Having bipolar disorder, can i function as normal, without medication, just therapy and alternative medicine?
112157
The power of belief has a very strong effect on the psyche of a human being. I used to want to be multiple personality until I started developing other personalities that seemed to hinder my daily lifestyle. I believed them into existence and I believed them out as well. Now I am fine and I can maintain a lifestyle that is very focused and effecient. Believe what you want. I also would say that  the water treatment is some of the best advice you will receive about helping with any physical, mental, or emotional symptoms.
806693
Aside from the fact that nothing about mania is normal, yes. My memories of manias and hypomanias can be sketchy, and this seems to be fairly common, from talking to other bipolars. And yes, the out of body thing is very familiar, too.
66685
Absolutely! Oftentimes a bipolar individual will be aware of the change between manic/depressed phases ... but during the "healthy" phase, he-or-she doesn't feel the need to do anything about it, and during the depressed phase, the person is too depressed to get help. If you recognize that pattern happening in your life, make an appointment with a PhD or a counselor. Getting a professional diagnosis is the first step to getting balance in your life!\n\nBe aware, though, that regular mood shifts are normal in most people, especially as the seasons turn or holidays pass. Most people can be treated without medication by adjusting things in their home and work environment (i.e. better lighting, adjusting diet or exercise routines, etc.).
280532
There is no exact answer, but in the vast majority of cases, Medication is required. Generally, if someone is truly diagnosed as bipolar from a professional, their prognosis (ability to deal with it) is much worse without medication. Most need to take medication for life, some eventually (after some experience) learn to deal without it.\n\nThe most important thing to remember with medication is that it is not an end all, but a first step (with bi-polar, a mandatory first step). Medication should be used as a way to stabalize you so that you are in the right mindset to be open to psychotherapy. It's like being drunk; a drunk cannot be reasoned with nor make themselves open to growth. If you want to really help someone who is drunk, you must wait until they are sober to have any kind of good effect. Medication (with the right dosage/type) helps someone with a mental disorder sober up so that they are ready to receive help and grow.
895030
I have treatment resistant depression and possible bipolar disorder.  The first thing to realize is that bipolar disorder is an illness, not a personality defect, result of sin or personal weakness.  \n\n"Healing" can come in many ways; medication is vital, as bipolar is a disruption in the chemical and possibly structural set up of the brain, just like diabetes is a disruption in the chemical and structural set up of the pancreas.  \n\nCounselling, both secular and Christian, can give you a safe outlet to express the emotions that come with having an illness like this-anger, fear, sadness and so on.\n\nIf you've not allowed yourself to feel, then I'm guessing you've also not grieved the illness and what it has taken away from you and the problems it's caused?  It is okay to cry and to grieve-and even to get angry at God and tell Him as much.  He knows how you're feeling and wants you to open up and let Him know.  \n\nThere is a good book called, "Grieving Mental Illness", by Virgina Lafond.  It walks you through the grieving process as it relates to having to live with a life-long mental illness.\n\nYou can ask for prayers from friends, loved ones, pastors and so on-but remember we are to pray, "Thy will be done" and sometimes God's answer is, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2Cor.12:9) \n\nI have created a good helping team who have enabled me to see improvement in my illness that we thought would be impossible.  This team includes my doctors (family doc, psychiatrist, and endocrinologist), a mental health worker/counsellor, my pastors, friends and family.  Each one has their own way to help me or care for me and very rarely do these team members overlap-each has their own special way to help.\n\nGood luck and God's blessings to you.
54509
YES. Anger is often a key component of Bipolar Disorder. I have worked with many teens with bipolar and they all had problems with rage and or self-destructive behavior. Occasionally rage and psychosis manifest similarly. You should check with your therapist to see if he can put you on anti-psychotics/mood stabilizers such as Seroquel.
1063519
Wow, you are the first person expressing what I have been feeling all of my life.  I have been diagnosed as being bi-polar.  I too am very creative musically.  The only thing that really helps me is medication and by smoking pot.  Unfortunately if I dont do these things, life is just blah for me.  Seek professional help and seek a good couselor.  All of the above has worked for me.
706930
Considering a majority of people (close to 75%) are diagnosed WRONG, the medical community is now learning that environment, drug and alcohol experimenting and hormones (if you were diagnosed before 20 years of age) are triggering bipolar symptoms. Just because you have symptoms, and not 100% honest with a therapist, doctors will diagnosis bipolar.\nIf you have a family history, you can learn the behavior from that person, but not necessarily inherit the gene. The medical community is doing more research on that. \nBipolar is one of the most misdiagnosed of mental disorders, but one of the most social acceptable. What ever you do or learn, YOU are responsible for your own thoughts and actions and don't let anybody else tell you otherwise. You are not alone, you aren't the only one who may think the way you do.\nI learned that through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and a 12 step program. 20 years lost to being mentally ill and all it was (for me) it that I was an alcoholic with puberty growing up in a "not so good" environment. I am now off all medication, dealing with life on life's terms and feeling better than I had ever imagined possible. 20 years of being told never, and today I have made it reality.\nDon't waste 20 years! Get into CBT with a therapist and be 100% honest with them about your thoughts and behaviors. If you are a true bipolar or not, this therapy will make a world of difference in your life.
479180
It sounds Like you are at the begining of a long Journey.\n\n\nTo stop a high, you have to go through a medically induced LOW.  That's what the medication does, it brings you down off your high (MANIC/psychotic).  Its not fun, But this is how Bipolar disordser goes....\n\nYour symptoms are normal, weight gain and NO PSYCHOTIC EPISODE.\n\nAfter an episode it takes me 2 to 3 years to get back to normal.\n\n\nMY advice is to go with the flow, Don't get obssessed with the low, or dead feeling inside, its temporary.  If you can;\n\n\ngo for a walk\nexercise\nkeep pyshically active\n\nIt will take time to get back to normal!  Try to find a community group in your area and find others like yourself.\n\n\nGOOD LUCK!
489257
Bi Polar disorder is characterised by 'mood swings'. In my case I did not sleep well for about a year then I stopped sleeping completely for about 8 days and I began to lose 'insight' - I began exercising in the middle of the night, had loads of energy. Didn't eat much either and started getting some strong 'notions' that people around me couldn't relate to. I talked a lot more than usual and it was hard to follow me, so I am told. This was my 'manic' phase. It was pretty scary. I then became severely depressed. It took me along time to find 'normal' moods again. It takes patience and a good deal of getting to know yourself better. (foods and drink that help/hinder - )\nI struggled with anxiety for years before this occurred. I have been on both Lithium and depakote. Am on (epilim) which is very similar to depakote now (it is easier on my stomach than Dep- but not licensed for BiPolar like Depakote- They are both Valproic acid essentially). It is hard to say how efective it is. You will put on a little weight but it can really help if you are prone to getting 'manic'.\nGood luck. If you want to chat further feel free to contact me and I would be happy to share any relevant experiences with you.
515811
I had problems much like you describe. I was also depressed a lot of the time. After years of anger and depression I found out that I was bipolar. I am taking medication now for the last 3 months. Things are going very well for me now. I'm not saying you are bipolar, but it is something to consider. If you are bipolar the anger management or behavioral therapy will do little good because bipolar disorder is not a behavioral problem. It is a medical problem caused by an imbalance of chemicals used by the brain. There are many good medications that can be used to treat it but it is a life long disorder that will take treatment your entire life. The good news is that it is well managed with the meds and you can expect to live a fulfilling and productive life. Check the website I link to below for more info on bipolar disorder. Good luck and contact me if you want or need more info.\n\nSincerely,\nTerry
602496
I have type II Bipolar(mostly depression). I take 100mg lamictal, 300mg Zonegran(not frequently used by doctors)Relatively new still around here, but it is a seizure type medication, and 20mg prozac. These work great for me and i am able to live a normal life. In the past I had been taking 2500mg Depakote and felt terrible. I kept gaining weight and got up to over 200lbs, I was tired all the time and did not want to leave the house, My hair began falling out and I had so much edema that you could dent me like rotten fruit and I had to take lasix and aldactone to counter some of the fluids. My doctor would not switch my medications so i found one who would. With current medications I lost the 70 lbs. that I gained from depakote, I am able to work full time, manage my home and care for my children. Life is good again.
771564
I am bipolar.. here is some facts for u.. \nDepression might be identified by: \nRefusing to get out of bed for days on end \nSleeping much more than usual \nBeing tired all the time but unable to sleep \nHaving bouts of uncontrollable crying \nBecoming entirely uninterested in things you once enjoyed \nPaying no attention to daily responsibilities \nFeeling hopeless, helpless or worthless for a sustained period of time \nBecoming unable to make simple decisions \nWanting to die \nMania might include: \nFeeling like you can do anything, even something unsafe or illegal \nNeeding very little sleep, yet never feeling tired \nDressing flamboyantly, spending money extravagantly, living recklessly \nHaving increased sexual desires, perhaps even indulging in risky sexual behaviors \nExperiencing hallucinations or delusions \nFeeling filled with energy \nSome people think that they are just "over their depression" when they become manic, and don't realize this exaggerated state is part of the illness - part of bipolar disorder. A person who has depression and mania is said to have Bipolar I.\n\nIn addition to Bipolar Disorder I, the American system of diagnosing this disorder also includes Bipolar Disorder II, which involves symptoms of hypomania instead of full-blown mania.\n\nHypomania - a less extreme form of manic episode - could include: \nHaving utter confidence in yourself \nBeing able to focus well on projects \nFeeling extra creative or innovative \nBeing able to brush off problems that would paralyze you during depression \nFeeling "on top of the world" but without going over the top. \nHypomania does not include hallucinations or delusions, but a hypomanic person still might exhibit some reckless or inappropriate behavior. A person who has moods of depression and hypomania is said to have Bipolar II.
995724
Best to visit a good psychiatrist. I was diagnosed Bi-Polar about 6 years ago- I'm not sure that the diagnosis is/was correct, but I do very often resemble a person that is bi-polar. I dont have many down (depression) episodes at all, I'm up and more up mostly. There are many drugs available for every condition out there. My personal opinion is that mental and emotional disorders or maladies are very hard to pinpoint. I feel that I'm Mildly Autistic or have aspergeurs Syndrome, NOT Bi-Polar Disorder. The truth may be that I have several overlapping conditions, who knows? There are many web sites to check out also NAMI is an organization that caters to this subject. Good Luck!
984502
My first suggestion would be to visit a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist that specializes in mood disorders.\n\nI am Bipolar and I've been under the care of a Psychopharmocologist who specializes in mood disorders and a CBT Specialist as well.  In addition, I've spent the last 6 months educating myself on the disorder, treatment and drugs.  I also attend group therapy twice a week in a clinical CBT group and also attend a BPD support group.\n\nBefore I started getting treatment, I was living a life full of rapid cycling (vast change in moods, can be hourly/daily/weekly) high risk behavior and never really knew who the real me was.  So you can say I was having an identity crisis and was suffering from bipolar depression.  \n\nSince being treated, I've been able to manage my condition and live a very productive and healthy lifestyle.\n\nIt's difficult to self diagnose, but if you're looking for an opinion, I would suggest visiting sites with good information on mood disorders and perhaps some discussion boards.\n\nI would also be happy to help if you want to send me an email.  \n\nHere are some helpful sites\nhttp://www.dbsalliance.org/info/aboutmood.html\nhttp://dbsa.invisionzone.com/index.php?showforum=6\nhttp://www.crazymeds.org/\nhttp://www.crazymeds.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?board=bipolarquestions\n\nGood luck
1156060
I have it and was diagnosed at age 26.  I got depressed and the bottom dropped out fro under me at 18 and I went for years being only diagnosed with depression.  I never attempted suicide but contemplated it for about 6 years every single day.  There were, however, manic days, where by all appearances I seemed happy to others.  I was ecstatically happy to the point that people had to make me calm down.  But when alone, the depression would immediately return with a vengeance when considered relative to the manic highs.  At one point, prior to my diagnosis, I became so consumed with my own political / religious philosophy that I went for several months in a highly delusional state until the point of psychotic hallucinations after several sleepless nights.  I was hospitalized for the first time after that and they still didn't diagnose it.  Of course I was scared and didn't tell them about the hallucinations, because I feared they'd think I was crazy. They instead treated me for alcoholism - I didn't even drink.  Finally, a couple of years after I got married, I became fascinated with a political idea that I had and began to put it to paper.  After weeks of writing incessantly and causing domestic disturbances, I went to the doctor with my notebook with me and told him that I could not stop writing - I couldn't relax and give it arrest.  At that point he diagnosed me as bipolar and I have been taking lithium and effexor every since, with limited levels of success from time to time.  There are still those moments when I'm capable of making an ass of myself with wild ideas and my enthusiasm for them.  I do not take anti-psychotic medications though as they seem to "labotomize" me and stop my thinking process cold.  I can't deal with that.  I am still highly intensive when it comes to religious or political debate.  Those are my two primary areas of obsessive compulsive thought.  I simply am not able to not think of these things when I "relax".  I can however control the pace with sedatives.  A regular sleeping schedule also helps.  \nWhen I am at my lowest low, sometimes I consider electroconvulsive therapy, but have not yet done it.  It is a bit frightening.\nGood luck, I do hope you find yourself not to have it.  But if so, there are ways to cope and control it to some degree, but I don't believe it can be totally controlled.
736153
Yes, I'm afraid it's a life sentence. That's the bad news. The good news is that the treatments are excellent, and there is no reason not to have a normal life, career and relationship.\n\nIt will take a while to get th eright meds for you, as we are all different, and it will take time for you to come to terms with the diagnosis. Be thankful you were diagnosed when you were - I had another 12 years before I was diagnosed.\n\nCome over to http://www.crazyboards.org or http://z9.invisionfree.com/Bipolar_Haven for some company