It’s been so much trauma. Living in my car, going to jail, going to residential treatment in a different state, meeting my first love, getting pregnant, being forced to do adoption. Leaving the hospital I went out a different person. I’ve had a lot of hard things nothing compares. I cried all day for months. I had permanent bags under my eyes. Seeing her again she was like a stranger. There’s days where it’s fine others it’s not. It’s been 5 years. The grief is always there like her birthday not being on the family calendar. Or when people say to me oh is this your first when I’m out with my son. I didn’t survive losing her I am not that person anymore

I just came off my medication entirely about a month and a half ago, yet again. I had the worst manic episode I have ever had in my life and I genuinely can’t even believe that I survived. The hospital workers, like the nurses, and the psychiatrist saved my life by putting me back on proper medication and giving me the Haldol shot.

I am 33F and I have reached a point on this journey (I was diagnosed at 21) that I fully accept needing to take medication for the rest of my life and I’m completely ok with it because medication literally is the only thing that keeps me together, other than my support system and my learned coping mechanisms.

Don’t be like me and just take the damn meds. The doctors want to help us and a good amount of them actually care.

Just grateful for my life today. Keep it up, warriors.

Hey! I was prescribed Olanzapine 5mg for my current manic episode I’m dealing with. I took my first dose at 1:30am. Quite late at night I know. The drowsiness caused me to sleep in until 3pm. I completely missed all l of my alarms. I usually wake up at 10am. I had something to eat and since then I’ve just been sleepy and so drowsy. I then slept again by accident with the TV on until now which is currently 7pm?!

Is this normal for the first dose? Will this eventually die out? I’m so worried because I have work tomorrow and I need to be awake for 8am. I’m still feeling so drowsy and weak, zombie like.

i felt compelled

To put it shortly, I may have missed a dose after 4 years going strong. My living situation has become a bit hectic all of a sudden, I had a really long work day on top of a summer of long work days, my partner wasn’t around to see if I had or not, and I didn’t want to accidentally double dose. I’ve now put in a reminder so I can check it off but this has never happened before. I got basically no sleep and have had weird hot/cold chills all night. I’m also stressed and have lost a night of sleep over stress before…

Has anyone accidentally missed one dose and it be fine? The internet says to stay calm it’ll probably be fine with some side effects but I’m really nervous I royally screwed up and my life is going to start falling apart. I took a sick day.

Mostly need to rant but advice is welcome.

So my anti psychotic was increased a couple of days ago and then further increased today. It's being used to treat psychotic symptoms in the form of delusions, which I do not believe are delusions no matter how many times my psychiatrist and loved ones have said it.

To make it brief it involves being warned that my chest is rotting and that some sort of tragedy is coming through the music of Ethel Cain. And furthermore that it is from the fictional character the songs are about rather than the artist behind the character, Hayden. I believe there is an alternate reality where Ethel Cain exists and is sending me messages.

Now it is as though those thoughts have had their volume reduced, like going from screaming to talking. It feels good in the sense that I am no longer spending all my free time, as well as time at work, trying to decode meanings and lyrics. The issue is that I feel like my ability to decode these messages which I still believe are out there for me to discover, has been reduced. And I am becoming worried I will miss something important due to my meds interfering that will have consequences later on. I feel like I see the world with less clarity now

I dont feel my parents can help me. With my therapist I dont see any progress in myself with the many sessions we've probaby my fault.

My fridge smells terrible because of a mistake I made. I dont enjoy class anymore and have to drag myself to college.

I've been addicted to graphic content for ages. I was going to go to an EMDR therapist but I never got round to a proper session. I'm bipolar with ADHD and very likely autism.

I struggle with boundaries and goals. My mental health continues to deteriorate.

I'm starting to realize I'm just stuck like this.

I wish I didn't have to deal with any of this anymore.

Hi there, I’m 36m, and I was diagnosed with bipolar 2 and generalized anxiety disorder about 8 years ago and was trying my best to keep it in check and manage my health. Around 2020 with Covid and an earthquake that happened in my area I had to move, lost my job, and lost contact with my NP that was helping me. So at that time I ran out of meds and couldn’t really find a new doctor (because of no insurance). So I tried a natural approach. Needless to say it didn’t help.

During the past 6 years I’ve had some major ups and downs, and I’m pretty sure I’ve shifted into bipolar 1 (no formal diagnoses yet) as I noticed I had a major manic episode when visiting Las Vegas. I finally got a somewhat stable job and have decent insurance now.

This past week I met with a spiritual advisor (who happens to be a psychologist) and he referred me to a local NP that might be able to help get me on new meds and even out my moods. Only problem is the appointment is 2 weeks out.

I say I feel punished because I disclosed to my immediate supervisor my bipolar disorder, and explained that I would be adjusting to medication. Since then the leadership at work has been kind of distant short with any requests or questions. Coworkers have been less than helpful and I’ve even had jabs at my mental health.

I just wanted to feel better and I feel stupid for disclosing. Maybe I can get some intermittent fmla and refocus on myself while getting my meds figured out.

Does anyone have advice for navigating bipolar in the workplace? I feel like I’m losing myself and on the edge of losing control of everything.

Has anyone else ever lost a lot of weight? I’ve lost a ton of weight and it’s not typical for me at all, I was just wondering if this is something anyone else has had as a symptom. I’m pretty sure the cause of it is literally just not wanting to deal with preparing food / tired

I feel like my brain’s baseline is so fucked up - it’s hard to just enjoy normal life stuff and accept a regular way of living. It’s absolutely killing me. Whenever life starts feeling too normal I have to fight the urge to jump on a plane and do a full life reset. During some of my manic/hypomanic phases, I genuinely had some incredible experiences and everything just starts feeling pretty bleak in comparison. Now it feels like I need a ton of stimulation and adrenaline to actually feel satisfied. I hate that I know how great I “can” feel.

Hi everybody!

Having a mood disorder makes a lot of our lives harder than most. Prioritizing important stuff over all of it. Meanwhile at the same time it can be overwhelming looking at the mess.

But...

Let's break it down into easier more manageable ways. What works for one won't always work for the next. Make this plan according to your energy.

REMEMBER WE ARE AIMING FOR BETTER NOT PERFECT!!

1. Timers

This was a huge help when I started to climb out of the hole I put myself in. I knew I only needed to keep going until that timer went off. Sometimes you get into the momentum and keep going beyond that timer. If so, thats great! If not, lets try again in a hour or two.. or tomorrow.

1. Categories

Just tackle a few thing. Trash first, dishes second, and then laundry. Put those items where they belong, not away.. just inside that room. Our focus is one area at a time like the living room and when you're finished with those items stop or move on. Totally up to you!

1. Motivation

We all know this is probably one of the most diffcult obstacles with bipolar.. getting or staying motivated. Once I was able to muster up motivation and energy I became unstoppable and this where I saw the most progress. My secret is... YouTube. Watching other people clean and break down areas was a huge help. It motivated me to clean my house and I wanted to. I watch real life cleaning videos. Not those pristine houses that "influencers" have, but of real life homes that look like ours.

1. Prioritizing cleaning tasks

Aside from what is done daily, what would help you feel better in your space? Is that a clean coffee table or maybe its a clear staircase because the mail has been sitting there for three months. This will look different for everyone.

1. Housecleaning help

If you are able to spend it.. use it! There are a lot of local cleaning businesses that want to help you with no judgements. These services are generally cheaper than you think. Staying on a maintenance clean will help with those deep cleaning spots that need to be done. The ones you hate.. cleaning out the oven, pulling appliances out and cleaning under and on the side. Cleaning under the couch cushions and under the couch as well. Maybe you just need some help with weekly cleaning tasks. Use this as a resource and not a "I never have to clean now". No you still do lol

And don't forget...

We want BETTER not perfect. We aren't deep cleaning or organizing. If you feel up to.. do it. If not, no worries. Maybe another day, week, or month.

I hope this helps you! Add other tips and tricks in the comments to help others 👇🏼

Hi! I was recently diagnosed after receiving an ADHD diagnosis years ago (and now being told that was a misdiagnosis). My doctor is changing up my meds (currently on Vraylar and starting Gabapentin + Lithium) and I have no idea what to expect.

I guess I'm just looking for general advice/tips for making life easier. I'm constantly so irritable and anxious, I have no motivation to do anything, and every little thing sets me off.

Any support is appreciated :)

Hello all! Decided to make this post because i’m curious if anyone else’s meds make it hard to get aroused.

I’m currently on 1200mg of Oxcarbazepine / 200mg Lamotrigine a day. I take Hydroyxcine for my anxiety/insomnia as needed.

It’s not much of a problem for me or my husband. If anything, it’s given me room to focus on other things like working out and jewelry making.

This isn’t a post to be nosey , just genuinely curious

My bf is in a cult called IDMR. We've been together for five months. This is my soulmate. I won't talk to my guy friend anymore because he and I used to like each other well over a year ago now we're best friends. My bf doesn't mind I just feel like I'm cheating on him because I wouldn't like him doing the same and I just want to be a good gf.

With him, he has kept pressuring me to join his classes or at least attend but I tell him I don't want to. But everything time I talk about my spirituality he brings up his classes saying "I thought you were coming to my classes?"

Since then, I'm psychotic, I hear voices calling me a list, cheater and I don't deserve to be here because I'm a cheater....it's heavily distressing me. What should I do???? Please.

Today my psych recommended that I stop my Geodon abruptly without tapering and start caplyta. I take 20mg in the morning and 40mg at night. How bad will the withdrawal be? I’m nervous. I voiced my concerns and she assured me I won’t feel any negative effects but I’m not convinced. TIA!

I just started 25mg of lamotogrine and I’m a bit nervous. I’ve heard that for some people it’s god send, for others -not so much. I’m also not sure if I’m on the right titration? My psych put me on a weekly titration upwards from 25 to 100, but I heard that’s quite fast.

Any tips and advice?

it’s currently 2am and i’m wondering if anyone else can relate to my experience. for context i (f23) have been stable for 5 years since being diagnosed and medicated. i haven’t been fully manic or depressed since 2021 which i know im so grateful for.
the thing is there will be times where im not necessarily manic but im not what i would consider ‘normal’.
tonight, for instance, i had a stressful shift at work (i work with young people in residential housing) and im finding it hard to wind down. its strange because i was feeling slightly this way last night but was able to take a melatonin got to sleep. tonight… well i took a melatonin a few hours ago now.
i find it so hard to describe these feelings to my therapist or psychiatrist. i dont want to label it as manic, because its not, so i usually say mini mania. other times this happens are when i am up submitting an assignment late or something triggering happens. luckily its a rare occurrence but its still so confusing. other than insomnia, my other symptoms include impulse buying clothes at night, racing thoughts, jittery, more talkative, alert, keep finding things to do other than sleep etc.
for further context i got diagnosed with adhd a couple of weeks ago too. though the doctor did say it was mild and the inattentive type so i dont think im hyperactive or anything?
if anyone has any thoughts or similar experiences, please share! i would really appreciate it :)

My medication has caused a bit of emotional blunting which I was incredibly grateful for initially. I wasn’t so affected by everything in life. However, now that my relationship is on the rocks to the point I am contemplating ending my engagement, I am not so grateful. I can’t feel/gauge the severity of the situation accurately as my reaction has been so mild. I want to feel as upset as I feel I should be but I can’t. It’s confusing and frustrating right now. Has anyone felt with emotional blunting clouding judgement before? Any advice is appreciated.

This is hurting me so bad. The mood swings. I’m down or I’m up no in-between. But does anyone else feel like they constantly have to make themselves “up” to appease those around you? Or just meet everyday responsibilities?

Of course I’m sure. I’m struggling guys. Brief, but my experience with this didn’t really start until late teens/early 20s. I come from a Christian Science background. If you know you know…. It was never acknowledged and actually was very rejected by my mother or anyone when I tried to voice what was happening. So what do we do? Cope. At least try. I coped in all the wrong ways of course.

I leveled out by 27. I thought. I had a baby. Health issues. But then I had another baby, too fast. Love them both, but it’s been a lot. My mental health took a downward turn. Nothing scary, just down. Down down down.

I find myself in depression often. I love my kids. This is all I ever wanted. But fuckX maybe it’s the world, multiple issues problems… but I feel disconnected from myself totally.

It’s hard. Not knowing how I’ll think or feel. Feeling ashamed of anything I say or do, regretting it, then doing it again instantly.

I find I am drawn to people with this, unknowingly. It’s not a shock most of my friends are bipolar or adhd or depressive.

I just have to get right. As in I’d love to be off all medications. 💊 that seems silly as I try and it slaps me in the face. At least I can start with some. Idk if anyone else can relate but also having adhd (and suspected autism) I think the meds are hurting more than helping.

That’s just me though. I work in special education actually. Why, because they are some of the only people I feel genuinely okay around. I love my clients and students. I feel for them. I relate.

Okay so I was recently diagnosed bipolar, like within a few days ago. I wasn't told what type, to be honest I don't really know if I had to guess it was probably bipolar 2 because I heard this has the more depressive periods and any hallucinations I've had have I THINK been during a depressive episode but there was this time in my apartment I was doing all right and heard my landlords living upstairs whispering about me at night which I don't think was actually possible and then I had weird paranoia about this where I wore my headphones all the time in my place not to hear them talk about me again idk

But anyways I've just started on a sub therapeutic (hopefully using the right terminology here) dose of lithium which is supposed to be the "right" meds rather than my antidepressants that made me feel like shit.

But I feel like I may be misdiagnosed and there is comorbidities going on here. I'm not sure if it matters what I think those are, because I'm not a mental health professional and a lot of my symptoms that I have fall under different umbrellas. The point is that I don't *know* but I do feel doubt. I am wondering am I experiencing denial? Or what would be a good time frame to question if the pysch that diagnosed me was wrong?

I'm still not doing well right now, but I just started the meds so I know these things take time. But let's say it goes a while on this treatment and I'm not seeing improvements? What time frame is realistic here to start questioning.

And I don't want to seek a second opinion just for the hell of it if I'm just in denial and spinning out. I find talking to pyschs very difficult. I just wanna know what you guys think.

For context I am bipolar and have bpd. I did a little research and there is likely 20% who meets the criteria of having ocd while being bipolar. And theres no way possible that i saw it coming. I am kinda skeptical if I have it or not. The moment I went home and sat and thought about it, the more I got aware in some sense? But I am scared that I might be forcing myself doing things intentionally just because I might have ocd, if that makes sense. Does anyone felt this way before or is it just me.

I have bipolar, schizoid personality disorder, AuDHD, and OCD. I am medicated for almost 2 months now, at 18.

I feel depressed. Damp. My negative thoughts have nowhere to hide. I'm just... Bleh. My episodes used to be mostly hypomania + mixed.

Will I get used to stability?

Im an 18 year old boy, I shouldnt be worrying abt this...