6/29/22
me and bipolar draft 1
I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when I was 24. Actually,
I diagnosed myself, but it turns out to have been an accurate diagnosis. During
my 2nd hospitalization, being treated for depression, I was unhappy
with my medication regimen and suggested to my doctor that I might be bipolar
and asked to be treated as such. She wasn’t happy with my request but agreed to
try me on lithium. It wasn’t exactly like a switch went off and I was like
“eureka!” immediately upon taking it for the first time, but I definitely
noticed a positive shift and most importantly felt better and was able to
sleep.
I had been having sleep difficulties off and on since I was
19. It was getting to the point that I rarely had a “normal” good-night’s
sleep. Often, this would be accompanied by an elevated mood shift and what felt
like a drug-induced high of some sort. I had no clear idea of what was going on
with me, but I was beginning to suspect I might be bipolar.
I had a good friend in one of my support groups who was very
open about being bipolar, and some of my symptoms seemed to jibe with his. I met
him when I was 20, and the idea of being bipolar myself continued to grow in
the back of my mind until that fateful day when I was 24.