Are you manic Julie?

I get so pissed when my mom asks me this question! Of course, I taught her to ask it and I want her to ask it, but it always makes me mad.

I mostly have euphoric hypomania. It is wonderful at the beginning. It’s tricky as it usually comes after a depression- so I desperately want and need to feel better. But I know that what goes up must come down, so I have to be ready for the downswing.

I’ve trained myself by using the Health Cards to go into treatment mode as soon as the hypomania starts. Damn, damn, damn. That is actually mild language for what it feels like to realize that feeling good is actually being manic.

If you have a lot of mild manias, this means that you’re rapid cycling. It means your meds are not working fully or that you or something outside of you is triggering the mania in some way. Like many people, I have a lot more euphoric mania in the summer because of the sunlight.

What a complicated, awful illness this is! Bipolar mania is dangerous. It’s sad that something can feel soooooooooo good and be so dangerous, but it’s something we must accept if we want to get better. Stability is good; mania is bad.

So, when my mom says “Are you manic Julie?” I get pissed, but I always listen and do what the Health Cards say I have to do. 

Julie

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A very close friend of mine was just in the hospital for ten days- he had a manic episode. This is only his second in over ten years. They can sneak up on you so fast.

August is the most dangerous month for mania- for those of us above the equator!

If you think you’re getting manic or you see the signs in someone that they are having a manic episode,  you can go to the menu on the right and click on the manic button- it will show you all of my past mania blogs.  The manic button is the panic button!

I had a hypomanic episode a few weeks ago. Now I’m in a depressed episode.

It is AWFUL! This illness isn’t fair, but I’m here writing on this blog. I got out of bed and I’m going to get on with my day. We can function during most mood swings- but mania is tricky!

Julie

yes, it’s mania season once again. It’s dangerous- it’s often missed- hypomania - the milder form of mania can feel so good that you want to ignore the reality.

I just had a week long hypomanic episode:

• Eveything looked good.
• I loved talking.
• I didn’t eat.
• I wanted to drink- but this time I didn’t!.
• I was fine being alone.
• Men looked really cute.
• I felt better about my looks.
• All of the magazines in the grocery store just looked so interesting!

My mom asked if I was manic- I said no,  but she knew I was- and I knew I was! I really kept it in check.

The inevitable downswing was super bad- but it was only one day. I use my Health Cards (bipolarhappens.com) to manage this hypomania. It took me eight years to get good at it- you can do it a lot sooner because you can learn from my mistakes!

If you go to the menu on the right and click on the mania tab- you can read all of my stories and tips. Don’t deny that you’re manic. Get help. It can spin out of control very quickly.

Julie

PS: The best way to deal with mild mania is to make sure you go to sleep at the same time everynight- even when you don’t want to.

Wow, considering how sick Britney Spears was last year, she sure is doing well.

When my partner Ivan went through a severe manic/psychotic episode, it took him a year to recover. I can’t imagine what it would have been like for him had he been in the public eye.

I’ve followed the story pretty carefully. I was interviewed for US Magazine last year when it was still unclear if she had the illness. Their sources said it was confirmed and that she was on Abilify. There is no way to know anything for sure if the family is not talking.

Well, writing about her is odd for me. I don’t get star struck- but I do feel this is a situation where her misfortune was a good thing for those of us with bipolar disorder. Her manic episode was caught on film over and over again and the world finally had compassion.

Compassion for a super star leads to more compassion for people who aren’t in the tabloids.

I have one wish- that she would come out and say that she has the illness. It would be interesting to hear it from her.

She just gave up custody of her kids. All we can do is speculate as to why.

Julie

Pressured speech is a hallmark of mania. Here are the characteristics:

- Can’t stop talking – it’s not like it’s a choice when it get’s bad. You really can’t stop!

- The desire to speak is so strong you will talk over the other person.

- You can’t complete a sentence before going to the next one.

- Speaking feels really good and you’re fascinated with your own ideas!

Those are just a few descriptions of manic pressured speech.

I’ve had it the past few days. Luckily, I know the signs from using my Health Cards for so many years, but it still catches up on me. And then I’m embarrassed.

It’s mania time here in the US. Many people go into the hospital in July and August.

 Do you have a plan to prevent mania? Are you showing any signs of pressured speech?

Julie