Sharing Our Stories & Building Understanding ✨✨
Hello everyone,
As we celebrate the Bipolar Disorder Awareness Week! (March 24th - 30th), we invite you to join us here to share personal experiences, taking our small steps to foster empathy, and offering encouragement and support to each other. Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that affects millions of people worldwide, and so it is important to have a safe and inclusive space where one can able to share their experiences and emotions without any judgment.
What is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that causes extreme shifts in mood, energy, and behavior. People with bipolar disorder 1 experience periods of intense highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression). These mood swings can disrupt daily life and lead to challenges in relationships, work, and school. People with Bipolar 2 has their own challenges and struggles as well.
That is why sharing our stories and experiences can help to reduce the stigma and misconceptions associated with bipolar disorder. It can also help spread awareness, educate others about the condition, and support those affected. When we share our experiences, we create a sense of community and let others know that they are not alone.
So how can you participate?
We encourage you to share your personal experiences with bipolar disorder, whether you are living with the condition yourself or have a loved one who is affected. You can share your story here in this thread for support and discussion.
If you are uncertain what to share, here are some questions that may help you share:
- What is it like to live with bipolar disorder?
- How has bipolar disorder affected your life?
- What are some of the challenges you have faced?
- What are some of the things that have helped you to cope with bipolar disorder?
- What advice would you give to someone who is newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder?
We look forward to reading your experiences and supporting you. Let's work together to create an understanding and supportive community for those who are affected by bipolar disorder.
This thread specifically only mentioned about Bipolar 1. My diagnosis is Bipolar 2 and that's different in itself from the "usual" bipolar that people know more about. As with any mental health diagnosis, life can be affected drastically. Still, with the good and bad and all the highs and lows... my only suggestion is to not let a diagnosis or a label define you as a person. We may have our share of struggles, but we can be functional and still live life beautifully. ♡ I embrace my Bipolar 2 amongst my many other diagnosis, and just try to live my life the only way I know how. 😀
@YourCaringConfidant Thank you fr sharing and point out Confidant. I updated the post and included Bipolar-II as well. I agree with you that it is so important to acknowledge the nuances within bipolar . And you emphasized so rightly that not let any labels define you. Everyone is different with their own set of skills, strengths and challenges. and we all need to take our steps to embrace our journey as we progress.
I too have bipolar 2 and I absolutely agree with everything
you just shared. Our challenges don't define us, it's how
we cope and work with them that defines us, we're not
the diagnoses we have, it's just a part of us.
@ASilentObserver
There are more types of Bipolar than just 1 and 2,
we also have Bipolar rapid cycling, Cyclothymia,
Bipolar with mixed features and Bipolar with seasonal pattern.
All have their unique challenges, but all have a similar recipe for the
most part, that is manic episodes, hypomanic ones and then my least
favorite of them all, the depressive episode.
Here you can find information about them as well as anyone else
that would like to gain knowledge on the disorder 💓
Thank you so much for bringing attention to the Bipolar disorder
✨💙✨
@AnnaSilverberg I love you, twin. ♡ That part where you said it's just part of us is so true. I literally embrace all parts of me, because all of them make me who I am! I embrace my BPD, my bipolar 2, my anxieties, and everything else that makes up a part of me. I believe it's why I love people the way I do when I do, why I am so creative, why I can feel the way I do and be empathetic to others, etc. It's why without my true passion and my heart in if, I can't do things. I tell myself that if I was "normal", I just wouldn't be me. I've been this way all my life... whether chemical imbalances in my brain or being a product of my past environment, whatever the reason... I find ways to keep moving forward. And I believe that's all we really can do. Live life, try our best, be kind and patient with ourselves and others, and be forgiving! ❤️ I have so incredibly blessed to have met you on here. You are astonishing and truly an incredible person! Keep on doing what you do and being who you are! I accept you and love you, my beautiful twin! ❤️
I'm so glad that you agree with me, that this does not define us
it's simply a part of us. I'm so happy to hear that you're able to embrace
your challenges and work with them. That's such a big healing step that
you've taken and I am proud of you for doing so!
I agree with you on the creativity and the empathy, it is most definitely
something that bridges our emotional intelligence as well as our amazing
creativity as well, artistic thoughts, resilience and just how well we can relate
to what others are going through.
Keep moving forwards is definitely something that I do like to focus on myself.
You're not the only one blessed in our friendship, because I'm just as blessed as you are.
Your kindness, your care, your willingness to reach out a helping hand when able to are some,
but not all of the qualities that I admire in you. The list is endless when it comes to that.
And thank you so much for your amazingly kind words, I appreciate every single one of them.
💓 Love, care, kindness and hugs is what I'm sending your way 💓
✨💙✨
@ASilentObserver one part of the story that does not often get attention is how Bipolar affects people in a relationship or relatives of people challenged with Bipolar. They often suffer as much as the person going through that. They sit up with them when they have psychotic breaks and visit them in the hospital when they are inpatient. They support them when they are in need and perhaps no one else can or will. Being a caregiver for someone caught in the Bipolar trap is a real test of patience. Any caregivers here kudos to you!
@soulsings Thank you soul. I agree it is crucial and often overlooked aspect of bipolar. It is so true that the impact ripples outward, and affect the lives of partners, family members, and close friends. It takes unwavering love and care to support someone navigating the complexities of bipolar disorder. Thank you for sharing the unsaid part and I am sure many can relate with that. Your all efforts care and support is valued and appreciated
@ASilentObserver I appreciate this post and everyones honesty and courage and I have learnt alot, I didn't know much about this disorder until my friend ended up in hospital and I tried to be there for her, i didn't understand, so i listened, learnt, followed her lead, asked questions and showed compassion and thankfully years later she told me that the impact of my kindness on her, made a massive difference, so I'm always trying to see how other people communicate and walk through life and if reading your post helps even one person, it's worth it 🥰
@Amanda84 Thank you for sharing such a beautiful reflection, Amanda. Your steps to learning how others communicate and navigate life is encouraging. You are so right, even if your words and understanding reach just one person, that absolutely worth it.
@ASilentObserver
for us getting the DX for the bipolar explained a lot about our past actions. as we never got any mental health treatment or even seen a mental health worker until we was in our 30's. so looking back when we was untreated. we see all the risks we took mostly as a teen. like car surfing' and jumping off high places into water. also as a child up we feel now we was self medicating with booze. so it like just getting treatment helped so much. when we was first DXed we was mostly in depression state and well not as manic. but we end up being mixed mood most the time now.
bipolar we always had but the now being treated for it has helped so much. yes we have many mental DXs. but living with the affects of bipolar has been hard a lot of the time. think the hardest part is not sleeping due to being manic it like we feel like a car that can not stop even when it needs too then never runs out of gas. so no rest or not enough rest is the biggest part that affect us.
looking back we wonder if we had been treated for the bipolar would it have been different as far as losing our kids. we felt like a zombie most the time due to lack of good sleep. racing thoughts too. so yes having bipolar has been hard. we feel we now more stable with meds we on now.
@stormieandpaws Sorry to hear that paws. you have been through a lot. but I appreciate your strength and efforts to navigate them. Please know the challenges you navigated are not a reflection of your character, but rather a manifestation of a condition that was left unaddressed. Thank you for taking all your steps and that is a sign of progress, and we are all proud of you and believe in you.
Following so I can learn <3
@jesusredeemedme2425 thank you for the support, please do share your thoughts based on what others shared here.
Hey @ASilentObserver, thanks for sharing this post ❤️
Bipolar affected me through my father, who was diagnosed with it before I was born. The fact that he's bipolar is probably a big part of why I was born (the impulsive hypersexuality likely why he had so many unplanned children)
Growing up with a dad who has bipolar was a wild ride. You couldn't be sure which dad you were going to get that day, normal dad, angry dad, or creepily energetic dad (manic). And then there was depressed dad, who just laid in bed all day.
I've questioned if I have bipolar 1 or 2, but my doctors don't think I meet the criteria. Even so, I've had brief manic states, long depressed states, so I understand a bit of what my father has to deal with, which gave me more empathy for him through the years, so I'm thankful for that.
Here's to breaking the stigma surrounding Bipolar 💪💙
@WriteToHeal42 thank you for sharing your experiences Write. You have been through a lot and navigated a complex and challenging family dynamics. I understand how it makes you question your mental health given your father's diagnosis and your own mood challenges. It can feel unsettling and your emotions during that period is natural to have. Thank you for opening up and know we believe in you and appreciate all your steps and efforts to cultivate the empathy and practicing it.
@ASilentObserver
I've been reading this post with interest as a friend was diagnosed as bipolar just a few months ago and to help me be more understanding and compassionate towards another friend who suffers from schizophrenia.
@ASilentObserver, a useful insight for learning, thank you so much for sharing it!
