#bipolar disorder type 2

[kota-corner]

THIS EXPLAINS SO MUCH??? (Speaking about the Autism and PMDD statistic specifically)

[capricorn-witchbitch]

I don't know how to live like this anymore

[ooppo]

Bipolar Creecur. I take requests.

[tombfreak]

We need more positivity posts and awareness on Bipolar Disorder. Really sucks to go onto the tags and see stuff about Borderline PD instead cuz people tend to mix the disorders up

I want to see more people talking about manic episodes and how terrible they are. Talk about how you have a complete lack of judgement, absolutely no social filter, because your thoughts are racing at 1000mph and pouring out of your mouth faster than you can process. Talk about the snappy irritability and the rage because everything is overwhelming, and you can't catch yourself. Talk about how you say really uncomfortable and unpleasant things, or get into arguments, or rant/ramble/overshare for hours. Talk about all the relationships it ruins. Talk about how you start projects, spend all your money on them, stay up all night planning for them, just to drop them the next day. Talk about how you never really know when you're manic until you crash, and how awful the clean up is. Talk about the dangers, the recklessness, the risks. Talk about the poosible psychosis. Talk about how nobody understands what your condition is like. Nobody understands how intense it is, how everyone waters it down, how you can't control it even if you wanted to. Talk about how theres not much of a cure for it at all.

And talk about the depression. How it's more severe than typical depressive episodes (not in a trauma Olympics way, but for perspective). Talk about the suicide rates, and the substance abuse. Talk about how isolating and suffocating it feels. Talk about how intense it is, like there's 500lb weights on your feet dragging you down. Talk about the strength it takes to get out of bed regardless. Talk about the rejection sensitivity, the hopelessness, the disappointment. How everything feels like confirmation that nothing is worth it. Talk about how your mind is always against you. Talk about how this feeling can last months with seemingly no end in sight.

Most importantly, talk about treatment, and how recovery and managing bipolar are completely possible. Talk about having hope, and being compassionate and understanding to the ugly sides of this disorder. Talk about ways to healthily cope. Talk about how we see each others efforts, and how amazing those efforts are. Talk about the ways you can live a full, happy life regardless, and that you deserve it regardless of any issues you might have faced/caused in the midst of your episodes. Talk about forgiving yourself.

Talk more about bipolar disorder

[bipolarmango]

I hate it when people think (hypo)mania is just having a ton of energy to do all the chores you have when in reality it is

not being able to sleep because you can't, meaning you get up in the middle of the night to go to cycling or for a drive

not finishing your actual chores because you need to write a book, learn how to play violin, or solve world hunger

spending money you don't have in things you don't need, like a pony or a new car or fifteen pairs of shoes

having to take medical leave from work so you can focus on your current project, such as writing a book or solving the world hunger

having rage towards other people because no one but you is competent enough, smart enough, or fast enough

your thoughts going so fast you can't really do anything because your mind can't process anything but your racing thoughts

[beenovel]

I dream of things, just like anyone else. The things I dream of are so far beyond my reach I may as well be dreaming of riding a dragon.

I dream of a body that does not hurt. I dream of a mind I can trust. I dream of a life where I don’t have to down medication the second I wake up. I dream of travel, without the worry of where I’ll get my medication, without the worry of how the new environment will hurt me. I dream of holding a steady job, of being able to provide for myself, something I may never have. I dream of going through my day without having to calculate how much energy each task will consume.

I will never have most of these things. They will never exist in my life. And that is harder to accept some days.

[graveyard-darlingg]

i’m not sure how much this is talked about, but it’s tiring having to go through depressive episode and hypomanic episode then back to depressive episode and so forth. it’s so tiring.

i finally get used to feeling good and then it ends and i’m empty again. i finally feel like i can do something with my life and i feel ‘normal’ and happy, and then im back to the same pit i was in before. it’s exhausting.

[menheraprince]

The Biggest Struggle while Living With Bipolar Disorder

TW: mentions of SI, sanism (discrimination against those with mental disabilities), and child 4buse

So my older sister found out that I called the 988 hotline and visited the hospital last Monday for SI and she's very mad at me. I don't know how she found out about it, but she thinks that I told her that I was gonna kms when I straight-up didn't and thinks I've been lying to her about my promise of trying to stay alive. I know that she loves me very much and my family wouldn't want me to be hurt, but it's tough trying to mask your emotional pain when you struggle with Bipolar Disorder like I do. I always had to hide my emotions from others, especially my sperm donor who thought that I shouldn't have any emotions when I was really young. I'm stuck in this universe where I have to constantly be happy to please others, but people will say that I'm acting like a baby if I cry or express my SI. I don't act upon it because I know my family will miss me when I'm gone, especially my mom who is my partner-in-crime.

[bipolar-type-2-confessions]

[usagihoppu]

[minyardapologist]

Love how Nora gives the unofficial term for bpd instead of just calling it bipolar disorder 💀😭/aff (when you look up “manic depressive/ion” it’s literally just bipolar disorder)

[arionawrites]

decided to make a list of all my diagnosed issues and like fucking. god damn. how am i just living day to day.

[capricorn-witchbitch]

What do you do when nothing feels good anymore

[lucifinaspissed]

sun rays creeping through the blinds fills me with guilt.

[scaryinclusive]

NEURODIVERGENCE INFO RESOURCES!

by @scaryinclusive.

topic: bipolar disorder. symptom discussed: mania & hypomania.

bipolar disorder is complex, due to it being diagnosable and able to be experienced in varying ways. it's absolutely not as simple as "up and down moods" and it can come in differing levels, intensities and symptoms - all of which can have an impact on day to day life. bipolar disorders are categorised as disorders that are associated with episodes of mood swings that can range from depressive lows to manic or hypomanic highs.

it's important to note that what is significant about bipolar depression and manic behaviour is that it's regularly confused for other, similar but not the same behaviours. for example, it's not unusual for people to get bipolar disorder and other neurodevelopmental disabilities or personality disorders confused due to bipolar's manic / hypomanic episodes being tied to high energy, reduced need for sleep, loss of touch with reality and elevated moods. it's necessary to remember that they aren't the same, however.

here are the other known types of bipolar:

bipolar 1 - manic episodes ( lasting at least 7 days, nearly every day for most of the day ) or manic symptoms that are severe enough for the individual to need immediate medical care. depressive episodes can occur as well, though not always and aren't required for a diagnosis. if present, these typically last approx. 2 weeks.

bipolar 2 - a pattern of depressive episodes and hypomanic episodes. hypomania differs from mania in that it is less severe. depressive episodes are required for a diagnosis, you do not solely experience hypomanic episodes and it's important to distinguish the difference between feeling "sad" and the depressive lows of bipolar. i can write a separate post on this, to better elaborate.

cyclothymia - recurring hypomanic and depressive symptoms that aren't intense enough or don't last long enough to qualify as hypomanic or depressive episodes and thus people should avoid referring to them as such to avoid confusion. ( essentially, unspecified bipolar disorder. )

due to society's desensitisation to the word "mania," it is often played down, minimalised and trivialised. as is depression. so let's go over what mania is, with bipolar 1, and compare how bipolar 2's hypomania differs to this. mania & hypomania are both described as a change in mood and / or emotion, energy or activity level. type 1 mania is more severe than 2's hypomania, meaning a change relating to mania will likely be extreme, wherein hypomania will potentially be just a change - this does not minimise the impact or possible intensity.

for example, manic individuals might make extreme decisions in an episode, such as spending an extreme amount of money over a very short period ( life savings, maybe thousands, i've seen examples of buying a horse, buying a house etc ), leave a significant relationship or make an impulsive decision ( typically very unusual for the individual to do outside of mania ) that leads to the damaging or breaking of a relationship, not sleep for days at a time or go with the absolute minimum of sleep for months.

with hypomania, individuals might still make impulsive or impactful decisions, but they won't be as severe and aren't usually extreme. examples might include not sleeping for a small period ( days or minimal sleep for the period of their hypomanic episode ) due to racing thoughts, high energy ( wanting to go for a run or exercise, wanting to clean ) impulsivity or irritability, making financial decisions that could be harmful like spending a few hundred or around a thousand on a new hobby or line of work that you'll likely lose interest in after a few days or months, plan an expensive or thrilling trip and not go or go when you can't afford to. these are just examples and these symptoms look different for everyone. but it's important to note that it's not the same as "dyeing hair a wild colour" or "overspending once on a meal."

equally, it's also possible to have mixed episodes with both bipolar 1 & 2, where depressive symptoms and manic or hypomanic symptoms occur at the same time. you might have racing thoughts and feel you're having really great ideas but can't get out of bed or don't feel there's any point in pursuing them, or might be acting in an impulsive, potentially harmful way due to mania while experiencing depressive thoughts or passive suicidal ideation. it's also possible to experience "rapid cycling," which is where four or more episodes of mania, hypomania or depression occurs within a 12 month period. ultra-rapid cycling is where you experience mania, hypomania or depression more than four or more times within one month with cycle lengths being days, a week or as frequently as every 48 hours. some even experience these mood shifts every 24 hours or, at the absolute maximum, hourly.

treatment involves a varied support system of medication specific to your needs and therapy. it's important to note that bipolar disorder is due to a chemical imbalance in the brain, capable of being triggered by your environment, stress, emotional instability, physical illness, lack of sleep etc. identifying triggers can be very useful for some individuals to avoid or better manage their bipolar episodes. i also want to state that it's next to impossible to self-regulate during episodes, other than by having a routine and not straying from it which can equally seem impossible in the moment, and suggesting that someone try and wind down from an episode ( aka a literal chemical imbalance in the brain ) is immensely unhelpful. oftentimes, you have to just see them through.

bipolar is often misdiagnosed, and if you feel you're suffering from it i highly suggest looking into a diagnosis. by misdiagnosing yourself, it's easy to add to the stigma and trivialising of bipolar symptoms, especially by labelling behaviours as hypomanic or manic when they aren't. if you're unsure, i find watching and digesting details from videos on youtube helpful, recorded by those with a diagnosis explaining their symptoms or actively showing footage of them experiencing their symptoms. it helps set the bar essentially for just how extreme and / or intense these behaviours and mood shifts can be. lots of disorders and disabilities can mimic these symptoms, and hypomania can also be a symptom of other health issues. what can be helpful is recognising a pattern and the timeline of your symptoms. mood journals / diaries are useful in noting mood shifts, triggers, timeline and how extensive the moods can be.

bipolar is life-long, not something that can be treated entirely or stops after a while. 'moods' today are typically associated with feeling angry over something, or feeling sad or happy, and moods more often than not don't last more than a few hours or at most, days. if your moods change very quickly, and there's a noticeable extremity to them, or if they last for long periods of time and are very intense, but change quickly, it's worth looking into more. even if it's not bipolar, something more might be going on that you're unaware of.

what can misdiagnosis mean? something else might be happening to or within your body and mind that, without the correct treatment, could get worse or remain untreated. a 2018 review found that up to 40% of people with bipolar disorder are misdiagnosed.

things commonly misdiagnosed as bipolar:

major depressive disorder.

schizophrenia ( especially due to the delusions and losing touch of reality that can come with bipolar disorder. )

anxiety disorders.

borderline personality disorder ( overlap in mood swings, emotional dysregulation and instability, potential impulsivity. )

narcissistic personality disorder ( overlap in delusions of grandiosity being confused for mania-like symptoms. )

attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder ( overlap in impulsivity as well as feelings of proactivity, restlessness and brain fog. )

substance abuse disorder / addiction.

hyperthyroidism.

here is a link to a website detailing research, studies and further helpful information relating to the misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder. and here is a useful link detailing what can cause hypomania and mania as a symptom, with or without the connection of bipolar.

it's important not to misuse the terms "bipolar", "depression / depressed," "mania / manic" and "hypomania / hypomanic." the confusion, lack of education, trivialising and desensitisation of these words means people are missing out on potentially life-altering diagnoses and treatments, or out outright being misdiagnosed altogether. they are not "moods" that you experience after something a little frustrating, disappointing or overwhelming. they aren't to be confused with feelings of happiness, sadness or anger. bipolar is invasive, disorientating, complex and ( regardless of severity ) can be impactful towards day to day life, finances, love life and friendships, general safety and care etc.

if you suspect you experience any of these symptoms, it's really important you seek help. you might feel it's of no concern to you right now, that it'll get better, that it's not as bad as other people's or even that it's of great benefit or help to you, but it can get worse and there are ways to manage it in a safe, stable way for optimal functioning. your safety is important, as is the safety of those around you.

i'd appreciate no one adding to this post but you're more than welcome to reblog. instead, if you have something you feel could be a beneficial addition, send it over to my asks! i'd like to avoid the risk of misinformation being spread where possible.

[bipolarmango]

Every day is a fucking battle