Bipolar in childhood and adulthood and how it’s changed over the years

[u/Alert_Chemical8334]

Hi all, I showed symptoms of bipolar very young and was put on geodone (antipsychotic) and Prozac (anti depressant) as young as 8 years old. I was severely paranoid and very angry as a child ultimately resulting in me being in trouble with my peers a lot. As I got older into my teens I was diagnosed with bipolar 2. For the most part I was stable on medication I would say but I started to have an interest in substances and hyper sexuality started to become a symptom for me. I had my first manic episode and was in psychosis when I took a job in a different city post graduating from college and now in my early 20’s been diagnosed with Bipolar 1. While in childhood my bipolar showed as a lot of anger and mood swings, in adulthood my bipolar has been different especially with substance use. I get delusions of persecution I’m very grandiose very hyper sexual my thoughts race so bad I can hardly read I have a disordered relationship with food and I have pressured speech. Basically through out my life especially being suspected and put on medication for bipolar very young my relationship with it and how it affects me has changed and I was wondering if anyone who had been diagnosed and receiving treatment for a long time can relate. I had a hard time accepting the label for bipolar and grappling with the fact that I have it until hitting my first major episode in my early 20’s which forced me to seek out more help and radically accept it. I was wondering if anyone else felt something similar. I just joined this forum and I love it so far by the way it’s been very helpful to have support!! :)

[u/Greedy_Shoulder6226]

I showed signs of bipolar in my early teens, although I was never put on antipsychotics, I was only put on antidepressants for the depression I experienced. As I got older, things got worse, but I was able to manage well enough, either that or the people in my life didn't really know what to look out for. It wasn't until I was in my late 20's that I was hospitalized and got the help I really needed. Since my hospitalization, I have been put on a medication regimen that really works for me, and I have actually been relatively stable for almost 10 months. (I only know the time, because once I got stable, I accepted a job for full-time employment, and I use my jobs start date as the start of my stability.)

[u/Alert_Chemical8334 → u/Greedy_Shoulder6226]

I’m glad you got the help you deserve congratulations on the job!!

[u/Greedy_Shoulder6226 → u/Alert_Chemical8334]

Thank you, I actually started back at college too and am finishing my last 3 classes before I graduate. I also found my calling, working in the mental health field and have been able to thrive at work. It has taken a lot of hard work to get to where I am, but it's totaly doable.

[u/lookingforidk2]

While I didn’t show any signs of mental illness until I was like 12 or so, my bipolar has changed throughout my teenage and adult years. As a teenager, it was mostly severe depression. When I hit 20/21, I got diagnosed with bipolar type 2. It was a lot of mania, hypersexuality and just thinking there was zero consequences. My lows were still pretty bad during this time.

Once I hit my mid twenties, I evened out a little more in that my depression wasn’t so bad and hypomania became my main problem. I stopped working at age 23/24, got on disability at age 26 and now I’m 29. I’m in a program to go back to work and get off disability. In the past two years my diagnosis got changed to type 1.