Straight Talk on Managing Bipolar Disorder

Oh yes, the dark weather has started here in Portland, Oregon.  It’s easy to experience seasonal affective disorder symptoms when it gets dark at 4:00 PM. I have found that prevention is the best treatment for SAD.  The first step is to determine your worst time of the day. When do you feel the most down?  It’s around 4-6 PM for me.

Here are some tips for how I manage and prevent seasonal affective disorder :

1. I get natural light in my eyes if there is sun in the morning. Look up at the sky and let the light get into your retina so it can tell your brain to switch on your serotonin.  You want to look at blue sky whenever possible- this is the blue light that helps depression. Light boxes can cause mania in people with bipolar disorder. I recommend a full spectrum alarm clock if you want to use a light box treatment.

2. I have coffee with a friend during the dark times. A quick visit with someone when it gets dark early takes your mind off the gloom outside.   I’ve found that going to a movie helps as well.  Yes, the theater is dark, but seeing a comedy is often a great antidote to the outside darkness.

3. Exercise during your worst hours.  If 4- 6 PM is my tough time, it makes sense to battle the problem directly and make sure I’m as active as possible during these times.  If you work on a schedule and can’t exactly jump up and exercise for an hour at 4:00, at least stand up,  stretch and mentally remind yourself that you feel down because of the weather, not because there is anything wrong with your life. Take a walk right after work is possible.  Gyms have very bright lights and that helps.  It’s hard to remember to do these activities when you feel down- scheduling in advance works the best.

4. Try not to complain too much about the weather.  Portland, Oregon here on the west coast of the United States is funny.  The weather is terrible many months of the year. It has always been this way and yet we still complain.  It was the same when I lived in Seattle, Washington. We would have gloomy weather and rain all the way into the spring.  I’m not sure why I used to get so upset and complain so much. I’m the one who chooses to live in these areas!

5. Hang out with positive people. This helps all around.

You can manage seasonal affective disorder!

Julie

Are you having a tough night? Here are a few words of hope from someone who has been there… and back.  I’ve spent a large part of my life dealing with severe depression. It was relentless from age 19 on.  I also had hypomania during this time but thought it was the REAL ME! But the vast majority of my symptoms were from depression.

I’ve been so depressed I’ve rolled in a ball on the floor saying out loud, “I will not kill myself! I will not kill myself!”

Bipolar disorder filled my head with untrue thoughts and feelings that made me feel like a leaf blown in the wind for more years than I want to remember.

Maybe you are going through something similar as you read this. Here are some words of hope that I hope will burn through the bipolar brain that might be telling you the same untruths I lived with for so long.

1. Bipolar disorder is 100% manageable.   It’s an illness. It’s NEVER personal and no one who has the illness is weak.

2. Management is daily and it’s not easy, but it’s infinitely better than a life of uncontrolled mood swings.

3. There will be times that bipolar disorder feels so strong you are scared you will die.  This is NORMAL. All people with bi-polar disorder get depressed.  When you are depressed, which is a real illness that changes the way you think- you will have thoughts that tell you all hope is lost. These thoughts are repetitive and are the same for anyone with the illness. We get depressed the same way each time. This is how I know it’s an illness and nothing personal.

4. I’ve been so scared so many times I can’t even count how often I’ve thought I was at the end.  This is why I created my treatment plan and still use it every day. This illness sucks the life out of you if it’s not managed!

Dirty rotten crappy illness!  You freaking suck!

5.  Depression is usually isolating. You are reading this blog which means you KNOW deep inside it’s bipolar and not you that is making you depressed.

Now for the good news you might not believe at the moment, but it’s true.

My depression is rare these days. I used to be depressed for YEARS at a time and it’s GONE. I still get depressed- and it’s awful, but it’s nothing like it was even a few years ago. I found my answers to manage this illness and you can as well.  I’ve been where you are right now if you’re thinking of killing yourself. That’s bipolar disorder talking.

Take charge of your brain and tell it to shut the hell up and get on the phone and call someone for help. And if that’s not possible, call a crisis line such as this one:

Click here to chat with someone live at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. 

You are not alone. If I can survive over 320 mood swings in 2011, you can get better too. Yes, I counted my mood swings. Crappy illness!

You are loved.

Julie

PS: Everyone with bipolar disorder is a phoenix!

Click here to read my column from Bp Magazine about my struggles with suicidal symptoms. 

A Response to Julie A. Fast’s Bp Magazine blog post that received over 1000 shares on Facebook.   If you have not read the post, click here to read Three Bipolar Disorder Symptoms No One Wants to Talk About. 

Violent Behavior and Bipolar Disorder Are Linked. Let’s Talk About it Openly and Deal with the Problem! 

 by Gabe Howard

Before we dive into this subject, let’s acknowledge some facts. First, I live with bipolar disorder and no, I have never been violent. Secondly, whether we want to admit it or not, violence can be associated with bipolar disorder – typically with bipolar psychosis, but can also manifest when inhibitions are lowered due to dysphoric mania.

When people living with bipolar disorder see in the media that others with bipolar disorder are violent, they have a very defensive reaction. It is triggering, because the typical person with bipolar disorder is not violent, has never been violent, and is unlikely to become violent. While the possibility does exist, it is very rare. The incidence of violence in bipolar disorder is rarer than suicide.

To put this in a little perspective, we do not become outraged or fearful when we hear “he committed suicide because he was bipolar.” But swap out suicide with crime or violence and our collective backs raise.

 Yes, Violent Behavior can be a Bipolar Symptom

 Rare though it is, we must accept that violence is associated with bipolar disorder. If we deny this, we remove the possibility of leniency in a criminal trial for someone who has a credible defense. We remove the possibility of treatment, because if it isn’t related to bipolar disorder, then it is just a flaw of character.

Advocating on behalf of mental illness is a difficult task and, at the end of the day, all we have is fact and honesty. Society is already skeptical of the media so when people discuss violence as it relates to mental illness, we have a golden opportunity to educate when people are listening. Next time someone brings up violence and mental illness, no matter how offensively, look them straight in the eyes and say:

“Sadly, violence is a potential symptom of mental illness. It is extremely rare and obviously occurs when something has gone terribly wrong. The overwhelming majority of people living with mental illness will not become violent and we must not give in to that fear. This is why I advocate to replace fear with facts and ensure that people who need treatment can receive it.”

That will go a long way toward reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness as well as educating the public.

Gabe