Just diagnosed with bipolar disorder

[Brett]

Welcome,

My name is Brett and I have just been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This certainly wasn't welcome news but, in looking back at my life, it makes sense of a lot of my experiences. I have experienced a few amazing highs (or so I thought at the time) and a lot of lows. Apart from getting some of my thoughts onto this site, I really wanted to share a simple idea. That is, I have decided to lead the healthiest lifestyle I can in order to stay well. To many, this might sound a little obvious but, as I am heading towards a cycle of depression, it is very easy to lose hope. I wont go through the long list of what I am going to do to stay well other than to say I am going to follow the advice given to me by my trusted support people. I hope that a simple decision can help you too. From the bottom of my heart, I wish you wellness and happiness. 

Kindest Regards,

Brett.      

[Brett]

Welcome again,

I have just been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, which was both unwelcome and welcome news. I am over diagnoses but am happy for anything that makes sense of my experience. I have Bipolar Disorder with the added feature of psychotic symptoms.

But, enough about that. What I really wanted to say is that mindfulness meditation has helped me a great deal. I have learnt to not only catch my negative thoughts as they occur, but to catch my delusions as well. There are more than enough books on mindfulness out there, so I won't plug a product here.

May we all be well,

Brett   

[Phoenix29]

Hi Brett, I’ve had rough diagnosis of bipolar too but I still believe I have it. I have been seeing a psychiatrist for diagnosis and treatment. I recently had a relapse so I’ve been happy to be on medication and I’m not on a high dosage so I don’t experience too much of the side effects. My biggest trigger is sleep deprivation and I don’t just rely on the meds. I find an eye mask is extremely helpful. My psychologist thinks that I may have had type 1 in the past but with extreme changes to my lifestyle it may have evolved into type 2. I have cut out energy drinks, coffee, and alcohol and I only drink black tea which has less caffeine than coffee but also has a relaxant in it. I do my best to have a healthy life and routine so my life has dramatically changed since my psychosis of 2014. I see it as my art career is a big motivator for me to stay well. I have also found a way to deal with the intense creativity that comes with my hypomanic episodes. I have a notebook in which I write all my creative ideas so I don’t have to act on them right away and exhaust myself. My partner has schitzophrenia and also lives a healthy life and has a bit more wisdom than me since he is older. He said that he could probs benefit from the notebook technique too. I hope this helps. It might also be a good idea to ask your doctor about prn medication. Also what’s up app is good. It has cognitive behavioural therapy in it. I also agree with you on mindfulness. I find mindfulness helpful too.