Get by with a little help from your friends

"It's best to nip the hypomanias and manias in the bud before they develop into bona fide cycles. Unfortunately we're not able to do this job all by ourselves. Because the extra shot of energy feels great. According to Dr. Duckworth, half of persons with bipolar disorder don't know that they are ill when symptoms appear. Which is why trusting, loving relationships are so essential to our recovery. OTHERS recognize our manias well before we do."

I've always been a big advocate for letting your close friends know you have bipolar disorder, and explaining to them what it is. The more people you have in your life who can call you on your shit, the more likely you are to receive help early in a manic or depressive episode.

I think I said this already, but a friend of mine sat down at dinner with me a couple of weeks ago and said, "Are you manic?" I wondered how he could tell, and he said, "It's like you have a Devo hat on with a big flashing light on top." Emily told me I look coked out when I'm manic. So I suppose it's easy to tell. The same friend came over last week, and said, "Wow, now you're depressed." I think it helps that we lived together for 2 years, but he can recognize the symptoms almost immediately and let me know.

Without the help of therapists and friends, it's hard to recognize your own symptoms, especially when you're manic and feeling awesome. You just think, "Hey, I'm out of the depression! Yeah!" It sometimes doesn't occur to you that you've swung too far in the opposite direction.

So tell your confidants and let them help you. It's nothing to be ashamed of, and often it relieves people because they then understand why you get crazy sometimes.