Mental Illness or Psychiatric Disorder and Addiction

[lostinla]

I would like to just post this quick question before my nights end. I think it would be quite interesting to find out the population here who has been diagnosed, mis diagnosed, or just 'wondered' about the possiblity of depression, adhd, bipolar disorder, etc. The relationship between the mis wiring of the brain (which I think makes the mind more beautiful) and the use or liking to the usage of various substances usually goes hand in hand. Any thoughts? Actually, experiences. We all know the 'data' and all of the rest. Personal experiences are the best . SWIM would love to hear SWIYs' thoughts!

[missmolly2808]

Interesting.......yes SWIM has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and takes anything but lithium(which is prescribed)to help it. SWIM started young enough I suppose 14 or so. Started with weed graduated to everything but meth and shooting up heroin(terrified of heroin). Now that SWIM is 28 she tends to keep her need to be high on something......anything under cover. Not a person in her life has a clue. SWIMS fav thing to do in her older age is to take adderall xr....90 to 120 mg of it per day. It is prescribed to SWIM but SWIM is not ADHD in any way.......bipolar and adhd are commonly confused. SWIM is bipolar, no doubt about it. SWIM has bee out of adderall for a couple of weeks and has tried to find other ways, any other way to feel outside of herself. Such as, weed, vicoden, cocaine, GHB, alcahol. Hey whatever........SWIM is excited about the first of the month to get her adderall. Lastnight SWIM took a seroquil and slept until 2p.m. she has exhausted all of her resources and has nothing left but darvocet and GHB.....that is gonna be her day today. Tommorrow is another day, hopefully SWIM comed across something else since she has to take like 8 darvocet to feel any kind of buzz. WOW this SWIM person sounds crazy in writing. Time for an intervention I suppose

[lostinla]

SWIYS NOT CRAZY in writing. On the contrary. That is why I started this post. Yes bipolar and ADHD are commonly confused. They are also brought about by other chronic neurological diseases, such as Lyme. A terrible thing. The deficiency or mis wiring as I refer to it- of our neurotransmitters make many crave anything that will give that rush of dopamine/norepinephrin. The also unfortunate marketing of antidepressants, bipolar II meds/etc, also make MDs very free with those prescriptions and furthermore the labeling of patients who really could be ill. Like the latest commerial about Abilify- 'is your antidepressant not enough?'. Many need those drugs, but many also have a bigger physical issue, and the antidepressant/ADHD med could just mask it, make it feel 'better' for a while, but not long, only making matters worse in the long run. The seroquel is super sedating and SWIM understands all of it. It's tough, also the HIDING. SWIM-same boat. Very much so. It's funny, well, not funny. Odd. I guess depending on where one is from, SWIM finds many wanting for one thing, having another. SWIM has adderal and isn't really using since I am not feeling that great. And of course, always wanting something else! Isn't that the way life goes? Best of luck to you.
PS I am surprised you get anything out of those little darvocets which I think are pretty much-tylenol (yes I know -propoxyphene-before I get corrected by someone else!) Take care!

lostinla added 1 Minutes and 10 Seconds later...

I am also assuming that most know that many or most antidepressants, SSRI or the combo varieties- can make Bi polar disorder MUCH WORSE as well. Had to add that.

[wonky]

SWIM has always had manic tendencies and likes to live in a fantasy world when SWIM is not using anything-which can be for years on end. SWIM has been on and off ssri's and the like, they have left her feeling flat, emotionless, blah, so she always stopped, preffering the manic, euphoric zest for life that made her feel life was worth living. Problem was, this always got SWIM into trouble in one way or another (switching jobs, buying ridiculous amounts of books, spending thousands on being a raw foodist to the point of being seriously in debt, etc). SWIM came across an idiot psychiatrist that put her on Wellbutrin-the absolute wrong drug for any type of mania-it spun SWIM out of control. This was 3 years ago, but it was a long, downhill slide for SWIM after that, and she still does not feel that she has recovered from it. SWIM has always used opiates occasionally to get relief from her mania. But like every other great idea SWIM has, the opiate run is good for a month, two months max. Then SWIM doesn't want to do it anymore because it's not fun. So she gets off the opieates, either cold-turkeys, or tapers. Right now SWIM is still tapering, she is almost at the end, and glad to be so. SWIM doesn't want any more psychiatric drugs, she feels they have made her worse over the years, even though the medical community will tell her that it is just the natural progression of mania. SWIM really does think the chemical drugs messed up her brain. SWIM has since been diagnosed as bi-polar, depressive, social anxiety phobia. SWIM doesn't have these things when not taking psych drugs, or when given enough time to recover from the effects of them-which might take a while this time. Only mania.

[lostinla]

Ah. I do remember SWIY on the taper and yippie for that! Very proud SWIY should be. The mania is destructive, you know as you describe it well. SWIM knows too and can spend a few thousand in fifteen minutes. That runs for about a few weeks, sometimes longer. Very bad for sure. The other unfortunate thing is that bipolar is ESPECIALLY common for the more creative, many who are genuises. I know a few of the famous who have or had bipolar (had meaning-when alive of course).***While the disorder affects people differently, individuals with bipolar disorder during the manic phase tend to be much more outgoing and daring than individuals without bipolar disorder.
Some studies have found a significant correlation between creativity and bipolar disorder. Though a positive correlation between the two, its unclear in which direction the cause lies, or whether both conditions are caused by a third unknown factor. Temperament has been hypothesized to be one such factor.
A series of authors have described mania or hypomania as related to higher accomplishment, elevated achievement , and motivation. *Greater than average goals to strive for excellence- moreso in their manic phases.

Some of the famous (more on Wiki of course and other sites):::


Lord Byron Beethoven Maz Bemis Adrian Borland Russell Brand Dick Cavett, Kurt Cobain Charles Dickens Richard Dreyfuss, Patty Duke, Carrie Fisher, Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, William Faulkner Stephen Foster Peter Gabriel Matthew Good Macy Gray Graham Greene Linda Hamilton Ernest Hemingway John Keats Margot Kidder Vivien Leigh Jenifer Lewis Kristy McNichol Sir Isaac Newton
Florence Nightingale Sinéad O'Connor Ozzy Osbourne Cheri Oteri Jane Pauley Edgar Allan Poe Charley Pride Axl Rose Nina Simone Sidney Sheldon Mark Twain Vincent van Gogh Kurt Vonnegut Brian Wilson Virginia Woolf

one small note as well. Many , women especially, will go off anything if the weight gain due to the medicine becomes an issue for them. Most gain an average of 10 lbs, I see it more like 20 after a good six months on SSRIs and a bipolar II med such as lamotrigine. Most liberal physicians will use another 'off label' use med such as topamax/for migraines- to curb the appetite and tolerated extremely well. Ha ha , always a 'fix' with another pill! Its a tough call, a tough illness. SWIMS sister in law has classic bipolar. AS soon as she is off her lithium, she is out guzzling mickeys of vodka in one gulp, and spray painting cars. It's such night and day, such a sweet person when on lithium . YOu can't force even them to take it, not even hold them long enough in a prison to get them back on track. Very poor mental health system here. There I go on another thought!
Once again, good for swiy ... Tapering. Much smarter than swim