Experiences with Bipolar Disorder Severity as You Age

It feels worse for me, getting older itself passing into my late 20s is making my depression so much worse

I feel you there, MissMatched, it seems like bipolar always runs with a pack of other serious problems, as if one wasn't devastating enough on its own 🙁

Worse for me means longer and more devastating manic episodes. 2018-2020 were the three worst years of my life for seasonal spring manias. The depressions are awful too - I barely survived fall 2019, and only due to rare luck - but the manic episodes have cost me the most in terms of finances, relationships, jobs, reputation, self esteem, etc. 2022 turned out to be a better year as far as spring time manias go, but I had to make drastic changes in my living situation, and it was a very difficult, painful, and expensive thing to do.

Worse how? I found medication for mine

Worse, worse, worse but I also have co-occurring mental illnesses. So....

I was diagnosed when I was 24. I’m now 59. It got worse

I'm encouraged to hear you've made progress, live2train. Sometimes it feels like a full time job managing the symptoms, doesn't it?

We didn't know what was wrong with me, and I didn't get a correct diagnosis, until I was hospitalized at age 41. Once we knew the symptoms it was clear I'd been suffering from mania and depression since I was 19. It's been very hard finding medicine that works even a little, and I've had to make major, disruptive lifestyle changes to lower my stress level enough that reduced my symptoms. Also to get my loved ones out of the "blast radius" when the mania hits. We call the manic version of me "The Other Guy" (Avengers Hulk reference). I keep hoping I will "age-out" of the worst symptoms, but I turn 58 next month and it hasn't happened yet. The last 4 springs have been increasingly worse, but this spring looks to be better than most, and only because I'm living alone for the first time in 35 years. I want to get off this ride.

I'm sorry to hear that, Kenney, that sounds like the worst possible way to receive a diagnosis that is itself really bad news.

I was recently diagnosed with bipolar my biological mother had it. I would go weeks never wanking to get out of bed, can’t focus, I felt like giving up. But out of nowhere I would get this energy where I wouldn’t sleep I wanted to do things I felt like I could do anything. Because of my age I was only diagnosed because I was hospitalized.

For me it got worse as I got older, it started as just mild depression and then hypomania where I would drink a lot and have more energy. After a while, the depression got darker and the mania became mixed, where I was drunk, fighting, breaking things and doing things I regretted. Ever since I've gotten on meds and made lifestyle changes, it hasn't gotten any worse. The good news is it gets easier to manage with practice. Learn all you can about how to manage bipolar and talk to others about what has helped them.

Auto correct fail, should read "Bipolar Disorder I"