Does Bi-Polar Disorder get worse with age? - Page 2

[Alenushka]

There some instersting  studies

http://bipolarnews.org/?p=445

http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2003/05/4777/study-suggests-bipolar-disorder-may-cause-progressive-brain-damage

So, the idea is that proper treatment has neuron sparing effect.

[AllisonR]

Originally Posted by Mama Soltera 

For a long time I thought it was just severe clinical depression because the only movement I've ever had is low to extremely, dangerously low, to low, to occasionally almost normal. But never high. But I have had to face over the last few years that suddenly the fog clears without any rhyme or reason and I get more energy, I get more chatty, I want to be around people more, I think maybe there's a chance for me. But I do think that's just the way normal people feel on a normal day. I guess what I'm asking is, is there a chance that the mania part couldn't be damaging my brain as badly? I have to admit, my head even feels somewhat buzzy during these times, if that makes any sense.

Is that a true manic state or "just the way normal people feel on a normal day"? Maybe you should explain it to someone around you who knows you well, see what they say. Sometimes it is hard to see how high/low/good/bad you feel - compared to "normal" - because you are in the middle of it, kwim? I can explain my manic state though - maybe that will help. Because what you describe sounds happy, but not manic, but hard to tell from one post and not knowing you.

I had, I think, a pre-manic state fen 2010 - was light and happy to a weird degree. But it was only a day and I ignored it. Then in April 2011 I was depressed. I had been depressed for months actually, and anxious and irritable and loss of sleep and panic attacks. But never so depressed that I just gave up or did nothing - I don't ever get that way, more panic attack like. But then mid of April it lifted, and then all through May I was happy and hyper-productive, needing little sleep and able to create 6 paintings in one month, also productive at work and at home with chores, kids…, good energy, focused. I was a super mom, super wife, super employee, super artist, super everything. But I was also agitated and impatient that other people could not keep up. Then beginning of June I was ecstatic happy, high, extremely sexual and uninhibited,  mind going in all directions at once with ideas, and can not sleep - had to take 4 sleeping pills just to get to sleep. And that was after a night I slept 0 hours! This lasted a week where I am crazy sexual (happy DH!), too speedy to be truly productive, and feeling really high. This is actually when I got medical help because it was too much. I mean if I was taking drugs it would have made sense to be so high and trippy, but it is scary to be like that when you are not taking drugs! (20 years ago I smoked pot and did mushrooms, and this was WAY more than that!) And it was frightening, because I did not know if I would get even more high and I was worried what would happen. Luckily it did go back down, and I have been generally happy though the summer, but not crazy happy, and I feel I may be starting my downward swing again. How fun, not. 

[IwannaBanRN]

My highs usually have horrible outcomes because I do some really messed up stuff that seems logical when I do them. It usually takes convincing myself that it's logical and then no one can tell me that it's a stupid idea, it only fuels me further because I think they are wrong. I almost enlisted in the army when I was manic. I was in the process of enlisting when I found out I was pregnant, actually. I tried to commit suicide in a manic state. I wasn't even depressed. I just woke up one morning and decided that that day was a good day to go. I ran away to Seattle on a whim the week after I got married, and when I came down from my manic state I panicked and didn't know why I thought it was okay to do that. When I'm manic, it almost seems like a dream and that what I do doesn't really have consequences. I can lightly think about the consequences, but it doesn't seem to matter much until it's too late.

When I am manic-depressive, I dip low during the day and pick back up in the night time and usually stay up. When I was a teenager, I would sneak out at night and usually a teen would sneak out to a party, right? Well, I took that time to walk down to the school and back home. Nobody believed me until my mom asked the principal to confirm that I in fact was just going to the school and they saw me on camera, on more than one night, outside the school, just hanging out......

[Imakcerka]

It can get worse with age if not properly treated. And there are many forms of treatment. The meds can help, however sometimes they can make things worse. Most BP's have addictive personalities, one of my friends runs when she's out of control barefoot and all out of the house for hours until she calms down. DH, reads and he won't stop or he paces and he chain smokes.

He has recently gotten off all medications and is now utilizing what he learned in CBT. It helps that I help him too. He's changed his diet and is exercising. However the running thoughts in his head continue, whole books page by page. Medical MJ has helped that. Since his bouts of depression are no longer as severe as they used to be. The exercising though is looking like it might become and addiction, so I need to throw something into the mix. I need to talk to his doctor.

He also has a long line of family members on the suicide list or bp and schizo list. All fully medicated their whole lives. I don't advocate not taking medication, however I do think there are other ways to combat some of the worst behaviors. And if you have a good support system that will see it all through with you it's much easier. So I would say as DH has gotten older and he's learned to understand himself better, knows his triggers and accepts that this is his life... he's gotten better.

[IwannaBanRN]

Originally Posted by Imakcerka 

It can get worse with age if not properly treated. And there are many forms of treatment. The meds can help, however sometimes they can make things worse. Most BP's have addictive personalities, one of my friends runs when she's out of control barefoot and all out of the house for hours until she calms down. DH, reads and he won't stop or he paces and he chain smokes.

He has recently gotten off all medications and is now utilizing what he learned in CBT. It helps that I help him too. He's changed his diet and is exercising. However the running thoughts in his head continue, whole books page by page. Medical MJ has helped that. Since his bouts of depression are no longer as severe as they used to be. The exercising though is looking like it might become and addiction, so I need to throw something into the mix. I need to talk to his doctor.

He also has a long line of family members on the suicide list or bp and schizo list. All fully medicated their whole lives. I don't advocate not taking medication, however I do think there are other ways to combat some of the worst behaviors. And if you have a good support system that will see it all through with you it's much easier. So I would say as DH has gotten older and he's learned to understand himself better, knows his triggers and accepts that this is his life... he's gotten better.

So a person COULD get medical MJ if they wanted for bipolar? I had asked around before getting pregnant and everyone said no. Also, before getting pregnant I was running addictively. Knowing your triggers are a big thing with bipolar. I can feel when I'm starting to get manic. My sleep gets disturbed and I don't want to be in the house as much, and I make odd decisions. I'm happy about the meds I'm taking, but in order to have motivation to train for running again, I might need to lower my dose.