#bipolar i related.

[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.

[theyaremycrocsyoudonut]

Prompt: Blur

Thank you @callivich for this week's @galladrabbles prompt. This was a painful one 😀

---

Ian had a manic episode last week. At first, he was just a bit more energetic than usual. Then, before anyone could grab it, he was having full blown discussions with the Shim. Mickey practically dragged him to the doctor and she had to change his meds. Afterwards, everything was a blur. The only thing Ian remembered vividly when he came back to reality was a conversation:

"I'm sorry I'm such a fuckup."

"You're not a fuckup. And never apologise for this shit, it's not like you asked for it."

His tears were interrupted by a kiss.

"I love you."

[disassociativesaddiebaddie]

I want that unconditional love, that "you messed up but it's ok" kind of love, forgiving and kind and sometimes foolishly so.

[brain4heartz]

i hc that tim was never lucid as masky idc what nightmind says

[empty-fucking-abyss]

lmao another fb meme I swear I’m obsessed lol

[ihhfhonao3]

Look, I love a good media theory as much as the next guy, but so many of them, especially theories for kids shows, are lowkey ableist.

“Dark things you never knew about Fairly OddParents! Number one: Timmy is schizophrenic!”

“Dark fact: Owl from Winnie the Pooh has NPD!!”

“Scary theory says that Sandy from SpongeBob has Borderline Personality Disorder!”

Like I’m sorry if you maybe overlooked the implications of what you were saying, but are you implying that disorders, disabilities and divergences are “scary” and “dark?” Because I’m not sure that’s a hill you want to die on.

[danothan]

jason and tim being the bipolar ones of their siblings is fun bc tim is properly diagnosed + medicated now, and jason is rawdogging this shit in denial

tim’s probably armchair diagnosed him atp, just cringing watching jason’s manic episodes go untreated, and jason is cringing at the insinuation that he’s got what tim’s got. all that embarrassing stuff tim did in the past is NOTHING like what jason is doing now, don’t even try to compare the two 🙄

[pretty-little-martyr]

always a little unsettling to be lsitening to a reddit story about someone who's being kind of a piece of shit and then partway through the OP is like "i found out theyre bipolar" and suddenly all the comments are like "typical, of course theyre crazy, only bipolars do [x thing that pretty much any human is capable of doing]"

[sparrow-orion-writes]

"if you don't say exactly what this character is you're copping out and it's not real representation!" sorry the author didn't know what was wrong with them before they projected their entire personality onto this character and then hung about to see which people identified with them most.

[mermaidsirennikita]

the worst take in romance is that it's one of those "women's spaces" and "for women, by women" because

a) never been true; historically, many men have written romance under "feminine" pen names, and still do--also, the publishing industry was and still is largely run by men, and no matter what editors and writers do, that MATTERS

b) the reality is that this idea has usually meant "for [cishet white] women, by [cishet white] women"; trans, NB, and basically all people of color have been shut out by and large for YEARS in romance, and still make up small minorities of the amount of traditionally published writers in the genre... it's PROBABLY better in indie, but I don't have the data for that

.... so let's not kid ourselves, the genre has been shutting out MANY women for a very long time; it's never been a space that's welcomed women who aren't cis and white, and frankly women who are publicly queer, as it should

c) I don't mind reading M/M, for example, written by women, at all--but it is kinda (a lot) messed up the M/M is a significant category in the genre and is, by and large, written by women, and apparently lots of female readers don't feel like the existence of M/M, MMF, etc is intruding on a woman's space

d) romance is literally about falling in love, something that anyone of any gender can potentially relate to

e) women write a ton of misogynistic shit that I don't feel relates to my experience as a woman... at all...

f) there is not a universally female experience that a female writer can just inherently understand that a man can't, and frankly, I think it's rather reductive and gender essentialist to pretend there is one

[saintjosie]

you can tell when i’m manic by how cluttered your dash is by my nonsense

[thirstyvampyr]

ah shit i fucking knew it. these writers hate ian and mickey or what? wont even let me have one happy episode before yanking the rug god damnit i should have seen it coming

[ask18thcenturyrussia]

|| Sorry for inactivity. I got two big milestones on tumblr to celebrate, but I'm SO artblocked that I can barely scroll the inbox without getting overwhelmed. Seeing my past art and comparing it to now doesn't help at all either. I feel ashamed of my current skill level.

If I celebrate 1,300 followers AND the 6th birthday about three months late (or together in one), it's gonna just have to be like that. Sorry again. I'll be back soon again. I do lurk daily though no matter what, because I love seeing everyone's work and thoughts. ||

[karamazovposting]

Funniest thing about The Brothers Karamazov is that there's literally a guy who spirals into psychosis and hallucinates the devil and he's still one of the most normal people in that shitshow

[suburbanlegnd]

people love throwing the word maniac around way too easy

[empty-fucking-abyss]

again Facebook!!! not mine but I still love it anyways 😍