Vicki, glad to hear it. I was impressed by her site and her candid ways of sharing herself with others.

What do you recommend when one is first diagnosed? I'm sure there's an adjustment period. What kinds of thoughts did you have upon diagnosis...if you don't mind sharing.

being first diagnosed can be confusing. Behavior that you thought was "normal" now seems to be symptoms of bipolar. It really makes you stop and think about what kind of person you are and how you behave.

One of the things I recommend is maintain a good dialog with your doctor. That's so important. Make sure you can talk to your doctor about your behavior and about any reactions you may be having from the medications. It takes weeks and weeks to get the right combination of drugs before you are stable.

For me, I went through a point of denial, where I was thinking that the doctor was making a mistake. It took me many months to come to terms with my behavior and my illness. It took me a while to understand that my behavior was my illness and vice versa.

Find books to read. There a lot of really good ones out there. Find a support group. That's very important. I found my support group online at Bipolar World www.bipolarworld.com

I'm constantly trying not to focus on the negative side of my illness, especially with the depression. It's very difficult being depressed for months at a time. It can be devastating. I somtimes long for my manic moments. I am so much more creative and functional during those times. But, I'm also at my most dangerous because I have no self control. I spend money like crazy when manic. I make bad decisions when manic. I don't have my best interests in mind when I'm manic. During those times my husband is really supportive and reminds me to take my Ativan. It helps to lessen the manic episodes and keep me under control.

I'm still learning how to control my self and live with my illness. It hasn't been a year since I've been diagnosed and that means I'm still getting my meds adjusted.

If anyone has questions or would like to talk to me privately about bipolar, I'd be happy to chat.

Peace.

Vicki

You are approaching this exactly the right way. Learning all you can and keeping an ongoing dialogue with the Dr. are key elements with any illness. Fear, denial and ignorance are three major factors which stand in the way of recovery or optimal results with medical treatment. I don't mean ignorance as in stupid,I mean it in the sense of lack of knowledge.

Jaw Jaw

There are nearly as many forms or faces of BiPolar as there are people who have it. As it is a chemical imbalance, each person experiences his/her symptoms uniquely, and each person will respond to medications uniquely too.
The disorder can vary from mild short-lived mood variances to extreme mood swings of long duration. In the manic phase people have been known to stay up for days to weeks at a time before "crashing" And the periods of depression can last weeks, my stepmom used to go to bed and sleep for 10-20 days, waking for only brief periods. We had to force her to eat and take fluids.
Anyway enough of my ramblings. I have a lot af admiration for Vickie and others who are willing to share with us. You never know who may need to be touched by what is shared.

Thanks Vickie

ChaCha

Thanks for sharing Vicki, it gives me a little understanding (more) about what my daughter goes through.

Sherri

Thanks for all the great information. I keep forgetting to mention that I saw the Jane Pauley's interview. My sister had bought her book and told me about it. Then she told me that she was on Dateline too.

I thought it would be interesting to learn more since I have a friend and a couple other people I know who are bipolar.

My concern is that there seem to be different personality disorders popping up all the time. I think it takes lots of research on the patients part to be certain the specific diagnosis is accurate BEFORE beginning medications.

I've also heard that this is appearing more in young adults. They leave home for college and are no longer in the protected environment of home. Once out in the world alone, the disorder becomes more apparent. Their coping mechanisms change because their loved ones aren't around for support. Unless the kids are advocates for themselves it can become dangerous because no one person is aware of their behavior. I know of a young adult who ended up back at home with the proper diagnosis of bipolar.

[ September 06, 2004, 01:16 PM: Message edited by: Dotsie ]

I apologize in advance for my ignorance but it sounds to me like what is being labeled "bipolar" is depression, normal to extreme. Is this the newest handle being put on depression? It amazes me what these doctors come up with to make a buck...

Charleen, not in the least, it's much more than just having depression. Having a chemical imbalance that gives a person mood swings can be quite dangerous, to themselves and to other people.

Like Chacha said, finding a treatment varies from person to person and can be quite difficult. It takes a long time to find the right combination of drugs that work. Even now, my doctor is changing my drugs because after taking one for so long, it will "stop" working as the body builds a tolerance.

People with bipolar can't just "get over it" and feel better. No more than someone with clinical depression can. It takes treatment by a doctor and/or psychiatrist and carefully prescribed drugs to help find the perfect balance.

I truly hope that the Dateline episode brings more attention to the disease and provides funds to find better treatments.

I hope that I've been able to help enlighten my friends here.

Vicki, thanks for sharing all your thoughts and experiences. It's very helpful.

How is Jane Pauley using her show to enlighten people about the disorder. It's a regular talk show, right? It's not just about being bipolar, is it? Anyone know?

Vicki
I too add my thanks. Just from being around my friend(s) who have this, I can vouch that it is far from just being depression. I've learned more here in a short period of time than I have searching the internet.

THANKS!

JJ

Dotsie, I'm not sure if she'll continue to use her show, but just in her "coming out" she's brought more attention to bipolar and hopefully she'll become an advocate for it since she's "one of us"

If anything she's helped bring the disease out into the open. So many times bipolar has been treated like that "mental illness" that no one talks about. We've been the dirty little secret families kept from outsiders.