Bipolar Disorder is a Mental Illness, Not a Mental Health Condition

I feel like a proper hair splitting moron 😂 its just something that the general public don’t unsterstand. They think mental health and mental illness are the same. As one is controllable by your actions and one isn’t, the severity of each is completely different. If you have a low level of mental health and are depressed or anxious you can improve your position through either exercise diet or things you can control. Where as mental illness can render you incapable of getting out of bed or alternatively not going to bed for days, you see the difference in their impacts. I have bipolar and i was told to try ice baths to improve my mental “health”. I dont have mental health problems as im mentally ill. You dont see cancer patients being told to exercise more or to get an ice bath?!?

Cancer can be cured and more so nowadays thanks be to god. Where as mental illness has no cure just remedies. If i could do something to improve my mental illness so it became a mental health issue i would, but i cant.

Surely as being right handed I would have cut my left forearm with my left hand? But no, I didn’t. I cut my right forearm with my left hand. I can hardly use my left hand to write any semblance of my own name let alone cut my arm numerous times with a razor blade.

Do you have any thoughts on all this?

Living with Bipolar Disorder: The Conundrum

Reading my text books (Stahl’s and Maudsley) I have no idea what I personally need in answer to my illness.

I have a positive response to Mirtazapine (NaSSa or tricyclic) (now stopped) as it helped me sleep too, albeit better at lower dose (15mg) as it blocks the H1 receptor or interferes with it at least, but I had a negative response to Sertraline which is an SSRI like Fluoxetine I’m taking now. Sertraline made me fit when I took Tramadol too, serotonin Syndrome? Never going to find out.

Serotonin is found in the gut and there’s a gut/brain axis that isn’t fully understood how it works with regards to mood. When I started my antipsychotics (Quetiapine originally) I was eating like a madman and I put on about two stone in weight and went up to 93 kg. Since I started Olazapine I have been put on fluoxetine as it works well with Olazapine and I have noticed that I have lost weight, most notably the way my clothes fit me as they are looser and then the fact I eat once a day if that. However, when I do eat I find myself getting hungrier the more I eat. It’s odd to explain.

My antipsychotic is a dopamine blocker and my antidepressant is a serotonin inhibitor, is my issue then conductive to both issues with the levels of serotonin and dopamine in my brain? Is it possible for Psychotropic testing to evaluate your DNA and see how you metabolise and respond to each medication?

I have periods of no expression or enthusiasm for playing my guitar or writing my blog. Then when I get hypo manic or depressive I get my expressions back and I have motivation to write or do something productive. Even if I have depressive phase I can write a few. Words or play a few chords on the guitar and sing some lyrics about the situation I’m in. Being manic I’ve found looking back at my writing I don’t write it down complete. I miss words out and sort of expect the person reading it to get it. It’s sort of rushed. Also my handwriting is completely different from manic me to depressive me. And everything in the middle. It’s crazy.

Living with Bipolar Disorder Explained: An Overview

Attached is a PDF of a summary I wrote a couple of years ago with the help of the NHS. It’s mainly just a generalisation but it does include some personal experiences. As it was potentially to be used for distribution to other patients, all bases needed to be covered and not too specific or focus on just one part of the illness.

Please feel free to share, comment or re-blog if you wish. Hopefully It can be of help to someone somewhere 👍

Bipolar Disorder Explained.pdfDownload

My Book 📖 : I Hate Being Bipolar, it’s Absolutely Awesome – The Epileptic Log (Epilogue)

I recently finished my book about living with Bipolar Disorder. It’s the third book I’ve written about it. The few people who have read it have all been very complimentary about it. I’m going to post on here a chapter a day, so if you want to check it out you can. Today’s post contains the Epileptic Log. It’s just a play on words for the Epilogue.

I hope you like it and you enjoy reading my account, which is not graphic but honest. If you would like a link to the book then please comment on this post and I’ll send you a link 👍

My Book 📖 : I Hate Being Bipolar, it’s Absolutely Awesome – Chapter 13

I recently finished my book about living with Bipolar Disorder. It’s the third book I’ve written about it. The few people who have read it have all been very complimentary about it. I’m going to post on here a chapter a day, so if you want to check it out you can. Today’s post contains chapter 13.

I hope you like it and you enjoy reading my account, which is not graphic but honest. If you would like a link to the book then please comment on this post and I’ll send you a link 👍