Do you have DID and Bipolar Disorder?

I've noticed other people on here with DID and bipolar. I think several of my aspects are bipolar, though not all of the bipolar ones are aware of it, not the younger ones. I didn't think any of the aspects had actually been diagnosed bipolar but it would seem somebody has. None of my aspects will take meds for anything, not for years. So nobody has accepted any of the lithium or mood-stabilisers or anti-depressants or sleeping tablets which have been offered over the years.

I've read a fair bit about bipolar, less about DID. I'm wondering if bipolar is different when comorbid with DID. I think I've managed the bipolar with switching and dissociation, though I do feel I've really been to the limits with it.

Love the high, the aura, the vibrance, the emanation of energy

I can still feel the echo of those highs, not sure it was me but I do love the high! Remember the crashes too! I'm one of those who wouldn't give up the bipolar if I could! Maybe it will give me up. I'm going to psychotherapy at the moment.

I don't have BPD nor full DID (it's DDNOS for now), but I know certain parts/alters can have bipolar. I don't know whether something like BPD can affect the system as a whole, but it would actually make more sense to me if it would be alter-specific.

When I was evaluated, I was diagnosed with Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder. But if we all have it, I can't see the signs of it in some of my alters. Like Rain. If Rain has Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder, she sure does a good job at handling it/hiding it.

Others only seem to have the "high" part of it or the "low" part of it. Like, Luna and L.C. not only have worse depression than I do, but they seem to really only have the "low" swings of the mood swings, and they're more apt to be "out" during the low swings.
Rebel seems to only really have the "high" swings, and is more apt to be "out" during the high swings.

Sometimes though, the mood swings seem to be strong enough to affect anyone who's "out". Like with a strong low swing, even Kat can become quiet and sad, and there's an actual chance she might cry. Or with a strong high swing, even L.C. will feel up to being social, going out and about, and even partying.

Sorry if this didn't make much sense, or answer your post in any way. I'm really fuzzy right now.


-Cassandra

I was initially diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, but never Bipolar. I've heard that it's a very common diagnosis for people with DID though, and many of the people that I met in hospital had that diagnosis as well. I'd be curious to find out how many people are correctly diagnosed with bipolar and how much of that is really just different alters. I know that my current medical doctor thinks I have insane mood swings (and that's probably what she thinks I'm being treated for with my T), but she's never been presumptuous enough to say so directly.

I was diagnosed bipolar when I was 14. For me it's severe, so much so that I have to have medication. The mania was just too much. I've spent the last 20 or so years trying different combinations of medications to treat it.

I'm the only part of our system that has the bipolor disorder, that I know of. The two disorders complicate each other for me. The bipolar makes me dissociate. That is making it harder for me to recover from the DID. Sometimes the DID causes me emotional problems that can trigger manic or depression phases.

I hope there was some useful information in my reply for you.
-Goeff

I have Bipolar Type 2, but according to both Michael and Nadia none of the others have it. This makes making sure I take my meds pretty difficult, as my husband has to convince them to take them for my sake. I absolutely have to have my meds, I can't function without them.

I agree with Geoff above. The Bipolar, I believe, makes me dissociate a lot more than I would normally.

Since I have type 2 I don't get a lot of manic periods, mine are mostly depressive, which does encourage Theresa to come out a lot.

Personally, I wish I didn't have Bipolar. I actually prefer having DID over it, mostly for financial reasons.

Thanks to all of you for your replies which I have found both interesting and useful. Sorry I haven't posted before. Partly it's because I'm not online at home! And partly I've been swanning around "rising high" as I call it!

tomboy24 wrote:When I was evaluated, I was diagnosed with Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder. But if we all have it, I can't see the signs of it in some of my alters. Like Rain. If Rain has Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder, she sure does a good job at handling it/hiding it.

Others only seem to have the "high" part of it or the "low" part of it. Like, Luna and L.C. not only have worse depression than I do, but they seem to really only have the "low" swings of the mood swings, and they're more apt to be "out" during the low swings.
Rebel seems to only really have the "high" swings, and is more apt to be "out" during the high swings.

Sometimes though, the mood swings seem to be strong enough to affect anyone who's "out". Like with a strong low swing, even Kat can become quiet and sad, and there's an actual chance she might cry. Or with a strong high swing, even L.C. will feel up to being social, going out and about, and even partying.

Sorry if this didn't make much sense, or answer your post in any way. I'm really fuzzy right now.


-Cassandra

This seems very similar to the experiences I have. It makes a lot of sense to me and I find it incredibly illuminating.

I think I use the DID to manage the biplolar. I think I switch to an alternative aspect when the current personality is getting out of control on high or low.

I love the high but I personally have only experienced it as an echo from somebody else which means it doesn't get too wild but does give me that amazing buzz.

I'm having therapy at the moment. I'm thinking I don't want to be integrated into one unit because I don't want to lose that wonderful high. I accept I have to pay for it with the devastating lows. But I don't think I could manage the bipolar without being able to switch to somebody who doesn't have the bipolar. And I think it's safer to experience the extremes at one remove.

I'm not as eloquent as other aspects, I find it hard to write clearly.

I'm wondering if bipolar in a multiple has the same cause as bipolar in a singleton. Is it a function of the DID? Would I lose the bipolar if I ever decided to try to integrate?

Thanks again for all the replies.

zest wrote:Would I lose the bipolar if I ever decided to try to integrate?

I be thinkin' if we integrate our host, Jo - who has the Bipolar, wouldn't be losin' it.

From my understandin' Bipolar is a chemical imablance, the chemical imbalance probably won't be leavin' with integration. But that be my opinion. Take what you be wantin' from it.

- Michael

DID is able to change chemical things in the brain enough for alters to have different allergies, different eyesights, even different blood test results. So, it could be possible for the bipolar to go away with integration.

BUT integration isn't needed to heal. You can heal and stay multiple. The healing goal for staying multiple is becoming a fully cooperative, fully functioning system/team.

With everyone and every system being different, it's hard to say if bipolar would go "away" with integration. My thoughts is that no, it wouldn't go completely away, but it might fade or the swings might lessen or something like that. Or it might stay exactly the same, depending on if your DID/system doesn't affect chemical things that much. It's really hard to say.

On the topic of DID and bipolar, I do believe that the DID can be used to help people cope with the bipolar. After all, a DID system is meant to help the host cope with things and seem/function as "normally" and "ok" as possible. Just as there are different alters that can handle different situations, there can be alters that help "handle" different moods.


~The Hawk

Hello Michael and The Hawk. I tend to agree with both of you - the bipolar isn't likely to go away! And I think The Hawk is right in that the DID helps manage the bipolar. I think that's how I've survived without the meds.

*TRIGGER WARNING* Just as I've survived all sorts of painful illnesses without medical treatment because I had to! *END TRIGGER*

Sometimes I can almost see the bipolar as another personality or aspect. I also think certain abilities are linked to the high.