I have been feeling strange

[Daysinthesun]

I had a really hard time last year. I moved to Australia to study and struggled a lot. There were days when I was so lifeless and didn't want to get out of bed. I had trouble falling asleep but once I did, I didn't used to wake up long hours. I used to sleep till 18 hours. I didn't think there was a point to keep going. I also had moments where I was feeling so good that I felt everything was fine. I was crazy energised and I used to sleep really really less and didn't feel tired. I also spend a lot of money (a lot) and regretted that so much. I didn't think too much. I just thought I was feeling this way because of moving away. Anyways I went home and everything was super normal. The problem is that when I came back go Australia after a few months, this started happening again. The only difference is that now I am living with my friends. They said that I seem really strange and I should see someone as I might have the bipolar disorder after I told what had happened last year. I got really scared when I heard that. I looked up a lot of articles online and saw that usually when someone has the bipolar disorder the mania symptoms last usually for a few days. When I tried to think about mine, I couldn't remember anything clearly from last year. I have no idea about how long the highs lasted. The highs were super less compared to the lows. I only had one high episode after coming back (it's been a few weeks) where I was super happy but it only lasted a few hours. Could this be bipolar disorder? I want to add that the depressed time always lasts for at least a few days if not weeks.

[uncut_gems]

Hi Daysinthesun,

Welcome to the forums! I'm so glad you found us here and were brave enough to share some of the things you've been struggling with. I'm also a foreigner (American) and have been living here for about 6 months, so I totally understand the stress of moving to a new country, especially for study.

I should say that like most people on the forums I'm not a medical professional, and my advice would always be to seek the opinion of a GP or specialist. That said, I have a fair amount of experience with mood problems, and it does sound to me like you've been struggling with depression. There are two types of depression, broadly speaking: unipolar and bipolar. Unipolar is what we normally think of when we think of depression, and the symptoms are just like the things you mentioned: sleeping all the time, finding it hard to get out of bed, trouble sleeping, etc.

Bipolar ("two poles") includes these symptoms but is sometimes punctuated with periods of high energy and high mood. Often, people find themselves acting unusually in these states– beginning new projects or spending large amounts of money because they get carried away with that "manic" feeling and may end up regretting those decisions later. Of course it's always scary when our friends tell us they're observing unusual behaviour in us, but one of the wonderful health benefits of living with others is that they can help us look out for things we might not remember or spot right away.

Because of what you've shared, I think your friends were right to suggest that you look into it as a possibility. Presumably if you are of studying age you are in your twenties or so, which is when many mental health problems (including bipolar) can start to develop. Stressful events like moving or starting school can also trigger these episodes.

Please remember that I am not definitively saying one way or another, but that based on my knowledge and what you have shared it seems like a very reasonable concern. As scary as it sounds, depression of all kinds is very treatable in a number of different ways, and millions of people live with and recover from it every year. I might suggest talking with a GP about some of these concerns, who can advise you about next steps. In the meantime, I hope you'll stick around to keep chatting or browse the forums!

Warmly,

Gems