r/bipolar

I’m just in a good mood and talking a lot but normally lol. Mom is like, “you were definitely a little manic the last few days.” They got too use to seeing me depressed they just forgot what my baseline is.

Y’all have this problem?

I’m so tired. I have a short list of people who know my diagnosis and I feel comfortable opening up with. And they try, they really do, but they don’t understand it quite well enough to truly empathize and I usually end up comforting them bc my disorder isn’t comfortable to talk about. And I don’t wish it on them, I don’t blame them, I just want someone in my life who I can reallly talk with about this and not feel bad about it. Okay rant over. Thank you for listening.

The title really says it all. I'm trying to celebrate that I've made it this far. I was first diagnosed 26 years ago. I've been through hell and back. But I haven't had a manic episode in 15 years, and only had two major depressions in that time.

Living with bipolar just sucks. But I'm determined not to go anywhere. I'll work on managing it one day at a time.

I could tell success stories, but this is just a statement that I'm still alive and very grateful for it.

how do you stop ruminating? i ruminate all day long. mostly about religion and my health, both of which are extremely subjective to me. i drive myself insane. the only thing that helps is talking to ppl. talking to folks on reddit helps too.

I can tell that smoking cigarettes and vaping have brought me down over the past two years. (I started again in 2024 after almost ten years with almost no nicotine in my body.) I just realized that pretending it will help with my mood disorder has been a lie and that smoking is not at all self-care.

I don't want to have harsh mood swings so my plan is to use the gum and then taper down from it. I've had some success with this in the past.

I'm fucking determined to do this. It's time.

(I've already been diagnosed as Bipolar 2 and had one manic episode for a week in Dec 2025.) My mom has been having horrible hip pain since before Dec 2025, but finally got a surgery yesterday (Friday April 10th/2026). This whole week i have felt physically and mentally sluggish. Hard to eat, digest... stay awake... and it's been emotional hell before that in other ways (anxiety).

But one thing that I was able to just eat up-- was the Artemis 2 mission. I didn't know it was planned and I've always wished something like this would happen in my lifetime. Anyway-- it was something to be absorbed in and learn about.

But this week I was oscillating- terrible fears about my mom (she's 87) and excited about Artemis. Yesterday, they both went well. My mom's operation was completely successful, even though a lot of speed bumps came up before it that were unexpected. And Artemis landed.

So, I left the hospital feeling relief and stoked. I can't fall asleep. I should be exhausted. When I got home I felt high and still do. I have even taken my normal night meds. Nothing. I'm trying to wind down. I just feel blinded by happy.

Is it possible that these things (OBVIOUSLY MY MOTHER SURVIVING HITS CLOSER TO HOME), cause me to be manic high and just not sleep for a day or two? My tummy has been bad, but my mind -- sharp as a tack. Last night, i just remembered, I bought a lot of clothes online for about 45 minutes and I felt happy for the first time in days...

Insights? Thoughts? Has anyone ever been through something like this? A situation of a momentary episode that is short?

I am Manic. I am.. I must be!! The urge to buy a Parrot friend for life is so strong right now out of nowhere that I am really struggling not to give in. I know this sounds crazy but this is the type of stuff I do and I dont want a poor Parrot to suffer

because I cant get myself under control. I'd be such a good parrot mom though. Not sure the point of this post.. sometimes when I put things in writing it helps me.

I’ve been diagnosed for almost a year now, my diagnosis going from bipolar 2, to bipolar 1, to now schizoaffective type bipolar.

I guess I just didn’t truly believe that I actually had anything serious. Today though I got a second opinion on my diagnosis, which confirmed all my episodes and my overall diagnosis.

It feels like I was just diagnosed again for the first time, and the gravity that my life’s actually going to be like this forever is starting to kick in for the first time in a while.

I haven’t been consistent with my medication, and I know I need to be. My lifes so much easier when I’m on them, but I then forget how hard life was when I’m off them and get off.

I’m scared I’m going to keep going off them and seriously hurt myself someday. I know people will just say “take them” and talk about how it’s ruined their lives by going off, and I’m not hating, it just doesn’t seem to sink into my head when people say that.

I don’t know what I’m trying to say right now. As of this moment I’m determined to stay consistent with my meds, but I don’t know how long that will last. Has anyone overcome this before without going through hell?

Or am I just going to have to ruin everything and pay the price.

I am 20f , I got diagnosed with bipolar disorder exactly one year ago since then I have been on meds and it feels like I am not living my life and just surviving and passing the days. Since childhood I was brilliant in studies and then I went into a relationship and even then I was managing it all with my studies. I broke up last year in Feb and many things happened by his side which ended me into bipolar disorder since then I have anxiety panic attacks and I am unable to study. I have lost that spark of mine where I was very much determined about being successful in life. I have lost all the motivation, I am emotionally numb and many times it is like my whole body starts paining like hell. I want to regain rebuild myself into a calm determined person taking care of my health first. what should I do to slowly build myself it's been an year now I have done nothing just studying to pass the semester exams only. I want to make myself strong and bold enough to face the challenges in life.

I will be really grateful to you all for helping me out into this.

As opposed to sleep deprivation, do you y’all instead find yourselves waking up a million times in the middle of the night while getting 7-9 hours of sleep? This has been happening to me recently but I doubt I’m hypomanic. It’s just annoying. Not just annoying, it’s starting to piss me off

i have a question for those who deal with bipolar AND some form of chronic illness (for me it's fibromyalgia) that causes extreme fatigue.

I've personally fit the bipolar criteria quite consistently throughout many years of my life except for the sleep criteria. I've definitely had periods where I've slept less and didnt miss it or stayed up for a day, never two though. but recently even though my doctor's are telling me my bipolar is worsening, I cannot for the life of me find energy even when I'm clearly in a manic or hypomanic state. I have lots of mixed episodes and rapid cycling, but I feel like an imposter because I have insomnia sure but definitely not more energy ever, and it seems like all my episodes are mixed or depressed these days instead of manic.

anyone else have any insight into this?

Ok, I don’t have anyone in my life I can really talk to about this. But I’m recently diagnosed and medicated for this nonsensical illness I have. I’m talking 4/5 months.

But one thing I have to know is after being medicated can you feel the meds actually working? Like the only way I can explain it is;

I can feel my emotions slamming like a river against a wall in my head. Like they’re holding me back from going swimming. And there was/is times where I want to go swimming.

I don’t know if that makes the slightest bit of sense. But it’s the only way I’ve found to be able to describe it.

I’m 22f, diagnosed when I was 16. My family knows this. I’m not on a stable dose of mood stabilizers, never have been, Ive never found remission. My swings are extreme- I can go multiple months crying myself to sleep every night.

Heres the issue, I’m under extreme pressure to achieve. I’m the first in my family to go to college right out of highschool, art school as well, which was my mamaws dream. I’ve always gotten good grades, I’ve always enjoyed school and art because I couldnt get along with other kids. But Ive been seen as the smart kid with a bratty streak. Ive been accused by my family of being a narcissist and faking for attention my whole life. I only got the depression diagnosis because I attempted, even that was chalked up to attention seeking.

I graduated college early, got an internship out the gate. I’m the hypothetical golden child, but I’m still unstable. The internship is in a part of the country where I have no friends or family. Ive been out here for a year now, uninsured, unable to get consistent care, lonely and feeling abandoned. I feel like I’ve been left out here to die. Anytime I ask to move closer to family I get a firm reprimand “that would be the biggest mistake of your life.” They don’t believe me when I say my life is at risk. They think I’m giving up on my dreams.

I’ve grown up being told I ruin vacations, I’m selfish. I got cussed out at my graduation for being too selfish. And then I cried, and got yelled at for crying, and ran off to spent my graduation weekend alone.

Ive sent articles, books, videos, they’ve promised to watch, but I don’t think they’ve bothered.

I love my family but the expectation for perfection is tearing me apart and causing me to have these hysteric breakdowns every time I reach out. I’m treated like a toddler having a fit. But the expectation is this perfect pleasant person, and I can’t be that. I just want to feel seen and understood. I don’t want to feel so much shame around who I am.

Ok so i’m currently dating this guy & he told me he’s depressed and his bipolar is getting him. I told him that he can just talk to me & i will be there whenever he needs me & tried to be supportive in anyway i can.

He has become really quiet & told me that he went out for dinner with his friends which is good. I tried to be as supportive and understanding as possible and tried to checked in on him every twi houes but I’ve never dealt with someone with bipolar so i just want to understand better.

How do you deal with such situations and like how can i support him better especially when he’s far away from me? And like he’s been really quiet so i am trying to not be annoying but like i want him to know i’m there for him too. He told me he won’t disappear but i am also worried.

Any advices are highly appreciated!

Music playing inside my head, I am a summer storm (took my booster meds so this crap doesn't make me manic). I feel so right. I have three friends. I've never had three friends before. I'm safe. I'm at peace. My future is the color of a sunrise, not bright, but beautiful and as it should be.

Thought I’d share a win.

My manic/psychotic episodes only happen every 2-3 years. While I’m very lucky they’re so infrequent, the negative is that it’s easy to let my guard down. This last week I noticed myself sleeping way less and a lot of paranoid racing thoughts started to slip in throughout the day. I recognized what was happening and took my emergency unnamed medication that helps me sleep and which supposedly can prevent breakthrough mania. Well it worked. 2 good night sleeps later and I’m feeling back to normal again.

This is the first major example that I might finally be able to get this under control and not let it ruin my life every couple years. Being able to recognize the early signs of mania is definitely key. I’m happy about it.

For context I was diagnosed at 18 and I’m almost turning 20 (F), still living at home.

I feel like bipolar hasn’t only ruined my life, but also my moms. She lives in constant fear and agony because of me, let me explain. My mom comes from a family where there are a lot of people with bipolar. Once I got my diagnosis she felt extremely guilty and is constantly looking out for me. She has been my biggest support all my life and I wouldn’t change it for the world, but it has gone too far.

I am always communicating with her when I feel like I’m becoming either depressed or manic. I always tell my mom when I’m going to bed, at what time I will wake up, what my plans are and we have a planner for me so my mom can look what I have to do each day and what things are important for me. This works really well to keep my life structured but lately I’ve been in a depressive episode.

Here comes the troubling part, when I’m in bed for maybe half an hour longer, or I’m home later then planned, and I haven’t contacted her yet, she becomes extremely worried. My phone is old and has a bad battery, so I can’t always contact her on time. She will then call our neighbors to have them check in on me, or she calls my grandfather and in the worst case she will call the police. Once I contact her back she is always crying or already on her way home because she fears I have taken my life. I always reassure her that I’m completely open with her and that I have no intention of harming myself, but this doesn’t seem to help her at all. She now insists on working completely from home so that I am never home alone, i feel like this just isn’t healthy at all.

She is missing out on the joy in her life because she is constantly worried about mine. How can I help her become more relaxed ? How can I make sure she doesn’t call the police every time I’m not strictly following our schedule? I don’t want her to live her life this way :(

So I’m leaving my current job in retail to work as a sales consultant. It’s a huge step up, but I’m very depressed.

I have a lot of great relationships in my current job that means the world to me. And not seeing those people on a daily basis anymore to working long hours, just really makes me depressed. Extremely depressed. It’s an exciting opportunity, but I feel empty.

I hate being bipolar because it’s moments like these where I feel extreme emotions over things that’s shouldn’t affect me as deeply as it should.

This is a move I must make for my future, the people I want to support financially and the future family of my own. I know this shouldn’t affect me the way it does. I should be excited, but it really does hurt and I genuinely need a hug. I would like to see if anyone understands and could shed light on the positive.

Today I explained bipolar disorder to my manager who I have become close with the last few months and she told me she was surprised. I haven't had an episode since January, I think it's the longest I have ever gone. I am really proud of myself and I'm trying to be optimistic about this hopefully continuing to last. In the past when I was depressed, this comment would have made me angry, like, "Can't you even tell how deeply I'm suffering?" But I totally took it as a compliment this time.
It definitely hasn't always been the case, coworkers commenting on my weird behaviors has always been a sign of mania for me. When I told a coworker at my old job that I was bipolar, she said "Um yeah, everyone can tell..." Ouch, that really wounded me at the time. I was hospitalized for a week during my current job and had to take a leave of absence another time, my manager didn't know that those were for mental reasons.
I feel pretty proud about the whole thing. Hope everyone had a good week.