#mixed episodes

[funeral]

Giulio Perugi and Hagop S. Akiskal, "Emerging concepts of mixed states: a longitudinal perspective"

[ghostlyschizophrenic]

me: i’m handling my psychosis very well throughout this bipolar crisis that’s great:

the sounds in the walls, water, and radio static;

[robynleefaryna]

It's that time of the year where things get weird for me. So sad and tired - just want to sleep, but can only mange to get 4-5 hours of broken sleep a night... I do nap during the day, but can only mange 45 mins to a hour and a half. I tend to have these ridiculous mixed episodes, and I'm worried I'm slipping i into one.

[of-wounds-and-woes]

Tane GIF dump :)

[weirdfreakcrazy]

I fear that one day I might lose this battle, that one day I may fail myself, my very self.

[lilac-and-bones-blog]

mixed episodes be like:

[hussyknee]

Dysphoric hypomania is when you feel like your skin is full of bees and you want to curl up into a ball and scream till the bees are expelled from your lungs but you can't sit still long enough, you cant stand, you cant walk without suddenly wanting to punch a wall, everything is wrong - you're in the wrong place, the wrong body, the wrong time and you want to peel out of your skin. You want to cry and cry but you feel too anxious, you feel murderously angry at the slightest thing, everything hurts, nowhere is safe, nothing is enough, you can't sleep, you cant think, you tried to read but the words stopped making sense and you began to cry with frustration.

Bees bees bees. Buzzing in your face, behind your eyes, on your tongue, in your chest in your fingers, in your skin. Never letting you rest, or sleep, or think.

And it goes on like that for days, if not weeks.

[thatbipolarfeelwhen]

Anon who wants an opinion on what kind of episode. I've been swinging wildly between having extremely high self esteem and wanting to hurt myself, little to no need for sleep (only laying down when the painful thoughts set in). My mind is going fast as can be and I've been feeling creative. Sometimes my body can keep up, sometimes it can't. I've been doing pills (oxys left over from my sister's post-surgery) to try and slow my mind down. I've skipped classes and nearly screamed at customers (1/?

(2/3) at work for the smallest things when I’m usually very docile, polite, and non-confrontational. And what’s interesting is that I seem to feel euphoric during the day and start to feel like shit at night and I hate it. I’ve been wanting to steal my dad’s weed too but I haven’t gotten an opportunity even though I’ve been planning it out and honestly I just wanna go on a bender despite the fact that I should be doing school work and taking care of myself. Is this a mixed episode?

(3/3) I forgot to mention that I’ve also been super overtly sexual as well, masturbating in weird places around the house and even a little at work (I haven’t gotten caught luckily). I’ve been buying a lot of things too and my OCD has been acting up and I forced myself to sleep this morning after staying up all night and now I just feel like shit. I also haven’t been tired at any time I was waking up for the past week or two and I’m usually always tired when waking up no matter what 

Answer: 

From what I’m reading, this does sound like a mixed episode. It sounds more like hypomania with mixed features instead of depression with mixed features. 

I’ve been there, several times. The best thing I can recommend is to reach out for help. If you have an official diagnosis and your family is aware of it, tell them you’re having trouble and need extra help. It sucks asking for help, especially during an episode, but really, it’s harder to go through it alone. If you have a mental health team, definitely reach out to them, the sooner the better, and let them know all of your symptoms. They’ll have more insight as to how to cope, what adjustments may need to be made, etc. Also tell your teachers, let them know that you’re struggling (you don’t have to be specific), and that you’d appreciate any help/extensions on assignments/whatever you need. 

Ways that I’ve dealt with mixed episodes include: journaling, talking (even when I’m talking a million miles a minute and not making much sense, it helps), self care, sleep aids (melatonin, recommended dosage), and as cliche as it sounds, tea before bed (or when I try to go to sleep). I find that the more honest I am with the people around me about my thoughts (I want to do drugs, I want to go for a drive, etc.), the easier it is for me to avoid risky behavior. If I tell my support system that’s what I want to do, they’ll be looking for it and it’ll be harder to hide, so I just avoid it all together. Admittedly, it makes me for frustrated that I can’t act on my impulses, but ultimately, it keeps me safe. 

With the energy you have, try to create a schedule for yourself. It may be hard to stick to right now, but trying can’t hurt. Set aside times for you to do school work (like surrounding your classes), time to take care of yourself (a little longer than usual. take time for yourself), and time to sleep. Sleep is a huge help in mood regulation, and if you can find a good balance in your sleep, you can slowly work your way back to baseline.  

I hope this helps. 

- mod ben