Living with Bi-polar Disorder

How many people do you know with Bi-Polar Disorder? My guess is many will answer that question as, NONE. Are you sure? There are so many people any more who are dealing, and living with Bi-Polar Disorder, that I'd be willing to bet that at least one of your neighbors has it, if not many more than that.

Bi-Polar Disorder is different for every person who has it. Yes for the most part there are specific signs that says, oh yeah, this person is Bi-Polar. For instance, many people who have bi-polar have a hard time being around other people. It's not that we do not like other people, but we shut ourselves away from others at times, and at other times, we are in the middle of the crowd. For myself, I prefer to be away from others and around only my husband and children, and this is how I am 90% of the time. I love people, I really do, and I really love helping people. I would give another person my last dollar if they needed it. I enjoy helping other people, but I cannot deal with being around people for very long, or very often.

For many with Bi-Polar, getting out of bed on many mornings is almost impossible. Going to the store seems like some horrible punishment. Making a phone call is more stressful than having a tooth pulled. These are three small things that most of us just do without even thinking about it, but for someone with Bi-Polar, not only do we have to think about doing the task, sometimes it takes us hours to get to a point that we can do it!

There are ups for those who suffer from Bi-Polar Disorder though. Sometimes we are on top of the world, invincible, nothing can stop us. Those are our good days, the more "normal" days. Those days are cherished by many with Bi-Polar, because they are so very few and far between. Some of us have a bigger percentage of good days, which makes it a bit easier.

No matter how you look at it, Bi-Polar Disorder is a horribly cruel disease, that many do not even want to admit they suffer from. Until just a year or so ago, I was terrified to admit to anyone that I was Bi-Polar. People look at you like you are a crazy person when they know you have Bi-Polar, and I didn't want that stigma on me. I finally got to a point that I was tired of always making excuses for myself and started telling people I was Bi-Polar and had, "issues", LOL. Just so that everyone knows, those of us who are Bi-Polar are not crazy people, we have a problem in our brain that to me is very much like a short circuit.

Those with Bi-Polar for the most part are very intelligent individuals that have an issue within the circuitry in their brains. Many of us can function quite normally with medication. For others medication works only for a short time, then it needs to be adjusted. Sometimes it can only be adjusted so much, and there is nothing else to do, but deal with the mental pain and anxiety. For some we cannot take anything for our Bi-Polar because of severe allergies to medications and chemicals. For us, we deal with what we go through as best we can. Sometimes life can be very hard for us, but what happens when we take medication can be even worse. I have found a few ways to deal with my "issues", one is Prayer. I find Prayer to be the greatest help to me. My husband is the next greatest help to me. He is always there for me, and although at times I can be a real handful, he is always there and I know he always will be. My children are a great help as well. They can sense when I am not having a good day, and they will do special things for me, tell me they love more than usual, and give me extra special care. St. John's Wort is an herb I take that helps. Some call St. John's Wort, "natures Prozac". It helps keep my mood from being extreme most of the time. It does not take all the issues away, but it does help some.

All in all, I do okay, but I know there are many who do not do okay, in fact many are so bad they often think about suicide, and some actually go beyond the thoughts of it and do it. If you know someone who is Bi-Polar, be kind and understanding to their disorder, and don't make them feel like they are crazy. Treating a person with Bi-Polar as though they are crazy is very hurtful for them. We are normal just like everyone else, we just have a few issue in life. Then again, don't we all have a few issues in life?