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I was diagnosed when I was 21 after struggling in school when I knew I should be able to do well. when my grades started falling, even in the classes I cared about, I realized maybe something was wrong. I went to the PsyD and we confirmed a diagnosis of Bipolar I. In retrospect, I can see evidence of it all the way back to when I was in elementary school. It wasn't until the couple years leading up to getting diagnosed that I started getting depression to the point where I would have thoughts of dying. In my early 20s is also when the mania really started ramping up.
Since then I've spent a long time trying to understand myself, and how my mind differs from a normally functioning mind. I'm 100% open about it to everyone I meet, and have never had a negative reaction. I am 25 now and still am struggling with finding the right mixture of medication and lifestyle. Things are starting to improve, though.
Off medication my mood would cycle in a pattern approximately fitting about a week down shifting into a few days up, and then a couple weeks mid-level. Those cycles vary in intensity, so if I get really depressed I then get really manic. With my medication now I can hardly tell when my mood has shifted, even in retrospect.
My primary interest is making music, but I also spend time gaming, and spend time camping and backpacking in the great state of Oregon.
I've made bad choices, lost friends, lost jobs, but I'm still here and I'm still fighting.
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[–] Rakosman ago
I was diagnosed when I was 21 after struggling in school when I knew I should be able to do well. when my grades started falling, even in the classes I cared about, I realized maybe something was wrong. I went to the PsyD and we confirmed a diagnosis of Bipolar I. In retrospect, I can see evidence of it all the way back to when I was in elementary school. It wasn't until the couple years leading up to getting diagnosed that I started getting depression to the point where I would have thoughts of dying. In my early 20s is also when the mania really started ramping up.
Since then I've spent a long time trying to understand myself, and how my mind differs from a normally functioning mind. I'm 100% open about it to everyone I meet, and have never had a negative reaction. I am 25 now and still am struggling with finding the right mixture of medication and lifestyle. Things are starting to improve, though.
Off medication my mood would cycle in a pattern approximately fitting about a week down shifting into a few days up, and then a couple weeks mid-level. Those cycles vary in intensity, so if I get really depressed I then get really manic. With my medication now I can hardly tell when my mood has shifted, even in retrospect.
My primary interest is making music, but I also spend time gaming, and spend time camping and backpacking in the great state of Oregon.
I've made bad choices, lost friends, lost jobs, but I'm still here and I'm still fighting.