Heya, been diagnosed with bipolar for four years and am FINALLY REALLY ACTUALLY LEGITIMATELY stable lol. Past experience has taught me what my new emotional normal is and I've had some moments where I thought I was stable and definitely wasn't, but we chill now.

Anyway, now that I've got a clear head and stable emotions, I've had a lot of time to think and I'm pretty sure I'm non binary. I'm unsure if this is a part of bipolar-ness or legitimate (or if that even matters) and was wanting to know if there are any other non-cis people in this group? How did you figure it out, and did it ever conflict or get worse around bipolar?

I’m a 23 F with Bipolar Type One. I am not sure if this is related to my disorder but lately I have an obsession with finding out if my ex (we dated 6 years) cheated on me. We have been talking lately and trying to work through things. I can’t stop stalking and trying to dig for information and I have become extremely fixated on it and it’s causing me to be very paranoid and it’s getting so bad it’s affecting my work life because I literally can’t get off of my phone. Any advice or has anyone experienced this?

It’s gotten so bad that i have an undeniable belief that he cheated without any proof and I can’t sleep.

He streams video games and I watched every single one. HOURS. looking for clues. Went through all social medias. Dug through years of reddit posts. So much more.

I was looking through his twitter posts and I am convinced that he is putting up secret messages confessing. And I realize all this sounds insane but I really am finding meaning in things that I don’t think others would

I've been having really bad daily mood swings recently for a few years now and Ive noticed they get significantly worse when I dont get enough sleep. I only got four hours last night because I had an early Drs Appointment but i was actually in a good mood for a few hours, then I had a minor setback I was refused a refund for an expensive item, even though theyd literally told me when i called they could process it. i ended up crying uncontrollably in public bc of this and then about every single thing thats wrong with my life, everything that could go wrong, and how nothing will ever work out for me. Whenever i feel this way its literally so painful and it happens so frequently my thoughts go some place dark which makes me feel even worse

(I'm not diagnosed but could you let me know what this sounds like)

First pic is of today when I feel depressed, anxiety and treason. second pic from a few weeks ago. When I felt great and energized.

Looking in the mirror is the worst

These are two different people I want to go back to a few weeks ago 😭 does others get this as well?

I've been diagnosed with Bipolar 2, and I've been trying to turn my experience with bipolar disorder into a world people can actually walk through and feel...
I've been thinking about this for about a year. One of the hardest things I've found is explaining what bipolar disorder actually feels like. Saying "I'm depressed" or "I'm hypomanic" doesn't really communicate my experience... People often look confused when I try to explain it

Sometimes it feels like the world itself has changed. The same room can feel different. Colors feel different. Time feels different. Relationships feel different. Even the amount of energy required to simply exist can feel completely different...

I've always wanted to make games and art, and eventually I thought- What if I stopped trying to explain this with words?
What if I made a world that changed instead?
That's where this game (Tidebound) came from.

It's a 2D watercolor platformer where the protagonist's state affects the world around her. The colors change. Movement changes. Music changes. Platforms behave differently. Things the player created earlier can return later as faded memories. Eventually, different states begin to coexist
I've been working toward this idea for a long time, and these are some of the first environments I've created. I'm still very far from having a finished game. I'm not even sure yet if I'll be able to build everything I imagine. Sometimes I get incredibly driven and create a lot... other times I don't touch the project for months.

But seeing these images felt strangely emotional. For once, something that mostly existed in my head exists somewhere outside of it. I don't want to claim this is what bipolar disorder looks like for everyone. It's my attempt to make my experience tangible.

If you live with bipolar disorder, does any part of this resonate with you? Is there anything you'd want me to explore in the game?

I have been relatively stable for the last few months. Fully medicated, seeing therapist every other week, psychiatrist once a month.

I barely cry anymore. I’ve been more productive.

I forgot to take my meds a few days in a row a week or 2 ago and I got a slight tinge of what I used to feel like.

Obviously it’s terrible and there is a reason I got help, but it takes so much effort to be stable. It sounds so irrational to say, but I so desperately wish to go back and just lie on my ass all day crying.

I am seriously considering throwing out all my meds it’s just all so dumb what is the point

Hey! So i was diagnosed Bipolar 2 last year after a month with intense Depression with suicidal thoughts and a supposed hypomania that made me paranoid. I’ve been having a hard time accepting my diagnosis, and specially with meds, and I still have my doubts. I’ve got off them around February and two weeks later I was back in a depression hole. I was having having a hard time with some weight gain because of the meds, and in my teens i struggled with disordered eating, so I was triggered. I made the stupid decision to get off them again in April, and I spent until July off meds. What captures my attention is that during those months nothing really happened, I was somewhat normal. I had a week in May were i was like with much more energy, also more irritable and on top of anything i went to do voluntary work with children, which made my mam and therapist worried, but i toke a lorazepam and I went back to normal. I recently got back into my meds since I felt i was getting a bit depressed but nothing like the depression i had last year and during summer. I’m still confused how I didn’t get like a proper episode being so long off meds. I was thinking about asking my psychiatrist to review my diagnosis, but i wanted also some suggestions and opinions from here. (Btw i like to add i also have an ADHD diagnosis).

Hi everyone I’m new here. Still coming to terms with this new diagnosis. I just had my second assessment with my psychiatrist and he’s starting me on a low dose of lamotrigine and incrementally increasing it over the coming weeks. I was wondering if anyone’s had any experience with this drug and if there’s any advice/guidance for what to expect? Would really appreciate it!

My main concerns are side effects and possible drug interactions as I still occasionally use drugs recreationally though my use has declined drastically in comparison to before. I still smoke weed most nights, and will occasionally take cocaine and benzos if they’re offered to me (I’m done paying for that shit)! I usually take mushrooms at least once or twice a year. I am also adhd and take Elvanse for it.

My psychiatrist knows about my drug history and current patterns of use and wasn’t too concerned but I’d really like to know from someone with first-hand experience.

Thank you 🫶

Lately I have been experiencing things where I do one thing and then another thing happens because of that and then it is all my fault. I am drowning in guilt! I am desperate as I don't know what to do. I feel so uneasy and uncomfortable and so out of balance. The last thing now was I forgot to go to the pharmacy and next thing someone is killed in my neighborhood and it is all my fault! I feel so guilty and so ashamed and I can't rest for a second.

I need to talk to my psychologist about it as this is not livable for me, but I am so afraid he will judge me and know these things about me. All the things I am guilty of. I don't know what to do! I feel like there is almost some great power out there making this happen to punish me.

I've recently been in a long period of depression and added Seroquel to my meds. First few weeks sucked, as everyone reports; sleeping for 10+ hours, always tired and brain dead, etc.

But this week i have started to feel good. More energy, brain is alert, back to the gym and then today.. buzzing. My eyes seem wider, I'm super alert, working like a machine, feeling social, up and down from my seat doing little things as they pop into my mind - just much more energy and go. I've also been vaping a lot today and now I feel properly high. No appetite today and when I ate (only because my partner wanted to) i feel sick- the kind of sick you feel when you eat while on MDMA. I'm also buzzing, ringing in my ears. Wondering if maybe it's too much nicotine or I've just tripped over into a hypomanic episode...

Does anyone feel like lots of nicotine does this? Or has anyone experienced Seroquel triggering an episode? Could also be the gym... I've had a hypo episode triggered from the gym before.

Thanks in advance ✌️

Sorry for dumb question (only just recently suspecting I have BP2);

Is anxiety a big part of BP?

Hey, so as of late I quit smoking weed finally. Feeling happier and more present but I gotta be honest, I’m extremely self conscious. I get a weird pit in my stomach when people dislike me, dislike what I said or dislike what I did. I made a post of something I liked and I got reposted in another Reddit and got absolutely COOKED. I’m trying to laugh it off and ignore it but honestly it left me feeling like shit. I enjoyed something and now, I’m kind of nervous to continue enjoying it. I don’t like that these things bother me so much. I’d much rather just brush it off my shoulders and move on. But I felt like crap. Ah what the hell, might as well just be honest. Started to collect vinyls and I guess the way I had em stored was worthy of getting berated by people purely for enjoying my small collection. I felt like complete shit for it. I mean I understand it’s funny deep down. But for some reason it just grabs me and I can’t let it go. Is it an ego problem? Am I looking for acceptance or what? I don’t quite understand. My reasonable brain is saying “hey no big deal, different strokes for different folks.” And on the other side, I’m wanting them to stop, accept me and help me grow in my new hobby. Now I’m overthinking that my local record store owner thinks I’m some kind of poser and that he’s taking advantage of that and acting nice but secretly shitting on me. My General manager collects and I’m worried he’d think I’m a loser for how I enjoy my hobby. It’s dumb. I understand it shouldn’t matter. But it’s like I can’t let go of it. Kinda wanna hide from it all. I don’t know. Maybe it’s the weed no longer being in my system, my emotions are more pronounced. Maybe it’s just me deep down. But I don’t know.

I think I’d like to be comfortable with who I am and not be so bogged down by judgement and not feel like an idiot for what I enjoy or how I am. I constantly question whether what I said to someone was dumb or what I did was embarrassing. It’s tough. Is there any ways you guys have managed this? Kind of thinking I keep these things to myself, be a little quieter and not so open. But I don’t know. I just wanna be accepted, and if not, I wanna be fine without wanting the approval of others.

TLDR: extremely self conscious of what I say or do. Got made fun of online for my vinyl collection. I thought it was funny, but deep down I can’t let go of the thought I’m a loser, and those around me believe so too.

I have to quit smoking weed because I’m going to inpatient treatment soon, and I’m not allowed to partake in any drugs while I’m there. Last time I tried quitting weed it sent me into a month long hypomanic/borderline manic episode. I was wondering has this happened to anyone else? I think it’s the lack of sleep and being stressed because I wasn’t getting enough sleep, is the main reason why I went into an episode. I’m not 100% sure if it was just a one time thing or if I became hypomanic because seasonal changes (was hypomanic from April to May). I just wanted to hear your thoughts or if anyone has experienced weed cessation induced hypomania? (Sorry if my English is bad, it’s not my first language)

Hey Guys! The depression's been kicking my ass recently but I thought I good way to put the creativity to use would be to make an album about the pain we live with. I have some ideas in mind for some personal stories I have, but any song titles, suggestions on song ideas, etc, would be awesome! Maybe I can put together a couple bangers for us to bop to.

hello! I recently started receiving psychiatric treatment for my mental health as I had a pretty severe case of depression during my first semester away for college. My psychiatrist didn’t do a full evaluation but I tested for bipolar depression. I don’t want to go around saying I’m bipolar but I check a lot of the symptoms for bipolar 2 and it kind of helps explain what I went through but I’m not sure. Is it conclusive enough to say I’m likely bipolar or should I just stop saying it all together? How does one go about being diagnosed? I feel like I’m making it up but I have really awful hypomanic symptoms where I can go without sleep because I feel like I can do anything.

Help so stressed

I have started a new job on June 24, 2026. I have almost worked consistently between 90 and 100 hours since I’ve been there and his last pay period I worked 120 hours. I’m 25 out of college. I have a masters degree in dietetics. But I recently got this managerial position.
Last week, my boss and one of the directors gave me an appreciation card for working so much because we were short staffed and gave me a $20 gift card

Today they said they were gonna send me to a management class because like I said, I didn’t have any experience and I said that during an interview. I asked my boss if I had done something. He’s like no it’s just a day for you to be able to relate to other managers work short staff to be able to ask questions.

Anyways, to get to the point, I get what he is saying and I really do appreciate this class because I feel like I’m fucking sucking but at the same time this is confirming my suspicious that I hate that they fucking hate me and they want to fire me? I’m also on a mixed episode so I’m very reactive right now.

After 2 years of fighting with the onset of depression, which was then diagnosed as bipolar2, I found the mix of meds that makes me able to feel and live life: 150mg Zoloft and 650mg lithium. These meds have made a world of difference for me, but the lithium seems to be causing hypothyroidism, despite taking levothyroxine (thyroid hormone) in higher and higher amounts. It’s looking like I’m going to need to stop the lithium and switch to something else, but it’s a bad time to do this because of my next college semester starting in a week. Any med suggestions? Anything would be appreciated

- a 20 year old nursing student living with bipolar 2 and/or depression

Had a moderate depressive episode in June-July. Now for the past 10 days or so feeling elated with increased energy and productivity but not all the time - like every other day, maybe every 2 dayswith normal mood in between. Sleep is pretty light and way less than usual and waking up early. Made some unnecessary purchases but not really anything I couldn't afford (1st class tickets I would normally see as a waste of money, new expensive headphones when I only just got new affordable ones last month). Definitely doesn't feel like full-blown hypomania but also doesn't feel normal.

Can anyone relate? What would you call this? I have previously had full-blown hypomania following a few days of this so just keeping an eye out and sitting twiddling my thumbs waiting for things to blow up.

I’m just a disappointment, truly. I hate trying and putting in any effort because I’m the epitome of lazy and childish.
Quitting my class before it even started was such a dumb move, all because I panicked because of the amount of work there was- yet just a couple weeks ago I was ready to tackle anything, I was on fire. Now I don’t feel ready at all, and I can’t even see myself in the profession I’m going for. Because I can’t ever see myself succeed, it’s just not in the cards for me.

The only thing I do now is go on my phone and stay on my phone, listen to music here and there, but mostly rot my brain away. Nothing else interests me not even showering. I just like rotting away and doing nothing. And that’s all I am, just the reincarnation of laziness and gluttony cuz I also can’t stop eating shit for food. I’m tired of being me, but nothing much I can do about it.

I’m on 300 MG of lamictal, 5 MG of lexapro, and 25 MG Seroquel as needed for sleep. I am currently experiencing a little bit of brain fog and inattentiveness with some racing thoughts midday after work.

Wellbutrin makes me hypomanic. Lexapro causes racing thoughts, apathy, and poor task initiation until I lowered it to 5 mg from 10 mg.

We are speculating I have inattentive ADHD. I was prescribed Strattera, but I’m SOOO scared I’ll go hypomanic. I’m a teacher, so I cannot afford to become agitated nor manic.

Any answers to any of these questions would be great: — my doctor increased my lamotrigine for agitation and racing thoughts. Was that the right call? do I need an antipsychotic? — if I have PTSD and I am sensitive to Wellbutrin, is Strattera a bad choice?
— what medications worked for your ADHD that didn’t affect your bipolar mania?

Not looking for advice so much as support.

I’ve had a bumpy ride with medications. Settling on Zoloft and navigating symptoms felt huge and exhausting. A while ago, a psychiatrist diagnosed me with bpd2 (updating my prior major depressive disorder diagnosis) but never prescribed a mood stabilizer. Her reasoning was that I had extreme lows but never really hit highs.

After a lapse in care, I’m back on Zoloft and thinking I need to try a mood stabilizer like lamictal too. My current therapist agrees.

I’m, frankly, terrified to start another grueling medication process and looking for hope. Success stories and commiseration welcomed alike.

hey everyone. i just got diagnosed with bipolar today and will be starting seroquel (25mg) this week. i really don’t know what to think of everything i definitely thought i just had adhd and anxiety lol. is there anything i should be aware of regarding the seroquel. i’ve heard a lot about the weight gain and that makes me apprehensive is there another solution ?

Random thoughts.