

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and overworked, and I have a hard time taking things one step at a time. “When I’m feeling this way, my thoughts seem to move at a slower rate. King notes his episodes of depression are usually lengthy. “During a depressive episode, feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and low self-worth can lead them to view things negatively.” On others, I felt exhausted, hopelessly overwhelmed, and deeply discouraged with my life.” Depressionĭepression influences more negative and hopeless thinking, says Dr.
#Bipolar manic episode full#
“Some days, I was full of energy, extremely enthusiastic, and carried myself with confidence. King noticed his moods fluctuate drastically throughout most of his teenage years as well. The way she thinks is highly dependent on her mood as well. She adds that there’s no set amount of time for these states of mind - some last a while and others are short-lived. “Thinking in cycles makes consistency in anything a major difficulty,” she says. But when she’s in a “low mood,” she may fail to meet deadlines, be filled with anxiety, and experience self-deprecating thoughts. “But harnessing my mind and using it to the best of my ability has been my life’s work.”Ĭommon thought patterns Cyclical thoughtsĪyetoro describes her thinking as “cyclical.” She explains that she’ll start off “high” at the beginning of a cycle with positive, rational thoughts and a productive work ethic. “Who would I be without bipolar disorder? I’d love to find out,” he adds. Up until the moment I was admitted, I thought everything was ‘normal.’ It was quite the shock.” I was tricked into going to the hospital. “As for what made me believe I may have had an illness… literally nothing.

On the other hand, Howard was surprised to receive a diagnosis of bipolar I with psychosis at age 25. “It was somewhat of a relief to put a name to what was with me, but then began the hard road to stability.”

She experienced two manic episodes before receiving her diagnosis. “It was strange that this depression would follow periods of extremely high spirits.” My moods would get so low that I was spending unusual amounts of time in bed depressed,” she recalls. “I experienced what I thought were abnormal swings in mood from very high energy to very low energy for a very long time before. For example, Ayetoro had suspicions for years before officially being diagnosed in 2014. People with bipolar disorder may face unique challenges as a result of their condition, but they’re fully capable of leading happy, healthy, successful lives.ĭo people with bipolar disorder know they have the condition before getting diagnosed? It’s when we have symptoms that things start to go haywire,” adds Gabe Howard, author of “Mental Illness Is an Asshole” and host of Psych Central’s Inside Mental Health podcast. “In many ways, we think exactly like everyone else most of the time. This simply is not true,” says Ikaika King, who was diagnosed with bipolar II when he was 17. “Many people think that a person with bipolar disorder doesn’t have any control over themselves or that they’re unable to take care of themselves or function in society. (Good news: They can all be managed with proper treatment.)ĭoes someone with bipolar disorder remember what they say? Yes.ĭo people with bipolar disorder know what they’re doing? Also yes. Your thoughts may differ depending on the type of bipolar disorder you live with.
