Welcome to Bipolar Firsthand, my personal account of living with and managing Bipolar I Disorder.
I was diagnosed with Bipolar I Disorder in January of 2008 when I was hospitalized for having an extreme manic episode. For those of you who don't know what Bipolar Disorder is, this mental illness used to be called manic depression and is characterized by extreme mood fluctuations either up or down, hence the "bipolar" moniker.
The two most common types are Bipolar I and Bipolar II Disorder. I am Bipolar I, which means that I have extremely high manias coupled with delusions and very low depressions as well. Bipolar II individuals also have low depressions but never quite get into full blown mania but instead experience something called "hypomania."
The purpose of this blog is to help both sufferers of Bipolar Disorder and their loved ones. It is my hope that others who have this mental illness can identify with my experience and gain ideas for managing their own illness effectively. Also, for those who have a family member or friend who is bipolar, I wish to reduce some of the stigma associated with this disease and help you understand what your family member or friend with Bipolar Disorder is experiencing.
While I have not been diagnosed for very long, I feel as if I have been dealing with this disease my entire life, but no one knew what to call it. Perhaps you feel that way too. Following a suicide attempt, I was misdiagnosed in 2005 with a "major depressive episode" which was what I was having but should have been categorized in the bigger picture of Bipolar Disorder. Now I want to live, and live well, and I hope my blog encourages you to do the same.
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