Bipolar 2 Disorder

Hi, my name is Brian. I'm 44 years old and have been a mess for 30+ of those years. Severe depression, bipolar2, anxiety, substance abuse, and the like. I don't know anything about this place. Just that it was mentioned as a community or resource I might find useful. I have no idea.I'm in the process of trying to become a mental health/substance abuse peer counselor in California. Actually I'm moving in a few months and plan to do process in the Fall of 2026 when I'm established in my new city. Until then I'm learning about things, blogging, and trying to hold on. I mean... I don't know. What did I just say? There's so much more. I'm glad to be here! Thanks!

#MightyTogether

I’m curious, I’ve been taking low dose lamotrigine now for around 6 months. At first I felt a shift, I felt more centred and each day I get a sense that I think differently, I am making better choices, my thought patterns feel more coherent, can anyone relate.

I feel like I’m only mildly on the spectrum of bipolar 2, hence the late diagnosis at the age of 57.

My psychiatrist is assessing the diagnosis and is no longer certain, now considering maybe an anxiety disorder. think bipolar2/anxiety disorder are both pheasable.

I feel I have been anxious all my life and masking depression, I think the manic behaviour has been a result of trying to escape or fix my anxiety.

Now I am taking lamotrigine I feel like the mask has come off, I am no longer manic (or as manic) but I also can’t escape the depression I have been masking.

Can anyone relate? I told my daughter they are reconsidering the diagnosis and I could see she was anxious about this.

I explained I am doing much better and she agrees but only since I have been medicated.

Can anyone relate?

#Bipolar2
#AnxietyDisorder
#Stress

I’m curious, I’ve been taking low dose lamotrigine now for around 6 months. At first I felt a shift, I felt more centred and each day I get a sense that I think differently, I am making better choices, my thought patterns feel more coherent, can anyone relate.

I feel like I’m only mildly on the spectrum of bipolar 2, hence the late diagnosis at the age of 57.

My psychiatrist is assessing the diagnosis and is no longer certain, now considering maybe an anxiety disorder. think bipolar2/anxiety disorder are both pheasable.

I feel I have been anxious all my life and masking depression, I think the manic behaviour has been a result of trying to escape or fix my anxiety.

Now I am taking lamotrigine I feel like the mask has come off, I am no longer manic (or as manic) but I also can’t escape the depression I have been masking.

Can anyone relate? I told my daughter they are reconsidering the diagnosis and I could see she was anxious about this.

I explained I am doing much better and she agrees but only since I have been medicated.

Can anyone relate?

#Bipolar2
#AnxietyDisorder
#Stress

My daughter didn’t grow up sick.

One day she was healthy—living her life like any other young person—and then something changed.

And what followed wasn’t clarity… it was a grey area.

A stretch of time where I didn’t fully understand what was happening.
Where I could see she wasn’t okay—but I didn’t yet know how to respond.

And if I’m honest, there were moments where I questioned it.

Not because I didn’t care—
but because I was trying to make sense of something that didn’t make sense.

There were voices around me too:
“Teenagers these days all think something is wrong with them.”
“Maybe she just needs to push through…”

And somewhere in all of that, I found myself stuck between:
She’s clearly struggling…
and
Is she doing everything she can to help herself?

So I did what I thought was right.

I tried to fix it.

I tried to manage her day, suggest solutions, encourage, push gently…
constantly offering advice because I wanted so badly to make her feel better.

Until one day she said something that stopped me in my tracks:

“Mum, I know you mean well, but you’re just reminding me how sh***y my life is.”

And another time:

“I feel like a character in your video game.”

That hit hard.

Because I realised—I wasn’t actually supporting her the way she needed.
I was trying to control something that wasn’t mine to control.

That was my turning point.

I began to understand that this is her journey.

And my role isn’t to fix it.
It’s to be beside her. To support her. To really see her.

⸻

What I’ve also come to understand is this:

Chronic illness is layered.

Because behind everything…
they are still young people trying to figure out who they are.

They’re still navigating identity, friendships, independence, and their future—
but without the same energy, freedom, or certainty.

And as mothers, we’re holding all of it.

The illness.
The emotions.
The uncertainty.
And the grief of what we thought life might look like.

⸻

This space is for mothers like me.

Mothers who:

• Didn’t get it perfect from the start

• Have questioned, doubted, and learned along the way

• Are trying to shift from fixing to supporting

• Are carrying more than most people realise

You don’t have to filter yourself here.

You can be honest about:

• The guilt
• The frustration
• The love
• The exhaustion

This is a space where we support each other—not by having all the answers,
but by understanding what this really feels like.

If you feel comfortable, introduce yourself.
Where you’re at in your journey, and what you need right now.

You’re not alone in this ❤️ XOXO

#CarersSupportingCarers
#ChronicIllness
#MALS
#POTS
#AutonomicDysfunction
#CHS
#ADHDInGirls
#adhdyoungadults
#Anxiety
#Depression
#MoodDisorders
#Bipolar2

My daughter didn’t grow up sick.

One day she was healthy—living her life like any other young person—and then something changed.

And what followed wasn’t clarity… it was a grey area.

A stretch of time where I didn’t fully understand what was happening.
Where I could see she wasn’t okay—but I didn’t yet know how to respond.

And if I’m honest, there were moments where I questioned it.

Not because I didn’t care—
but because I was trying to make sense of something that didn’t make sense.

There were voices around me too:
“Teenagers these days all think something is wrong with them.”
“Maybe she just needs to push through…”

And somewhere in all of that, I found myself stuck between:
She’s clearly struggling…
and
Is she doing everything she can to help herself?

So I did what I thought was right.

I tried to fix it.

I tried to manage her day, suggest solutions, encourage, push gently…
constantly offering advice because I wanted so badly to make her feel better.

Until one day she said something that stopped me in my tracks:

“Mum, I know you mean well, but you’re just reminding me how sh***y my life is.”

And another time:

“I feel like a character in your video game.”

That hit hard.

Because I realised—I wasn’t actually supporting her the way she needed.
I was trying to control something that wasn’t mine to control.

That was my turning point.

I began to understand that this is her journey.

And my role isn’t to fix it.
It’s to be beside her. To support her. To really see her.

⸻

What I’ve also come to understand is this:

Chronic illness is layered.

Because behind everything…
they are still young people trying to figure out who they are.

They’re still navigating identity, friendships, independence, and their future—
but without the same energy, freedom, or certainty.

And as mothers, we’re holding all of it.

The illness.
The emotions.
The uncertainty.
And the grief of what we thought life might look like.

⸻

This space is for mothers like me.

Mothers who:

• Didn’t get it perfect from the start

• Have questioned, doubted, and learned along the way

• Are trying to shift from fixing to supporting

• Are carrying more than most people realise

You don’t have to filter yourself here.

You can be honest about:

• The guilt
• The frustration
• The love
• The exhaustion

This is a space where we support each other—not by having all the answers,
but by understanding what this really feels like.

If you feel comfortable, introduce yourself.
Where you’re at in your journey, and what you need right now.

You’re not alone in this ❤️ XOXO

#CarersSupportingCarers
#ChronicIllness
#MALS
#POTS
#AutonomicDysfunction
#CHS
#ADHDInGirls
#adhdyoungadults
#Anxiety
#Depression
#MoodDisorders
#Bipolar2

Hi, my name is borderlinecute. I've been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and bipolar 2. I look forward to meeting you guys :)

#MightyTogether #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #BipolarDisorder