Lived Experience Forum

[Acanthiza]

Hey I am Acanthiza, I have had bad anxiety all my life since I was a little kid and thought that everyone felt like that and just dealt with it better! When I was 16 I also started getting nasty depression and didn't get any help for either until I was 23(!). I am now 33 and only just got a diagnosis of bipolar 2 at the end of last year (the day before my birthday haha) which has explained a lot of things.

My life hasn't been the easiest but I also have a pretty good family which I am extremely grateful for. I've learned a lot about dealing with mental illness, especially since I had to find coping mechanisms on my own, and am happy to share my experience if it might help anyone. I would also like to find out more about bipolar and people's experiences with it! I know we aren't meant to talk about the specifics of medication but is it alright to talk in general terms about what to expect etc?

Anyway that is enough rambling, I will probably be busy today but I needed to post something while I felt up to it. I still have anxiety! Well thanks for reading all that and I am keen to meet some people!

[NatureLover]

Welcome, @Acanthiza ! 🙂 I'm sorry to hear about your bad anxiety and depression.

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@Acanthiza wrote:

I would also like to find out more about bipolar and people's experiences with it!

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I don't have bipolar, but you can type Bipolar into the Search bar above for threads on that topic. And yes, you can talk in general terms without mentioning medication names or dosages. 

Also, a handy forum tip to tag someone is to type @ and then click on their name in the drop-down box - that way they'll get a notification that you've replied to them. 

[Acanthiza]

Thanks @NatureLover I will have a look around and see if there is anyone that have shared their experiences.

[defaultusername]

Hi @Acanthiza,

Thank you for sharing. I'm sorry you've been through so much with being misdiagnosed all those years, but am impressed that you've learnt so much while on your own recovery journey.

I think your experience with bipolar would be very welcomed on the forums, we can all benefit so much by learning about other people's lived experience.

Wishing you all the best,

defaultusername