bipolar disorder type 2

[Bearfanmike20]

I think my wife may have it.....

anybody have any experience with it??...

I've reseached it on web md... scary.... so scary how the symptoms match up... and how often it gets confused with depresion.

I really need so guidance here.

[drunkenstarfish]

HA HA HA HA I have that!

[bk1998]

I've had friends with both type I and type II...

The key is getting to a doctor for an actual diagnosis, and getting on medication.

[Bearfanmike20]

HA HA HA HA I have that!


How did you find out... did you fight it... How did you accept it... is that part of some of the issues we had talked about recently??...

[Bearfanmike20]

I've had friends with both type I and type II...

The key is getting to a doctor for an actual diagnosis, and getting on medication.
A normal personal care doctor diagnosed her with depresion.. but.. I think he's wronge.. the meds dont work... not the way they should.

[bk1998]

A normal personal care doctor diagnosed her with depresion.. but.. I think he's wronge.. the meds dont work... not the way they should.

That doesn't mean his diagnosis is wrong... Different people need different combinations / types of medicines. If the current medication isn't working, see if your wife will talk to the doctor about changing it.

[Bearfanmike20]

That doesn't mean his diagnosis is wrong... Different people need different combinations / types of medicines. If the current medication isn't working, see if your wife will talk to the doctor about changing it.
Id like to get here to see somebody who specializes in this.

[drunkenstarfish]

I went through just about every medication for this before actually finding one that makes a difference.
Yes the things we talked about were more than likely brought on by me. I tend to think differently then most. It's more than just a depression. It feels alot like depression but you will get sudden mood swings and feelings that are very hard to control. You will probably not find a medication right off the bat that is a cure all. Go back if it is not working. If she does have this you should show alittle tolerance for her. I am not saying baby her but she will look at things alot differently then you do.

[bk1998]

Id like to get here to see somebody who specializes in this.

Try changing the medication first... Talk to the doctor, see what he thinks. See if he'll refer her to a specialist, but don't rule out the possibility it may be only depression and her medication isn't working properly.

[Zymotic]

Hey Bear... sucks about your situation. Medications can help but finding the right med and dosage takes time... As far as I know the best treatment is drug related. Usually bipolar issues are due to a chemical imbalance. I would just say that your woman will probably find the right drug, and change a little bit in that she won't be hitting those highs and lows... and that lack of emotional levels might make her feel like she would rather be off the drugs and suffer so she can get her "highs" then to stay on the drugs and be level. When you do find the right meds. , make sure she stays on them. Also it can take two to three weeks of continued use to start seeing changes... so dont panic if she takes a pill and an hour later she is still bonkers. Hang in there ! At least you know she isn't just a b!tch but it's an actually thing you can deal with... :)

[Bearfanmike20]

Hey Bear... sucks about your situation. Medications can help but finding the right med and dosage takes time... As far as I know the best treatment is drug related. Usually bipolar issues are due to a chemical imbalance. I would just say that your woman will probably find the right drug, and change a little bit in that she won't be hitting those highs and lows... and that lack of emotional levels might make her feel like she would rather be off the drugs and suffer so she can get her "highs" then to stay on the drugs and be level. When you do find the right meds. , make sure she stays on them. Also it can take two to three weeks of continued use to start seeing changes... so dont panic if she takes a pill and an hour later she is still bonkers. Hang in there ! At least you know she isn't just a b!tch but it's an actually thing you can deal with... :)

I always have known... ;).. thats why I couldn't leave her... even though shes done some pretty messed up stuff... Somthing just didn't seem right... ya know...

[Zymotic]

I always have known... ;).. thats why I couldn't leave her... even though shes done some pretty messed up stuff... Somthing just didn't seem right... ya know...

Yep. I know what you mean. I have a family member who is a little nutty too ... and there are times when you just want to say , ok, I've had enough of this , I am out of here ... At least with family you know it's for life and you have no choice in the matter. I would think with a spouse it would be worse in that you do have that choice to leave , but if you take your marriage vows seriously you want to stay .... I just hope she finds the right meds so the two of you can get over the issue. I feel for ya kid , hang in there... Oh... see if you can get some medical marajuana too ... :p

[Bearfanmike20]

Yep. I know what you mean. I have a family member who is a little nutty too ... and there are times when you just want to say , ok, I've had enough of this , I am out of here ... At least with family you know it's for life and you have no choice in the matter. I would think with a spouse it would be worse in that you do have that choice to leave , but if you take your marriage vows seriously you want to stay .... I just hope she finds the right meds so the two of you can get over the issue. I feel for ya kid , hang in there... Oh... see if you can get some medical marajuana too ... :p


You know.. its such a releife... I have gone years now wondering why she hurts me... why she doesn't care... why is she soooo cold.... The answer is.. she isn't. She doesn't have control. She does care. Bi polars Lie... alot.. because if they tell the truth their actions will hurt the people closest to them.. they dont want to do that.. so they lie. They are ashamed and embarassed... but dont have the control to stop themselves...

I feel so horrible now for resenting her sooo much...

Imagine a life where stoping your very basic primal instincts is a struggle.. where every impulse is a battle and you sometimes just cant resist even though you know you should.. and know its wrong....

That is TORCHURE... :(

I feel sorry for her...

anyway... thanks for the support as usual you guys are the best.

[Zymotic]

So true... I myself suffer from bi-budweiser ... I cannot resist it... no matter what my instincts say ... Just foolin' ... I do have a question though, what made you marry her ? Was it that you saw between the real her and the bi-polar her ? Or what ? Or did the illness not show itself until later in life ?

[Bearfanmike20]

So true... I myself suffer from bi-budweiser ... I cannot resist it... no matter what my instincts say ... Just foolin' ... I do have a question though, what made you marry her ? Was it that you saw between the real her and the bi-polar her ? Or what ? Or did the illness not show itself until later in life ?
Looking back... it was always there.. but it has gotten worse.

Just because someone is bipolar doesn't make them a bad person. At heart.. My wife is a very caring person... very smart... funny.. excentric.... the disorder is part of what I loved about her.... I just didn't know.. it was the disorder... She's very impulsive.. "Lets go camping" out of the blue and we dont even have a tent or anything... calls me up one day "Lets go to the mall of america"... Its 4 oclock.. we went.. it was great. But that is the impulse... that part.. I will miss if it goes away...

but honestly.. It was love at first site for me. I just knew... He'll I kissed her before I knew her name.. I just had to... It was like I was being drawn to her... It is and probably will be the most amazing moment of my life.. the day I met here. :D

[bk1998]

Honestly, before you go much further with the self diagnosis, you might want to get a medical professional to actually proclaim her as bipolar.

Regarding your shaky relationship with her, I'd hate to see you put all your stock in the bi-polar basket (using it as justification for her behavior) only to have a doctor tell you that she is not bi-polar.

Ya know what I mean? Blaming your problems on this, especially since it's not confirmed by anything but the internet, could be bad for you down the road. Say a doc says she's not bi-polar. That could be kind of a crushing blow to you, especially if you're putting the weight of your marriage problems on the hunch that she is bi-polar. It would be back to the drawing board...

What would you do then? Denial (refuse to believe the doctor)? Would you search for something else to explain her actions?

If I were you, I'd try to stay even keel... Don't get ahead of yourself when you try to explain her actions.

[Bearfanmike20]

Honestly, before you go much further with the self diagnosis, you might want to get a medical professional to actually proclaim her as bipolar.

Regarding your shaky relationship with her, I'd hate to see you put all your stock in the bi-polar basket (using it as justification for her behavior) only to have a doctor tell you that she is not bi-polar.

Ya know what I mean? Blaming your problems on this, especially since it's not confirmed by anything but the internet, could be bad for you down the road. Say a doc says she's not bi-polar. That could be kind of a crushing blow to you, especially if you're putting the weight of your marriage problems on the hunch that she is bi-polar. It would be back to the drawing board...

What would you do then? Denial (refuse to believe the doctor)? Would you search for something else to explain her actions?

If I were you, I'd try to stay even keel... Don't get ahead of yourself when you try to explain her actions.

I'm not putting all of our problems on it.... but yes.. I agree.

she has officially been diagnosed with depresion last year... she took herself off he meds, so that is the other option in this and lest we not forget how I reacted to everthing that has happened....

I am NOT inocent. That is a HUGE role in all of this.

[bk1998]

I'm not putting all of our problems on it.... but yes.. I agree.

she has officially been diagnosed with depresion last year... she took herself off he meds, so that is the other option in this and lest we not forget how I reacted to everthing that has happened....

I am NOT inocent. That is a HUGE role in all of this.

You're a good guy. Things will work themselves out, one way or another.

Good luck with the next round of doctors, medications. I hope they find something quickly that can help her find a healthy balance, and allow you both to continue to repair your relationship.

[Skinsman 68]

Bipolar disorder is a real tough diagnosis to nail down. I have had a few cases where injured workers have claimed they got bipolar disorder from job stress and so forth. As all attorneys do, everyone got their opinions, some doctors saying, "oh yes, thats what did it" and others saying , "you have to be f'in kidding me." But, since the depression is so often a component of the disease, it is easy for people to fall back on the depression diagnosis and ignore that there may be something more involved happening. Bipolar disorder also gets confused with schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder from time to time.

The best thing you can do Mike is get her set up with a really, really good mental health professional and let them run all the tests necessary to confirm that she is bipolar. You should never try and self-diagnose something as serious as that. My half-sister has bipolar disorder so I know first hand how devestating it can be to peoples personal relationships. But, you don't want to pin that label on her unless you are 100% sure that is what she has. If you were here in California, I could hook you up with some excellent psychiatrists and/or psychologists. I could probably even help get you some referrals where you live if you need some help.

Best of luck to you:)

[alan.watson59]

Dear friend if your anticipation is become true then it is very worst for you and for your family. Bipolar II patients have a more chronic course, significantly more depressive episodes, and shorter periods of being well between episodes than patients with type I have. It is highly associated with the risk for suicide.