I know it’s one that both villainized and sensationalized by media, I want to know what it’s really like and not some fear-mongering missinformation a lot of people spread. Thanks
In: Biology
Psychiatry additionally recognizes mixed states with bipolar where you feel agitated / hypomanic (or manic) and depressive at the same time.
Depends on the person but I’ve experienced those frequently. The worst! And pure depression is also the worst.
I’d like to add that mood episodes can often be caused or exacerbated by life stressors. For me they don’t typically appear inexplicably out of the blue. I don’t just wake up one day fully hypomanic or depressed and then suddenly switch back. It’s a gradual burn and takes a few days or weeks until I realize how truly off I feel and make adjustments accordingly.
It might help to think of it as waves with larger peaks and valleys. My capacity for overall mood and energy-level lability is more intense than the average neurotypical person.
When I’m properly medicated, the waves are way less extreme. I still feel things deeply, just not in a debilitating way.
I was initially diagnosed with Bipolar 1 (as a young adult) now updated to Bipolar 2. It’s actually quite a nuanced experience that it’s hard to explain like you’re five. The DSM (psychiatric diagnostic manual) is reductive in many ways.
Of course I can’t speak for everyone.
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