Living With Bipolar Disorder | My Life With | Refinery29

Bipolar Disorder is a mental health condition in which the person suffers from episodes of extreme mood swings, along a spectrum, ranging from mania to depression. In this episode of My Life With, we follow two people living with BD in New York, to show the realities of living between two extremes.
This video was originally published on Vice in 2020 and is being repurposed by Refinery29.
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[@imarockstarification]

I never understood saying "I wouldn't give up this horrible side of my life, it makes me me". I would 100% give up my mental illness issues to live a happy, normal life.

[@anamunoz9481]

exactly my thought when I heard her saying it. i feel that they say that to not be harsh on themselves bc reality is they have to live with it for the rest of their lives.. or that maybe by saying it theyll be misunderstood as if they dont like who they are. which obviously its not the case... I hope they come to comprehend that theres nothing bad by saying I rather not have it. hope nothing for the best for both of them 💚

[@yesvember11]

Same one million percent

[@lanaowe781]

@@anamunoz9481 Drchala1 from west Africa who I find here on KZbin channel I’m Convinced he can help you with this

[@lanaowe781]

Drchala1 from west Africa who I find here on KZbin channel I’m Convinced he can help you with this

[@lanaowe781]

@@yesvember11 try that dr and thank me later

[@yesvember11]

I’m bipolar type 2. I would say the biggest misconceptions I’ve experienced are everyone assuming our experiences are the same, that we are all dangerous, or all like Kanye West. Bipolar is often confused with borderline personality disorder as well and they are two entirely different types of disorders and bipolar is a wide spectrum as well. I am not at all dangerous or a mean/bad person, I’m just mostly depressed a lot. It’s hell already but the misconceptions and misrepresentation makes it even worse.

[@sarahs_seedsoninstagram1930]

Reach out my KZbin title ☝️i got remedies for you!!

[@yesvember11]

Shout out to the auto shop guy, it’s hard to find support like that

[@lanaowe781]

Drchala from west Africa who I find here on KZbin channel I’m Convinced he can help you with this

[@sChick-vy3vi]

Andrea, you may seem to think that you have destructive behaviors but your organizational skills and your healthy attitude are really good for staying on track. Allister, you were given an EXCEPTIONAL name by your mother! You are the perfect person to give a voice to affordable mental health care for all. Years ago there were limitations on how often you could even see a psychologist/psychiatrist by insurance companies and now there are giant deductibles that need to be met before insurance even starts to pay. You seem to know about these obstacles and would make a great advocate for some additional benefits for people with mental health issues! I wish you both Peace ❤

[@lanaowe781]

Drchala1 from west Africa who I find here on KZbin channel I’m Convinced he can help you with this

[@meljune688]

I was diagnosed bipolar 1 a year ago and so thankful I went to that appointment or I wouldn’t have gotten help. Love my meds as they have made me feel a lot more stable , wish I didn’t have to but I would rather take them than feel how I did when I didn’t have meds. The ups were too high , the lows I silently suffered. Life is a lot better now , it’s ok to need help I learned

[@lanaowe781]

Drchala1 from west Africa who I find here on KZbin channel I’m Convinced he can help you with this

[@sarahs_seedsoninstagram1930]

Reach out my KZbin title ☝️i got remedies for you!!

[@khalelahchanakira3355]

Wow thank you for bringing in both types this is what my day is like

[@lanaowe781]

Drchala1 from west Africa who I find here on KZbin channel I’m Convinced he can help you with this

[@aprilrichardson7738]

Ok I have bipolar and Tourette’s and I would get rid of it in a heartbeat I’ll never understand that people who want to live with it makes no sense

[@lanaowe781]

Drchala1 from west Africa who I find here on KZbin channel I’m Convinced he can help you with this

[@sarahs_seedsoninstagram1930]

Reach out my KZbin title ☝️i got remedies for you!!

[@candacegarcia921]

Growing up with a bipolar (2) mother was extremely hard! She is "stable" now and a good grandma which means more to me because i will suffer 1000x over for my kids to be happy.

[@sarahs_seedsoninstagram1930]

Reach out my KZbin title ☝️i got remedies for you!!

[@kevinburrell3359]

I'm 37. Will be 38 October 2nd but look extremely far from my age so it confuses me. Same thing happened when I was turning 20, 25, and 30. 30-35 was the best years ever. I finally realized I was still a baby. wish I realized too when I turned 20..I have severe depression and panic disorder since 15. was never able to secure a job like my other kid friends so my plan was to go on SSI until I got older, graduated from college, and get a job. I was headed there until some doctor prescribed me Clonazepam and that was that. I'm ashamed of myself, embarrassed, feel wrong. I did graduate college with honors in accounting, transfered to a 4 year college but was not too depressed. I'm not sure what to do anymore. I had some people call me slow, retarded, special and all kinds of names when I was severely depressed and slowed down from pain meds. sad because there's really people out there with permanent special needs but sadly some people are truly callous, heartless, wicked, evil and don't care what comes out their face. Wish I could bash their teeth in or like beyond 2 souls the game, have a twin ghost walking with me to protect me all the time..

[@lanaowe781]

Drchala1 from west Africa who I find here on KZbin channel I’m Convinced he can help you with this

[@kevinburrell3359]

@@sChick-vy3viYes but that was when I was 28. I'm off pain meds but now on Ativan because klonopin stopped working. It's hard getting off

[@Tolu1994]

Very insightful

[@lanaowe781]

Drchala1 from west Africa who I find here on KZbin channel I’m Convinced he can help you with this

[@NikPikThrift]

The medication dance has led me to be unmedicated for 6 years! How did you finally overcome that??

[@DaisyAruba]

Effexor is so addicting without knowing at least I never knew until I missed a dose or two. *see my comment in replies for clarification

[@trixiebella5541]

I know I suffered throught the brain zaps by missing one hour late of a dose

[@kevinburrell3359]

That's not addiction lolol. You can't just stop taking antidepressants like that so yeah u're going to feel that way. Effexor is meant to be taking everyday EVERYDAY not every other day. How old r you u?

[@DaisyAruba]

So Effexor is an addiction to a medication caused by our body and brain not addiction to getting high of heroine or crack where we are chasing the high. Like I have before, I would normally be going into defense mode to the ignorance of Kevin’s comment. However I don’t personally take offense to it because I am aware that my ego is here and would love to shock/be offended. However it’s simple: ignorance. I am ignorant too. We all are. My psych did not tell me after being on years lexapro your basic ass SSRI going to a slightly different one, that missing a dose or two would give me brain zaps. Perfect word thank you Tricia Bella. I honestly haven’t known what to call them for very long. As I had figured it out checking my pill organizer that “it has to be the Effexor, Carissa you forgot to take it last night or you’re almost out”. No one told me despite common knowledge that I have ADHD and forget to take medicine in general and don’t want to be on another super addictive anti depressing. They call it something I don’t remember the term. But yes whether by choice or not it’s a medical term used to describe an addiction to a medicind prescribed that one did not abuse or want to get anything like recreational use out of or even if you experienced euphoric feelings of a high but took as prescribed it is not the same as addiction on substances or shopping etc you are using to fill a void within. So that being said I am very aware of the differences and I will not tell you my age as it’s not your concern. Anyways, I wish I had known before because I was very concerned with having something else going on. These zaps would go from my head to my hands and I couldn’t move much in between the zaps. I would be mostly in bed even after getting the medicine in me or taking it right away most days it would continue. Sometimes still occurs. But not often. It is very important for people to disclose this to us. Yes it is obviously up to us in the end which is why I now do my research before ANY medicine. I used to only of research on a medicine I wanted to take or thought would help me because x friend tried it or what if I have this or that. Etc. lesson learned. It is ok to be afraid to question your doctors too, keep in mind they’re humans and they do not have all the answers so I do not blame that doctor and again, always ask if you need to I won’t say “don’t be afraid” “don’t be anxious” cuz that’s a lie for most of us. The truth for most is IT IS SCARY to ask a medical professional. You don’t know if it will be taken personal, your mind may spin out of control you don’t know you’re probably trying to treat an anxiety based disorder to begin with so it’s natural to be anxious. Eventually I just was done & found the courage to ask as many questions as I want to. I hope others learn the same. And I still have anxiety over it but it passes the more you allow yourself to feel the anxiety, or fear, the easier it becomes.

[@DaisyAruba]

@@kevinburrell3359 So Effexor is an addiction to a medication caused by our body and brain not addiction to getting high of heroine or crack where we are chasing the high. Like I have before, I would normally be going into defense mode to the ignorance of Kevin’s comment. However I don’t personally take offense to it because I am aware that my ego is here and would love to shock/be offended. However it’s simple: ignorance. I am ignorant too. We all are. My psych did not tell me after being on years lexapro your basic ass SSRI going to a slightly different one, that missing a dose or two would give me brain zaps. Perfect word thank you Tricia Bella. I honestly haven’t known what to call them for very long. As I had figured it out checking my pill organizer that “it has to be the Effexor, Carissa you forgot to take it last night or you’re almost out”. No one told me despite common knowledge that I have ADHD and forget to take medicine in general and don’t want to be on another super addictive anti depressing. They call it something I don’t remember the term. But yes whether by choice or not it’s a medical term used to describe an addiction to a medicind prescribed that one did not abuse or want to get anything like recreational use out of or even if you experienced euphoric feelings of a high but took as prescribed it is not the same as addiction on substances or shopping etc you are using to fill a void within. So that being said I am very aware of the differences and I will not tell you my age as it’s not your concern. Anyways, I wish I had known before because I was very concerned with having something else going on. These zaps would go from my head to my hands and I couldn’t move much in between the zaps. I would be mostly in bed even after getting the medicine in me or taking it right away most days it would continue. Sometimes still occurs. But not often. It is very important for people to disclose this to us. Yes it is obviously up to us in the end which is why I now do my research before ANY medicine. I used to only of research on a medicine I wanted to take or thought would help me because x friend tried it or what if I have this or that. Etc. lesson learned. It is ok to be afraid to question your doctors too, keep in mind they’re humans and they do not have all the answers so I do not blame that doctor and again, always ask if you need to I won’t say “don’t be afraid” “don’t be anxious” cuz that’s a lie for most of us. The truth for most is IT IS SCARY to ask a medical professional. You don’t know if it will be taken personal, your mind may spin out of control you don’t know you’re probably trying to treat an anxiety based disorder to begin with so it’s natural to be anxious. Eventually I just was done & found the courage to ask as many questions as I want to. I hope others learn the same. And I still have anxiety over it but it passes the more you allow yourself to feel the anxiety, or fear, the easier it becomes.

[@DaisyAruba]

@@trixiebella5541 thank you for not assuming, and the word “brain zaps” or words rather. 😬💗

[@gbskbe]

Isn't this a re-upload

[@lanaowe781]

Drchala1 from west Africa who I find here on KZbin channel I’m Convinced he can help you with this

[@lanaowe781]

@Buttered Toast Drchala1 from west Africa who I find here on KZbin channel I’m Convinced he can help you with this

[@akm960]

Ugh watching this is like looking into a mirror

[@lanaowe781]

Drchala1 from west Africa who I find here on KZbin channel I’m Convinced he can help you with this

[@DebbieOnTheSpot]

Liberalism has many names

[@jackwilliamatkins5602]

Glutencancer

[@lanaowe781]

Drchala1 from west Africa who I find here on KZbin channel I’m Convinced he can help you with this

[@jyotidevi5973]

I'm first

[@lanaowe781]

Drchala1 from west Africa who I find here on KZbin channel I’m Convinced he can help you with this

[@sarahs_seedsoninstagram1930]

Reach out my KZbin title ☝️i got remedies for you!!

[@gustavoayala510sheke]

They’re so high lmao, unfortunately that’s the truth those are the real drugs.

[@lanaowe781]

Drchala1 from west Africa who I find here on KZbin channel I’m Convinced he can help you with this

[@ziggystarlust]

What do you mean they're high? Bipolar disorder medications don't make you high.

[@lanaowe781]

@@ziggystarlust Behold the results was negative. I'm HSV negative it's been 4 years since I got my complete healing naturally with the help of Drchala from west Africa who I find here on KZbin channel