Bipolar AMA

[pookie101]

A bit of background

im someone in her 40's, australian diagnosed with bipolar 1 which means i get the extreme depression and mania through to delusions and hallucinations, ive also been in hospital a few times due to it.

So feel free to ask any questions you have from questions about being in a psych hospital to whats it like. also share your experiences and thoughts with mental illness

i hope it helps destigmatise at least a little bit mental illness.

as someone asked .. yes i was diagnosed officially by a psychiatrist

 

[American Tanker]

I've never actually gone there for any kind of extended period, but I've seen enough people on Tumblr that are allegedly "self-diagnosed" with this, that or the other thing. I think they're all attention-whoring idiots, so I'm going to ask:

You were legitimately diagnosed by an actual professional, right?

If not, then, well, see the first part of my post.

 

[pookie101]

I've never actually gone there for any kind of extended period, but I've seen enough people on Tumblr that are allegedly "self-diagnosed" with this, that or the other thing. I think they're all attention-whoring idiots, so I'm going to ask:

You were legitimately diagnosed by an actual professional, right?

If not, then, well, see the first part of my post.

i really dont understand those people myself and for the record I was officially diagnosed with "bipolar 1 disorder with catatonic depression"* although the diagnosis took a long time to nail down

* sidenote i had never even heard of catatonic depression

 

[American Tanker]

I really don't understand those people myself, and for the record, I was officially diagnosed with "bipolar 1 disorder with catatonic depression"* although the diagnosis took a long time to nail down.

* Side-note: I had never even heard of catatonic depression.

Oh, okay, you're NOT one of those kinds of people. That's good.

I guess I should ask something less cynical this time... hat kinds of games do you like?

 

[pookie101]

I really don't understand those people myself, and for the record, I was officially diagnosed with "bipolar 1 disorder with catatonic depression"* although the diagnosis took a long time to nail down.

* Side-note: I had never even heard of catatonic depression.

Oh, okay, you're NOT one of those kinds of people. That's good.

I guess I should ask something less cynical this time... hat kinds of games do you like?

rpg and strategy game fan.. i like flight sims, etc but the meds and illness effects your cognitive abilities so i cant play those anymore (forgive my spelling and grammar)

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Okay okay, very telling question this: If you were trapped in Silent Hill, what would the theme of town be(icy, raining, smog, darkness, rust, etc...), and what would the main antagonist look like?

 

[pookie101]

Okay okay, very telling question this: If you were trapped in Silent Hill, what would the theme of town be(icy, raining, smog, darkness, rust, etc...), and what would the main antagonist look like?

the fucking huge ass spider i hallucinated earlier.. screw you brain thats not the deal we had!

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Okay okay, very telling question this: If you were trapped in Silent Hill, what would the theme of town be(icy, raining, smog, darkness, rust, etc...), and what would the main antagonist look like?

the fucking huge ass spider i hallucinated earlier.. screw you brain thats not the deal we had!

A spectral arachnid themed town with cob webs and spiders floating in and out of frame. I'd play it.
Now Follow-up: what would the third act twist be? Have the spiders been real the whole time?

 

[Asita]

Forgive me for asking, but when you say "hallucinations" what do those tend towards for you? I ask because it is my understanding that hallucinations vary greatly both in the sense of content and what senses they affect. Which is to say that while one person might primarily experience auditory hallucinations (paracusia), another might experience primarily visual hallucinations, or even tactile hallucinations. I guess what I'm asking is whether the spider you mentioned a few posts ago is the exception or the rule?

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

How regularly do the more extreme states tend to change? Also can there be known triggers for them to occur that you're aware of or is it entirely down to whatever your body decides it's going to do through unknown mechanisms?

And perhaps more informally, do you have any useful coping methods or preventative techniques that help during any of the varying states of mind at all? (This is my first AMA, hope am doing it right and not being improper).

 

[pookie101]

Forgive me for asking, but when you say "hallucinations" what do those tend towards for you? I ask because it is my understanding that hallucinations vary greatly both in the sense of content and what senses they affect. Which is to say that while one person might primarily experience auditory hallucinations (paracusia), another might experience primarily visual hallucinations, or even tactile hallucinations. I guess what I'm asking is whether the spider you mentioned a few posts ago is the exception or the rule?

i get visual and auditory hallucinations
the spider was rare in that it was fully formed and actually looked realistic.. asshole thing. mostly its seeing creepy and menacing shadows for me.
the auditory hallucinations are frankly exhausting. picture multiple people standing being you talking at once, 24/7 and you can understand how hard it is to do anything.
auditory wise i hear one voice commenting on what i do "shes opening the door", another commanding "go climb a cliff at midnight you cant possibly be hurt", a third is like some lady singing softly and then a last one is short and usually music randomly for a few seconds

How regularly do the more extreme states tend to change? Also can there be known triggers for them to occur that you're aware of or is it entirely down to whatever your body decides it's going to do through unknown mechanisms?

And perhaps more informally, do you have any useful coping methods or preventative techniques that help during any of the varying states of mind at all? (This is my first AMA, hope am doing it right and not being improper).

im pretty rapid cycling for someone with bipolar and off meds i can go from not being able to get out of be depressed to being manic and dangerously so in the space of a few hours. normally i had been cycling every 6 weeks which a pretty calm period in between

im trying to find what triggers me but unfortunately seems to be random.

the best preventative is to have people around you aware and willing to contact help, in constant contact with mental health professionals and for me having things in place so you dont spend way to much money

once someone gets manic no matter what you say to the person they filter it through a lens of everything is perfect, im a genius and nothing can go wrong.

your first ama? mine too
seriously feel free to ask anything

 

[Asita]

Anything? Alright. What colors do you lean towards in clothing? For the sake of example, I find that I'm fond of darker colors. I'll always prefer navy to sky blue, and brick red to fire engine red, for instance, and I will almost always reject yellow shirts. Do your color preferences change appreciably in your manic/depressive states?

 

[Cowabungaa]

Does your mania actually help you? I knew someone who is bi-polar and managed to be extremely successful in life because she used her manic episodes well and made sure something buffered her depressive periods. I was flabbergasted how she managed.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Forgive me for asking, but when you say "hallucinations" what do those tend towards for you? I ask because it is my understanding that hallucinations vary greatly both in the sense of content and what senses they affect. Which is to say that while one person might primarily experience auditory hallucinations (paracusia), another might experience primarily visual hallucinations, or even tactile hallucinations. I guess what I'm asking is whether the spider you mentioned a few posts ago is the exception or the rule?

i get visual and auditory hallucinations
the spider was rare in that it was fully formed and actually looked realistic.. asshole thing. mostly its seeing creepy and menacing shadows for me.
the auditory hallucinations are frankly exhausting. picture multiple people standing being you talking at once, 24/7 and you can understand how hard it is to do anything.
auditory wise i hear one voice commenting on what i do "shes opening the door", another commanding "go climb a cliff at midnight you cant possibly be hurt", a third is like some lady singing softly and then a last one is short and usually music randomly for a few seconds

How regularly do the more extreme states tend to change? Also can there be known triggers for them to occur that you're aware of or is it entirely down to whatever your body decides it's going to do through unknown mechanisms?

And perhaps more informally, do you have any useful coping methods or preventative techniques that help during any of the varying states of mind at all? (This is my first AMA, hope am doing it right and not being improper).

im pretty rapid cycling for someone with bipolar and off meds i can go from not being able to get out of be depressed to being manic and dangerously so in the space of a few hours. normally i had been cycling every 6 weeks which a pretty calm period in between

im trying to find what triggers me but unfortunately seems to be random.

the best preventative is to have people around you aware and willing to contact help, in constant contact with mental health professionals and for me having things in place so you dont spend way to much money

once someone gets manic no matter what you say to the person they filter it through a lens of everything is perfect, im a genius and nothing can go wrong.

your first ama? mine too
seriously feel free to ask anything

Ah okies, that is all quite interesting. The mania does sound a little more tricky than first thought, with the potential for putting oneself in harm in various ways. Experiencing the more extreme areas of human emotion in such regular, yet sporadic moments must be exasperating and exhausting at times. Do your personal tastes change distinctly along with the different states also? (Ohh, Asita asked that too, I just noticed, but a variant...So, umm, if it is already answered before this post button is hit, nevermind!)
It seems like the medication is helping a fair bit, not sure what the access to mental health service is like in Australia, with its' size and population distribution. I hope there is enough support locally there though. These mind issues require much more care and attention (and always more research) beyond medication and family support than a lot of people tend to assume.

 

[pookie101]

Anything? Alright. What colors do you lean towards in clothing? For the sake of example, I find that I'm fond of darker colors. I'll always prefer navy to sky blue, and brick red to fire engine red, for instance, and I will almost always reject yellow shirts. Do your color preferences change appreciably in your manic/depressive states?

fair enough haha im very dull color wise. mostly grey and black. it doesnt change for me. that said alot of people become completely uninhibited and they end up wearing the sexiest, etc clothes they have and go pick up strangers.

someone else with it i know who was psychotic believed certain colours had special meaning and would only wear a single colour

 

[pookie101]

Does your mania actually help you? I knew someone who is bi-polar and managed to be extremely successful in life because she used her manic episodes well and made sure something buffered her depressive periods. I was flabbergasted how she managed.

bipolar 1 is mania and bepression while bipolar 2 is hypomania and depression.
hypomania is more controllable, lots of ideas and tons of energy.. i understand why you friend does well with that as if its under control as such its freaking amazing and personally i LOVE it

 

[pookie101]

@Xsjadoblayde first of all you have a spectacular name.

mental health where i live is pretty hit and miss, i never see the same psychiatrist more than once as they change every 2-3 weeks and in my case i went 10 years before getting a proper diagnosis and that was purely due to them having no choice s i was admitted into a psych ward

the staff on the ward, the nurses, social worker, art therapist and kitchen staff were frankly awesome

basically like most things if you want them to treat something as serious go into hospital

 

[Marik2]

How do you feel about how the media and pop culture portray bipolar disorder?

 

[pookie101]

How do you feel about how the media and pop culture portray bipolar disorder?

honestly i havent seen much about it. which is why i decided to do this ama. the media and pop culture know it exists but ignore it for the most part.

even knowing how it effects me, that i get depressed and then manic is still scratching the surface of how individualy it manifests.

just from what i saw in the last hospital stay:
-im pretty textbook standard for rapid cycling bipolar
-a woman i saw was delusional and paranoid for 2 weeks straight and you could barely understand what she was saying
-another woman was misdiagnoses as a paranoid schizophrenic for 43 years before they finally found out she was bipolar
-a young guy was very business orientated always thought he had the best business deals on the planet and had basically ruined his credit history at 25

most of the docs ive seen are pretty spot on. Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive is a pretty good one

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

@Xsjadoblayde first of all you have a spectacular name.

mental health where i live is pretty hit and miss, i never see the same psychiatrist more than once as they change every 2-3 weeks and in my case i went 10 years before getting a proper diagnosis and that was purely due to them having no choice s i was admitted into a psych ward

the staff on the ward, the nurses, social worker, art therapist and kitchen staff were frankly awesome

basically like most things if you want them to treat something as serious go into hospital

Constant cycling of psychiatrists are often a bit of a time sink, that is a problem with mental healthcare in parts here too. Especially if details don't transfer between places, making the whole process much more arduous as each professional requires explanation of problems that have been detailed before.

Have spent a couple of periods in a psych ward before, and do attest the people working there were all very laid back and generally pleasant peeps, helpful and understanding, with even a couple who had begun training in the sector because they also experienced mental troubles/hospital admission and wanted to utilise their personal experience to help others.
The other patients there were also quite nice, some heartbreaking lives lived. Even the loudest, most aggressive sounding one was only just brief psychotic episodes of noise, with religious connotations. Otherwise he was a softly spoken alright guy with a lot of tattoos. It's interesting how often religion is what minds switch on to for a variety of psychological issues, as the brain tries to make sense of the confusion with limited resources.

But yeah, definitely was/is a help in so many ways. And hopefully the stigma around it all is fading enough now so that people are less afraid to seek help or advice earlier.
Thankyou for the name appreciation, it's old, but I kinda liked the curly nature of the letters and sound mostly. Like growing vines. Or something.