Hi. I do. She told me she was bipolar. I could sort of sense she had the problem because when getting to know her she had issues sleeping. She’d wake up real early. She is on abilify but she says that it doesn’t alleviate all of her anxiety. She did not listen to her mom very well for years. I think she has been roughing it, or trying to handle her illness by herself without medication. She is always a mess. She is so scared of gaining weight. She doesn’t see a psychiatrist. Only a general practitioner and what do they know about mental illness. I could tell you more about it than they would know. Anyhow she listens to me for some reason. She respects my wisdom on the topic. And she says that she will set up an appointment. Although at night she drinks until she is faded. Sometimes she calls me up and slurs her speech. I guess that drinking is her outlet to combat the bi polar she has. I just wonder how mature down the road of recovery she really is. She messed with the same street drugs before as I have. It might not have affected her as bad as it did to me. However she still is effected by it. All I see is her unmedicated side. It is torturing her. How much hell can people take. I know myself I been to hell and back. Now I am on a permanent stable stronghold. That will never budge or be shaken. I want this for my friend as well. Thanks my friends have a good one.
I think you are a different recovery stage than most of the people on this site. However you seem to me to think too much lately. But I am on a different level of discovery - yes I wrote that wrong and let it stay - and so I don’t know if it’s too much.
Responsibility: sometimes it is hearing the bird singing outside the window.
There are people in my Sz support group who are on different levels. Some have just started showing up and are only there because they don’t want their parents to kick them out. They are still in their anger phase and the denial phase.
Some are so far a head of me I’m surprised they still keep coming. I’m glad they do because I can see how far they’ve come and it helps convince me that I can do this. I can get better.
Good luck helping your friend. I’m glad she listens to you.
Having a severe form of bipolar disorder myself, its not a joke diagnosis. Bipolar runs on a spectrum and yes it can be light but it also can be almost as severe as schizophrenia. I would be supportive to your friend and help her when you can. Personally my bipolar symptoms can stand out a bit more vividly than my schizophrenic symptoms at times - but not always
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Drinking more than one drink on meds is just going to completely invalidate the medications. Mentally ill people taking medications for their illnesses can have one drink, and that’s if it agrees with them, for some the number of drinks is zero.
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she’s not far at all in recovery. She sounds like me when I was legally insane and a raging alcoholic.
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Bipolar disorder is requires self awareness above all, including medication adherence. Knowing when you are manic or depressive and catching yourself before an episode is key to living well with bipolar. Medication adherence is a result of self-awareness, people with bipolar disorder recognize that they are mentally ill BEFORE they consider taking medications on time every day.
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Bipolar disorder affects behavior dramatically. It makes people appear to be on cocaine, but they’re not. It makes people look like they are coming down from cocaine, but they’re not. It makes people vicious and irritable. It makes people sexually promiscuous. It makes people function off of naps instead of sleep. It makes people sleep the day away and not eat. It’s not a good disorder to have, it’s right below schizophrenia.
all in all, she is NOT recovering given what you said. She is coasting along, self-medicating and will stay that way until she gains insight into her illness and hands over the whole medication strategy to doctors instead of the cashier at the liquor store.
I dont mean to be harsh, but I have been through all of the typical mentally ill ■■■■ and am now fully recovered and functioning much more highly than an average person, and she’s not even halfway there. That’s just the truth; she needs someone to give her a firm talk, she needs education about her condition so that she can have insight and a desire to get well.
NAMI has educational classes covering the symptoms, prognoses and medications, among other things, for mental disorders, and it’s free. I suggest dragging her out to a NAMI meeting and starting from there.
I had a friend with benefits who had bipolar. She scared me. She was also sociopathic (diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder and Bipolar NOS) and she was laughably symptomatic. She was basically a nymphomaniac who slept a few hours a night, was constantly hypo-manic and very irritable. She was given meds but took ineffectively low doses of lithium, she qualified for a whopping 1500mg I would say. She was immune to xanax, she was prescribed 2mg four times a day and was still restless and irritable. When I cut it off with her, she barraged me with insults and I had to unleash some psychopathy on her to have the last word.
Bipolar people are often BUT NOT ALWAYS close to pure evil in my opinion, they have a disorder, sure, but they behave like bitches in some cases and that’s a fact. Schizophrenics usually suffer alone and in silence, bipolar people are known to annoy and terrorize the people around them. Im not saying I dont have empathy for people with bipolar disorder, Im saying that they OFTEN, NOT EXCLUSIVELY dont have empathy for others and therefore dont deserve it from us schizophrenics who are actually mentally ill, ■■■■■■■ broken in the head. Let the professionals handle these people.
But I have met some honest, good people who have bipolar. I met them in a support group and they were recovered and full of insight, If I had met them when they were younger and without insight, I most likely wouldnt have thought they were good or honest.
Bipolar disorder is a touchy subject because insight is the key factor- bipolar people with insight can be very empathetic and good people, but when they arent aware of their disorder, theyre ■■■■■■■ demons.
PS my sister is unmedicated bipolar and i try my best not to kill her. She doesnt even know the diagnostic criteria, she just enjoys being a moody bitch.
I have the best of both worlds - schizophrenia and bipolar. When Manic or Mixed i am not myself and can be totally self centered and show little empathy. But its the illness doing the talking, its not the person. I have emotionally harassed others when full blown manic - but I remind myself it is a serious brain disorder, just like schizophrenia. They are related in many ways
Yes, but you clearly have insight. Im taking about the idiots who enjoy being bipolar and dont think of themselves as mentally ill. You clearly are in control and aware of your condition, I was making a distinction about those who are 24/7 assholes, like my unmedicated, ignorant sister
lol I get it mortimermouse - Yes I am aware of my behaviours and take bipolar meds for it. i am wishing all the best for your sister
bipolar idiots? stigma from the stigmatised.
I have a friend who has been in a psych rehab hospital for the past seven years. Besides being schizophrenic, she was pretty badly borderline and would frequently act out against the staff. She also has learning issues and seems to lack a lot of insight into her behavior. It’s only recently that her general health has declined and she has mellowed out and become a bit more cooperative. I try to talk to her on the phone every couple of weeks but sometimes she is a bit scattered.
I think the problem with BP is that the grandiosity is very enjoyable (and intensely irritating for those around them) so they like to be off their meds. I have a son and a friend with sz and an ex-friend with BP. I find people with sz actually nicer than “normal” people, but BP I can’t cope with at all.
My youngest brother is having a very hard time staying med compliant with his new BP diagnosis. He LOVES the feel of the manic energy.
Unlimited energy and euphoria with that feeling of never failing? I guess it’s so much better then boring old contentment. I am SO happy not to have the negative symptoms and the psychosis that the feeling of content is wonderful for me.
For my youngest brother… bored out of his skull and depressed that he’s not invincible any more.
I feel sorry saying bad things about my “ex-friend” because of her BP, when I know you have it or some aspects of it too I found the hardest thing was when she was “on a roll” because she was so unbearably boastful and bossy. Do you get the grandiosity thing? How do your near and dear ones deal with it so as to maintain your relations?
Hi @Hatty1 I do notice when I am manic I can become grandiose - thank goodness I am not manic lately, just the occasional hypomania and deep depression. When someone is manic they can become very self centered and obnoxious - I know. I have aspects of bipolar but I am also dealing with schizophrenia, another tidal wave in itself.
I try not to judge people on what mental illness they may have, I did this with borderline and my wife - I blamed the illness, but the reality is that she was just not a nice person underneath the illness - one has to separate the person from the illness - and if they are symptomatic try to understand this also
Walk with resilience you never know who is there to put you down or to raise you up. I only put down assholes who themselves think in its their nature to feel better by belittling someone. I meet strangers and a 1% good spirit. I know we are low in number.
My maintenance dose I could not tolerate 5 years ago. Now, however I see myself relaxed. Knowledgeable of my feelings more. Aware of others. I think my pdoc will notice the change.
When I don’t eat is when I get frantic and start worrying. Need nutrients. Rest number one important take care.
It must be really tough to have both.
Its not a picnic in the park 
I have schizoaffective disorder and have met several people in my groups that have similar diagnosis. Some are in different recovery stages a few are symptom free others struggle with them like I do often. A couple are recovering addicts too on top of it I’m not saying they suffer any less from mental illness than I do but some seem really well together.