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Default Mar 16, 2019 at 05:50 PM
  #1
I was hoping some of you would be willing to share your experiences with mixed episodes. I'm newly diagnosed as bipolar and I'm trying to learn all that can to avoid a repeat of the episode I suffered last fall. The doctors called it mania, but there was nothing high about it. It was pure Hell and I suspect I may have been in a mixed state. I experienced psychosis as well complete with hallucinations, extreme delusions and rage. I'd be grateful to hear your stories if anyone is up for it.
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Default Mar 16, 2019 at 06:27 PM
  #2
My Hypo mania is great the sun is shining puppy kittens and I love the world. With in 2-5 days I go Mania and it’s a ugly full of rage , anger and self loathing , feel worthless.

Mixed for me is both Mania and soul sucking depression at once , to me it’s pure hell on earth.

How to prevent ??? , practice self care have a huge tool box of coping skills and know how to use them. Take medications as prescribed. Practice sleep hygiene, eat healthy , exercise , get outside daily, add yoga and Mindfulness to help find your balance.

Just know that sometimes no matter how hard you try .... Bipolar will in fact reach up and slap you at some point in the future

Are you in Therapy ? If not I suggest it it can be very helpful staying stable.

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Default Mar 16, 2019 at 06:39 PM
  #3
www.psycheducation.org is a really great place to learn about bipolar. It's written by a pdoc who specializes in bipolar and has tons of information about all aspects of the disease.

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Default Mar 16, 2019 at 06:42 PM
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Thanks Christina! I appreciate your words. Yes, I'm in therapy and on meds. I'm sleeping regularly and made several lifestyle changes to eliminate as many triggers as possible.

Your description fits what I experienced. I was 'great' before it hit and then pure Hell. I'm reading all I can and leaning hard on my new toolkit. Being here with those who understand helps as well.
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Default Mar 16, 2019 at 06:44 PM
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Thanks Christina! I appreciate your words. Yes, I'm in therapy and on meds. I'm sleeping regularly and made several lifestyle changes to eliminate as many triggers as possible.


Your description fits what I experienced. I was 'great' before it hit and then pure Hell. I'm reading all I can and leaning hard on my new toolkit. Being here with those who understand helps as well.


Your doing all you can !!! Good for you

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Default Mar 16, 2019 at 07:05 PM
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www.psycheducation.org is a really great place to learn about bipolar. It's written by a pdoc who specializes in bipolar and has tons of information about all aspects of the disease.
Thank you. I just finished the two books I was reading and wanted some new resources. I'll definitely check this out.
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Default Mar 16, 2019 at 07:14 PM
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Your doing all you can !!! Good for you
I've felt so much guilt and shame for what I put my family through. I sometimes feel like everything I'm doing could never be enough, but I'm trying to ease up on myself. I just didn't see it coming. My hope is that I will be able to see the changes before they get so extreme the next time.
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Default Mar 16, 2019 at 07:22 PM
  #8
I had shame , hell last time I went IP which is 110 miles away , my husband on the way home hit a deer, didn’t know about that til I got out. Had it not been for me being a mess blah blah blah

Our loved ones just want us safe and working on not feeling guilty. Does it upset daily routines when we are unwell ? sure it does .. but things smooth out and the self loathing should be let go by “ you”

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Default Mar 16, 2019 at 08:09 PM
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That's good advice. My loved ones have been nothing but supportive. It is me standing in my own way. I just feel like I can't trust myself and that's scary. This is my new normal though and I'm accepting myself more each day. It has been four months since my break, but I'm guessing this just takes time.
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Default Mar 16, 2019 at 09:05 PM
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That's good advice. My loved ones have been nothing but supportive. It is me standing in my own way. I just feel like I can't trust myself and that's scary. This is my new normal though and I'm accepting myself more each day. It has been four months since my break, but I'm guessing this just takes time.


Yes time and love for ourselves

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Default Mar 17, 2019 at 05:28 AM
  #11
I regularly have mixed states that often land me IP but the last one was with psychosis and more severe. It is a traumatising experience. Delusions, hallucinations, racing thoughts, rapid speech, severe depression, sleeplessness and agitation beyond belief. All together it can be both embarrassing and traumatising. I am only one month out of being released from my IP stay and I am a mess. I am still embarrassed and the trauma is getting to me (though I have never had an episode do this to me so badly before).

Basically, it affects us all differently and, as Christina said, we need to be kind and loving towards ourselves. This is an illness, not a lifestyle choice. I hope you find peace and stay stable.

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Default Mar 17, 2019 at 07:20 AM
  #12
'Delusions, hallucinations, racing thoughts, rapid speech, severe depression, sleeplessness and agitation beyond belief. '

This is a good description of what I went through. It was so intense and changed almost minute to minute. My mind jumped from scene to scene and I can only describe it as a nightmare I was awake for. The anger and agitation were so strong it seems surreal now. I never once stopped to take a step back and think to myself that I wasn't thinking clearly. I just plowed through as if I knew it was real and true and kept going until I was physically forced to stop. There are pieces of it I felt I had an out of body like experience almost like I was watching myself. There are pieces I cannot remember like a drunken blackout. Some have come back to me over time and some I only know about because my family told me about them.

I'm not too sure how to identify the depression piece though because I've never had any real depression before. My doctor says that's atypical, but it can happen. I didn't feel sad per say, but there was no happiness when the mania kicked in.

I can really relate to the trauma and embarrassment. I remember how I felt 1 month after it happened. I'm better at 4 months, but I still have regular flashbacks that feel incredibly intense. I'm not sure that will ever pass, but I am trying to view them as strong reminders to work hard and do everything I can to stay stable. I let myself re-traumatize a little to remember just how bad it can be and then I lean on my coping skills to pull myself back out again. I can't just forget it and let it lie, so that's the best I can come up with for now.

Thanks for sharing. I am starting to think a mixed episode is exactly what I went through.
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Default Mar 17, 2019 at 09:49 AM
  #13
My manic episodes are generally fueled by rage but I do experience the rapid speech and hallucinations. And while I generally feel great during those episodes, as in I think I’m the best person on the face of the earth, I also have this dark tenancy to try to ruin my life or even kill myself. I become self destructive beyond a point of return and actually want to push myself into “accidental” suicide. It’s a very mixed feeling, wanting to die but also wanting to believe you’re a god, at the same time. It’s and unfortunately I’m not sure how to stop this. But I believe many of us have these mixed emotions when going through an episode. That’s part of the disorder. Never having just a steady mood.
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Default Mar 17, 2019 at 10:53 AM
  #14
I also had the God like feelings. That part of it all feels so ridiculous to me now. I wouldn't say I was overtly suicidal, but I didn't care about the consequences for anything I did and I could have easily ended up dead if my family didn't intervene. Its like something completely snapped. I was just plain insane.
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Default Mar 17, 2019 at 03:36 PM
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I also had the God like feelings. That part of it all feels so ridiculous to me now. I wouldn't say I was overtly suicidal, but I didn't care about the consequences for anything I did and I could have easily ended up dead if my family didn't intervene. Its like something completely snapped. I was just plain insane.
It depends on who's calling it insane. What you consider insane is what I consider normal. Theres an ability call fight or flight in the majority of people. That feeling which might only occur during extreme stress or risk of death but that's what i experience when I'm very upset and angry.

I enjoy being around others like myself and find it easier to control myself and ill experience this since of what I'd call happiness. The more you learn about yourself the less you feel broken and that you're able to live your life. I've lost friends, girlfriends, and a wife to bipolar depression because they couldn't accept their differences than the majority of society.

I have the ability to learn and adapt. I don't judge people and find myself very accepting towards others regardless of who they are. I can love but it's very limited and usually only other people like myself. My biggest problem about falling in love with other bipolar people isn't them being bipolar around me it's how they feel about themselves. Society has this negitive aspect of people that's different than themselves. And because of that I've struggled to keep the people I love in my life. They want to be like everyone else which is like an apple that wants to be an orange. Failure has such a negative impact that can cause catastrophic consequences. Love yourself and accept who you are is the best advice I can give you.

Keep that God feeling and don't allow doubt to get you down. You're not alone.
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Default Mar 17, 2019 at 03:51 PM
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It depends on who's calling it insane. What you consider insane is what I consider normal. Theres an ability call fight or flight in the majority of people. That feeling which might only occur during extreme stress or risk of death but that's what i experience when I'm very upset and angry.

I enjoy being around others like myself and find it easier to control myself and ill experience this since of what I'd call happiness. The more you learn about yourself the less you feel broken and that you're able to live your life. I've lost friends, girlfriends, and a wife to bipolar depression because they couldn't accept their differences than the majority of society.

I have the ability to learn and adapt. I don't judge people and find myself very accepting towards others regardless of who they are. I can love but it's very limited and usually only other people like myself. My biggest problem about falling in love with other bipolar people isn't them being bipolar around me it's how they feel about themselves. Society has this negitive aspect of people that's different than themselves. And because of that I've struggled to keep the people I love in my life. They want to be like everyone else which is like an apple that wants to be an orange. Failure has such a negative impact that can cause catastrophic consequences. Love yourself and accept who you are is the best advice I can give you.

Keep that God feeling and don't allow doubt to get you down. You're not alone.
Thanks for this. I agree with the essence of what you're saying. I can love myself even with this new part of me. The insane part has to do with the thoughts I had during my episode. I completely disagree with them when I'm balanced and I know they were delusions. I mentioned this before, but it really was like a dream where nothing made sense but you just act it out anyway because things dont need to make sense in a dream. Or maybe like a plot from a fantastical fictional movie thats really out there. Its hard to explain. I don't consider myself insane regularly, but I have no other words for the two days I was manic or mixed.
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Default Mar 17, 2019 at 04:31 PM
  #17
I'm so sorry you're hurting so much, fern46 I have never experienced this, so unfortunately I don't have a lot of advice to give to you. I agree with what all the others have already wisely said better than I ever could. You've been given some great advice in this thread. I'd suggest to follow it if you can. Take good care fo yourself. Be kind to yourself. Remember that it's not your fault that you're feeling like this. Just try to do your best like you're already doing. That's all you can do after all. Take all the time you need to get better. Just take it one step at the time. Take baby steps. No need to hurry. I'm sure you'll be able to get through all of this. I'm glad your family is being supportive and that you're seeing a therapist. Keep reaching out for help! You deserve to get better and to live a good life just like everyone else does. We're all rooting for you. Keep fighting! I believe in you. Remember that we're here for you if you need it. Feel free to PM me anytime. Let me know if I can do something to help you. Wish you good luck! Let us know how it goes. Sending many hugs to you, fern46. You're a strong, wonderful person. I'm sure you'll be able to get through all of this. I hope things will get better soon for you. Keep fighting! You're awesome! You're strong! You're a warrior! We all believe in you
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Default Mar 17, 2019 at 05:31 PM
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Mickey - thanks so much for your support and all of your kind words. I agree the advice here is quite solid and I'm grateful so many wonderful people offered their opinions. They seem to know more about it than some of the therapists and doctors I've seen which is why I came here. You simply cannot beat first hand experience. Like Friendly Joe said, I'm not alone and several of the posts have put my experience into perspective. It was part of the disorder and I can deal with it better knowing more about what to expect from a mixed state.

Thanks again. You're a kind and genuinely thoughtful person.
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