Bipolar disorder?

I dated a woman once who was bi-polar. Every time she went through a depressive stage I would hold her in my arms all night long and tell her everything was going to be ok. She would tell me about why she was sad and I would stay with her until it was over. One time I asked her what was wrong and she told me she didn't like her toothbrush. That was when I realized that she would never be better, that I couldn't take all her pain away, that I was helpless with her problems.

Later, I went into healthcare. At one point I got one of my MR residents diagnosed as bi-polar (they incorrectly thought he had obsessive compulsive disorder). When he was manic he would be easily distracted, in the middle of a conversation he would start cleaning his apartment because it was dirty. He would do this for hours at a time even if there were other more pressing things to do. When he finally had a depressive episode he would lie in bed and lack the energy to even get up. The medicine helped but left him feeling like he couldn't experience emotions (it took the highs & lows away).

I remember a third person who was obsessed with germs, when she was in a manic state she would shower dozens of times a day. She would actually run her books and notebooks through the dishwasher to keep them germ free.

Manic Depressive behaviour often looks a lot like OCD, except in OCD people realize what they are doing is silly - they just don't feel comfortable not doing it. With bipolar they don't realize there is anything wrong with thier behaviour.

It can be very difficult to live with someone with Bipolar, and it requires a special kind of love.

Good luck with the book :-)

NOTE: manic / depressive cycles are very long, usually weeks or months... shorter cycles (hours or days) are a different disorder.

If you don't have a ocupation for the mother try a job that alows her to work a later shift. For people with bipolar a delayed sleep pattern is prefered. If she is in a manic stage it is increased the less sleep you get and the higher the mainia is. Sometimes when manic the body doesn't need sleep at all. It a perpectual cycle lack of sleep brings on mania, manina brings on lack of sleep. Alot of the time mainics go into depression on purpose to run and hide from there mainia because its exsausting and can't possibly continue forever. Also like someone else said its very hard to keep a job. But its very easy for bipolars to get jobs when they need one as long as they arn't in a depresive stage or extremly manic, being a little manic is almost a garentee to get the job. You come of as being creative and outgoing with loads of self-esteem. So it would be an option for her to have a few differant jobs and some trouble at times with bills when she out of a job on her choice usually because she has no desire to go to work and is in a rare depressive stage. She could even have some great times with spending or spoiling the kids when shes up. Also manics love to travel! Take crazy trips and on the flip of a dime. She could even lose a job this way. When I was in high school I had six differant jobs and took trips everywhere. I even went to florida for a month in January with 50 bucks and a carton of ciggs. Just one morning on my way to school. Enough about me but bipolar is fun for the most part, only if its not extreme, extreme cases there is nothing fun about and is incredably debilitating. There things that bipolars do and see that no one else would do. If you added a trip, most likely not have to take the kids out of school, so in the summer time, it wouldn't be out of the orridariy and really show her mainia. Any more questions about the disorder just email oliveoil926@yahoo.com

I've got loads of anwers and would love to be part of helping write a book, i hope to do so some day. More props to ya. Congradulations on starting your own book!

Oh and does you name have anything to do with superchicks song barlow girls. There fun!

I think you could write a better book if you wrote about famous people who are bipolar. It would be more interesting, but more importantly you could help alot of people if you disproved some stereoypes about bipolar people. Most people hate bipolars. There are many bipolar people who have done something great and became famous, but they were also successful in hiding their bipolar disorder, so most people dont know they were. Lincoln was able to get an audiance to feel some of the enthusiasm he felt about something when he made a speech during a manic phase. During a depressed phase he wouldnt carry a pocket knife, because he was afraid he might kill himself with it. Many great works of art and literature were created by bipolar people. There are some theories about a corelation between mania and genius. On the other hand bipolar disorder makes it hard to hold a job, so most bipolar people accomplish little.

When my dad is in manic phase, he starts talking about buying 3 acres of wooded land near me because the trees are rare and he can sell them to a logger for a million dollars. Other times, he tells me he is moving to a mansion in Tahiti, and there's a guess house out back so me and hubby and kids can come visit. He seems to actually think he has the money to do these things. When he's in a depressive phase, he realizes that he lives in a shack on the beach, and other than his cell phone bill he has no bills, but never knows where his disability check went. It's sad really.

I have it. Not bad but enough to make my life change for the worse. I never go out in public if I can help it and when I do I am totally terrified. You feel like no one understands and that you are alone to face the world. I didn't realize that I could shut my body down when I didn,t want to face something. Would love to tell you more,but not comfortable basicly you sleep and exist. when you do find joy you are both suprised and feel guilty. Would love to talk in person one on one sde@isalive@yahoo.com

sufimystic, that poor dude,man!! well hope the punk didn't scare you away from God!

missinginaction...damm you make it sound like I have it!! I used to go hitch hiking around africa at the drop of a hat,thought I was critter bait a time or two!

but then adventure is found by those who want to.

I was real good freinds with a guy who was bipolar. I'd say we were friends for about ten years. There's so much information I can give you. If you want it, e-mail me at mjcalohan@yahoo.com

If you would like information email me stormy_nite1973@yahoo.com I have bipolar disorder

I had a friend who was seemingly normal. He began an intensive diet and insisted that he needed to super hydrate himself. After several weeks of this he was noticeably thinner. He continued this for a couple of more weeks.

(As a side note: he began delving into his Christian roots during this period of time.)

Well along about this time he begins to act strange. He said he had seen the "Light". His bible study was quite intensive during this time. So convincing was his revelation that he had me wondering if maybe I should be going with him to bible study (and I'm not even Christian).

Soon however he became overly involved in religion. He began to tell me he was seeing the Devil following him while at work and at school. At this time his features started to look really different. His eyes were open much too wide and he had a perpetual half grin on his face. He told some friends that the Devil couldn't kill him, and to prove it he did a tight rope act on a third story balcony deck rail. To the horror of those who watched, he wildly strutted back and forth on the tiny railing, raising his hands like he had scored a touchdown at the Super Bowl.

By now it was obvious something was up. I managed to get him into my apartment to try to talk him down. His response was to tell me he had never felt better. He stated that since his religious rebirth he was seeing things as they really were. And he continued by telling me he was really JESUS CHRIST of NAZARETH!!! He wasn't kidding when he said this, he truely believed it. Well I had no idea what to say and was getting pretty nervous. Isuggested he see someone to try to find why he felt this way. Before I knew it he was up screaming that I was the Devil!!! We struggled. He was trying to leave. I couldn't think of anything else to do so I let him go.The police came and I told them the whole story.

Later that night I get a call from the cops. They tell me that yes they found him. He was found walking around downtown ********* (city name deleted for privacy). He was in a section of the city known for crime and violence. He was approached at a gas station by a group of young thugs. He's still naked mind you. They begin to harrass him. In his naked religious fervor he tells the gang they can have his car. He hands them the keys and gives the astonished young man a big hug. He also gives them his wallet saying he would no longer be needing any money since he was Jesus.

So when the cops find him he's walking down the center of the street in the roughest part of town, Naked! They manage to bring him into custody. I get the word. They ask if I know his parents. I do but not so well, so they ask me to come downtown to fill out some forms to have him committed.

When I get there I found (much to my chagrin) they lost him!!! he got up out of the chair in the police station covered only in a towel and simply walks out of the building...

Tune in later for more of this completely true story...

please discuss the depressed stages of the disase too, mania is just half of it!