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Help me understand my bipolar friend
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<blockquote data-quote="Hound dog" data-source="post: 76525" data-attributes="member: 84"><p>I recognize alot of his behaviors because I share them.</p><p></p><p> <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> He's getting really upset as the days go on, as anyone would under stress, but what does he do when he gets depressed? Sleep, of course.</div></div></p><p></p><p>I can't speak for your friend. But I react to stress this way because I'm feeling overwhelmed by it. It allows me to shut out the stimuli around me and gives my brain a break. I'm not sure if this is bipolar behavior or not. I've got several bipolar friends, plus Nichole, and they don't do this one. And it's not just stress, it can be any sort of overwhelming stimuli like loud music, crowds of people (including family), ect.</p><p></p><p>I'm not depressed when I do this despite what it appears to others.</p><p></p><p>I'm also a very creative person who tends to Not be able to see the forest because I'm paying too much attention to the trees. I'm so detail oriented I can loose the Big picture and get bogged down and overwhelmed. Having someone remind me of the goal is often helpful and can get me back on track. As I've gotten older I've learned to do more of this for myself.</p><p></p><p> <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">But--this must be the bipolar part--he also stays up all night and watches an entire season of some TV series, or he plays video racing games, or generally does mindless things when he could be sleeping or working on his/our projects. </div></div></p><p></p><p>I also do this. For me it is a coping mechanism to let out my manic behavior without it branching out into worse self destructive outlets. But if I'm working on a pencil sketch say, I can put the same sort of manic energy into it and spend more than 18 hours on just that sketch without eating and such. So this type of behavior can also be beneficial. And I can honestly say that even when I was on medications this behavior didn't really change much. But I have learned to steer such behavior to certain times of the day or week or whatever instead of it being out of control. In other words, don't bother me after 9pm. That's my computer time. I play my Sims2 game (and have done it for the past 7 yrs) and yak on this board. Doesn't mean it's the only time I do these things, it's just the uninterruptable period. It better be one heck of an emergency. lol</p><p></p><p>My family has learned to keep their distance and avoid interrupting either type of the above behavior unless absolutely necessary. I can be redirected, but I'm a bear for a while til my brain shifts gears.</p><p></p><p>With my minor "relief valves" I can maintain stability without medications. I don't go off on extreme manic binge behavior, nor to I fall into major depressive states. </p><p></p><p>While it made the first years of marriage to husband tough on him a bit, now it's just "normal". It's just Me. </p><p></p><p>And yes, I think your friend needs to be held accountable. I expect others to hole me accountable when I agree to do something. I might have to do an all nighter or something to pull it off, but I've always managed to meet deadlines and such. </p><p></p><p>I don't know if this helps you understand a bit more or not. lol</p><p></p><p>Hugs</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Hound dog, post: 76525, member: 84"] I recognize alot of his behaviors because I share them. <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> He's getting really upset as the days go on, as anyone would under stress, but what does he do when he gets depressed? Sleep, of course.</div></div> I can't speak for your friend. But I react to stress this way because I'm feeling overwhelmed by it. It allows me to shut out the stimuli around me and gives my brain a break. I'm not sure if this is bipolar behavior or not. I've got several bipolar friends, plus Nichole, and they don't do this one. And it's not just stress, it can be any sort of overwhelming stimuli like loud music, crowds of people (including family), ect. I'm not depressed when I do this despite what it appears to others. I'm also a very creative person who tends to Not be able to see the forest because I'm paying too much attention to the trees. I'm so detail oriented I can loose the Big picture and get bogged down and overwhelmed. Having someone remind me of the goal is often helpful and can get me back on track. As I've gotten older I've learned to do more of this for myself. <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">But--this must be the bipolar part--he also stays up all night and watches an entire season of some TV series, or he plays video racing games, or generally does mindless things when he could be sleeping or working on his/our projects. </div></div> I also do this. For me it is a coping mechanism to let out my manic behavior without it branching out into worse self destructive outlets. But if I'm working on a pencil sketch say, I can put the same sort of manic energy into it and spend more than 18 hours on just that sketch without eating and such. So this type of behavior can also be beneficial. And I can honestly say that even when I was on medications this behavior didn't really change much. But I have learned to steer such behavior to certain times of the day or week or whatever instead of it being out of control. In other words, don't bother me after 9pm. That's my computer time. I play my Sims2 game (and have done it for the past 7 yrs) and yak on this board. Doesn't mean it's the only time I do these things, it's just the uninterruptable period. It better be one heck of an emergency. lol My family has learned to keep their distance and avoid interrupting either type of the above behavior unless absolutely necessary. I can be redirected, but I'm a bear for a while til my brain shifts gears. With my minor "relief valves" I can maintain stability without medications. I don't go off on extreme manic binge behavior, nor to I fall into major depressive states. While it made the first years of marriage to husband tough on him a bit, now it's just "normal". It's just Me. And yes, I think your friend needs to be held accountable. I expect others to hole me accountable when I agree to do something. I might have to do an all nighter or something to pull it off, but I've always managed to meet deadlines and such. I don't know if this helps you understand a bit more or not. lol Hugs [/QUOTE]
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