What Is Being Bipolar Like?

Bipolar disorder impacts the lives of a LOT of people, and it's often very misunderstood.



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[offtoneverlxnd]

As a person with bipolar disorder, I want to make it clear this is not a mental illness that causes you to be happy one moment and sad the next. Every emotion you experience is so intense it cannot be put into words. During a manic episode you can feel like your high on drugs (euphoria) and be happier than you've ever felt in your entire life. Later in the week, month, year, or even the same day, you can feel a wave of depression punch you in the gut and knock you down. This depression is so intense you cannot remember what joy feels like, and suicidal thoughts are common, present in at least 80% of bipolar people. Sometimes you feel the out-of-control energy and anxiety of a manic episode simultaneously with the pit of depression and cry for no reason over everything, or find yourself so confused by your own feelings you just want to hide in your bed forever. There are moments you might worry you're going insane because you have no control over your emotions.

There many variants to bipolar such as mixed episodes and rapid cycling. 15% of bipolar people commit suicide because, when left untreated, it is a living hell. Bipolar disorder is a real, life long mental illness, but it is also treatable. If you think you may have bipolar disorder PLEASE seek treatment and diagnosis with a GOOD therapist and psych nurse.

EDIT: Please, do NOT diagnose yourself. Go to a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist for diagnosis. If you're having *any issues* with your mental and emotional health, seek professional help. Part of my experience with it has been understanding that it's not my fault, trauma and genetics play a key role, and that I'm not always in an episode. It's complicated and each person needs different treatment for it. Get help!

[kimmyawesomeness]

I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder type 1 a few years ago. Whenever people hear about the symptoms of mania, they think it sounds amazing. That is the case for some people, but personally most of my life is spent in mixed episodes with symptoms of mania and depression. While manic I'm not happy, in fact, I'm still 'sad'. It's just that I have so much energy it feels like my veins are itching, my heart is beating way too quickly, I'm also anxious and paranoid, it feels like I'm constantly being watched. Nothing is familar or comforting, I feel like a stranger in my own home. I believe things that aren't real, make stupid impulsive decisions, and have decreased reasoning skills. The amount of thoughts going through my head is overwhelming, I can't sleep, all I can do is think. And then I get ideas that sound great to me and I do them and they end up being really stupid. Also, most people don't switch between manic and depressive states that often. You can go weeks or months being depressed and still be bipolar. It's actually kind of rare to switch quite often, it's called rapid cycling or extreme rapid cycling, which I sometimes experience both of. The biggest misconception is that it's happy and sad and you go between both, but that's not true. It's being suicidally depressed to suddenly having tons of racing thoughts, you can't fall asleep even if you want to, and you start making crazy decisions that end up hurting you in the long run. NOT just happy and sad.

[MinPhoebus]

I have bipolar and I clicked because I love lifenoggin and I was worried it would be misrepresented like a lot of these kind of videos on other channels- I am very relieved it's not. Thank you for educating people

[Cupcakes]

People don’t mention that during a manic phase you can also be more angry, I have bipolar disorder myself and I’m usually full of energy while also being mad and happy at the same time when I’m not depressed.

[iqhlblb]

I'm here because I wanna learn about lots of mental illnesses, I want to be a therapist when I'm older :)

[melissavargas]

Who else doesn’t learn in science class, but they learn on this channel? 😂

[Gg.-.]

I have bipolar depression and I frequently feel suicidal, which led me to being hospitalized multiple times and feeling better within 2-3 days like "why am I here? Why did I do this?", but I still have to stay for therapy all over again. My mood swings are very intense and I experience crying spells many times durring the day. I didn't realise what I had was bipolar until I was hospitalized for Suicide the second time and it breaks my heart seeing how people do not take this seriously, because every day is a struggle trying to simply control how you feel. I felt that way all my life, but I assumed other people just cry 3x a day and contemplate whether their emotions are rational, because I never really talked to anyone and everyone seemed sad, but ... Most of my time around peers WAS AT SCHOOL.

When I was in elementary school there was a girl who had bipolar and before I was diagnosed I treated her like everyone else did. I judged her for being "overly emotional", but I think more people need to realise how people's emotions are so uncontrollable at times rather than assuming people are disorganised, being dramatic, or simply thinking too much. Insert a phrase like " Walk a mile in their shoes".

[blacknwhite_gaming]

it would be cool if u make a video about epileptic seizures :)
i know its not a mental illness but i got seizures and im very interested in that topic

[pi.infinite]

Thank you for these videos. I just wrote a thesis about the stigmatization of people with mental illnesses (especially schizophrenia) and it's shocking how little most people know about them and how far-reaching the consequences are. It's important to spread awareness and you're doing a great job. Thank you.

[johnkinsey]

I have bipolar diagnosed at peachford mental. The mania isn’t just happiness like people seem to think. There’s panic, for no apparent reason. The depressive side is very much empty.

[Chivaughn]

As a person with bipolar disorder, loves the video. Wish you all differentiated between the different types of bipolar disorder though

[karak]

Could you do an episode on ARFID, or Avoidance Restrictive Food Intake Disorder? It is a relatively new disorder, and people who had it in the past were often misdiagnosed or just labeled as picky eaters, but it is much more than that. I would really appreciate if you could do an episode covering it.

[marilynmonhoe]

my mom and dad both have bipolar disorder and I think this is the video I was really looking for because I wanted to know more about it so it could help with me taking care of my mom when she goes through these depressive episodes, thank you

[gachavideos]

I have bipolar disorder. It is very strange, and I feel like a totally different person. If something happy happens, I always think of something depressing. I hate it, first I’m “High”, then I’m “Depressed”, my therapist is just annoying!

[Kwotzi]

I've been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder for about 4-5 months now and I can say actually knowing what's going on with you helps to deal with that stuff so much. Just knowing that this isn't happening for no reason makes it much better. Man, it's just so hard to explain. I've been writing this comment for about 15 minutes now; I just don't know how to properly communicate it.

[ContinualImprovement]

I’ve heard it’s a mix between happy and sad and it can change as fast as the flick of a switch.

[elsad]

Nice to see this video come out bringing awareness to mental illnesses like this. I've been in therapy for social issues, depression and anxiety the past few days.
To others going through something like this, keep on going.🙂❤ Let me tell you, it's great to finally come out and get a lot off my chest.

[remingtomi]

I'm 13 and apparently have a high risk of having/developing this disorder, as a lot of people on my father's side of the family were diagnosed. This video was pretty helpful in showing me what I'll probably end up dealing with and I appreciate that it sheds light on it without making the disorder seem super scary or something

[billyk]

OH MY GOSH YOU’RE ALMOST AT 2 MILLION!!!

[galaxywolf]

Me: Dad I think I have anxiety
Dad: Don't be ridiculous! You're not anxious
Me:*sigh* Fine (Thinks: Just because I smile doesn't mean I mean it. If I'm feeling anxious I'm not going to wave an "I'm anxious" sign around and scream "I'M FEELING ANXIOUS!!!" am I? I hide the fact that I feel anxious and pretend I don't. You see a happy person but inside is fear.)
Edit: Thank you everyone for the nice comments.