Our daughter is 15, bipolar and finally stable. It has been a long almost 2 years. Her father, my husband is also bipolar. They still has their moments of frustration, but thank goodness to a wonderful doctor, early treatment, therapy and medication they are both doing well. I look forward to the day that this, along with all illnesses can be spoken about without stigma. Stigma keeps many from reaching out for help, especially if the illness becomes serious as an adult. But many times the signs are there in adolescence or even earlier. I would not wish what my daughter has been through along with our family on anyone.

I would also like to see more shows devoted to all mental illnesses and in particular, early onset bipolar. Even if I did not agree with everything said in the show, I applaud the airing of this subject because it help to get people talking. If the stigma was lifted, people would be more likely to look for help without shame or fear. This has happened with many illnesses-AIDS, venereal diseases etc. And there is help and hope for those who suffer.

Cristina

I am convinced that Bipolar Disorder can make a mother want to kill her child. My mother is bipolar and it is interesting that Oprah had this awesome show that explained to the world this illness. My family has been dealing with my mother in her most recent 'episode' for the past four months, and it is exhausting for the entire family as well as for her. Being Bipolar is a frightening disorder and one never knows what a person may say or do.

Hi. Sounds like some of you are confused about what it is like to be bipolar........ Crazy, scary, lonely, cxhausting, like you are dying and just wish it would end. Hiding from everything, Closing curtains, turning off the phone, not answering the door. Weeks pass, you don't brush your teeth, shower, interact with anything. Everything is so overwhelmingly terrifing. Nobody understands, no one knows the thoughts inside. Speeding thoughts, bad decisions, dangerous behavior. People dislike you, they say your crazy behind your back. Nothing works like it does for people around you. It hurts.. in many ways. It hurts others... drives people away. The rules are not understood to you and you are so isolated. You lie to yourself and others because nothing makes any sense.

Spinning out of control

move a million miles an hour, Sin and spin out of control. Rant and cry laugh and surrender.

Find help or die.

Don't hate Oprah because you're crazy!!! How rude of you to put her down!!! A lot people nowadays tend to think their crazy when they might not be!!! If something in your life effects you in such a way that you can't go on then you've got a problem. If it doesn't effect your life like you might think then you're not crazy. People with mental illness aren't more often the victims of violence than the perpetrators. Sometimes people are born a with a illness they can't control. Sometimes people do things in their life to cause them to be predisposed to a illness. Just because the mother who was on the show killed her son, doesn't mean she was a bad person. Oprah wasn't making her out to be a prepetrator either. Oprah did this show to inform people about Bipolar. I learned a lot from the show because I have an old friend who has Bipolar. Don't knock oprah because you don't know what she's talking about!!!

PLEASE!

Avoid dispensing umbrella medical advice and be cautious of anyone who says one approach is a panacea. I have two children with bipolar disorder. Seven other members of our extended family are also diagnosed. Verification that biology is the cause of this illness. Each loved-one has responded quite differently to different treatment approaches. One of my kids takes meds, the other does not. Their illnesses are dramatically different, although both are diagnosed as bipolar. To tell all that medication is not necessary is criminal. Without meds my son is okay...without meds my daughter would be dead. Seek professional advice!

I believe that anything is possible when bipolar disorder is involved, especially when it is not treated properly. I have had people in my life that have been on one end of the spectrum to the other. A friend was diagnosed about twelve years ago and was prescribed Lithium and it was managed very well. But I also had a family member who studied psychology and believed that he knew more about his treatment than the numerous Dr's he had seen since his diagnosis more than 25 years ago. He refused to take any prescribed medications, including lithium, he instead convinced his doctor to use hypnosis and teach how to hypnotize himself, he was self medicated with marijuana and went without sleep for long periods of time. My mother believed in keeping his diagnosis a secret from his siblings, but he had been reading books about the holocaust and had not slept for 7 days when he had a psychotic episode and tried to kill his entire family, believing that the holocaust was happening in present time and he was saving us from being tortured. I know this because I was 1 of 2 survivors and could not reason with him, and he took his own life.

I know that what happened with my family is an extreme case of what can go wrong if bipolar disorder is misdiagnosed or mistreated and that most people are able to manage it with a lot of work and sacrifice, I just don't want any family to have to deal with the aftermath of a similar tragic event.

Bipolar disorder is a devastating illness for those who have it and those who love them.

I spent two years in love with a bipolar man. It began as the most wonderful and exciting relationship I'd ever had. He was incredibly bright and funny and accomplished -- an absolute joy to be with. And he expressed his feelings for me with an intensity I had never experienced from any other man. But of course that didn't last. After six months of bliss, I watched him slip into a morbid depression, and I then became his caregiver.

He took a medical leave from his job and spent most days sleeping. The low point was the night we spent in the emergency room of a psychiatric hospital because he was sobbing and talking about suicide. I wouldn't give up on him, believing that if we could make it through this, we could make it through anything.

Many months later, when his mood began to lift, I was ecstatic. But soon my happiness turned to confusion and worry. It started with his day-trading (he once lost $10,000 in two days). Within weeks he began confessing (or rather, bragging) about shoplifting - many expensive items from many different stores. There was lots of compulsive spending, reckless driving, irritability, and disproportionate anger about perceived wrongs committed by strangers. He also had a real fondness for prescription painkillers (which he couldn't get legitimately, so he stole them from family, friends, and even our local pharmacy).

I knew he had stopped going to therapy and taking his mood stabilizer. I pleaded with him to start again, but he just made excuses. He said the drugs made him feel sick, and the doctor was an idiot. He even confided to a mutual friend of ours that he was enjoying "riding the wave"; that his highs were his reward for suffering through the depressions.

He had also become very critical and mean-spirited towards me. Our wonderful romantic relationship had deteriorated into a roommate arrangement. I felt really unattractive and defective. I was mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted. The end finally came when I discovered he'd been having an affair for months. The day I confronted him was both the end and the beginning of my misery.

In the year since we split, I have agonized over what might have been, had he been willing to take responsibility for his treatment. I read Kay Jamison's "An Unquiet Mind" and cried my way through it. So many lives are needlessly torn apart by this terrible illness. I loved that man deeply, and I believe we could have had a great life together, but he wouldn't do the work.

I take some comfort in the fact that I could finally walk away from him completely. I feel very fortunate that we didn't have children or other lasting bonds. My heart goes out to the family members who can't walk away. It's a terribly difficult and turbulent life for them.

I just watched the show about bipolar disorder. I'm really glad to see this disorder being discussed-- I really believe it is a very common illness and it is helpful to people to be informed. I found it very interesting that there was also a show about a father who murdered his twin daughters. There was no mention of bipolar, even though he described hearing voices and having a "break". It is so easy to overlook this illness. My husband was diagnosed a year and a half ago. It was such a relief to finally have an answer to so many of his (and our) problems. I knew a little about this illness before he was diagnosed and I still didn't see it. He didn't have the wild behavior, he didn't talk fast or a lot, he didn't get angry or speak about wild ideas. He did have migraines from time to time, difficulty sleeping (which he hid from me by blaming his job), difficulty in social situations--which he tended to avoid, and he would go from times of work being very easy, which made him feel powerful, to times when he thought work was easy, but he was actually not doing it very well, to times of depression and feeling like a failure. He also had a tendency to start a lot of projects and never complete them. It has been quite a battle trying to get him well--he has almost constant migraines now and we're working on getting him on the right combo of meds. I say "we" because I take a very active role in this. The divorce rate among marriages dealing with this illness is very high and I really believe that this is "our" fight. I would like to see a show on the effects of bipolar disorder in children. This is a genetic disease and in researching what to watch for in my own children, I've learned that the sympoms for children are not necessarily the same as they are for teens or adults. So many children are treated for ADD, ADHD, depression, and anxiety, it makes me wonder how many families are suffering needlessly. I also find it interesting that some children who are diagnosed with and treated for depression actually get WORSE-- is there possibly a bipolar link?

Hello! I am curious how your son was diagnosed at such a young age...what signs did he have? What symptoms did he show? What happened etc.? My 8 year old has been struggling for a couple of years and his diagnosis is ADHD, but even w/ meds we can't seem to get him on a normal, traditional way of life in school etc. I have been diagnosed with Bi-Polar and I'm just wondering - since its hereditary - if he's got it too and if we're not medicating the correct problem. If you don't care to share details, I undestand, but I was just hoping you could shed some light for me so I might dig a little deeper for his sake. I'm SO exhausted from this battle that I could just scream, so I can only empathize w/ your struggle as well. I don't have any advise for you - I'm sorry - but I will pray that you find some help! Thanks and God bless!

Oprah,

Thank for building a postive message of hope with this episode on bi-polar disorder. I for one have known for over 1 1/2 years that there is a postive way to live with this illness as long as the person understands, accepts, and does the work to get better. The medication only takes you so far and the rest is done through therapy and positive family support.

About 1 1/2 year ago the world came crashing down around me as my husband seemed to drop off the deep end. I can honestly say that it was the best worst thing that ever happened. He was admitted, diagnosed, and treated. To put a name to what was going on in our lives helped as my husband always knew that something was wrong, but could never really understand the dark thoughts that constantly surrounded him.

In my husband's case stress brought out more pronounced symptons with extreme highs and then crashing lows. I remember telling him that I used to wait for him to get up in the morning to see how my day was going to go and how I was going to feel based upon his mood.

I think what people don't realize is that bi-polar disorder can consume and take a toll on people who live or are close to people with the disorder. I remember when my husband was admitted how confused and sad I was because this was not what I had planned for our life. The nurse took me aside and told me to go home and get some rest, but before letting me go she said, "That is not your husband in there, it is the depression talking." I didn't understand at the time because I couldn't see past what was happening, but sitting here today I know that is so true.

Today, on medication, we are happy, healthy, and living a postive life. I thank God everyday for the worst day of my life. I feel like otherwise this cycles would have gone on much longer and untreated things tend to just get worse.

The one recommendation I would make is that so many people make the mistake of seeing a primary care physican and they make not get the right diagnosis. All I can say is get a referral from your primary doctor to a psychiatrist for a proper diagnoses. It is easy when you have eye problems you see an optometrist, when you have a heart problems you see a cardiologist, well if experience symptons of mental illness see a psychiatrist.

Thank you, again, for putting a postive light of hope for people who suffer from this disease.

Oh my your story is sad and scary - thank you for sharing. My son is 8 and diagnosed w/ ADHD. When they put him on his first meds 10 mg of Focalin - he flipped out and became a whole different child. He also is a loving, caring child, but on those meds it was like Jekle and Hyde. We did it for 26 days and then the dr. told us he shouldn't be on them. He sent us to a pshychiatirst because he thought that meant he was "bi-polar". Our pshychiatrist doesn't think so, but since I've been diagnosed also, it SCARES THE HELL OUT OF ME. How did you KNOW your child had more problems? What "gut instict" told you so? I think I'm feeling the same way but can't put my finger on it...what meds have helped you guys? How did you find the right dr.? We are supposedly going to the best, but w/ hardly any progress I wonder some days if we're on the right track...

Thanks again for sharing. It opens my eyes and heart to hear my gut!

My first post glitched out so I'll write the short version. You're right about bipolar people being bright. I'm sure you're smart and creative. I have bipolar and was misdiagnosed and mismedicated for most of my life. I'm a health care professional and know a little something about this illness. Mind over matter won't keep it under control. The PROPER medication has made my life whole. As smart as you are, why don't you at least give it a shot. You have nothing to lose. People with our illness don't like to "take our medicine". I wish I had stayed on mine when I was younger. So do my children. We can talk about it now that they are adults and they will tell me now, "Mom, don't ever go off your meds." And I tell them not to worry, I won't.

I won't make any comment or judgments on the lady who killed her child. I won't make any judgments about you. However, I can see by what your wrote and how you express yourself that you are angry. I never got angry and I have never hurt anyone. I still have bipolar disorder. I think you should talk to your friends and family and ask THEM what they think about your behavior, because I don't think you have a clue. You still have bipolar. And you are NOT stable. And last, I'm 100% sure Dr. Phil would agree with not only Oprah, but with me.

I want to thank Oprah for having a show on Bipolar Disorder. It is a lot more common than most people would like to admit, and yet it comes with such a stigma. I suffer from it and wouldn't wish it on anyone. Luckily I have medication and a wonderful counselor and Dr. whom I can talk to regularly. Without the medication I would be hospitalized or dead, and it took me years to finally admit to that. You have to stick with your pills, once you find the right combination. I still miss the 'highs' but the lows were just so devestatingly brutal, I felt like I was run over by a tank.

I have nothing but pitty for the woman who killed her son. I understand how out of your mind you can become. Sometimes you have these delusions of grandeur and you think the world revolves around you. Othertimes, you think the world is after you. I used to think U2 song lyrics were about me, and Bono was going to give me a big concert, and Oprah was sending me secret messages over her show from all the crazy letters I'd written her. Bipolar can be really destructive. For me it was like really living 'the Trueman show'. Pretty freaky. I used to think there were cameras and microphones all over my house recording my every move. Just beyond paranoia. It was horrible. I was scared to leave the house. I was scared to be at home. I didn't want to live, I didn't want to die, I just want to be transported somewhere safe, far, far, away. Bipolar is so much more than what people think. It's not just ' snap out of it' stuff. These days I'm on disability what the heck I should do with my life now. It's still challenging sometimes, but I have a great support network, and if I need to know I can check myself into the hospital. I had to earlier this year. And I'm okay with that. I just wish society was.

To sullypully. Your note also suggests a condition known as BPD. Borderline Personality Disorder. Please search for information regarding this disorder.

What struck me was the frank assertions that bipolar can cause SO MANY different types of horrible symptoms. I have bipolar and have only recently realized how many of my troubling problems are related to this diagnosis. Most of the time we only hear "bipolar causes extreme highs and lows." But guess what?? Hypomania can be classified as "dysphoric," in other words, it DOESN'T feel good--hence my meltdown at my appointment at the sleep clinic this summer. ANd guess what else? You can have mixed states--symptoms of BOTH mania/hypomania AND depression AT THE SAME TIME. Not sleeping, sleeping too much, irritability, agitation, anxiety, mixed state rapid cycling between mania/hypomania and depression (a REAL treat, especially if the "highs" are dysphoric), overspending, irresponsible sexual behavior, and deep, dark, lonely, all-encompassing depression that leaves you tired of the fight, ready to die rather than endure another cycle....these are ALL symptoms I have expereinced in the last 2 months. And I have been taking psychotropic meds for 22 years. I ended up opting for shock treatments to get me out of the miserable depression that got me so low and so tired I had decided I wasn't goign to live like that any more. I already have memory problems from the shock treatments and some cognitive losses (I can't do all the "follow my finger, touch your nose" exercises the doctor asked of me), but I plan to continue with monthly shock to keep the depresion at bay, as I have tried 3 generations of antidepressants and still got to this state of depression 25 years later--my depression is "treatment resistant," in other words does not resolve with the use of antidepressants.

I'm glad Oprah had this discussion today. I have been emailing them for a couple years to have a show about people with severe mental illnesses living on disability. It's one thing to be sick and have resources, quite another if you don't. I did, however, realize that they would probalby only do a show that involved people who were not indigent--the middle class moms who get to watch Oprah relate best to other middle class moms.

I did not get to see the whole show, and I was jsut wondering how this mother had never been diagnosed before she got to the point of hearing voices (psychosis.) MOST people are diagnosed by the time they are 20, although there are exceptions--me for example. I did not have any hypomania until the year 2000, and even then, it was during a depression (I had never heard of mixed states, even though I had a master's in psychology) But I had been treated for OCD and had had problems with depression since I was 15 (1982.) What happened in this case is tragic. The sheer VOLUME of symptoms of bipolar will drive you nuts. It's a daily struggle jsut to live with them, even with meds, sometimes. Thanks for the show...