Bipolar Disorder

I have heard some posters say their docs told them with age bipolar gets worse. I was wondering if this has been proven or if you find this to be true with your experience.? I know for me, when I was younger, in my teens, I was more manic and experienced more suicidal depression. Not that those symptoms totally went away with age, but they happen less frequently. I was not treated for bipolar as a teen, but was treated for major depression, and for a very short time, I was treated for hyperactivity. I started being treated for bipolar in 2001.

Do you see different levels of severity in teens and young adults as opposed to adults in their 30's and older?

Any information you would like to add about bipolar and age would be appreciated.

Thank you Dr.

 

              

Yes, I do think that age affects bipolar illness, but differently in each person.  I believe that the young adult years and the menopause years could be the most difficult, because of all the hormonal changes in our bodies.  This again would affect each person differently.  I know as a teenager and young adult, I cried all the time.  I was depressed a lot and sleeping all the time, or I wass the party girl, always awake.  My moods did seem to coincide with hormonal changes in my body.

How do I feel now?  I tell myself I that I must never give up, but I wonder sometimes.  Life is just not getting any better.  In fact it is slowly getting a lot worse, which for me, well it was crappy enough anyway.

I have tried. Nothing seems to work.  I try to encourage other people.  My life is a total mess.  I can't help myself.  I can't help anybody else.  I feel hopeless. I feel numb.  I can only pray to God that things get better.  When I am really sad I write poetry.  Sometimes that makes me feel better, but tonight I am really sad.

Kate

I was looking for the proverbial light several months ago when I asked my pdoc if the symptoms of bipolar disorder ever subside with age.  He stared at me like I had asked an ignorant question.  He said "No, they don't lessen and they sometimes worsen."

I was depressed about it for days.  I thought 'certainly, there has to be just ONE great thing about getting older', 'cause the rest of it blows. 

I believe  that stress can have a definite impact on our emotional health, and often as we get older, the stress piles up more and more.  I can't believe the amount of stress that I have been under the past few years, and it is not getting any better with age.  We should be able to relax and enjoy our lives as we get older, but sadly this is often not the case.  I don't honestly believe that I could have handled all this when I was younger.  My biggest problem is financial as I am unable to work any more and I am on disability.  My job was a big part of my life and I enjoyed what I  was doing.  Now what?

I am glad that there is a site that I can go to, where there are other people with similar problems.  Thanks for listening.

Kate