychosis part).
    - bipolarengineer 8y ago
      regardless, i had some sort of psychotic attack which lasted for several days along with a list of other symptoms which are fully documented, observed and on record. i have hardly been able to hold a job since that event and am stumbling through life.
    - cassowary37 8y ago
      The genetics would argue otherwise. Here's an interesting recent illustration: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29167880 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29167880

ModernMech 8y ago

Sleep. Sleep sleep sleep sleep sleep is the key. I cannot stress that enough. Sleep and schedule. Wake up at the same time every day, no. matter. what. Don't stay out late just cause it's the weekend, don't go out partying just cause your friends are. Don't pull an all-nighter just to get an A on a test or meet a deadline. Once your sleep gets out of whack, a manic bout is not far behind, and that's 6+ months of your life turned into chaos. If you find yourself staying up all night, unable to sleep, that should be a huge warning sign. I speak from experience. Lots of it.

cassowary37 8y ago
Amen, and well said. I'm a psychiatrist and I worry the most about sleep, full stop. In a disease (or set of diseases, or whatever) that can make people feel so out of control, sleep is one of the best ways to take back control.
bipolarengineer 8y ago
yes! i agree. i have lots of sleep issues. now i go to sleep early in the evening (nearly right after the sun goes down) and i wake up between 3 and 5am. my biggest problem right now is work: i have had issues holding a job throughout my life. there was a 6 year stint that i was able to keep 2 jobs, but beyond that i usually quit due to what amounts to nothing in the end. have been trying to get a fully remote position as seclusion seems to help.
louithethrid 8y ago
This guy gets it - although i must admit- the mania sometimes is breath taking. You undertake endavours a rational person would not even attempt. And sometimes you even succeed. But then comes the day of reckoning, where all beckoning - for "sweet,sweet mania, take me on your wings"- will not be heard- and all that remains, is you, a empty room full of half finnished projects and list of phone numbers that wont pick up.

pmoriarty 8y ago

Radiolab had a very compelling depiction of the manic phase of bipolar disorder: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/audio.wnyc.org/radiolab/radiolab082315a.mp3 https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/audio.wnyc.org/radi... (starting at 3 minutes 30 seconds)

DoreenMichele 8y ago

Let me suggest you start a food diary as a useful tool. I have been successful in mitigating certain somatopsychic symptoms largely using diet.

bipolarengineer 8y ago
I probably should. just started looking through the list again: many people have bipolar disorder along with another illness such as: anxiety disorder substance abuse eating disorder delusions runs in family Feel very “up,” “high,” or elated Have a lot of energy Have increased activity levels Feel “jumpy” or “wired” Have trouble sleeping Become more active than usual Talk really fast about a lot of different things Be agitated irritable or “touchy” Feel like their thoughts are going very fast Think they can do a lot of things at once Do risky things like spend a lot of money or have reckless sex Feel very sad, down, empty, or hopeless Have very little energy Have decreased activity levels Have trouble sleeping, they may sleep too little or too much Feel like they can’t enjoy anything Feel worried and empty Have trouble concentrating Forget things a lot Eat too much or too little Feel tired or “slowed down” Think about death or suicide literally everything... and i've been denying it until like 2 days ago and am heading to the dr on monday after being talked out of killing myself for the 5th time by my wife ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- DoreenMichele 8y ago
  I'm not going to post a link to it on HN, but I have a discontinued food blog with some information potentially relevant to you. The tldr: I am often suddenly suicidal. I have essentially a salt wasting condition. There is a salt and lithium connection and I have found it really helpful at times to eat a meat and potatoes meal to mediate the salt-lithium connection when I am under stress and expecting to soon fall off the deep end suddenly.
  - bipolarengineer 8y ago
    i am supposed to be taking lithium but have refused medication for a few reasons. mainly everything i have been prescribed has screwed me up further -- lithium specifically felt absolutely amazing to be on, i felt "content" and started feeling more balanced and creative etc... however i was sleeping until noon and felt a weird fog and felt like i couldn't program well (which is pretty much the only thing i do). edit: the above fogginess may have been from the seroquel actually i can't remember. I tried other medications but has other weird effects (i'm not good with drugs). secondly, the suicidal thoughts weren't fading and I was very focused on the drugs as a means to my end (they were hidden from me by my wife because of this and she would give me my dosage when it was time). i have to use a number of techniques to keep me grounded and most of the time I'm fine (i meditate, read, listen to specific types of music, exercise, etc) however there are triggers in my life which i have no control over and i lose control (ex wife making my life a nightmare via legal system, lack of funds etc). to be honest i'm sort of fucked. i'm an aging dev with mental health issues, little to no support from family, can't really do meds because it fucks up my ability to work. sucks

limeblack 8y ago

The defining factor between Bipolar I and Bipolar II is that you have been essentially never been hospitalized(and never had a completely documented manic episode). Ignoring psychosis the defining characteristic of a mental illness is often abnormal behavior which is slightly subjective. It is essentially the scale of the issue(mania typically) when it becomes a mental illness.

bipolarengineer 8y ago
I'm not sure what you're saying. i was hospitalized last year during the election while thinking that the gov. was after me, reporting a coworker as a terrorist (def not a terrorist) etc. i could go on. actually i will go on: reported the nicest guy to HR (he's fine) was on the verge of suicide, then thought "people" were after me and just completely flipped shit. family member kindly allowed me to stay at their home and then took me to the hospital the following day where i checked myself in.
- limeblack 8y ago
  Psychosis is not required to have a diagnosis of bipolar and frankly I do not personally believe that it should be included in bipolar(it should be a separate diagnosis). IMO and many other psychologists opinions is that bipolar by the general public is often viewed as a mood disorder(not the psychosis part).
  - bipolarengineer 8y ago
    regardless, i had some sort of psychotic attack which lasted for several days along with a list of other symptoms which are fully documented, observed and on record. i have hardly been able to hold a job since that event and am stumbling through life.
  - cassowary37 8y ago
    The genetics would argue otherwise. Here's an interesting recent illustration: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29167880 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29167880