Looking for feedback on personal experiences or stories you have heard of people in bipolar relationships. And what would you recommend to someone who was about to enter a relationship with a bipolar person? Because I’ve only heard that it is the worst.

Also, do you know how early (at what age) signs of it would be apparent? My mother said looking back there were signs but that she didn’t know what it was -ie: I was a very moody child.

Being bipolar, or having bipolar disease is the name that is now given to what used to be called manic depression years ago. Millions of people all over the world have been diagnosed as being bipolar, or being on the bipolar spectrum – but many are unsure as to what this actually means. Bipolar disorder is known as a mood disorder which is typified by highs and lows which are much more extreme than most people are used to. Whilst in the grip of a bipolar episode suffers can act in ways that are very unlike their normal pattern of behaviour and this can sometimes turn dangerous.
Being bipolar means that these increased highs and lows interfere in a person’s daily life to such an extent that they are unable to function normally. For instance during a high, a bipolar sufferer may feel incredibly elated and as though they are unstoppable. They might feel full of energy and ready to take on the world, and whilst this initially sounds like a good thing this behaviour can soon change. This can then lead to the person who is bipolar making bad decisions, turning to stimulate drugs such as cocaine and consuming excessive amounts of alcohol. Some people also find that during a high they will get an overwhelming urge to spend large amounts of money that often they cannot afford. During these highs, often referred to as a manic episode, the sufferer may also feel angry and anxious.
During a low these feelings will switch to deep depression, and this can last for very prolonged periods of time and this can have a profound effect on the bipolar sufferer. They might not want to get up in the mornings so their work will suffer. They may find that they have little or no appetite so they will often lose weight and things that they once enjoyed hold no appeal. Some people who are bipolar also contemplate suicide so it is important that they have the right amount of care during a low.
These highs and lows can be mixed with times when the person with bipolar can feel quite well and as though they are not bipolar. This can be a tough time as it is at this point that some bipolar sufferers believe that they are cured and no longer have to take their prescribed medication. It is crucial that any medication prescribed, such as Lithium, to control and regulate the moods is taken every day at the set time. Such medication will help to control the symptoms of bipolar disorder and make life much more bearable for the sufferer. Without the correct medication bipolar disorder can become intolerable as the persons moods will fluctuate rapidly and this is very dangerous as they can put themselves at risk. However, when it is controlled properly bipolar disorder sufferers can live a perfectly normal and happy life.

Being diagnosed with an illness can often bring a sense of relief. It can help a person to make sense of the way they have been feeling for some time and draw a line under the frustration of not knowing what their condition was. At the same time though it can also bring up a whole host of new questions and worries, and this certainly happens when a person is diagnosed as being bipolar.
Bipolar disorder or disease as it is also known is a type of mood disorder that can send the bipolar person into manic highs and depressive lows. In between these periods, or episodes, the individual who is bipolar can feel totally normal and this is what can make having a diagnosis of bipolar disorder so hard to cope with.
Unfortunately being diagnosed with bipolar is seen as something as a stigma and this is due, in part to society not fully understanding the impact that being bipolar has on a person. Being diagnosed with bipolar is just the start of a long journey for a person who is striving to become well again and wants to function just like anyone else. It is all too easy to think that as soon as a person finds out they are bipolar all they have to do is to start taking their pills for the disease and this will miraculously cure them in no time. This assumption is wrong.
Instead being diagnosed with bipolar means that the person can now start to find what type of treatment will work the best for them and move forward with their lives. If you have had a recent diagnosis of bipolar you might have mixed feelings about what this will mean for your future so it is essential that you find out all you can about the condition.
Bipolar disorder can be treated in two main ways – with drugs which are prescribed specifically to the individual based on their own needs and the severity of their bipolar disorder and psychosocial treatments. Lithium is often used as it works very well as a mood stabiliser and there are different strengths of this available for doctors to prescribe for people diagnosed as being bipolar. Lamotrigine is also used if the patient has severe episodes of depression as this can help to alleviate the symptoms and further stabilise the mood. There is currently a strong debate over whether or not antidepressants should be used to treat those people who are bipolar as they have been known to be a trigger for depressive episodes, so it is quite unlikely that these would be prescribed.
Psychosocial treatments can come in the form of cognitive behaviour therapies and similar as these work at the core of bipolar disease and help to highlight emotional triggers for a sufferer. In fact many people believe that when used in conjunction with the correct drugs psychosocial therapy can make a big difference to the quality of life for a person who is bipolar.

effect ones ability to complete a college degree?
How do these conditions effect ones ability to complete a college degree? I have started and stopped 3 times,possibly because I doubt myself also anxiety and unable to determine a course of study?