Bipolar Support Group

I wonder because my GF was very moody and needed to be treated on saturday, had migraine and essentially collapsed. yet my brother in law had her on the phone a day later and she was very calm, collected an seemed a normal person? Is this what happens in mania. If not, can this happen in hypomania. She was expected back today, but no one received a call (she promised to call us when she would come back and that would be 20 august)........

Is she bipolar or are you not sure?

If so this could easily fit into bipolar a few different ways. She could be rapid cycling which could explain manic behavior followed by a level state or depressive state soon afterwards (with bipolar, how often the states cycle widely varies from person to person). Or there could be some form or mixed state going on - either way I would say don't panic but definitely try to get in touch with her and however she is feeling, make sure she feels comfortable coming back/talking and not embarrassed about Saturday or anything like that. It is definitely important to try and stay in regular contact with someone who is cycling between states, not that they are necessarily in danger or anything but just so they know they can be around you and feel safe.

She has never been diagnosed with bipolar, however there can be no doubt she went manic 2 months ago. FLight of ideas, rapid speech, grandiose ideas, distractable, 2-3 hours sleep even valium, spending money like crazy, finally leaving without a trace out of the mental institution for three times. She has clomipramine, Trazolan and uses vast amounts of pott. All can cause mania on their own. She had psychotic thoughts, became very irritable a month ago. Took of after stealing money form her mum and aunt. Sned a card her mum just received (sent on 16th) juy with "sorry mum on it". And very strange writing on it. Her agenda.diary went completely bazurk full of text all over the place. Finally: wnet of to France with no money (from NL), met a guy she completely trusts and was with him for three weeks. Blamed me for not paying her debts and this was her vengeance on me and her sister) because she thought we wanted to teach her a lesson (paranoid). So there is little doubt about her mania. Untreated, although she has seroquel. Psych wanted her immediately off the clomipramine though....but she had a recepy for another 2 months and took it with her. So she says we are defintely over now. However: we had a very good relationship certainly the las ttwo years and until 10 july she regualry told me she loved me. Told her sister that she had so much in her life because she has me, in july....I know she was happy with me and loved me to pieces.

So things have gone completely out fo control. She is manic. Besides: uncle is psych and had her on the phone (well, listend to his wife with her on the phone). she was calm and wanted mone. Wnet crazy when ant told her to contact me.

which is the point: she sold her phone a month ago in Paris because of no money (also my fault). The guy she is with took off (tld me in his last mail she was collapsing and really needed to be treated...) so we cannot reach her.....

Anways: the calmness (she was called by her brother tahan, not cllaed him so she can't have been waitning for a calm spell) was clear, he speech and thoughts coherent. Nothing seemed wrong.Although her anger towards me is based on nothing.

She came back and was quite normal, better than I have seen her in 3 months. everything that could go wrong, wnet wrong. She has been psychotic in a sense that everything she did was out of her control and special. what exacerbated it was the fact that in the beginning she lost her medication (so when she was in France). at the end, she got he clomipramine back and did not have any cannabis anymore.

When she came back home last friday (a week ago), this is when reality kicked in. she saw the presents she left behind and a birthdaycard for herself with her new name on it. Found it very strange. Next day we met (coincidentally moreless). we had a huge, but virtually nonviolent discussion about our side of the story (familly and me). And the fact her new friend told so many lies and manipulated us big time. After that, things became better and better.

Went to the psychiatrist yesterday and it is clear she is bipolar now. Seroquel, used to be 50 mg, isnow at 300 mg. He was clear about cannabis: it is known to induce mania and psychosis especially to vulnerable people, like her (he said). She was almost off of it but has begun using it again. I noticed the last two days after use that irritability is clearly up when the high comes down. She is nagging etc.

Psych. did not want her in lithium right away, also because of adverse effects....may be lithium orotate can do the trick. Evidence is lacking though, a lot of anecdotes by people and even psychiatrists pointing to clear positive effects without the downsides.

Psychiatrist did not want the clomipramine, but with 50 mg he thought not much of it anyway (he laughed about 50 mg seroquel....just a sleeping pil he said).