I wanted to ask you since you have it for sure and are living with it. How do you know if you have it? I have severe anger problems. I can just snap in a second. But then I can be super happy right after that. But honestly, I feel like I am controlling my anger, not like something is making me angry, you know? Like, something will piss me off and I will tell myself "okay, if that happens again, get mad." Or I will be like "okay, I am going to flip out now" and then I flip. Does that make sense? Is that still bi-polar? Is bi-polar the ability to go from 1 extreme to another, or is it a chemical imbalance that makes you get crazy. I am looking into getting medication and trying to curb this anger I have. I am not depressed. I am just stressed out a lot and have a lot of anger. Any help, advice, tips or whatever you could give would be fantastic. If not, I totally understand because I have been a prick to you in the past.
I have a fiance bro. And she is half Japanese. Nuff said lol That def is not the problem. And while I am on the good side of the polar, I apologize for talking shit to you last night.
My ex wife was bipolar... and I must say that it is an extremely difficult thing to deal with from both sides. The thing is... what could or would set her off really had nothing to do with reality... when she was going to get angry... the lack of no reason would not stop her. =) But at the same time you can't reason with that... someone on the outside can't tell you to calm down about something when in your mind it is they craziest thing in the world to you. Also... her good moods were very high... she just a joy to be around and it was a blast to try to ride that roller coaster with her... but the reality is that it is an illness... and there are treatments for it. The problem I think a lot of people with bipolar disorder have with treatment... is that it also elminates those glorious high swings they have... and that is a hard thing to give up. I can say that with medication she was almost entirely normal... but also that she... like many with the disorder did not want to stay on medication. My nephew went through a recent spat of unexplainable bizare behavior that was traced to bipolor disorder... and in the short period of time he was rampaging he did a lot of damage to his life that will take a long time to recover from.
I really have a hard time with Counselors because I am so arrogant. My mother is a psychologist and I grew up with all that stuff. I always think that what they tell me is BS and I know better. I know I am wrong but it is so hard for me to listen to a counselor. Maybe it is because I have never had one that I thought took genuine interest in what I am saying? I dunno
I know somebody who has clinical depression and is probably a little bipolar. His complaint with medication (Zoloft) was just like Paxil described it--it wiped out the highs too much as well as the lows. Started to feel just too numb. The best solution he's found is to stay on the medication for two months, then go off for a month. The effect of the drug seems to build up in his system, so that when he's "coasting" without it and then the first few weeks after he goes back on it, it seems to be his happiest point. It's the psychiatrist's job to recommend a medication, but really he can't be with you day to day and know how it really impacts your happiness. My buddy tells me, and I think it makes sense, that it's really up to the patient to experiment (within safe ranges discussed with your psychiatrist) with what works best for them. If your shrink isn't comfortable with you experimenting with the dosage/timing that works best for you, find one who will.
My doctor told me to take the generic Zoloft. Sertraline. I have not started it yet, but I am thinking about it.
I'd see a psychiatrist who could prescribe some medication. My friend hated the idea of counseling, no matter how hard I tried to encourage him. He went to a shrink instead, got on meds, they mellowed him out some, and a year later he got to the point where he realized real counseling could also help. Besides, it's a lot harder to blow off and be arrogant around a psychiatrist. One of my best friends is one, and that fucker will shoot you down every time. After you've got an MD and you've hacked apart cadavers and racked up hundreds of grand in debt and pulled 36 hour rotations in your residency, you really don't take shit from anybody.
I'd listen to him/her. Like I said, it'll probably deaden the highs and lows, which will suck. But it'll also give you the space to clear your head and objectively think about why you are the way you are, and how you want to deal with it for the rest of your life.
That is exactly what I need. I need someone to shut me the cuss up and not take my ish. I just have always felt like previous counselors were just listening, writing in their little pads and watching the clock like they couldn't wait to get home. Thank you.
Ben, bi-polar is characterized by manic moods (severe upswings) followed by depressed moods (severe down swings). Get it properly diagnosed by an expert before blindly taking meds. Also, I strongly support seeing a therapist. It's called "talk therapy" and it's used to monitor bi-polarism and can be invaluable in ensuring the right diagnosis as well as on going meds. Nobody likes to do those things, but it'll make you a happier person and you'll get laid more- and isn't that just grand?
