Quote:
Originally Posted by loramin
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I have it. It's annoying, but it hasn't stopped me from having a full life. When I first found out I had it I was pretty depressed, and thought I'd never get a job, a girlfriend, etc. Now I have a six figures job, a beautiful wife, etc. so I'm not bullshitting when I say it won't ruin your life if you don't let it.
I try to maintain a regular sleep schedule, and try never to miss my meds, and when I do I stay pretty middle of the road (not perfectly un-depressed or un-manic, but only ever a bit of each). I still piss my friends and co-workers off sometimes when I let myself get too depressed and/or manic, and I've been known to get speeding tickets and spend too much money when I get hypomanic, but in the last few years I haven't even had those issues (well, I still piss people off sometimes; that part seems inescapable).
If you have any questions about it feel free to ask (here or in PMs).
P.S. And to any psychotherapy skeptics out there, I agree with being skeptical about trying to solve everything with pills, but some people like me really do need them. When I first found out I was bipolar it was because I got so manic I had to be committed to a mental hospital. Trust me, whatever small side effects I get from my pills (and really I have almost none at this point) are a small price to pay for sanity, and thanks to them I've never had another true manic episode.
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Yes, I've worked in the mental health field and know a good bit about this. Bipolar takes a different outlook than standard anxiety/depression. With the latter, you can usually recover without medication, although it can be very difficult. With bipolar, you don't just have tired nerves that need rest. The closest case I've seen to coping without medication was a very self-aware sufferer who meditated regularly and was deep into yoga/ martial arts and was regularly engaged with a great therapist. That type of coping can take you far, but not all the way usually with bipolar. Usually better to do that in concert with medication.