How do I maintain friends when I have bipolar disorder? One great step is giving them High Tide, Low Tide: A Caring Friend’s Guide to Bipolar Disorder by Fran Houston and Martin Baker. If you have a friend who shows interest in helping you maintain stability, High Tide, Low Tide is a compassionate gift for any friendship! I also recommend it highly for siblings. Here is a guest blog post from author Martin Baker on creating strong friendships. Julie I have a lot of embarrassment when I get sick. I worry that my friends will leave me because of my bipolar disorder. Knowing there is a tool they can use if they need more information about my moods helps me stay strong! Julie
Three Tips to Recognize, Feel and Ultimately Let Go of Shame Due to Mood Swing Behaviors
1. Recognize what was caused by a bipolar disorder mood swing. Remember that bipolar disorder is an illness that causes some pretty darn crazy behavior that you would never, ever do when well. It’s not like there is a choice in the matter to
Sleep with two people at once when full blown manic Buy a car you can’t afford Leave someone you love because you are so depressed you can’t see straight Drop out of school because you can’t sit still.
Remember. If it happens because of bipolar- treat the bipolar and you won’t have to go through the shame… as much. For most people, mood swings come [ Read More ]
I recently shared with Marty what happened when a very dear friend with bipolar disorder came to visit. She was in a manic episode that I found intensely stressful and upsetting. After three days, I made a difficult decision and asked her to leave. I had to do this, but I am fearful that our friendship will not bounce back from this experience. I am not being judgmental. In fact, I 100% identify with what happened as I have been manic like this in front of my friends many times. They don’t like it either. My problem is the energy around the mania. I want to be stable and being around someone who is choosing behaviors that fuel the mania fire is not healthy for me.
The term rapid cycling can be very confusing. I recently asked my co-author Dr. John Preston for a clear explanation: “Rapid cycling is at least four discrete episodes during a 12 month period (these can be mania, hypomania, or depression). The term ultra-rapid cycling is not precisely defined but many refer to this as having possibly monthly cycles (e.g. 12 per year)…. Ultradian cycling is where there are not really discrete manic or depressive episodes, but the person is extremely emotionally labile, with chaotic and intense mood changes that occur every day or several times during a day. One way to describe it is that they experience intense emotional instability….some mood shifts are in response to stressful events (e.g. an argument with a friend), but some are unprovoked- seem [ Read More ]
I hear stories all summer about people who go off their meds because they feel so GREAT and then the disasters that follow. It’s easy to think – the sun is just so WONDERUFL!!!!!! when the weather gets nice, you’re off school, you have a vacation, the kids are home, etc.
There is no doubt that summer is wonderful if you were depressed in the winter- but this is just a friendly reminder that when things get WONDERFUL!!!!! it’s time to check for mania. Here are some questions to ask yourself – or ask the person you care about.
1. Are you sleeping a lot less than what is considered the norm- but are still filled with energy the next day? The norm is six to eight hours- mania sleep [ Read More ]
Julie, how do I know if my child has bipolar disorder or schizoaffective disorder? I was diagnosed with rapid cycling bipolar two with psychotic features in 1995. This diagnosis was incorrect. I have schizoaffective disorder. Knowing this diagnosis has helped me manage my bipolar disorder and my psychosis successfully. Here is a deep dive into the question……. What is Schizoaffective Disorder? The answer has to do with mania, depression and psychosis. Bipolar disorder is an episodic mood disorder that includes two mood swings: mania and depression. Within those mood swings, we can have a myriad of symptoms including anxiety, psychosis, irritation and anger, restlessness and attention and focus problems just to name a few. Here is a deeper explanation of the above- people with bipolar disorder must have experiences mania or depression in order to [ Read More ]
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Mom Brain Podcast
Listen to Julie’s latest interview on bipolar disorder and mental health in children, teens and adults on the Mom Brain Podcast with Hilaria Baldwin and Daphne Oz.
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