“Who Am I If I’m Not Manic” Published on Worth Living

/ Bipolar Cat

Here’s my second worthliving.co article, as promised! I posted a sneak preview below:

“Before sharing my story, I want to make sure everyone is on the same page. So let’s talk a bit about this mysterious illness called “bipolar disorder.”

A person with bipolar disorder fluctuates between two extreme mood states: depression and mania.

I assume most of you know what depression is: feelings of sadness, hopelessness, thoughts of suicide, you know, the stuff you see on antidepressant commercials. I do not mean to write off the severity of depression; it is a debilitating disorder that affects about 7% of the US population, including me. I just mean to say that I believe more people know what depression is than what mania is. I sure did before my bipolar diagnosis.

Mania is a whole different monster. Mania involves grandiose thinking, feelings of euphoria, racing thoughts, high energy, impulsivity, irritability, and other inappropriate social behaviors. A manic episode may feel like the most exhilarating time of a patient’s life, or it may feel like the scariest. I think of my episodes as either “good mania” or “bad mania.”

Bipolar 1 disorder differs from bipolar 2 in that the patient experiences at least one manic episode that results in hospitalization. A person with bipolar 2 instead experiences “hypomanic episodes” (hypo- meaning less, as in less severe) without hospitalization. I am bipolar 1.

Okay, now that we’re all together, on to the main act.”

If y’all want to be an Ambassador for Worth Living, I highly recommend you send Keith a note! http://worthliving.co/become-an-ambassador/

Thank you for reading!!

5 thoughts on ““Who Am I If I’m Not Manic” Published on Worth Living”

  3. I really enjoyed your guest post. I struggle with trying to identify what is really me and what is the mania. I too am an intellectual, and I have a hard time finding others with Bipolar that are. I get what you mean about the creativity, and I celebrate that part of me very much. As for debating, I too love it, I love talking about anything, but I do know what you mean about exploding if I’m manic. I have to be careful. I was really struck by the part about goals, and how to decipher whether they are manic or stable goals. For me, it’s the goals that stay true through many episodes, the ones that are still there in the end. Thank you for your post. I also contacted WL to be an ambassador, thanks for the tip. What exactly is involved besides blogging?

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