coping with depression, mania, and bipolar disorder
Welcome. Are you searching because
You are not alone. All of us have been here at some point.
Here you'll find experiences and practical suggestions on how to cope with depression and mania, with medications and therapy, and how to deal with doctors and friends and family. There are also ideas on what your family and friends can do to help.
There are descriptions on what it's like just living day to day with depression and with being bipolar, so you'll know that you aren't just making it up or being lazy.
I wrote this because psychiatrists and counselors and psychologists might diagnose us, but they don't live with the mood swings 24/7. We do, and that experience makes all the difference in the world.
There's lots of stuff, so get a glass of milk, some cookies and settle in. It's good stuff.
Depression isn't about feeling sad. It's a specific set of symptoms. Recognising them allows you understand why you feel the way you feel and, when you can, what kinds of actions you can take.
You can train yourself to look for and recognise the signs of mania. And you can learn to deal with an ongoing manic episode. You don’t have to upset everyone around you.
Wondering about taking medications? Will they work? What about side effects? Here are my experiences with specific drugs and the information doctors don't quite get around to telling you about taking meds.
Just got diagnosed and not sure what to do next? Or think you might be manic or depressed and want to visit a psychiatrist? Or, started seeing one - here's what to expect, what to ask for, and what not to put up with.
If your child, spouse, sibling, boyfriend, girlfriend, partner, parent, or friend is bipolar, you suffer almost as much as they do. Here are some things to help you understand, and what you can do (or not do) to help.
My daily thoughts and feelings for the period 1997-2003, written from just after I was diagnosed and through the years as I struggled to cope with being bipolar. The dates are old, but the problems of being bipolar never change.
Read this if you think you are bipolar. Or if you have just been diagnosed and want to know what to expect. Or just to see what someone else has gone through - you'll be surprised how similar it is to your experience. This section won all my earliest awards, and even after all this time there is still nothing else like it on the web. It's worth checking out.
Archival version of the website Living Manic Depressive which was hosted at www.livingmanicdepressive.com from 1997-2021. The information is still valid, and pages are occasionally updated.
Medical Disclaimer: The author is diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. However, the author is not a medical practitioner. Information on this website is based on personal experience and is not intended to replace a patient / doctor relationship. For diagnosis and treatment, please seek the advice of a doctor or psychiatrist.