Straight Talk on Managing Bipolar Disorder

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow! (I hope so!)

Make a list of your top five depression symptoms: especially the ones that sneak up on you and make you think they are real.

Write out this list and put it in your wallet. When the depression starts take it out and read it. Then say to yourself, “If I’m going through something on this list, it has to be depression. This means I have to treat the depression first.”

Depression behavior rarely changes. When you learn your symptoms, you can differentiate them from the real you.
If you care about someone with depression, make a list of their top five depression symptoms. Memorize them. This helps you know what you’re up against when their behavior is confusing. You can say to yourself, “I remember this! He always talks like this when he’s depressed! We have to focus on treating the depression instead of talking endlessly about what is wrong.”

This prevents the Bipolar Conversation. I write about the Bipolar Conversation in all of my books!

Here are a few of my bipolar disorder depression symptoms:

– I Think: I will never find a partner for the rest of my life.  ( I am only 47! )

– I Hear a voice: What is the point of working? (Or, what’s the point of getting up, living, etc.)

 
– I Believe: Things will never get better. (Oh, that is a strong one! A masterful depressive thought!)

 
– I Cry easily. (I call it the waterfall of tears. I also have the sob where I will be driving and suddenly I just have a heaving sob out of nowhere!)

– I eat everything I don’t need to be eating! (A constant problem. Eating junk has never, ever helped depression. It just makes you fat!)

My depression never changes. My management skills have just gotten so much better that I can overcome the  depression more easily than I used to.  I know my top five dcpression symtpoms and I try to catch them before they go too far. Bla! What a bother! This illness is a bother!

Julie

Here is my latest blog from BP Magazine:

The BP Magazine Blog is great!

 

If you’re new to bipolar disorder lingo- there are two kinds of mania: Euphoric (we all love it when it first starts!) and the dreaded dysphoric mania, also known as agitated mania.

I’m what’s known as an ultradian rapid cycler. I rarely go more than a few days without a mood swing and sometimes have four or five mood swings a day. It’s unpleasant.

But I’ve never had a lot of dysporic mania which is probably why I missed this off and on six week episode.

For weeks I said I was unhappy, miserable, bored, worn out and sick of my work. I kept saying, “I just want to get out of here. I want to leave Portland. I’ve got to get on a plane and leave this awful life!” My therapist said, “I’ve never seen you this bad Julie. You’re negative about everything. This isn’t you!” I said, “Yes, it is. You don’t understand. I’ve got to get out of here!”
A week ago I woke up and felt truly stable.  I simply got out of bed and did my thing without a struggle and that’s when it hit me.

It was dysphoric mania – sneaky and deadly.

I’m glad it’s over. And I’m glad I didn’t get on a plane like I have so many times in the past.

Julie

PS: The comments on this blog were amazing. Here is a link to check them out:

PSS: I love this magazine. I believe that everyone with the illnes and all who care about someone with bipolar disorder can get a lot of great info just in one magazine!  You can get a subscription from the website.

In fact. I will give away a subscription right now! For the first person who goes to the link above and leaves a comment on the post- let me know and I’ll send you a yearly subscription to BP Magazine!  (You can come back to this blog and leave a comment with your name and that  you want to win the contest!)

It’s now 11:00 PST on Monday July 4th.

Charlie Sheen’s story took over the US media for a few months this year. Everyone wanted to interview the man who was saying ‘crazy’ things! Of course, those of us with bipolar disorder could see it was  mania, but the world just kept on exploiting what they called the Charlie Sheen circus. Mania is like a circus!

Here is a video I recently filmed on the topic:

Julie