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What is Bi-polar Disorder ?
2008-02-21 09:10:00 ? Bipolar disorder, previously called manic depression, is a condition that affects your moods, which can swing from one extreme to another. If you have bipolar disorder, you will have periods, or episodes of depression and mania. The two extremes are characterised as follows: Depression where you feel very low, andmania where you feel very high. If your symptoms are slightly less severe, it is known as hypomania.Both extremes of bipolar disorder have other symptoms associated with them (see symptoms section). Unlike simple mood swings, each extreme episode can last for several weeks or longer. The high and low phases of the illness can be so extreme that they interfere with your daily life. The exact cause of bipolar disorder is not fully understood, but the condition seems to run in families. It is a relatively common condition, with around 1 person in 100 being diagnosed as having bipolar disorder. It can occur at any age, but often develops between the ages of 18 an...
By: Train Your Mind
This is hypomania at the very least
2008-01-23 09:02:00 Pardon me if I piss and moan… It seems to have started with a headache, a mild migraine I think, which - although not as painful as some I?ve experienced - my vision was quite bad for a couple of days. Pardon the sentence construction. No, back up. It started when, seemingly out of the blue, I had a ...
Hypomania versus Feeling Good
2007-10-25 23:33:00 I’ve been feeling very good the past few days. I am in the process of launching a new medical products company that hopes to produce compounds for a variety of illnesses using Resveratrol and other polyphenols (Xeno Factors). This brings up the topic of Hypomania. How do you/I know the difference between Hypomania and just feeling ...
By: The Bipolar CEO
Hypomania: Irritability and Annoyance (Part 2)
2007-07-23 09:01:00 (The graphic on the left is from Ken Brown and is one of his stamps called, Fingers in Ears. If we all went around with our fingers in our ears, I guess we wouldn't know if someone was irritable and annoyed or not. It's something to consider.)From yesterday's comments, I guess that some people go through the irritable and annoyed phase and others don't. In my case, hypomanias actually consist of three phases.Phase 1: Increased energy. A extraordinary feeling of happiness with myself and the world. A very loving feeling towards the people I care about. An uncommon ability to get things done. A huge burst of energy from the moment I awaken until I go to bed. An expanded ability to multi-task. An organizational acuity that is second to none. A willingness to engage with people. A desire to spend more time with people I care about--and even those I don't. I've written about this in earlier posts so I won't dwell on it here.Phase 2: Increased irritability and annoyance. Duri...
Hypomania: Irritability and Annoyance
2007-07-22 23:15:00 Before I post today, I would like to thank the following people for their responses to my last posting: daryl darko, Micky, Marja, Terry, Gay Bipolar Guy, Cindy, Marie, and Carrie. I greatly appreciate your comments and concern.I think that one of the downsides of hypomania that we don't know enough about is the irritability and annoyance phase. I finally realized that I haven't been mildly depressed for the last few weeks: rather, I've been irritable and easily annoyed.Why is that? Perhaps together we can figure it out.Do you have these periods? When do you get them? Is it after or during hypomanic episodes? Do you suddenly feel that perhaps you've been giving too much and getting too little? Does something switch inside you? When do you realize that the pleasure of helping others has faded and you have needs you'd like someone else to fulfill?Do you ever think: I've been there for others. Who is there for me? Who is going to buoy me up when I feel a bit down? Who...
Staving Off a Depression
2007-07-20 09:01:00 After years of experience, I know that the past few weeks could precipitate a depression if I?m not careful. Today, I was totally and completely exhausted and spent much of the day editing my manuscript and sleeping. For me, this is a smart move because if I don?t slow myself down, I can become depressed. If I can?t find a way to replenish myself, I can become depressed.Again, for me the causes of a depression are a mixed bag. Extended hypomanias?even ones that are fairly benign?zap my energy. It feels like I?m giving a lot of myself to people and it?s draining.While I love playing the Autoharp at my mom?s, it?s also quite exhausting. Not only do I perform, which I enjoy, but I also have to help many of the residents turn the pages of their song books and I find myself jumping up and down for almost 90 minutes.Driving my mom up the coast was draining as well. As much as I hoped it would renew her spirits, it didn?t. And as much as I enjoyed myself, it was stressful. Although my moth...
Warts and All
2007-07-13 09:01:00 As most of you who have been reading my blog these last few weeks know, I've been hypomanic. The worst symptom has been "talking too much," and I've got to admit that although I try to control it, I'm not always successful.The most surefire way to control it is to refrain from being with people. But after spending months alone during a depression, the last thing I want to do is to be alone just because I'm a bit too talkative.In a way, I think it's just one of those symptoms that people may not like, but there's a part of me who truly doesn't think it's all that bad. When I'm depressed, I may not see my friends for five or six months. So...when I'm hypomanic, I don't see that it's all that terrible if I talk a bit too much.For a few years, when I noticed I was talking too much, usually after the fact, I would call and apologize. I'd say something like, "When I thought about our lunch together, I realize that I dominated the conversation. It's a sign of hypomania ...
Gone Fishing
2007-06-29 09:03:00 I wish I really was fishing like Marja and her husband. But instead, I'm fishing in my mind. I need to take off a few days to finish my manuscript and rest.I'm offline until Monday. I won't be blogging or reading other blogs as well. I need to write and spend the rest of my time outdoors.As you know, for the last few weeks, I'm been somewhat hypomanic and although I've controlled my behavior so that there aren't any obvious symptoms, I'm exhausted nonetheless.The good news is that it's amazing how much I can accomplish during a hypomania. I wonder how many other people tend to "clean" when they have a lot of energy. I don't just mean straightening up the house. Rather, I mean going through closets and storage and doing major cleaning.Thus far I've filled the trunk of my mini-van twice and am carting stuff away to the Salvation Army.I also wonder how many people change their diet during hypomanias. Sometimes, I have this tremendous need for "red meat." But other ti...
Other Hypomanic Symptoms
2007-06-23 19:14:00 First, thanks to Syd, Dootz, and Marja for your kind responses to yesterday's post. I really appreciated hearing from you. And thanks to Meredith for commenting on Hypomania Revisited (Part 3).A few other hypomanic symptoms:1. My feelings get hurt quite easily. I've always been sensitive. Years ago, I thought it was a "bad" trait because it made me so unhappy. So I tried to desensitize myself but it didn't work. Then I decided it was OK to feel emotions deeply as long as I didn't show them. It was kind of a survival skill. A number of years ago, I just decided to say what I think and feel (within reason). Still, during a hypomania, I sometimes feel like I did as a child--that I'm just too sensitive.2. I talk too much even though I try not to. In a way, I feel it's OK. I'm mean, my last depressive episode lasted five months. I barely spoke at all, except to my mother, husband, and son. So, I somehow think that if I remained mostly silent for approximately 130 da...
Hypomania Revisited (Part 3)
2007-06-22 06:46:00 I so appreciate everyone's contribution and comments on today's post, namely, JayPeeFreely, Marja, Gay Bipolar Guy, Polly, and Syd. In answer to some of the questions and comments:1. I love it that JayPee spent $50 on ink and 28 pound paper. Even though my grandfather was a printer, I'm not sure that I've ever bought 28 pound paper. But now that's my goal. Question: Should I truly use JayPee's possible excess as behavior worth modeling? Answer: Absolutely yes!2. Marja, I, too take on too many projects. What I didn't mention is that I volunteered to teach H's (the woman who gives me manicures and has become a good friend) daughter how to play the guitar. In the midst of this big writing project, I gave her a lesson yesterday. I also jumped rope with her and gave her some little gifts (things from home) that I thought she'd enjoy.3. Gay Bipolar Guy gave some good ideas on how to reign in spending. In my quest to be honest, I must admit that today I bought a new addres...
Hypomania Revisited (Part 2)
2007-06-21 09:01:00 How do I control spending during a hyomania? With all apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning...Let me count the ways. I control it to the depth and breadth and height...oh well, let's take a look at Browning's famous poem and then we can discuss spending.How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.I love thee to the depth and breadth and heightMy soul can reach, when feeling out of sightFor the ends of being and ideal grace.I love thee to the level of every day'sMost quiet need, by sun and candle-light.I love thee freely, as men strive for right.I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.I love thee with the passion put to useIn my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.I love thee with a love I seemed to loseWith my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,I shall but love thee better after death.Back to spending...as I mentioned in an earlier post, when I used to have problems controlling spending during a hypomania, I vo...
Hypomania Revisited (Part 1)
2007-06-20 15:50:00 Although I already wrote about hypomania, I'm not sure I can write about it enough since so much of what I've read--over the years--has been a complete waste of time. So let's revisit it once again.For the last few weeks, I've been feeling hypomanic. There were days when I awakened and felt marginally depressed but once I took a small amount of medication, it went away. However, I know a full-fledged hypomania is upon me when I stop taking anti-depressant medication and still feel great upon awakening. (For those of you who are new to this blog, I'm medication resistant and all mood stabilizers make me feel worse, not better.)So, after all of these years with all I have learned, how do I handle a hypomania? Well, the first thing I do is exercise. Usually, I try to walk but this morning I decided to garden, and I use the term loosely.Today is the day our gardeners come and I decided that I needed to prune a bunch of shrubs and a few trees so that they could do the clean ...
Accepting My Limitations
2007-06-17 09:32:00 After so many years of being sick, it's difficult to describe what it's like to be well--most of the time. After so many years of feeling like there were no other BIPS (bipolars) in the universe to whom I could relate, it's difficult to describe what it's like to find a community of people who share my feelings, concerns, and attitudes about this illness.After so many years of having to refrain from taking classes because I felt so terrible when I had to quit due to illness or I knew my expectations were unrealistic (because prior to the class I hadn't been well for eight straight weeks for 14 years), it's difficult to describe my feeling of accomplishment when I completed my photography class a few weeks ago.It's easy for others--who are not bipolar or who don't truly understand the heartache of this illness--to minimize my success. It's easy for people who knew me before my illness spiraled out of control to wonder why completing a class at a community college would be...
Hypomania (Part 2)
2007-05-30 15:43:00 Please read yesterday's post for continuity.6-7 A hypomania of this magnitude begins to scare me. And this is when I feel things are spiraling out of control. There is a moment when I know that whatever skills I've developed for self-regulation aren't working so I go to my doctor and see what my alternatives are.Since none of the mood stabilizers work for me, it's difficult to find a quick-fix. But sometimes, taking Depakote for a day or two will stop the episode. It also makes me physically ill (it doesn't matter what dosage I take, I get flu-like symptoms that don't go away). As I've said before, neither Lithium, Tegretol, or Lamictal work, nor do a long list of other medications.Again, I must say that prior to taking medication, my hypomanias (and I use the term loosely) were very low level. These days, I no longer experience any that are above a 3 or 4 on a ten point scale but in the past, I remember talking so fast that it must have been difficult for others to follo...
Hypomania
2007-05-29 17:00:00 I have often felt that hypomanias are one of the least understood aspects of this illness. Is being hypomanic a bad thing? I don't think so. Do you?If all you feel when you experience a hypomania is a slight elevation of mood, what's wrong with that? What are the other symptoms? I'm assuming it differs for everyone.Are there stages of hypomania? When does a hypomania become a mania? How would you define a 1-3 hypomania? A 4-5? When it turns into a 6-7, is that when it becomes a mania? How does it feel at 8-9? What's a 10? What do you think?1-3 For me, this just means that I feel good. I have a lot of energy. I can accomplish a tremendous amount in a day. I have a feeling of joi de vivre! I enjoy being with people again. It's a better than "normal" feeling. I can write lists, organize myself, move ahead with projects, and renew old acquaintances.4-5 I feel better than good. I don't just like being with my friends; I love being with them. I don't just play th... |
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