Bipolar 1 and Bipolar 2

Being bipolar for 5 years now I have come to realise that there are varying degrees in people's moods and that one can be bipolar 1 or 2. Subjects of bipolar 1 generally have higher peaks in mania and lower drops in depression than bipolar 2 subjects do. Therefore when bipolar 1 subjects suffer from psychosis their psychology reaches a level that is close to god (or whatever you call it) and their depression drops to a low abyss.

I am bipolar 1 and if I don't take my medications I could become Schizophrenic. So the motto continues: Always take your medications even if it damages you physically or someone unqualified tries to persuade you otherwise. Stay strong.

Star Wars and Bipolar Disorder

Isn't it funny how the bipolar phenomenon resembles the dilemma of the Jedi and the Sith described in the Star Wars saga. The reason I mention this is because of the characteristics.

Jedi are very wary of the dark side and sometimes the Sith must also be wary of light side as described in Sean Williams book "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed." People similarly can switch from the dark side to the light side and vice versa although this always has to be triggered by a moment.

The Sith are commonly described to be driven by anger or hate and Yoda puts it along the lines of "Fear is the path to destruction. Fear leads to anger, anger leads hate, hate leads to suffering." So therefore everything we feel is sometimes due to the fears we have and that makes us Sith in some respects.

There is a sense that Jedis are trying to control their extremes by using the force in a fair manner and the Sith use the force to destroy things around them. We are at war with ourselves and others when we are in psychosis and balanced when we take our medication.


The Star Wars Saga is very much resemblant to our every day lives and perhaps why we love it so much. Did you know Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) is also bipolar.

Bipolar Work and Stress (Restarting Life)

One of the most important things for a bipolar person is to control stress while earning money. It took me about a year to enter a job again and start taking my own responsibility and together with this there was a significant amount of stress.

When we are bipolar it is very important to control your stress levels because stress for us is higher than in most individuals. After suffering from psychosis or a nervous-breakdown or whatever you want to call it, we have to eventually face up to our responsibilities.

What I have seen in myself and my other bipolar friends is that we need a job and while working we need to take breaks once in a while and not work too much.

We have to create limits for ourselves as to what we can and can't do. The theory goes that bipolar people can be successful and after two years of medication I feel that things really do seem to be getting better.

In my article Mental Handicap= a gateway to paradise I found that taking medication was a handicap. But I realised after psychosis and later hospitalisation that taking medication does actually make you better. Without our medication as Kay Redfield Jamison describes in her book Touched with Fire we will perish by the age of 35 if we don't take the medication prescribed to us.

So if you are bipolar in order live a healthy life: work (but don't work too hard), take your medication and keep up your own responsibilities. Basically look after your mental (i.e take holidays) and physical health as best you can. Bipolars are mostly overachievers and therefore it is important to balance your own moods when necessary.

Shyness

After major breakdowns during psychosis most of us experience difficulty in adapting to normal everyday routines. Although the ultimate goal is to "get a job" and continue with life, its not as easy as it seems because we have to take baby steps during our path. Making friends, remaking friends and making new friends takes time. In this article I will summarise some of the points necessary to overcome shyness based on articles Ive read over the internet and from my recent experiences.

One thing I reccomend is to take a trip if possible so that you force yourself into a situation that you are not comfortable with. At the beggining it might be best to visit a good friend or relative so that you can get things into perspective. The task itself may seem daunting but believe me when you get going everything seems much more simple that it appears.

If you've been on a trip or you just dont want to go on a trip, then I suggest you begin with small tasks such as going shopping or taking a small walk around your local area. You can leave the house for a small while but as long as you've left the house each day, then you will feel much better believe me.

Still not convinced! Then maybe you can try checking what other people are doing on the internet through social media websites such as facebook and friendfeed. Play a game, read a magazine or cook your favorite dish.

No matter what always take your medication even if someone says otherwise. The medication is also a gradual stabiliser in your emotions and it can help shape you in to a better person than you used to be. Start a new tommorow every day and dont despair at how terrible your life is or has been. Everyday you will get stronger and the medication will become a part of your routine life.

I myself am not a very social person either but Iam working towards it by learning to be by myself and by challenging myself by talking to others.

Bipolar people all go through tough times and shyness comes together with the devasting affects of psychosis. It takes time to defeat shyness but it is beatable.

Détente

After publishing my last post last year I rediscovered that stopping medication after you've started already is not a good idea. Stopping medication for me meant being sectioned in one of Turkey's best psychiatric wards. Nothing in comparison to the cushy chaired single bedroom wards that have sprung up in recent times in the U.K especially.

The Erenköy Psychiatric ward was a fairly large facility with two main buildings seperating the females from the males and composed mainly of people who were off their rocker. Bedrooms were shared and men shared rooms generally with people they liked. Although at the beginning times were tough of course because the building for men as I could see it was seperated by a bottom floor and top floor. While I was trapped on the bottom floor with people of all types of descriptions, I genuinely feared for my life because these people were either sexually frustrated or totally off the wall. I later realised that the calmer people were taken to the top floor two days later so the top floor was like going to heaven.

In general then I can say that my trip to the psychiatric ward was not pleasant and I wouldn't want to repeat it. This is the second time Ive entered psychosis and it meant losing my job together with my ambition. The wars are over now but I still have to deal with depression and balancing myself once again.

Going into psychosis is not pleasant so in order not to repeat another episode those of you taking your medication please continue so for your own sake. Mood stabilisers not only keep us sane but they help bring balance to ups and downs that we encounter. I was wrong.

Mental handicap = a gateway to paradise

Bipolarity is a way of life. A life that we choose and direct. Medication gives us sanctity that we will get better and consoles our wounded soul. Some of us take our medication until we die but the sole problem is that we believe we have a problem. Yes indeed Houston we have a problem.

What is the problem? Honestly what is the problem? The problem is for me that Iam not one with nature. The first caveman didnt fight dinosaurs with a bag of lithium in his hand, he had a spear! He used his brain on how he could out wit the dinosaur and capture it for a feast.

Studies do not prove that medication even works properly but one thing it does for certain is that it hooks you. Once you take that medication and continue it you need a long period of detoxification to completely free yourself. I welcome all medication companies, enthusiasts and loyalists to post their crap about medication for the whole world to see because it makes me proud to know that I can batter you all!

Physically all drugs are effective. Mentally they are all placebos. We are bipolar and that makes us intelligent enough to overcome all the emotions that exist in the universe.

Regular Sleeping patterns help Bipolarity

It is apparent that regular sleeping patterns help bipolar people to remain emotionally stable. The occurrence of lapsing into mania or depression is much higher in bipolar patients who have irregular sleeping patterns. It is advised that people diagnosed as bipolar should engage in more leisure or work activities so that they can function "normally." Regular sleeping patterns involve sleeping and waking up at specific times. The normal amount of sleep required for the average person is 7 hours. As explained in an article I wrote earlier, the human body requires light to sustain itself. So light helps our body if we are awake during the day.

It is also advised that any medication that increases fatigue be taken before going to sleep and that be aware that there are many more vitamins and supplements that aid in the functioning of the human body. There are many lists available on the worldwide web available for example at nutrientscure.blogspot.com. Of course not every nutrient is adequate for every person but of course we can pick and choose.

As such it is the time of year when we are all beginning to realize that it is no longer the year 2007 and we must make changes in the year 2008. It is time to complete desired goals and start doing our best. Potentially we can all live a life without medication and together with supplements and maintenance regimes we can reach this objective. We cannot rely completely on our therapists because we also have make an effort. As funny joke says:

How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light-bulb?

It all depends on whether the light-bulb wants to change.

We can visit psychiatrists for years and years but if we don't want to change then nothing will be accomplished. If you want to change then you will and this involves entering a strict regime. 7 hours sleep, routine regimes, supplements and proper intake of medication seems to be the best options available.