I recently became diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder and would have never thought that I fit "the mold" for such an illness. You see, I look normal, have a normal life, work a normal job, and am married to a normal man and have normal children. I would have never thought this disease could hit so close to home.
I knew that I would get severely depressed at times so I had been on Lexapro for years. Within in the past year or so, the "downs" got so severe, I couldn't even get out of bed some days. I would also have paranoia of people in my neighborhood watching me and talking about me. The down days also created intense insecurity to where I would be afraid to talk to people sometimes. (not always easy when you deal with clients on a daily basis)
As far as my "manias", they were manifested into big life changes that I wanted.. Occasionally, I would decide that I needed to move away, find a new job, become single again, etc. Looking back, it must have been terrifying for my family, particularly my husband. In fact, now that I am being treated, he talks about the dark days and how scared his is that he will lose "me" again.
As I go through my treatment (Lamictal and Lexapro) I will update my progress and how effective it is working for me. So far, I have been on the Lamictal for about 2 months and I feel so much more stable. I can tell that there are times when I get a little down (who doesn't right?) but it never gets anywhere near how bad it used to get. I would love to hear from others who have similar stories and/or ideas to share. This illness carries a stereotype that not too many people can understand and it's nice to know that there are others out there who can relate.
Thanks for reading and take care.
Heather
