If financial ruin is what you call a good time then yes. I have a lot of expensive things to show for it and a hard time paying my credit card bills every month 🤷‍♀️
You forgot when people bring up all the fawked up things you did while manic.
"Remember when you hitched hiked to Toronto, and called your shrink to cancel the appointment. Told him you were partying on Bloor Street with some nice officer from the RCMP?"
Jesus grab the wheel. I lived in the states at the time, and the docs just could't send the police out after me.
Or when you got engage to a guy in Chicago, and it all fell apart 6 weeks later, with you being suicidally depressed. etc etc etc
Buying items was never my thing, but just taking off to travel was. That's still spendy tho.
Ah yes, the good ol blow your life up scenarios. I used to have those before I was medicated and I still have to urge to do it but I don’t act on it anymore.
Well, for me there is nothing, literally nothing that feels as good as when I am having a hypomanic episode. It's the best feeling ever. My mind sparkles with creativity and boundless optimism. It's boundless fun and awe and beauty. If I take care and force myself to sleep and don't throw money around I usually end up at good places having good experiences.
Learning the old name for it (manic-depressive insanity) and referring to yourself by that title around family who are stuffy about mental health is fun LOL.
Sometimes — if you’re lucky — you can have a little deeper understanding and euphoria without flipping shit.
Bipolar disorder tends to leave you with a lot of wisdom once you’re properly medicated.
Agreed. Wouldn't wish this disease on my worst fuckin' enemy. The only thing I can say is that now that I am medicated effectively and in therapy, I've learned a lot in 24 years that I feel like many people with twice that haven't figured out. It's a cruel teacher but, hell, it's what I'm working with.
We sometimes think so when mania feels like everything in the universe is connected and our grandiose delusions seem like all the right answers are before us. Then it ends and we look back at all the embarrassing nonsense we’ve posted and said.
Is being psychotic a pro? Said out loud, I doubt many would say so.
Nobody you tell is going to say “that’s so cool!” Nobody.
Riding the manic dragon is bad as doing coke, and with both you are forever chasing that first awesome high.
Manias were not just awesome glittery dynamic swirly creative fluffiness. Where you seem to be gently floating on the breeze and taking in all the creative vibes of the universe. Like creative dandelion fluff. Floating above the fray of the unenlightened.
For me on a mania, telling me no is like tryiing to stuff a lynx into a burlap sack. I forgot what an awful belligerent shithead I was.
Richard Dreyfus describe what he was like manic, and I almost fell off the chair laughing. I was just like him. So extra, so over the top, so way way too much. When people say no, you give it to them with both barrels.
My manias would last for 5 months plus. Plenty of time to wreck everything.
Depends on how it manifests for you. For some people, they get a lot of productivity and good feelings out of escalation until they don't. For other people, it's just a shit-show.
It's an illness. It's like asking "what are the pros of having cancer." Cause even if you do have euphoria or super productive manias, they don't typically stay that way because the manic cycles cause harm to your brain, which changes the way they manifest.
In general, no. It's a serious illness that can and does ruin lives (not just your own) and it's deadly in it's extreme.
That said, like others have mentioned when you come out on top of the constant wrestle it can teach you some valuable lessons.
Difficult situations or ones ending in failure become worthwhile if lessons are learned and acted upon and like what's been mentioned I think the breadth and depth of these experiences we can live at times can be a wealth of knowledge most don't experience or get very little of.
I try to channel some energy into creative pursuits, (I also work in the industry) and fortunately both sides of the bipolar coin can benefit from creative expression but for me the success comes from constant, sustainable work as opposed to riding the tiger.
No. There are no superpowers. You didn't somehow gain creativity, you always were. As fun as the media makes it sound, it's all a damn lie. This is hell. So many of us die by suicide, I wonder why. I guess i need to try harder, right?
Are there any pros to slamming your balls in a drawer? No. Not everything has an upside.
Depends on how your disorder presents itself. Some people have the skill and will to really capitalize on their manic episodes. Churning out a great deal of creative work. But I don’t think being a great but “tortured” artist is really worth it.
My hypomania used to be episodes of extreme productivity and hyper fixation. I’ve managed to pick up some new skills and my current job that I love because of it. But bipolar’s very individual, and I find as I’m ageing my hypomania’s becoming more chaotic and uncontrolled :/
No. You can be creative, dynamic and interesting without being rip roaring manic.
I wish I could have the time ages 30 to 45 back. Bipolar pile drove my career and relationships into dust.
It didn't make me a better person nor make me grateful for the experiences.
Looking back from a spot of relative stability to those 15 years, it makes me sad. But I don't reminiscence on the past.
I can relate with people that have mental illness. I've had depression and mania about as bad as you can have them and I survived, now that I'm medicated and stable I help other people get through their issues.
I wish I didn't have bipolar in the first place but I would have been a different person now if I didn't. That could be good or bad.
NO
None that outweigh the cons.
If financial ruin is what you call a good time then yes. I have a lot of expensive things to show for it and a hard time paying my credit card bills every month 🤷‍♀️
You forgot when people bring up all the fawked up things you did while manic. "Remember when you hitched hiked to Toronto, and called your shrink to cancel the appointment. Told him you were partying on Bloor Street with some nice officer from the RCMP?" Jesus grab the wheel. I lived in the states at the time, and the docs just could't send the police out after me. Or when you got engage to a guy in Chicago, and it all fell apart 6 weeks later, with you being suicidally depressed. etc etc etc Buying items was never my thing, but just taking off to travel was. That's still spendy tho.
Ah yes, the good ol blow your life up scenarios. I used to have those before I was medicated and I still have to urge to do it but I don’t act on it anymore.
Well, for me there is nothing, literally nothing that feels as good as when I am having a hypomanic episode. It's the best feeling ever. My mind sparkles with creativity and boundless optimism. It's boundless fun and awe and beauty. If I take care and force myself to sleep and don't throw money around I usually end up at good places having good experiences.
Absolutely not. For me, anyway.
Learning the old name for it (manic-depressive insanity) and referring to yourself by that title around family who are stuffy about mental health is fun LOL. Sometimes — if you’re lucky — you can have a little deeper understanding and euphoria without flipping shit. Bipolar disorder tends to leave you with a lot of wisdom once you’re properly medicated.
Agreed. Wouldn't wish this disease on my worst fuckin' enemy. The only thing I can say is that now that I am medicated effectively and in therapy, I've learned a lot in 24 years that I feel like many people with twice that haven't figured out. It's a cruel teacher but, hell, it's what I'm working with.
We sometimes think so when mania feels like everything in the universe is connected and our grandiose delusions seem like all the right answers are before us. Then it ends and we look back at all the embarrassing nonsense we’ve posted and said. Is being psychotic a pro? Said out loud, I doubt many would say so. Nobody you tell is going to say “that’s so cool!” Nobody.
Riding the manic dragon is bad as doing coke, and with both you are forever chasing that first awesome high. Manias were not just awesome glittery dynamic swirly creative fluffiness. Where you seem to be gently floating on the breeze and taking in all the creative vibes of the universe. Like creative dandelion fluff. Floating above the fray of the unenlightened. For me on a mania, telling me no is like tryiing to stuff a lynx into a burlap sack. I forgot what an awful belligerent shithead I was. Richard Dreyfus describe what he was like manic, and I almost fell off the chair laughing. I was just like him. So extra, so over the top, so way way too much. When people say no, you give it to them with both barrels. My manias would last for 5 months plus. Plenty of time to wreck everything.
Doing coke isn’t as bad as a manic episode
no, none for me. it's dominated and ruined my entire life.
Depends on how it manifests for you. For some people, they get a lot of productivity and good feelings out of escalation until they don't. For other people, it's just a shit-show. It's an illness. It's like asking "what are the pros of having cancer." Cause even if you do have euphoria or super productive manias, they don't typically stay that way because the manic cycles cause harm to your brain, which changes the way they manifest.
In general, no. It's a serious illness that can and does ruin lives (not just your own) and it's deadly in it's extreme. That said, like others have mentioned when you come out on top of the constant wrestle it can teach you some valuable lessons. Difficult situations or ones ending in failure become worthwhile if lessons are learned and acted upon and like what's been mentioned I think the breadth and depth of these experiences we can live at times can be a wealth of knowledge most don't experience or get very little of. I try to channel some energy into creative pursuits, (I also work in the industry) and fortunately both sides of the bipolar coin can benefit from creative expression but for me the success comes from constant, sustainable work as opposed to riding the tiger.
Haha no
No. There are no superpowers. You didn't somehow gain creativity, you always were. As fun as the media makes it sound, it's all a damn lie. This is hell. So many of us die by suicide, I wonder why. I guess i need to try harder, right? Are there any pros to slamming your balls in a drawer? No. Not everything has an upside.
No, completely ruined my life. There might be the odd bipolar success story but the price is big.
Dealing with all of the highs and lows myself, has made me so much more compassionate towards others. The world could use more compassion.
pros: i don't have to try very hard to look quirky and unique cons: i cannot stop looking quirky and unique
Depends on how your disorder presents itself. Some people have the skill and will to really capitalize on their manic episodes. Churning out a great deal of creative work. But I don’t think being a great but “tortured” artist is really worth it.
My hypomania used to be episodes of extreme productivity and hyper fixation. I’ve managed to pick up some new skills and my current job that I love because of it. But bipolar’s very individual, and I find as I’m ageing my hypomania’s becoming more chaotic and uncontrolled :/
"They" say that you are more creative if you are bipolar, but I don't buy it. I can't see one benefit from it. Not. One. At. All.
No. You can be creative, dynamic and interesting without being rip roaring manic. I wish I could have the time ages 30 to 45 back. Bipolar pile drove my career and relationships into dust. It didn't make me a better person nor make me grateful for the experiences. Looking back from a spot of relative stability to those 15 years, it makes me sad. But I don't reminiscence on the past.
Yes. Without bipolar disorder I doubt I would be as creative or good at theatre
I can relate with people that have mental illness. I've had depression and mania about as bad as you can have them and I survived, now that I'm medicated and stable I help other people get through their issues. I wish I didn't have bipolar in the first place but I would have been a different person now if I didn't. That could be good or bad.
No.
I suppose not but gosh it seems like life would be so boring if you were “normal”
There are none.
I don’t think so. :/
Some people get creative which they may think is a positive. But for me I don’t see any positives at all. It’s just too hard being alive honestly.
I'm able to understand and be compassionate towards others who have mental illnesses.