Mania and Sunshine Test
I live in Portland, Oregon and we are having a spectacular winter. It’s the best I’ve experienced in my seven years here. We are used to very, very dark winters. It’s usually dusk at four and dark at five. It’s depression and very bad for bipolar disorder. I was dreading it once again. And yet this year has been at least double the sun as normal. This got me to thinking about mania and sunlight. If you are newly diagnosed with bipolar or care about someone newly diagnosed- here is a test to see how the sunlight has affected your mania in the past: Give yourself one point for each yes.
1. Do you have more depression in the winter and more mania (or hypomania- the milder mania) in the summer?
2. Have you ever had a summer that was happy and enjoyable after a winter depression- but just thought it was the real you- even though you slept less, ate less and had more fun outside?
3. Do you start to feel a lot less depressed in the spring?
4. If you have been hospitalized for mania- was it in the spring or summer?
5. Do you crave sunlight and feel your brain clear when you get out in the sun?
6. Are you a lot more social in the summer- to the point that people comment on it? Is it a lot easier to get out of bed?
7. Do you tend to go off meds when it’s sunny?
8. Do your mood swings have a distinct pattern from winter to summer?
If you answered yes to two or more of the above, your bipolar is probably affected by sunlight. I know that mine it. My hypomanic episodes are almost always in the summer.
I can say that living in constant sun doesn’t mean you’re constantly manic. I lived in Hawaii for years and was rarely manic. I feel the body adjusts. If you’re from Australia, have probably experienced something similar. It’s about the CHANGE in seasons, not only the sunlight.
My first hypomanic episode was at 17 when I went on a school trip to Europe. It was in July- very sunny – with a time change and a lot of excitement. A mania cocktail!
What is your plan to prevent mania for this spring?
Julie
Here is a link to this bipolar mania test if you want to send it to your friends:
Hey Julie!
I was hospitalized with depressive symptoms in late January-early February 9 days in total. During my hospitalization I started going up into hypomania and have not stopped since leaving the hospital. I have been writing constantly since my hospitalization and have actually completed one manuscript since the first of February and am starting on a second. I have been having trouble taking my meds because of not wanting the damper on my creativity. My therapist suggested I write to you to ask your opinion of medication’s impact on creativity. Your input would be very helpful although I have a suspicion I know what your answer will be.
Thanks
– Melissa –
Hello Melissa,
This is a question I defintely want to address in the blog. Please keep checking in- I will answer it soon! Julie
Hello, Julie: I am ttrying again to leave a comment. I amtotally blind, and I have been having computer trouble where my machine shuts down in the middle of a long post. Yuck.
I am told I am cyclothymic
Sometimes I sound like I
I have dealt with this illness for 7 years now. I believe I have found a good balance with medication, therapy and living healthier. However, there are times I slip into manic phases then followed by a long depressive cycle. I started a blog to share how I was diagnosed with Bipolar and how I have worked hard to overcome the stigma of mental illness. I hope you can share my blog on your site.
I own a landscaping business in upstate NY and although I refuse to deem my gift a “mental illness”; I have the energy of a 50 megaton tsar bomba that I use to hire workers and lawyers that have my back when I snap and verbally/physically tear people (including police officers) to shreds. I’ve been sent to jail and learned the hard way. Get rich and hire a good attorney that golfs with judges. Smoke weed to calm yourself down and fuck anything with a suitable BMI. Life is good.
I like this post, enjoyed this one appreciate it for posting. “No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently.” by Agnes de Mille.