Bipolar Support Group

I feel like I'm asking a million questions, but I've never had anyone to ask so here's another one. Sometimes I feel like my emotions get really deep. It's hard to explain. I start feeling emotion for things that normally wouldn't cause an emotional reaction. The emotions are extremely strong too. A lot of times it'll almost bring me to tears. The weird thing is I'm not manic or depressed at the time. It's usually when my mood is shifting. Often after these deep emotions I become numb. Does anyone else experience anything like this?

Hi Bioe14, Even if you are asking a million question, there are, at this moment, 8722 members who can answer those questions!

Yes, I believe other people commonly have the type of experience you are describing.

You appear to be describing what I would call a deeply felt emotion or an emotional state brought on by musing or contemplation. The emotional experience is just as you describe: extremely strong, perhaps even profound at times. This can be followed in some people by a kind of emotional "numbing" or "resting."

It sounds like you are undergoing a great deal of personal growth. Now would be a great time to hook up with a counselor or therapist at your University through student health services.

I have a question about that. I was seeing a counselor through my pdoc's office, but I really can't afford to pay that much to see her and I'm not telling my parents about my mental health anymore, because they make it worse. So, obviously I can't ask them for help to pay for it. We have free counseling on my college campus, but I didn't know if it was a good idea to have counseling at campus and pdoc somewhere else with them having no communication. I would really love to have a counselor to work with, but up until now this has been stopping me. Is it okay to have a counselor with no communication to my pdoc?

I utilize free counseling on my campus, as well as free psychiatric services. There isn't much communication between my counselor and pdoc though. I think that it can be okay to have a counselor in a different location.

I use the free school counselor, but a VA psych nurse who prescribes medications. They have no contact at all and it works fine.

Thanks guys! I'll call the Counseling Center on Monday to set it up.

Most of my experience has been my therapist and pdoc never talking to each other. One is for medication management and the other is for therapy. I don't see why a consent form can't be initiated so that your therapist and pdoc can communicate with each other. That may be of some benefit for you.

I have to agree with 'sarahtroy's first post here, Bioe14. Many people experience exactly what you are describing, including myself. In my opinion, you are experiencing growth toward a more compassionate individual, with genuine concern for other individuals and/or unjust circumstances/situations. I have always worn my heart on my sleeve and am literally brought to tears with much of the sad news that we, as a society, witness on a day to day basis. I simply can not comprehend it and it breaks my heart to the point that I actually feel the pain and the despair of a total stranger. This is the reason I often avoid watching the news. It's really not a bad thing ... if we learn from it. Unfortunately, at 54, what I have learned from it is that I should have went into a field where I could have built on, and utilized, that compassion to help improve the lives of the most vulnerable of our society.

I once had an extremely wise individual tell me, "...Only when your head disagrees with your heart, will you have personal conflict..." With that being said, maybe this is an opportunity to reevaluate your future by listening a bit more to your heart in lieu of only following your head.

Learn ... Grow ... Live