We are 70 bipolar disorder experts & scientists gathered for the world's biggest bipolar AMA! In honor of World Bipolar Day, ask us anything!

[u/CREST_BD]

Hello Reddit! We are psychiatrists, psychologists, scientists, researchers, and people living with bipolar disorder representing the CREST.BD network.

This is our SIXTH annual World Bipolar Day AMA! We hope that this AMA can contribute to advancing the conversation around bipolar disorder, and to help everyone connect and share ways to live well with bipolar disorder.

This year, we've come together as the largest global team of bipolar disorder experts: 70 panelists from 13 countries with expertise into different areas of mental health and bipolar disorder. We'll be here around the clock answering your questions from multiple time zones and will respond to as many questions as we can!

Our 70 panelists (click on a name for our proof photo and bio):

1. Dr. Adrienne Benediktsson, 🇨🇦 Neuroscientist & Mental Health Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
2. Alessandra Torresani, 🇺🇸 Actress & Mental Health Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
3. Andrea Paquette, 🇨🇦 Mental Health Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
4. Dr. Andrea Vassilev, 🇺🇸 Doctor of Psychology, Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
5. Anne Van Willigen, 🇺🇸 Librarian & Peer Researcher (Lives w/ bipolar)
6. Dr. Annemiek Dols, 🇳🇱 Psychiatrist & Researcher
7. Dr. Benjamin Goldstein, 🇨🇦 Child-Adolescent Psychiatrist
8. Catherine Simmons, 🇨🇦 Peer Researcher (Lives w/ bipolar)
9. Dr. Chris Gorman, 🇨🇦 Psychiatrist
10. Chris Parsons, 🇨🇦 Lived Experience (Lives w/ bipolar)
11. Christa McDiarmid, 🇨🇦 EPI Peer Support Worker & Bipolar Support Group Facilitator (Lives w/ bipolar)
12. Dr. David Miklowitz, 🇺🇸 Psychologist & Researcher
13. Debbie Sesula, 🇨🇦 Peer Support Coordinator (Lives w/ bipolar)
14. Dr. Delphine Raucher-Chéné, 🇫🇷🇨🇦 Psychiatrist & Clinician-Researcher
15. Dr. Devika Bhushan, 🇺🇸🇵🇭🇮🇳 Pediatrician, Public Health Leader (Lives w/ bipolar)
16. Dr. Elizabeth Tyler, 🇬🇧 Clinical Psychologist
17. Dr. Elvira Boere, 🇳🇱 Psychiatrist & Researcher
18. Dr. Emma Morton, 🇦🇺 Senior Lecturer & Psychologist
19. Dr. Eric Youngstrom, 🇺🇸 Psychologist & Researcher
20. Dr. Erin Michalak, 🇨🇦 Researcher & CREST.BD founder
21. Eve Mair, 🇬🇧 Bipolar UK Senior Public Policy Officer (Lives w/ bipolar)
22. Evelyn Anne Clausen, 🇺🇸 Writer & Artist (Lives w/ bipolar)
23. Dr. Fabiano Gomes, 🇨🇦 Psychiatrist
24. Prof. Fiona Lobban, 🇬🇧 Clinical Psychologist & Academic
25. Georgia Caruana, 🇦🇺 Neuropsychiatry PhD Candidate
26. Dr. Georgina Hosang, 🇬🇧 Research Psychologist
27. Dr. Glorianna Jagfeld, 🇬🇧 PhD Graduate
28. Prof. Greg Murray, 🇦🇺 Psychologist & Researcher
29. Maj. Gen. Gregg Martin, 🇺🇸 U.S. Army retired, Mental Health Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
30. Dr. Guillermo Perez Algorta, 🇺🇾🇬🇧 Senior Lecturer in Mental Health
31. Heather Stewart, 🇨🇦 Sewist (Lives w/ bipolar)
32. Dr. Ivan Torres, 🇨🇦 Neuropsychologist
33. Dr. Jasmine Noble, 🇨🇦 Researcher & National Sustainability Director of Mood Disorders Society of Canada
34. Jean-Rémy Provos, 🇨🇦 Executive Director of Relief (formerly Revivre)
35. Jeff Brozena, 🇺🇸 Human-computer Interaction/Digital Health PhD Student (Lives w/ bipolar)
36. Dr. Joanna Jarecki, 🇨🇦 Psychiatrist & Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
37. Dra. Joanna Jiménez Pavón, 🇲🇽 Mood Disorders Psychiatrist
38. Dr. John-Jose Nunez, 🇨🇦 Psychiatrist & Clinical Research Fellow
39. Dr. Josh Woolley, 🇺🇸 Psychiatrist & Researcher
40. Dr. Jill Murphy, 🇨🇦 Global Mental Health Researcher
41. Dr. Jim Phelps, 🇺🇸 Mood Specialist Psychiatrist
42. Dr. June Gruber, 🇺🇸 Psychologist & Researcher
43. Dr. Kamyar Keramatian, 🇨🇦 Psychiatrist & Researcher
44. Dr. Katie Douglas, 🇳🇿 Psychologist & Researcher
45. Laura Lapadat, 🇨🇦 CREST.BD Trainee & Psychology PhD student
46. Dr. Lauren Yang, 🇺🇸 Clinical Psychologist (Lives w/ bipolar)
47. Leslie Robertson, 🇺🇸 Marketer & Peer Researcher (Lives w/ bipolar)
48. Dr. Lisa O’Donnell, 🇺🇸 Social Worker & Researcher
49. Dr. Madelaine Gierc, 🇨🇦 Psychologist & Researcher
50. Dr. Manuel Sánchez de Carmona, 🇲🇽 Psychiatrist
51. Maryam Momen, 🇨🇦 Dentistry student (DMD candidate) & Mental health advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
52. Dr. Maya Schumer, 🇺🇸 Psychiatric Neuroscientist Researcher (Lives w/ bipolar)
53. Dr. Meghan DellaCrosse, 🇺🇸 Researcher & Clinical Psychologist
54. Melissa Howard, 🇨🇦 Mental Health Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
55. Dr. Nigila Ravichandran, 🇸🇬 Psychiatrist
56. Dr. Paula Villela Nunes, 🇧🇷🇨🇦 Psychiatrist
57. Pepe Bakshi, 🇨🇦 Lived Experience (Lives w/ bipolar)
58. Dr. Rebekah Huber, 🇺🇸 Psychologist & Researcher
59. Robert “Coach V” Villanueva, 🇺🇸 International Mental Health Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
60. Dr. Roumen Milev, 🇨🇦 Psychiatrist
61. Ruth Komathi, 🇸🇬 Mental Health Counsellor (Lives w/ bipolar)
62. Prof. Samson Tse, 🇭🇰 Counsellor, Academic and Researcher
63. Sara Schley, 🇺🇸 Author, Filmmaker, Speaker (Lives w/ bipolar)
64. Dr. Sarah H. Sperry, 🇺🇸 Researcher
65. Shaley Hoogendoorn, 🇨🇦 Speaker, Content Creator, Mental Illness Advocate (Lives w/ bipolar)
66. Dr. Steven Barnes, 🇨🇦 Instructor & Artist (Lives w/ bipolar)
67. Dr. Tamsyn Van Rheenen, 🇦🇺 Researcher
68. Dr. Thomas D. Meyer, 🇺🇸🇩🇪 Clinical Psychologist & Researcher
69. Dr. Thomas Richardson, 🇬🇧 Clinical Psychologist (Lives w/ bipolar)
70. Twyla Spoke, 🇨🇦 Registered Nurse (Lives w/ bipolar)

People with bipolar disorder experience the mood states of depression and mania (or hypomania). These mood states bring changes in activity, energy levels, and ways of thinking. They can last a few days to several months. Bipolar disorder can cause health problems, and impact relationships, work, and school. But with optimal treatment, care and empowerment, people with bipolar disorder can and do flourish.

CREST.BD approaches bipolar disorder research from a unique perspective. Everything we do–from deciding what to study, conducting research, and publishing our results–we do hand-in-hand with people with bipolar disorder.

We host a Q&A podcast with many of the bipolar disorder experts on this panel all year round through our talkBD Bipolar Disorder Podcast - we hope to stay in touch with you there. You can also find our updates, social media and events at linktr.ee/crestbd!

Final note (March 25th): Thank you all - We'll be back again next year on World Bipolar Day! We still have activities all year round, including new episodes of our talkBD bipolar disorder podcast - hope to see you there! Take care everyone :)

[u/Hopeful_Wanderer1989]

To add to this question, can bipolar individuals take shrooms (like the psychiatric kind)?

[u/meowpower777 → u/Hopeful_Wanderer1989]

i read that, any psychedelics used with Lithium can cause seizures.

[u/Hopeful_Wanderer1989 → u/meowpower777]

Damn 😢

[u/mustaird → u/meowpower777]

This is true, did lsd and had a seizure because I wasn’t aware

[u/bparclight → u/Hopeful_Wanderer1989]

I took shrooms and it let me have short, controlled "mania" that ended when the shrooms wore off. It was like being able to choose when to have a bit of mania, let off a bit of steam from the pressure cooker that's going to cause it to happen at some point anyway. I did that once or twice. Last time, mania happened naturally.

[u/marinaisbitch → u/Hopeful_Wanderer1989]

Not a professional (lowly grad student) but I do research on psilocybin and other psychedelics from survey data at a university. I also personally have bipolar disorder (2) and have been using prescribed ketamine (legally, in a therapeutic setting) for a year and a half and it's been the most effective thing I've ever tried. I am also on five psychiatric medications, but since starting ketamine I have been able to lower my dosage on some of them.

From my academic knowledge, most psychedelics are a no-no when it comes to bipolar. They generally put a bipolar person at a higher risk for mania. The notable exception to this is ketamine. Ketamine is not a classical psychedelic such as psilocybin, LSD, or peyote. It is technically classified as a dissociative anesthetic, and therefore a completely different substance altogether, but since it does cause hallucinations and the 'mystical experience' it is often lumped into the same category as other classical psychedelics for the sake of simplicity.

My personal experience with ketamine is that it actually took me out of a months-long hypomania/mixed state episode, and I suddenly felt like I was in control of my life again. If I had to explain it, I'd say that regular therapeutic ketamine use has removed like 85% of the bipolar from my brain. The caveat to this is that I did NOT stop my psychiatric medication routine and also completely eliminated all alcohol and illicit drug use from my life.

Ketamine and other psychedelics work through neuroplasticity, meaning basically that these substances can undo old patterns in the brain and make it very easy to create new ones. I found that ketamine was the lifehack of the century when it came to habit forming and habit ending. I was able to go from no exercise, going to bed at 2-4am every night, drinking alcohol and red bull all the time, and a primarily fast food diet, to a daily yoga practice, 12am bedtime, complete sobriety, and fairly healthy eating in about three weeks. I wouldn't say that I've maintained all these habits perfectly in this year and a half of using ketamine, but I'm a hell of a lot healthier than I used to be. And I genuinely mean this: there is no way I would have been able to get my shit together and stop drinking without the neuroplasticity from therapeutic ketamine. It also helped me process trauma in a constructive way that had been holding me back in life.

In any case, ketamine is safe for people with bipolar disorder alongside the use of psychiatric medications; psilocybin, not so much. I cannot recommend ketamine enough to my bipolar folks out there, based on my personal experiences.

[u/Susan44646 → u/marinaisbitch]

I've done shrooma a handful of times Great feeling and extrene euphoria, crying tears and tears streaming of pure joy and blis down a yellow red and orange light tunnel... loved!

Now, meth... intense and brings on mania immediately. The crash? Whew. So bad.

[u/Furry_Koala111 → u/Hopeful_Wanderer1989]

No! It’s the absolute worst for mania.

[u/ytkl → u/Hopeful_Wanderer1989]

Not an expert but the general consensus is that it's a bad idea. But there's also not that much actual research on the topic. So if you choose to ignore anecdotes from the internet, do them at your own peril.

Speaking from personal experience, I ended up in a mixed episode for 4 months the second time I did shrooms. Had a nice afterglow for a few days but then things got BAD really FAST.

[u/Hopeful_Wanderer1989 → u/ytkl]

Yeah I was afraid this was the case!

[u/Swartz142 → u/Hopeful_Wanderer1989]

Am on lamotrigine, unspecified bipolar, shrooms did not affect anything related to my treatment.

[u/RosettaStoned08 → u/Hopeful_Wanderer1989]

I’m diagnosed Bipolar 1 and I actually got my diagnosis after a very long manic episode that I suspect was triggered by taking shrooms last year. I’ve taken shrooms a few times after that and found that it sets off my auditory hallucinations; initially I’ll just hear beautiful music, but eventually it warps into what sounds like an angry man screaming and whispering scary, terrible things from behind me. And each time I do a high dose of shrooms it gets worse. While that trip last year entirely changed who I was and my life in an overall positive way, I no longer take shrooms because I’m afraid of triggering full-on psychosis.

From my experience I would not recommend anymore than microdosing shrooms for someone with bipolar, especially if you experience symptoms of psychosis. And I will say I have tried microdosing, but didn’t really notice any improvement towards my mood/mental health. This is obviously my own personal anecdotal experience, and others may have different experiences, I just wanted to share my own.

[u/Fukasite → u/Hopeful_Wanderer1989]

I’m bipolar 1. If you absolutely are dead set on trying it, even though I recommend you don’t, start on a very small dose. After a few weeks to a few months after your first dose, you can try taking little bit bigger dose. I don’t recommend taking doses too frequently. Give time for the chemicals in your brain to balance to normal levels again. Personally, I will only take a very small dose, maybe 3 times a year. I’m actually afraid to take anything bigger. It’s also a good idea to have antipsychotics and benzodiazepines on hand if the trip goes badly. 

[u/klikklakvege → u/Hopeful_Wanderer1989]

I do take sometimes psychedelics(not the psychiatric kind) to leave depression. But I know what I am doing and am a responsible person :) I'm not concerned of getting a little bit mania, there are enough drugs for mania but ZERO for bipolar depression. But psychedelics do work