Straight Talk on Managing Bipolar Disorder

Jon Press Bipolar Disorder Blog. Is it Different for Guys?

My friend and colleague Jon Press answers this question on his latest BP Magazine blog. I know my answer to the question-

YES!

I believe that having bipolar is very different for guys- only the symptoms are the same. The difference is how the world sees men and how men see the world. Do you agree?

Click here to read Jon’s Blog for BP Magazine.

I was raised in a world where women’s rights were in the forefront of life- they still are of course- but let’s not forget about the right’s of men. It’s ok to be strong physically- it’s ok to be a leader and a father. It’s ok to be a guy!

I actually like men a lot! 😉

Julie

Do you read BP Magazine? I love it! I have a regular column and a weekly blog. This is a great mag for waiting rooms!

Are you maniacal?

‘HOOOO HAHHHAHAHHHAAAA HOHOO OO HOO’

Where does the word mania come from?

Mania Origin: 1595–1605; < Medieval Latin maniacus of, pertaining to madness. See mania, -ac

Ma·ni·ac 1. a raving or violently insane person; lunatic. 2. any intemperate or overly zealous or enthusiastic person: a maniac when it comes to details. adjective 3. maniacal.

When I think of the word maniacal, I think of some bad cartoon creature rubbing his hands together and laughing maniacally! I’ve seen quite a few manic and psychotic people do just that!

Julie

Bipolar Mania: What is Pressured Speech?

Pressured speech is common symptom of mania. Here are the characteristics:

– Can’t stop talking – it’s not like it’s a choice when it get’s bad. You really can’t stop!

– The desire to speak is so strong you will talk over the other person.

– You can’t complete a sentence before going to the next one.

– Speaking feels really good and you’re fascinated with your own ideas!

Those are just a few descriptions of manic pressured speech.

It’s mania time here in the US. Many people go into the hospital in July and August. I will be a broken record about this for the next few months!

Do you have a plan to prevent mania? Are you showing any signs of pressured speech?

Julie

Bipolarity – a new word to describe bipolar disorder. Thanks to MrsBipolarity.com!

Thanks for the image from MrsBipolarity.com!

My friend Karen just read a memoir of a woman with bipolar disorder- and the author used the term ‘bipolarity’ throughout the book!

Has anyone heard of this term? I have been writing bipolar management books for over ten years and bipolarity is new to me! I know that there are different names used for the illness:

Manic depression (of course- this changed to bipolar disorder in the 90s)

Bipolar affective disorder ( used a lot in England)

Bipolar illness (my coauthor Dr. John Preston uses this term)

A crappy illness (that is my own haha)

What do you call bipolar disorder? Julie

PS:

A NOTE TO ALL! I just received this email from Ms. Bipolarity herself!

Hi Julie, I love your blog (and love that you’ve picked up on this term). Obviously, seeing as how I am Mrs Bipolarity, you must know I love the word. It’s verbiage that just happened. It just “fit” and it is part of my vocabulary! I’d request that you credit back to my blog though if you are going to use my banner! Thanks!

Laura SQ aka Mrs Bipolarity

MrsBipolarity.com

I am so glad Laura wrote. I am very careful about the images I use on my blogs. I missed this one- I should have researched it further and looked for a link! I have written Laura and asked her to be a guest blogger. If you know her- please say hi. I will keep you posted on the guest blog! And thanks to Laura for her patience. All of us in the bipolar community have to stick together.

Please visit Laura’s MrsBipolarity.com site and let her know you read about her on the bipolarhappens.com blog!

Bipolar Disorder and Sexual Behavior that you don’t want to happen!

I recently wrote a post on how mania makes you hyper sexual. It’s normal- and it’s awful as it can lead to some really big mistakes: pregnancy, affairs, STD’s. Oh yes, many of us have gone through it all. Here is a comment from Palmer and my reply:

Hi Julie,

I used to have some of this behavior around men and sex, but I thought it was just youthful promiscuity and indiscretion. I hadn’t associated it with having bipolar disorder II, probably because I had only been diagnosed with depression at that point. This prompts a re-evaluation

Hi Palmer,

Sexual inhibition is 100% a part of all manias. It can be so hard to recognize as it is so impulsive and feels right in the moment. Many huge sexual mistakes are made when a person is manic. That is why knowing the signs that you’re getting hyper sexual is essential. For me, it’s wanting to drink, thinking that men look FANTASTIC! and walking up to strangers in bars. Just lovely! So I work hard to prevent it. I write about it in all of my bipolar books. We can’t be too hard on ourselves about the past- but we have to do everything possible to make sure it doesn’t wreck our futures.

Julie

Bipolar Disorder Waves of Dread

I often get waves of worry, sadness and despair when I’m depressed. It’s different than low level depression. These waves are intense and can happen at really odd times. I seem to have a lot of them when I’m getting in my car and going somewhere. It’s as though my brain is telling me I won’t have fun or that something is going to happen on the way to seeing someone or going to an event. I also get these when I’m sitting and watching a movie at home. They really upset me because they happen so fast. I often start to cry or feel fear that someone is trying to hurt me. This can really put a damper on a possibly positive situation.

I now know that this is typical of anxiety.

I’ve learned to say no to these waves. I say, “I’m not going to listen to this. I’m not going to let this ruin my day! There is nothing wrong and no one is trying to hurt me!” This helps.

Being chronically depressed is hard work! I have been dealing with this for 20 years. Yikes!

I choose to fight it every time it tries to take me over.

Julie