Am I Bipolar?

There is a big difference between sadness and depression. Everyone feels sad now and then, you lose a job, a pet dies or a relationship falls apart. Depression is serious. It's a clinical, psychological condition marked by feelings of sadness, lack of confidence and melancholy. Unlike sadness or temporary feelings of grief, depression lingers, it doesn't go away by itself.

Read through the following questions.

Depression

Feelings of guilt, worthlessness and/or helplessness
suicide
Restlessness or irritability
Difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions
Decreased energy or fatigue
Loss of interest in everyday activities, including sex
Persistent sadness,Thoughts of death or anxiousness or emptiness
Sleep problems including; insomnia, oversleeping or waking up too early
Change in appetite or weight gain or loss
Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism

Mania

Staying up for long hours, feeling like you don't need any sleep.
Extreme euphoria, like you are on top of the world, and could do anything
Difficulty managing money, buy things you don't need
Can't balance your checkbook and/or your credit cards are always max'd out
Getting into trouble with the law, not counting traffic tickets
Start new projects before you finish the last ones, and then nothing ever gets done
Promiscuity - acting out sexually
Get excited easily, talk too fast, people are asking you to repeat what you said, and you thought you were making perfect sense and telling the best jokes
Get angry for no reason at all, sometimes over things that shouldn't really make you angry

IF YOU ANSWERED YES TO FOUR OR MORE OF THESE IN EITHER OR BOTH CATEGORIES, YOU SHOULD SEE A DOCTOR

OK, so now you have the clinical descriptions, you have the diagnostic criteria. And you have it in black and white. There is so much more to this complex and often discouraging illness. For all of the frustration, the pain, the sadness and the low self esteem. There is hope, it takes work, but it's worth it.

Out Of The Darkness is Hope for those of us who live with this illness or love someone who does. If you have questions about the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder, medication, diet and exercise or other information. If you are interested in booking a speaking event please let us know.

If you would like to know more about living with this illness. Click HERE

Help for Bipolar Disorder

I am sure you are asking yourself "what am I doing here?" Most of us question the validity of this diagnosis. Chances are it's the correct diagnosis. If it isn't, your research will find the answers for you. I would like to share some of the things that I have learned in hopes they help you too.

There are three key elements in the road to a more stable life with this illness. They are: Diet, exercise and spirituality. Medication will be discussed on it's own.

DIET - What you eat makes a huge difference in how your body works. What you put into your body dictates how your body works as well as how well your brain works. Processed food has contributed greatly to the demise of health in our world today.

FOOD TO AVOID - Processed and refined sugar is actually on the list of addictive substances. You would not think it is addictive but it is. Refined sugar adds to your depression.

Other foods that make depression worse are; caffeine, foods high in fat, and starchy food. If you can cut back or cut these foods out of your diet, it will help you a lot.

FOOD THAT HELPS - Sunflower seeds, walnuts and Flax are all high in Omega 3's. I have found that munching on sunflower seeds helps with my brain functions. I also grind up equal parts sunflower seeds, walnuts and flax (seeds or flax meal) together. Add some brown sugar and a bit of sea salt. I put it on my toast and it's awesome.

EXERCISE - It is very important to get exercise every day. You don't have to join a gym to get good exercise. Take the stairs, walk to the mailbox or simply walking around the block will help you to not be so depressed. Exercise increases the endorphins in your brain. If you add fifteen minutes of exercise every day, you will see a difference in your depression levels.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS - Vitamins and minerals are important to your total body health. Food has become so processed that we lose the vitamins and minerals and a supplement helps considerably. If you take a multi-vitamin it will help you. Make sure it is a good brand. Vitamins B12 and B complex help lower your levels of depression. Omega 3's will also help lower your depression levels. When you buy Omega 3 vitamins be sure to get the one that has no taste, trust me you will be glad you did.

I also take Valerian root. It helps keep my anxiety levels down.

SPIRITUALITY - I have found that a daily session of reading and prayer helps me immensely. I am a Christian, so I choose to read the Bible and books that are related. I cannot choose your spiritual path for you, I only hope you will find one. There are many books out there that can help you in this area. I also attend church regularly as part of my process. If you do not attend church or prefer not to, find something to do that will get your mind off your troubles. Here are some ideas: Volunteer. There are many ways to volunteer. Go volunteer serving at a food line for the homeless, a battered women's shelter or go read books for the kid's at the library. Look around you, there are lots of ways to volunteer.

ABOUT MEDICATION -Medication is very important. Medication is necessary for you to achieve some stability in your life. Medication also helps you to work through the issues that make life harder to live with. You will hear me say from time to time that I have had some issues with medication. I see medication as a tool. Anyone who suffers from depression and Bipolar Disorder needs to find what works for you. If you are new to this just learning about the illness, you need to be on medication. I was on medication for thirteen years. The reason I no longer take prescription medication is because my body no longer responds well to it.

It is typical to get frustrated with the side effects of medication. Dry mouth is typical. The side effects of medication are a small price to pay for having a more peaceful life.

Unfortunately it is not possible to live completely free of the effects of Bipolar Disorder. There is a very real chemical imbalance in the brain. If you do not have time, or do not care to really work at getting better, it is simply better to just take the medication.

Counseling with a qualified therapist is very helpful in most cases. I have learned that once I worked through my anger issues, I have been able to handle the Bipolar Disorder much better. I have a theory, I believe there is a third element to Bipolar Disorder. I call it Black Mania, and that is the anger issues that I have had to deal with. It seems that when I get angry is when my rationale mind seems to dissipate. This is not a scientific theory, it is only based on my own experiences.

I hope that this has helped you learn a little bit about living with Bipolar Disorder. It really isn't the end of the world. I have learned that 75% of highly creative people are Bipolar. There is a fun and creative side to us. It is not all bad. My hope and prayer for you is that your life will become a better one. Keep searching for answers.

Finding your way Out of the Darkness of mental illness is an intentional process. Please keep going.

Help for Bipolar