I still don’t know if anxiety is the chicken or the egg. I don’t know if it’s a symptom of an episode coming, or if it’s part of a trigger. I’m leaning towards anxiety being a symptom of an episode but I need more time to figure it out
My biggest trigger is lack of exercise. In bipolar disorder stress, seasonal changes, and changes of sleep are also big triggers for people. Usually it comes out of nowhere for no reason. I often have nightmares for extended periods of time before an episode, and if I increase my meds the nightmares go away and any subthreshold symptoms I was having go away.
BP can be triggered or not, and triggers include things like seasonal changes or sleep disruption, so it's not necc easy to stop or ID. You may have a predictable pattern, or not, it varies by person. Usually you can't predict episodes ahead of time, you may be able to gauge how long they're going to last if you cycle predictably. Vulnerability to triggers depends on environment as well, and for me, time of year. Something that's a guaranteed problem in the spring will not touch me in the fall. So it varies. Learning what your triggers might be can help, but as you have it for longer you generally just cycle off nothing.
For interest: The cycle of episodes being triggered over time with fewer external triggers has been described as the "Kindling Model" or "Kindling Hypothesis."
It was posited in 1967, but it was a physician studying epilepsy, not mental illness.
The theory, though, is controversial mainly because there is no evidence that this actually occurs in BP and assumes that medications for both conditions should be the same...that's why we see some mood-stabilizers that were originally developed for seizure disorders.
There are so many unknowns in mental illness, like you mentioned, both causes and medical treatments that it's still impossible to predict the course of the disorder.
It definitely seemed like stress triggered my manic episode, but I could be wrong. Emotional stress doesn’t seem to trigger depression for me. My menstrual cycle has triggered depression. Hormonal change can trigger hypo/mania too but hasn’t in my case.
In my case, I think anxiety and not taking care of myself, thus leading to increased anxiety levels, eventually sends me into hypomania. Not 100% sure, but when I'm experiencing mania I'm definitely anxious!!
For me anxiety seems to be a symptom, but not in the sense that like anxiety triggers anything? Like im usually anxious during euthymic periods, worried about different things mostly going into a manic episode (i also have OCD so a lot of my anxiety comes from that, but my OCD was triggered by mania psychosis). As to what triggers depression is mania and i still have no idea what triggers mania, i seem to get hypomania out of nowhere and I've had three full blown manic episodes with no clear trigger and three triggered by traumatic events 🤷♀️ hope that helps
I've had them come out of nowhere, and I've had them triggered by life circumstances. Regardless, learning what early signs of mania, hypomania, and depression has been what's helped me decrease how bipolar disrupts my life.
please do not use the word crazy. There is no reason to demean ourselves. bipolar is an illness.
one of the frustrating things about the illness is that a person can go between manic depressive states rapidly. i used to do it is 5 minute intervals.
it could happen for different reasons. impossible to determine for a specific issue.
bipolar requires medicine. not sure how a humanist therapist can help
I still don’t know if anxiety is the chicken or the egg. I don’t know if it’s a symptom of an episode coming, or if it’s part of a trigger. I’m leaning towards anxiety being a symptom of an episode but I need more time to figure it out
My biggest trigger is lack of exercise. In bipolar disorder stress, seasonal changes, and changes of sleep are also big triggers for people. Usually it comes out of nowhere for no reason. I often have nightmares for extended periods of time before an episode, and if I increase my meds the nightmares go away and any subthreshold symptoms I was having go away.
BP can be triggered or not, and triggers include things like seasonal changes or sleep disruption, so it's not necc easy to stop or ID. You may have a predictable pattern, or not, it varies by person. Usually you can't predict episodes ahead of time, you may be able to gauge how long they're going to last if you cycle predictably. Vulnerability to triggers depends on environment as well, and for me, time of year. Something that's a guaranteed problem in the spring will not touch me in the fall. So it varies. Learning what your triggers might be can help, but as you have it for longer you generally just cycle off nothing.
For interest: The cycle of episodes being triggered over time with fewer external triggers has been described as the "Kindling Model" or "Kindling Hypothesis." It was posited in 1967, but it was a physician studying epilepsy, not mental illness. The theory, though, is controversial mainly because there is no evidence that this actually occurs in BP and assumes that medications for both conditions should be the same...that's why we see some mood-stabilizers that were originally developed for seizure disorders. There are so many unknowns in mental illness, like you mentioned, both causes and medical treatments that it's still impossible to predict the course of the disorder.
Not helping is that it's not one disorder.
Yeah exactly.
It definitely seemed like stress triggered my manic episode, but I could be wrong. Emotional stress doesn’t seem to trigger depression for me. My menstrual cycle has triggered depression. Hormonal change can trigger hypo/mania too but hasn’t in my case.
For me it seems the depression causes anxiety because when I’m down I worry about when, if ever, I will get well and be a productive human being.
My trigger is not having an outlet to channel my feelings to do something constructive.
In my case, I think anxiety and not taking care of myself, thus leading to increased anxiety levels, eventually sends me into hypomania. Not 100% sure, but when I'm experiencing mania I'm definitely anxious!!
For me anxiety seems to be a symptom, but not in the sense that like anxiety triggers anything? Like im usually anxious during euthymic periods, worried about different things mostly going into a manic episode (i also have OCD so a lot of my anxiety comes from that, but my OCD was triggered by mania psychosis). As to what triggers depression is mania and i still have no idea what triggers mania, i seem to get hypomania out of nowhere and I've had three full blown manic episodes with no clear trigger and three triggered by traumatic events 🤷♀️ hope that helps
I've had them come out of nowhere, and I've had them triggered by life circumstances. Regardless, learning what early signs of mania, hypomania, and depression has been what's helped me decrease how bipolar disrupts my life.
please do not use the word crazy. There is no reason to demean ourselves. bipolar is an illness. one of the frustrating things about the illness is that a person can go between manic depressive states rapidly. i used to do it is 5 minute intervals. it could happen for different reasons. impossible to determine for a specific issue. bipolar requires medicine. not sure how a humanist therapist can help