Is it possible for men to have bi-polar disorder?

[speed dawg]

Because I think I may have it. I have many of the symptoms of it. I remember Squirrels making a post here a few months ago, and I related very well to it. So, I think I may actually have BPD or just some mild depression or something.

What type of doctor should I see for a possible diagnosis? Just a family doctor to start?

 

[st_99]

The "BPD" thats talked about around here is not bipoler, its borderline personality disorder.

 

[speed dawg]

Wow, brain fart. But either way, both conditions are fairly similar. It's painfully obvious I struggle with something like this. I just need to get it diagnosed and get medication for it, whether it be pharmaceutical or natural means.

 

[bmp2cpm]

I'm a pharmacist who works in clinical research. The above statements on prescription medication are not entirely accurate and I would not rule out prescription medications. A good resource is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, nami.org

 

[Buddha_Mind]

speed_dawg,

What sort of experiences are you having that make you feel you have this?

I am a big believer that the modern psychology world likes to put titles on lots of things and this is not always necessary...I personally think what is "normal" is a joke...that all human beings are supposed to think and act the same...in our western world we have these wonderful volumes of mental illnesses...yet the mindset of our society at times makes me wonder how many of these doctors and politicians, are themselves, *absolutely fvcking nuts*.

Actually, nay I would say our western world to me if fvcking nuts...or sometimes *makes me* nearly fvcking nuts.

Anyways -- don't psych yourself out and tell yourself this is what you have. You may just be a 'normal' person going through the ebbs and flows of life (by which we have few sometimes concrete arguments as to how we all got here).

There is no absolute way life "should be".

I'm not trying to undermine whatever suffering or mental episodes you are experiencing...I just know that I myself before have thought maybe I had depression or something along those lines but the more I think about it there are conditions that can make a man sad...sometimes life is not easy and straight forward and not always rainbows..this does not mean we are plagued by DSVM mental-illnesses.

 

[Onlyliveonce]

Has anybody told you that you need help? Do you truly have anybody that could give you a brutally honest assessment of your mental health? Are you ready for the answer?
I have had first hand extended experience with someone that was bi-polar. The manic highs and the depressive lows. Do you have periods of excessive energy that causes you to stay up for extended periods(sometimes days)? Do you have grandiose ideas popping in your head a lot? Inevitably followed by lethargic gloomy periods sometimes weeks on end?
Talking on a message board will only get you so far. If you feel there is something wrong talk to a specialist. There is nothing wrong with medication, that stigma is long gone and should be.

 

[_TAO_]

speed_dawg,

What sort of experiences are you having that make you feel you have this?

I am a big believer that the modern psychology world likes to put titles on lots of things and this is not always necessary...I personally think what is "normal" is a joke...that all human beings are supposed to think and act the same...in our western world we have these wonderful volumes of mental illnesses...yet the mindset of our society at times makes me wonder how many of these doctors and politicians, are themselves, *absolutely fvcking nuts*.

Actually, nay I would say our western world to me if fvcking nuts...or sometimes *makes me* nearly fvcking nuts.

Anyways -- don't psych yourself out and tell yourself this is what you have. You may just be a 'normal' person going through the ebbs and flows of life (by which we have few sometimes concrete arguments as to how we all got here).

There is no absolute way life "should be".

I'm not trying to undermine whatever suffering or mental episodes you are experiencing...I just know that I myself before have thought maybe I had depression or something along those lines but the more I think about it there are conditions that can make a man sad...sometimes life is not easy and straight forward and not always rainbows..this does not mean we are plagued by DSVM mental-illnesses.

Dude, you just hit the nail on the head for my perspective on mental illness. The bad part about it is that my girlfriend of 1.5+ years was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder (not borderline), and since then she has gotten worse, like its some self-fulfilling prophecy. Maybe I'm just crazy too and don't know it, but some of that mental illness stuff seems like sh!t to me. You said it right, there is no absolute way life "should be".

Is sanity statistical? :crazy: gotta love 1984

 

[Colossus]

This is not the place to get a diagnosis. See a psychiatrist who can evaluate you at length and talk to you about medication.

Bipolar Disorder is uncommon in men, but it does exist. BPD is even less common in men. Everyone on this forum seems to think they have dated a woman with BPD and can diagnose the disorder over the internet. A copy of the DSM-IV does not make one qualified to do so.

 

[speed dawg]

I guess for most of my life and I have been overly negative (other people feel this way). I am definitely introverted, and have a hard time getting excited about most things. I really don't like to do what other people want me to do, and I have a hard time being stimulated and just "enjoying myself" if I'm not doing exactly what I want to do or if things aren't going my way.

In other words, it's really easy to get me down.

I have had bouts of self esteem and confidence issues. Alot of that has been resolved as I've gotten older. It's really just the anger burst and loose tongue that is my struggle. And for some sick reason, I tend to enjoy drama and gossip (little bits, not big stuff). I try to stay away from that sort of crap but it's tempting.

I also see the world as a pretty malevolent place.

But I guess the first step is admitting you have a problem, eh? I've often rationalized that I'm a realist and not really negative. But in reality, I'm sick of being that way. I want to enjoy life while I'm here instead of finding ways to criticize. I have accomplished alot in life....I have a great family and a good job (that I don't necessarily enjoy). The job is a big part of my problem too....not sure what I really want to do going forward. I need a passion that I'm interested in. Many people tell me that I've got a great job and should be much happier with it.

Therein lies my dilemma....when to know when you need to change things. Will I be just as unhappy with the next job??? Do I need to move? Why can't I be happy where I'm at? Etc Etc Etc.

 

[Mr.Positive]

speed dawg,

Do you work out with heavy weights in the gym? I think some of the issues men can face could be as simple as a small drop in testosterone levels.

I've often though my levels fluctuate on occassion, and I'm happiest when the t levels are as high as can be....ie, when I'm pounding out heavy weights in the gym, eating lot's of meat, and active in general.

One time, I wasn't really depressed, just felt lazy and lethargic, sex drive wasn't as strong as normal. I started taking extra zinc. Studies have shown in modern times, men don't get enough zinc, and zinc really helps in maximizing our normal testosterone levels. Something to think about. Extra zinc gave me the boost I needed.

 

[Buddha_Mind]

It could be a biochemical thing that working out and taking minerals/vitamins could help.

I hear you on the passion thing dude. I am running a business that is a skillset I'm good at, but is not entirely my passion. I mean I dig parts of it, but man I am happiest wandering, making art, music, drawing, writing--it sucks to spend time during the day being business-like or doing things you don't want to do. That can make a man pissed after awhile because you start thinking 'sh!t life is just crappy this is how it is', or 'this is just what you have to do'.

I sort of think anarchistically though, and say well, 'it is our life and we can make it what we want'.

Maybe like my situation, yours isn't ideal. But think of it as a stepping stone towards a more ideal situation. Ok, you know it's not your passion, but what if the income or the stability can allow you to work towards something that is your passion? Maybe you can use the stability you have to search for jobs in that passion....or through this process will discover something else that excites you.

I definitely think a lot of problems are from people not having any *spark* to their life, something that lights them. Lately I have been feeling dull too and am having to push myself to do certain things.

I don't blame you for being frustrated with the negative sh!t in the world, I don't blame you for being cynical--but just think every great achievement was usually done through believing in their desired outcome, having faith in their efforts. People whom have invented great things, or started great companies, or have found personal freedom in their lives did not do so by being glass-is-half-full, or glass-is-fvcking-empty-meaningless-crap.

I mean do we know wtf this is all is ? Life and sh!t? Hell no. Science, religion, philosophy, all these motherfvckers with a million opinions but man we are hurtling through space so fast right now and the electrons in your body (smears of light) are ****ing popping all over the place. Man this **** is magnificent and rare stuff, so if you are feeling cynical and passionless there must be some way to crack open your head a bit and see things differently.

It is never too late to be inspired.

IDK. I don't think you have severe mental issues man, I think you are being honest with yourself about real things that really frustrate you. That's not crazy, that's real. Think of a way to find a solution. I bet that you can.

PS -- and man we are more likely to snap and get crazy when we deep down are not happy. It's just bitterness towards life surfacing up like a wave and smearing onto some person who poked a hole in its surface. We have to get happy with our lives with ourselves with our bodies else we will be a reckless wonton thing at times.

 

[The_411]

1. See a psychiatrist.

2. Bi polar disorder and borderline personality disorder are two separate mental illnesses although they can exist i.e be comorbid at the same in a person.

3. Borderline personality disorder is a disorder relating to learned beahviors although this is a subject of great contention in the medical community. Some suggest it is genetically pre-disposed while others attributer the various personality disorders to the critical learning stages in infancy (6-24 months) and how your parents parent you.

Borderline personality disorder could be best described as arrested development or an adult with the temperament of a child. Thinking in absolutes black or white.

It's diagnosed by certain criteria which we all manifest at one time or another the difference being that we may manifest a sign or two at a time whereas the BPD sufferer manifests at least 5 out 9 criteria at all times.


Medication by itself has shown to have little efficacy in patients with BPD and the most accepted methods of treatment include dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) along with medications to address any comorbid conditions and to address any anxiety/depression.

Bipolar medications hold a much greater level of efficacy as the supposition is that bi-polar illness is a generic chemical imbalance. Again medication on its own while adequate is probably not sufficent.

 

[Blackmm]

One reason you don't encounter too many Bipolar men is because they are usually in jail and prison. Who is going away first? A BP chick who beats up on her BF or a BP dude who beats up on his GF. Which one is going to convince a judge and jury that they have a mental disorder and not just a turd of a human that needs locking up?

 

[iqqi]

Hell yes men can have BPD, but it does not sound like you have it. ^^ He's right, if you had BPD you would probably have been in jail or prison a time or four by now.

You just sound very introverted.

Actually it might work for your benefit, being the quiet, slightly mean guy. Women like mysterious men who have "demons"! Just make sure you have a redeeming quality or two.

 

[The_411]

Again bi-polar and BPD are two seperate things that are often confused.

Bi-polar relates to chemical imbalances which can often be greatly influenced by medication

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) relates to ingrained patterns of behavior which medication does not have a great effect upon because medications address chemical issues directly which in turn can affect behavioral issues, but the behavioral issues relating to BPD usually are not an issue of a chemical imbalance.

What also confuses the matter is that you can have BPD and also be bi-polar, and the symptoms of the two disorders/illnesses are very similar.

The general rule of thumb is that if you think you have BPD, then you don't have BPD, because part of BPD is denial mechanism.

Afterall it would be like someone coming up to and telling you that you that the sky is blue and you have a visual field that tells you it is yellow, and therefore you will deny to the death that the sky is indeed yellow because that is what all the empirical evidence in your mind points to.

That is in a nutshell what BPD is.

BPD suffers have an emotion and fit their factual patterns based on the emotion regardless if logistically their emotional reaction does not fit the empirical facts.

People without BPD will tend to look at facts then express an emotion that is predicated on the empirical fact pattern.

 

[Scaramouche]

Dear Speed Dawg,
Great response from Collossus (Valuable guy to have in the Crew).....Not just Guys but in the way these Unfortunates are labelled here in Australia,Children too....Within about ten minutes walking from my Hacienda,there are two examples,in two separate families...A Boy of 11 and a Lass of 8....The lass would have been burned at the stake a couple of centuries ago,but the Boy seems mild mannered and to me perfectly normal...

Maybe different Countries use different parameters in these matters,or just pure happenstance?

 

[Groovy]

You can have it, speed_dawg. Pls avoid medication such as antidepressants if you want to retain your sexual function and preserve your liver. And take natural medicine, such as herbs, that will make u regain your "Yin" and "Yang" Chi balance. Pls avoid it to become worse! MSG me if u want tips to resolve ur bipolar.

 

[Paintballguy]

Start taking fish oil pills. Seriously. There are studies that the omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oil can help depression. You can also get omega 3's from just eating fish obviously, but a pill is an easy way if you don't like or don't each much fish.

 

[ilikecharlene]

what kind of question is this?

It's kind of like asking "can only men get the flu?"

Mental illness is not related to gender.

 

[ilikecharlene]

Because I think I may have it. I have many of the symptoms of it. I remember Squirrels making a post here a few months ago, and I related very well to it. So, I think I may actually have BPD or just some mild depression or something.

What type of doctor should I see for a possible diagnosis? Just a family doctor to start?

Psychiatrists are doctors, are they not?