Bipolar is shit

I suffer too and have tried twice to take my own life.
I just wish there was a cure.

Although there is (of yet) no ‘cure’, I’ve found medication (which I’ll on until the day I die unless they do find a cure) reduces the severity of the ups and downs, and cognitive behavioral therapy really makes you see yourself, and your place in life, in a whole new light.

I’ve also attended a course for understanding and managing the illness and another on improving self confidence. Both were enormously helpful as was meeting other sufferers and sharing stories with them.

Edit: I’ll just add that overall (yes, I still have bad days, and sometimes suicidal-ish thoughts) I’ve never been happier, and I’m sure I’m happier and more content than most people including those without a mental illness.

Mine just seemed to tail off slowly. I still swing from side to side but the peaks seem lower. Compared to my late teens/early twenties when I was immensely unpredictable and damaging to those around me, this is entirely manageable.

Hope yours does the same. I could never talk about it to people back then because of macho bollocks, don’t follow that path.

I would like to thank the people who talk about this subject on Singletrack. It helped me a lot in the past to deal with / start to understand someone possibly bi-polar. Since then my next door neighbour and the wife of a friend have also been diagnosed, and again, peoples conversations on here helped with that too as any info that is from real life experience is helpful and constructive.

Hugely grateful for peoples openness and indeed for their bravery. It helps non-bipolar people so much. I hope your lives continue to improve.