Topic Tuesday // Recognising and managing mania // 28 March, 7 - 9pm AEDT

Hi, I only hit the like button to register after it had started and have not received an email - is it possible to join the topic/follow the forum after it has already begun or am I too late?

Thanks

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@JRice wrote:

Hi, I only hit the like button to register after it had started and have not received an email - is it possible to join the topic/follow the forum after it has already begun or am I too late?

Thanks

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nope, just in time @JRice!

Good evening!

Welcome tonight's Topic Tuesday on Managing mania with our special guests @SusanaBA and @davidharper_bal.

Here's a call out to those who rsvp'd @Charli @Galaxyofthelost @Jess2 @Carla @Scrambledeggs17 @Froggett @Koya @KMac @elisa @Nikkir @DEDE1389 @Former-Member @BleuBlancRouge @Kurra @Timtam @mrkotter @Shaz51 @BlueBay @Mazarita.

@SusanaBA and @davidharper_bal, tell us about yourselves.

I’m Susana Bluwol, the executive director of Bipolar Australia. I was diagnosed with Bipolar back in 1997, and have been working with community groups since 2004. I founded Bipolar Australia in 2014 to bring the good news of recovery from bipolar to every one of the 568,000 Australians affected by this condition, as well as all of their families and carers.

Welcome to the conversation @JRice! Not too late to join in, the discussion is open to anyone from 7 - 9pm AEDT.

I’m David Harper, and I am the acting senior coordinator for Bipolar Australia. I have a background in Information Technology and mental health, and joined Bipolar Australia in March 2015. I’ve been working with community groups for almost a decade, and currently sit on the board of WayAhead, the Mental Health Association of NSW.

Hello @CherryBomb, @davidharper_bal, @SusanaBA

@SusanaBA can you tell us abit about your experience of mania?

Also, anyone who has experienced mania, please tell of your experience too!

A lot of people enjoy the mania because they are more productive. I project managed the formation of an entire childcare centre from scratch in six weeks. But most people also have some embarrassing stories to tell, and particularly about how their strange behaviour negatively affected themselves or their families. The first time I became manic I was in the United States, and decided I needed to go to the White House and tell the president to bring world peace. I got sent home, and lost my scholarship as a result. Another time, I bought an expensive fashion shoot on my husband’s credit card. The photos were really great. The bill not so much. So while I think I enjoyed the mania at the time, looking back it wasn’t so great.

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@CherryBomb wrote:

Also, anyone who has experienced mania, please tell of your experience too!

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Great question @CherryBomb, experiences include:

• buying a car, without actually thinking about it.
• No sleep, best was about 42 hours up straight.
• many hypomanic episodes of just doing a lot but not achieving anything
• taking way too much on at work and then when I've crashed I've had to keep going
• Lots and lots of exercise when manic.

When manic I've always felt on top of the world but then it gets out of control. At some point I crash and I start a depressive episode. All my episodes follow this pattern.