I have bipolar disorder and have been sectioned. AMA!

[slipperyeel]

AMA if anyone is interested

I have a family, well kids, not a relationship. I have a degree and masters. I have worked as a professional but it has been interspersed by illness. I dont do that now. Manias helped my work but became worse over time. I lost track of reality, heard chattering, believed the government were chading me down to expose my genius thinking. Thought i could fly from the nearest bridge. Lost my license. Depressions last at least 6 months. So i have to stay on medication. For life. Its sedating. I feel like i lost my personality-the high enthusiasm they say was illness. It's just blank, empty. I cant become 'ill' as i will lose my kids but to do that i cannot cope with the stress of work also.
That being said i wasnt treated until 36, i was diagnosed at 19 but moved towns and evaded mh services for a long time. I was just 'eccentric' for a long time. With good support the trajectory should be more positive but she will need support, a lot of it.

once the section is lifted and you're a voluntary patient it's easier.

What changes when the section is lifted that makes it easier?

There are less restrictions. You can leave the ward without an escort, go into the gardens, or to the shop.

I know it was my illness but people think it was me and they don't forgive me.

Some of the things I did are very embarrassing and I hate to think of them. Think of the most stupid things you've ever done drunk and times it by 100.

Have you expressed remorse for those actions and asked for forgiveness or do you feel you shouldn't have to?

Dont want to answer for the op but i apologised. Think being with a married man as an example. All ypu can think about is sex with anyone, your friends husband bites, its great for an hr. Then once the high goes youre a homewrecker, your partner leaves you. Yes you apologise but they still hate you.

Thank you User. You have achieved an awful lot despite having such a serious illness. It must have been really difficult, to put it mildly, for you to manage things for so long without any support. I'd call you a survivor.

I think your advice has given me a clearer steer on what to expect.

Thanks for such an interesting thread. A therapist has suggested that my daughter aged 21 might be bipolar, but her GP is quite dismissive and doesn't accept that someone who has completed a degree with a good grade could possibly be bipolar. Can anyone suggest how we could go about getting an assessment undertaken? Can it be done privately? If so, where should we start?

Well i got a first, so thats nothing.
Doctors look at functioning. Bipolar is a severe enduring mental illness which impacts on every aspect of life. Being a bit up, and having some lows isnt it. I dropped out of a degree, failed my a levels due to depression. Was going a week at a time with no sleep writing what i thought were genius papers and needing hospitalisation. Bipolar is recognised by its impact. That being said sufferers are more likely to seek help when depressed delaying diagnosis. It is also genetic-my dad had it.
Imo if a well, or mildly ie functioning depressed person asks anout bipolar they will be dismissed. Being unable to think/function, having psychosis, risking life with high mood and dangerous behaviour and you will be taken seriously. Ie-get help for her. Go with her, take notes of her at her worst. Or videos.

Sorry for my ignorance. Does having/ being bipolar (which one is it?) mean that when when you aren't medicated that you are likely to be sectioned?

Do you remember everything you said to people during your episode?
We had to section a relative who we all loved dearly, he did not have his own room it was like a ward , with about 6 beds in the one room.
Do you still suffer with anxiety? Are you scared of another episode and do you think you would know if one was coming on?

I can only speak for my DD who has bipolar and is 21. If she came off her medication she would probably deteriorate quite quickly and would require hospitalisation. She would likely be admitted as a voluntary patient

The only tIme she was sectioned was when she was suicidal.

Wages my daughter was first admitted to hospital because she had a breakdown and took an overdose. When she was admitted she was assessed and diagnosed with bipolar type 2 disorder (more prone to long periods of low mood with some highs but not as many highs as bipolar type 1).

I don't know if a GP could diagnose bipolar. Perhaps a GP would refer a patient to their local mental health centre. I know children can be referred to Children's mental health services by a GP.

I had a similar sitution with GP @wageslave but GPs can’t diagnose bipolar, so your daughter would need to be referred to a psychiatrist for a proper assessment and diagnosis. You can request the referral from the GP (not sure if they can refuse, but if they do maybe ask to see another GP?)

I would like to know more about your alcohol issues OP. When I am up, the urge to drink is really strong, Do you get this? I am able to stop drinking as long as I am medicated and not having ups. I spent 10 years thinking all my problems were due to alcohol because I would stop drinking and then massively ‘fall of the wagon’ and make a mess of everything again. But it turns out I was having hyper manic episodes

It's good of you to start this thread.

I presume you will be discharged from the clinic fairly soon, you sound as though you are stable now

I have a 38 year old son, a musician, who is bipolar. He has avoided medication for the main part but is now on a low dose of something so he can relax and sleep at night when on tour. There are periods when he's at his home and doesn't sleep for maybe three days and nights and is working on his computer, has lots of creative ideas but then comes down and is quite exhausted.

We are as supportive as possible and he has a good circle of friends. He can spend lots of money unwisely at times but has been more sensible about that of late. He entertains a lot.

Relationships are difficult, he was with one girl for more than eight years but she could never make any plans because he might be flaked out in bed for a week or else hyper. Right now he's content on his own - but not forever.

Sorry, you started the thread for people to ask questions and I've just gone on about my son.

I really hope all goes well for you in the future.

Thank you for starting this thread, it is refreshing to see mh issues talked about so openly.

I have longstanding mh issues, severe depression and diagnosed with BDP (although I struggle with that diagnosis). I spent two years in hospital in my teens and many more breakdowns over the years.

I am well on medication atm but I don’t like the side affects and would like to stop them. Because I have depression and not bipolar, this is an option for me but often leads to further breakdowns.

Thank You for sharing your experiences .

Lots have you faced stigma with your bpd diagnosis? I ask as with bipolar i have alqays been treated immediately and with respect. My friend with bpd gets dismissed by tge crisis team, they are reluctant to give her psych and cpn support and she cannot get therapy. Ive been very very lucky support wise.

Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences. It has really helped me to gain an insight into my daughter's illness. I suppose I was in denial about the severity of BPD. I didn't mean to be but reading this thread has educated me.

Lots the side effects of the meds is a whole issue itself. My DD put on a lot of weight which she hates.

I read an article recently saying that although heart surgery expertise and advances in cancer treatment have come on significantly over the last 20 odd years mental health treatment has not.

The authors (scientists) of the article said the reason was basically stigma against mental health. They indicated that research is now moving forward and there is reason to be optimistic.

A new mental health research centre has just opened in a university near me and they are advertising over 14 new posts for mental health professionals.

Thanks again for posting and best wishes.

My daughter's illness is taken very seriously by the professionals. They describe bipolar as a severe and enduring illness. I read somewhere that people with the disorder have a high rate of suicide.

User that's awful that your friend can't get appropriate support.

Chasing bpd stands for borderline personality disorder. It is different from bipolar. It recieves a lot of stigma and is associated with childhood abuse.

I would be cautious about accepting a GPS verdict and insist on seeing a psychiatrist.
GPS only seem to recognise bipolar when you are very manic. My downs were treated with anti depressants which made the mania worse.

My relationship with alcohol is unhealthy. When manic I drink to further disinhibit myself. Hyper sexuality is a very embarrassing part of bipolar and it’s got me in some very hot water over the years. It’s hard for people to understand it’s because of bipolar when from their point of view all they can see is a drunk shagging everything that moves.

It is possible imo to have a normal ish life with bipolar. As long as I take my meds I’m ok. Sometimes it feels like life is in black and white and I want to stop taking them but after my last breakdown I am committed to taking them for life.

I have a masters degree. I’m married with children and I work full time. My employer has been very supportive but bear in mind that bipolar is a disability under the equality act so it’s illegal for any employer to discriminate against you on the basis of the illness.
Please also be aware that employers have to make reasonable adjustments so it should be perfectly possible to work with bipolar when you aren’t acutely unwell.

I'm under no illusion that her condition will disappear but does she stand a chance of being and remaining stable?

There is a fair bit of misinformation on this thread, all well intentioned but one person's experience can be very different to another.

Many people do become more stable as they get older, manage to hold down jobs and have relationships. I can't work full time, but I have a stable loving relationship and on top of my proper work am a legal advisor and trustee to two charities. I have two bipolar friends who work in law as a QC and a solicitor. Equally I have friends that are not able to hold down any work.

The range of people with bipolar is as diverse as the population itself.

It is also genetic-my dad had it.

There may be a genetic correlation, but this has not been conclusively proven. You're certainly more likely to be diagnosed with bipolar if a parent has it. However, there is also a strong correlation between environment/ lifestyle and bipolar, so growing up around someone with bipolar could equally result in the child developing the condition.

Summary - there is a familial link, but whether that is down to genetics or environmental factors has not been proven.

something called prn medication which tends to be either a strong antipsychotic or a sedative like diazepam

PRN simply means taken as needed, so in an inpatient context there will be a script on your file that can be dispensed at any time. The term is not specific to mental health, it could equally be pain relief or laxatives or numerous other things

User thank you for clarifling! Thanks for all the updates which I am reading with interest.