Bipolar Is Unfair

Hi,
I feel like that a lot of times. And Yes, I know there will be people who will maybe say:
"but you can get married! You can have kids!"
i've heard those remarks and I know Bipolar people who are married and does have kids.
But me? I know that will not happen with me.
I don't think I want to share this horrible life of mine with anyone. I don't know any other person in the world who would willingly put up with me. I just don't have someone who loves me enough. And in any case: I have way too many issues. And yes: IT SUCKS! I also want to know what it feels like to know that someone truely cares and got my back. But it ain't gonna happen.
And kids?
I think I got my bipolar from my mom, although she is not diagnosed. I don't want to do that to my kids. I don't want them to experience the same screwed up life than me. I don't want them to have the possibility to inherit this thing. I don't want to create kids that will always feel different.
If there are people reading this and you have it all: the hubby, the kids, the happy ending: I am really glad for you. It's nice to know that it is possible. But I don't think I will ever be part of that group.

Hi Corne,
Yup, that pretty much sums it up for me too. I wish that someone would prove me wrong, step up, and love me, but so far, I'm painfully right.
And yeah, while I would never tell someone whether they should or should not have children I, personally, would hate to give this disorder to another person. All I can think of is an innocent young life being marred with this forever, not having done anything wrong, but being sick forever anyway.
You're not alone. We, the alone, are out here.
- Natasha

myself suffering from depression and having a husband that suffers from bipolar disorder, i understand the unfairness of life and how it can so totally suck. it is a daily struggle -- one that i know will never end and probably get worse as we age (we r in our 40's). if we didn't have our faith in Christ Jesus -- i don't know what we would do. i know that churches haven't been too kind to the mentally ill and have contributed greatly to the stigma that causes alot of unnecessary anguish -- but ppl are ppl and we push against the dogma -- refusing to be isolated and shoved aside like trash. we are blessed with an awesome church and pastor -- they are actually paying for additional counseling (above what my hubby already kinda gets with his pdoc and therapist) to help us with our struggle. we have been married almost 12 yrs now and have 2 kids together (he has 3 from prev marriage - all adult age) and know that we are blessed beyond belief even with our struggles -- knowing that Christ has strengthened us and gives us hope. we have been burned by some churches -- but we didn't give up because we knew that Christ loves us and would find us a safe church home. Please know that you are loved, Natasha -- by us and by Christ. Not trying to sell u on religion -- just reaching out in Love and holding and rocking you in my arms as if i were trying to comfort my own child during their struggles. you are a blessing and a precious gift to many!! don't forget that.

Cat,
It sounds like you have found a support system that works for you and that is something we all need. Thank-you for the kind words.
- Natasha

I am schizoaffective bipolar type, and boy do I know life isn't fair. I am married, and have a child. We weren't supposed to be able to have kids, so she is our miracle baby. But it is so hard to be not only the sick me, but to be the sick wife, the sick mother, the sick daughter, the sick granddaughter, etc.
My mother is going through cancer treatments and it's hard to be there for her. My brother helps take care of both me and our Mom. There are some times when I can't even be at home with my husband and child, and have to go for visits, and try to get myself back into their routine. Medications don't work all that well, but I am on them. I hate ECT treatments, but I do them. Yet, still no relief. What is a person to do? Try to keep on keepin' on. That is the best I can come up with (actually, my brother came up with it!).
I sympathise with all of you and your unique struggles. In my own struggles, I feel like a burden to everyone, and that doesn't help with the disease. It just makes it hurt even more, but I am working on that.

Hi Amy,
Well, keep on keepin' on is all many of us do, you're not alone on that one. You are lucky to have family even though I understand that must be hard as well.
Thanks for sharing. Good luck.
- Natasha

Dearest Natasha,
My husband is now 67 years old and has suffered with Bi-polar disorder for 40 years. It is hard, I read him what you all wrote and he wanted to tell you something....Medication is a given. It definaltely makes him more stable. Even though the disease never leaves him. He has been on every med you can imagine. Some help, most do not. It is a wonder that he remained stable enough to pull a 20 year career in the Army. Spending the last 13months in a hospital in Georgia before retiring. He lost two marriages and two of his children have it. One does very well, the other denies that something is wrong and suffers daily. Steve found his Faith in Jesus Christ and it has saved him from suicide on more than one occassion. Then he met me. My name is Gena and I will tell you that the good times are great times and are worth all the times when things aren't so great. I love him so much, you are a beautiful, young person. There is someone out there that will see all the attributes you have to offer and will be willing to ride the roller coaster with you. Like Cat, I am not trying to sell you on religion, but it has made the both of us whole. As a couple and as individuals. Steve says to hang in there, the best is yet to come. He also says that perhaps bi-polar is the normal adn the rest of us just haven't caught on yet.lol May God Bless you and watch over you during your trials. Sincerely, Steve and Gena

Hi Gena and Steve,
It sounds like you both are lucky to have found each other. It's great that you've found ways that work for you.
Thank-you for the kind words.
- Natasha

i can relate to your feelings about mental illness. as fate would have it, i've been really down all day today thinking about how i was born with a damaged brain and how mental illness has killed my life. when you described the feeling of being destroyed, from the time of your diagnosis till the present, i just wanted to cry. that's exactly how i feel inside. i feel destroyed. and the medicines i take, they don't do much to help. if anything, i feel they've contributed even more to the deterioration of my brain.
and because my brain is so sick, i, too, cant have the things i want. i never had an easy time with friendships. my family are all normal, so none of them can relate to me. and i only had like one real boyfriend my whole life. i wish i could find someone like steve and gena found each other, but my illness is so cruel and merciless, it tries to keep me trapped inside my own lonely world. and therefore, my fear and shame towards myself for being this way just continues to grow. and i retreat even further inside myself so i wont have to feel that pain.
mental illness is a murderer of the brain, as well as the heart. it is as evil and remorseless as cancer is to the body. it's a lifelong condition that can only be managed. to me, that just isn't fair at all. none of this stuff is, but life is life and it doesn't ask us what can it do to help make things more fair. life sucks really bad for some of us. and i guess we can only accept that and try to do our best. otherwise, we'd only be torturing ourselves by focusing on the negative things all the time.

I was diagnosed as bipolar when I was 30 a month after my second marriage. It explained why my first marriage was so difficult- not all my fault though. But now I get to put my secong husband and my kids through it all over again. I thought once I was away from my verbally abusive first husband I would snap out of it...nope.
My poor kids, and my husband...some of the stuff I say is so mean. I lose it and throw stuff, its all I can do to not throw it at them. Its like a monster has taken over my body and I am silently watching it all happen.
Its not fair, I just want to me be normal...but what is normal anymore?

Hi Michelle and Amber,
I can see you identify with the sentiment. It always upsets me that people identify like that, but it's also worth noting that it means we're not alone. Sometimes it seems like s a really tiny thing, but it is something.
- Natasha

Bipolar Is Unfair | Breaking Bipolar - HealthyPlace...
I found your entry interesting do I've added a Trackback to it on my weblog :)...

Great site. A lot of useful information here. I’m sending it to some friends!

That's great. Thanks.
- Natasha

I was diagnosed at 20 as well. I'm 21 now.
But it wasn't an end, it was a beginning. Getting the right diagnosis and stable on medications lets me live my life, and pursue my dreams. I'm in college, an astrophysics major. No, it's not fair that I'm going to be on medication the rest of my life, and always looking over my shoulder for the mood swings to come back. And it's a little odd that my brain is what allows me to study something I love, and be as damaged as it is at the same time.
But this year that I've had that I've been stable? I've been happier than I've ever been. And I don't mean manic-happy. I mean genuinely happy.
I lost my faith with my diagnosis, but I don't miss it anymore. My life is full without religion.
Yeah, it's not fair that I have bipolar disorder. But it's also not fair that I'm that girl that gets better grades than you even though I don't study. It doesn't even out, but... I think I'm ok with that.

Hi Lisa,
I think the "unfair" concept really varies with the impact of the disease. I hear from some people that are absolutely destroyed by this disease, and I have horrible stories of my own.
I respect your opinion, and I hope you stay stable, but at 21, with only a year into the disease, you just haven't seen the disease's devastation yet. When I was 21 I was sure I was never doing to go through ECT, go on antipsychotics, and certainly not get surgery, but I have. Perspectives change with desperation and pain.
But like I said, I hope your treatment keeps working, and you remain stable. But you may find there are some unpredictable bumps ahead.
- Natasha

Finally someone who expresses what I'm feeling. I was diagnosed bipolar a year ago...when I was 20. I've been reading back on your blogs and it feels a bit better knowing that someone actually understands. It kinda makes me feel less crazy and lonely

Nadine,
It's great that you're finding this helpful. You are absolutely not alone.
- Natasha

Hi,
I feel like that a lot of times. And Yes, I know there will be people who will maybe say:
"but you can get married! You can have kids!"
i've heard those remarks and I know Bipolar people who are married and does have kids.
But me? I know that will not happen with me.
I don't think I want to share this horrible life of mine with anyone. I don't know any other person in the world who would willingly put up with me. I just don't have someone who loves me enough. And in any case: I have way too many issues. And yes: IT SUCKS! I also want to know what it feels like to know that someone truely cares and got my back. But it ain't gonna happen.
And kids?
I think I got my bipolar from my mom, although she is not diagnosed. I don't want to do that to my kids. I don't want them to experience the same screwed up life than me. I don't want them to have the possibility to inherit this thing. I don't want to create kids that will always feel different.
If there are people reading this and you have it all: the hubby, the kids, the happy ending: I am really glad for you. It's nice to know that it is possible. But I don't think I will ever be part of that group.

I feel exactly like you all. I´m 37 and I´ve been diagnosed 2 years ago. One of the most painful results of the decease is that my husband unable to cope with my condition, left me a year ago... That makes me thing that no one never would be able to put up with me. I feel so alone and sad. I was punished for having an illness that I was not to blame for it. That´s totally unfair.

Hi Alexandra,
I'm sorry to hear that. Many of us have had similar experiences. And no, it isn't remotely fair.
All I can tell you is that some people really do make it work and you may be in that group some day. Until then, try to take care of yourself. It's what we can do.
- Natasha

I agree. It isn't fair. It never will be.
My "it's unfair" rant doesn't just include not having Bipolar Disorder, though, it includes never not having.
This disease began stealing my life when I was just a toddler. By Kindergarten, I was well versed in self-injury (scratching, head banging, slapping, skin picking, etc), getting in trouble for symptoms, being bullied, having others avoid me, and pain. I knew pain.
I always hated myself.
By third grade, I was thinking how much better things would be if I wasn't alive.
By sixth, I had made my first well-thought out suicide plan.
I'm in ninth grade now. I've been hospitalized. I haven't been stable for more than a few weeks straight. I'm still in pain.
I've always had Bipolar Disorder. In a way, I don't regret it - it shaped me; but I've never known anything other than pain.
I also think it's unfair that I don't only have Bipolar Disorder.
ADHD. Can't concentrate or remember to save my life.
Math-Processing Disorder.
I have PTSD and Dissociative disorders (DID, depersonalization). Seven years of sexual abuse. Addicted and abusive father. Mentally ill mother. Watching my mother almost die. Severe bullying. Almost drowned by another kid.
Asperger's Sydrome and Sensory Processing Disorder. Would have hard time getting friends with or without the Bipolar. Don't understand social situations. Don't when to speak, when not to. Can't make eye contact. I can't eat a lot of foods I love because I gag on the texture. Light touch makes me meltdown. Throw myself against walls just to feel stimulation.
I have or have had nearly every anxiety disorder in the DSM: Seperation, General, Obsessive, Panic, Social.
I have Borderline Traits. Even when the Bipolar is stable, my moods aren't. Relationships are hard. Once again, with or without Bipolar, I'd have a hard time.
Eating Disorders in the past: Overeating, Anorexia, Bulimia.
Substance Abuse in the past; still get cravings.
To top it off, I don't exactly have Bipolar, either. I have Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar Type.
Paranoia and delusion since toddler-hood. Hallucination since Kindergarten. I almost died because of one deranged, elderly one. Thought she was trying to drive me insane and bring me into her world. She got me to hurt myself. I could feel her attacking me. She sent demons, spies, and messengers. She could use any reflective surface, radio (audio only), or person to monitor me. She could control the environment. Sporadic catatonia.
Then there are the physical ills:
Hypoglycemia.
Seizures (not tonic clonic).
Balance problems.
Memory problems.
Some neurological/seizure-related muscle weakness.
A stutter and slur to my speech.
Pronunciation deficits.
Heart problems.
Migraines.
Tourettes.
Low blood pressure.
Acid reflux.
IBS.
I'm fourteen, and this is how my life has always been. It's not fair. It really isn't. I want to be able to "just" worry about dating, drama, and friendship, too. I want to get better grades. I want to go to college, get a career in psychology (child psychopathy). I want to; but I'm never sure I can.
And yet, others have it worse. Things are more unfair to them.
Fighting for their stability gets me through.

Natasha,
I'm glad I stumbled upon this. You saved my life tonight. Thank-You very much. I'm tired, and not the sleepy kind, the weary and worn out kind. And I'm facing not being able to get my medications anymore. That scares the heck out of me... Hopefully I can resolve that situation before I get psychotic. I have Severe Mania/Severe Depression of the Bipolar kind. I have bookmarked this page. Thanks again... I was diagnosed at 29, now 48 and looking back I've had Bipolar all my life, my family even looks back and realizes I had Bipolar from a very young age.

Hi Virginia,
I so glad I could help. I feel for you and where you are in your life right now. Drop in any time. You are not alone.
- Natasha

Hello
I too have been bipolar since my teens.
My symptoms were mainly recurrent depressions, dysthymia, low stress endurance, social anxiety and of course brief periods of excitement.
I learned about the end of the manic tunnel when i tried an antidepressant, and after that episode things were pretty clear: I am f***ed up for the rest of my life!
Well I never got on meds (except for lamictal which I thought was working at first, but after some dosage adjustments I was more like a John Romero-movie character (without the human flesh eating part).
I have been trying out an insane amount of alternative treatments and a lot of them have given me a great deal of relief.
Herbal, synthetic, aromatherapy, minerals, amino acids... The list goes on.
But finally I have found a combination that works wonders.
My main supplment with the best results is lithium orotate of which I take 5 -10 mg daily.
Aminoacids have also been tremendously helpful. You can check out taurine, l-theanine and l-tryptophan (you might want to be careful with tryptophan since it can trigger hypomania).
I have also noticed that turmeric root had some effect on my social anxiety symptoms (this one might interact with medications though).
And don´t forget the aromatherapy: Sniffing out some ylang ylang-oil is very relaxing.
I guess what I want to say is that there is hope.
Is it just my imagination, or are bipolar people more good looking than the average person?

Wow, everybody on here is saying the exact thing I've been thinking. I was diagnosed right out of college, am married, and have a toddler daughter. I am the "bread winner" of the family, but my tolerance and ability to perform well at my job is slowly but surely decreasing. I am afraid of what might happen to my family if I lose all ability to be "working" and "mommy."
I've always heard it said that you can't control your circumstances, but you can control your response to them. If only that were true for us with bipolar.

Hi Katie,
"you can’t control your circumstances, but you can control your response to them. If only that were true for us with bipolar."
Yes. I've found myself thinking about this many times.
But the thing we can't control when we try is our actions. Our "response" as in our mental response may be deluded with illness, but our actions are ours.
True, sometimes we can't even fight our actions through the illness, but I feel most of the time this isn't true. Most of the time we do control our actions. So, if you ask me, that's our version of that saying.
I can't help that I get depressed, that's the illness (the circumstances) but I can help how I handle that depression - maybe make an appointment with a therapist.
- Natasha

Yeah, Bipolar is unfair.
Watching a sufferer mutate into a mean, bitter control freak is even worse.

Hi Brittany,
Could I suggest you change the end of your sentence to 'also unfair' rather than 'even worse'? It must be terribly hard for some people to be friends or carers but it is a tough call to say that it is worse than the illness itself, if you have not actually experienced the illness.
My husband is on dialysis. He is cranky, moody, and incapacitated- every day a new pain. It's not easy for me, not at all. But I'd never suggest that I was worse off than him. Not ever.
While you were watching a person turn into a mean and nasty control freak, did you stop to think of the mental hell that person was in? What the illness was doing to them? Do you know what it is like to travel through hell and back?

Hi Sarah,
Great response. I'm a big advocate of compassion for those that love people with a mental illness, but that doesn't mean it overrides the person with the illness themselves.
- Natasha

It's so nice to know that there are other people who know what this feels like. I feel like a stranger to society. I was misdiagnosed at age 14 as having unipolar depression. The medications made me crazy suicidal. I finally got the right diagnosis of bipolar at age 20 but I didn't have health insurance after that. I recently got on County health care and just started taking Lamictal. I haven't noticed any changes so far. I definitely understand the feelings of fear and hopelessness in regards to marriage and friends and relationships and babies. I'm only 26 but I feel old, tired and weary. I feel like my youth has been stolen from me. I don't have friends and I haven't dated in six years. I am unhealthily envious and bitter towards people who have love and friends. I feel like I'm trudging up a narrow mountain path, below me a dark abyss, and I'll never reach the top. I feel like I'm always about to slip off the edge. That is what life feels like for us. It may be that way till we die. I guess the only thing for us to do is accept our fate and accept that life is not fair.

Natasha: I just read your post in 2010 and some of your responses to others "responding" to you and you have a gift which I hope gives you some sense of purpose and hope. I, as my username indicates, used to be a jazz singer/musician and this illness ended my career - made it impossible for me to be stable enough for long enough to continue. I typed in "Having Bi-polar Disorder has stolen my career" and it brought me to this website and your aforementioned post. I am 59 years old. I will be 60 in November and have been dealing with this for 30 years which is not as early in my life as some of those who have shared in this forum but I have found that comparisons are useless and deceptive so there is no need to go there. It's enough to say that the only thing that gives me comfort is that I believe in God and sense the presence of Christ with me even when I "feel" awful. I am not sharing this to evangelize. It's just that I've wanted to end my life so many times and yet I can't because I am absolutely sure that eternity is just around the corner and this time "on earth" so to speak is like a split second by comparison which changes my perspective on everything. I'm also dealing with chronic back pain and can't go out much which is isolating me, have no visitors except for a few people I can call if I'm absolutely at my wit's end. Maybe coming here for a little while each day will fill up the loneliness but I can't sit for very long so I will sign off now.

I was diagnosed about 13 years ago,now i am 32.Since childhood i felt different,stupid,ugly,isolated i Couldn't look myself in the mirror. Got bullied at school until i acknowledged that if you want to defeat the monster you must become a monster.And i became one.I harmed a lot of people,almost killed two of them,i took revenge,knocked out my father 2 years ago because he was beating me and my mother when i was a kid. I paid for my violent behavior,the law caught up with me.Suddenly i realized that i can't love,I can't feel guilt for most of my mistakes,i am growing a strong feeling of hate towards humanity because of everyone's resentment towards me since my childhood.I love animals and my mother since she the only person that that tried to help me,she is an angel and my sole purpose to keep trying not to deteriorate. That is why I am afraid that when she die the monster within will wake up. I am afraid all the time.I am still a young boy and an old man at the same time and my question is why.What did I do to deserve this brain?Did i kill someone when i was in my mother's belly?I came to this world to be alone all the time,full of pain,shame,fear tiredness and hate.WHY,god please why?

This disease is unfair and I sometimes get depressed knowing that my wife and kids do not want to see me in the manic modes. My life is focused on God and following a healthy lifestyle of exercise, meditation, and spiritual growth. My wife and I are separated and my heart is broken. She cannot understand that my behavior is dictated by my bipolar episodes. I pray to God that my marriage is reconciled. It has been two months and we contact and talk daily but we live in separate cities. I am hurting inside and I take my medication every morning. It is helping and my anger issues are being taken care of with weekly anger management. I stop drinking and my focus on life is awesome. The only thing missing is my wife and kids. We need to accept our condition and make ourselves better in every way.

Kind of similar to many responses but very different than others. I am fortunate that my husband has stood by me through this. I pretty much knew I was bipolar by the age of 20; but didn't get diagnosed after several different doctors until I was 27. I think everyone knew I was other than my husband. He struggles understanding a lot of the time but we just kind of have a system that if I'm manic, he should just find something to do else where.
Regarding children - I absolutely will not have kids. While I have accepted and embraced this disease because I knew long before a doc would say it, I do not want to pass this along to anyone else. It's nothing I would wish on my worst enemy, let alone my child.
Hang in there everyone! There is always something worse than we have.

I have been on this terrible ride since I was 20. I'm 30 now, and didn't actually get a diagnosis until I was 28. It has ravaged my entire existence. Every aspect of my life has been affected and there seems to be no hope of improving it. It seems, in the last 12 months, I have become almost uncontrollable and strange, especially to others. Breakdown after breakdown seems to take slices of my brain and leave me feeling absolutely numb. Has anyone ever come back from this level of darkness? If so, how and where did you find the motivation and support? I am feeling extremely suicidal these days, and some glimmer of hope could be crucial in helping me find peace. I am just now trying to understand everything I can about the disorder, so that maybe I can combat this terrible illness. I must start over, and I admit, talking about it here gives my embarrassed mind some comfort. Thanks for reading. I really hope that if you are reading this and you have this illness, you are doing a lot better than I am.

I'm 44 and have been dealing with Bipolar II since I was 14. It has gotten worse, possibly due to being in perimenopause. Today was an especially difficult one, being near to Christmas and not having a husband/boyfriend/significant other, and never having children. I also don't much care for my job and am stable enough only to work part-time.
I AM fortunate I have caring parents who try to help, but there is a lot of shame in relying on elderly parents when I should be taking care of them. I am simply unable, despite trying so hard to remain on medication and do all I can to stabilize.
It's not getting better and I have tried my heart out for years. My life is meaningless and painful. I made a promise not to kill myself until my parents are gone, because what a bitter and horrible thing to do to them at the ends of their lives, especially after all the love and support they have given me (yes, I am so grateful). But getting through every day is such a struggle and sometimes I'm resentful that I can't just end the suffering.
Thank you so much for this post, it was validating to see others feeling this way, without that soul-sucking and sometimes false "it gets better!" because sometimes it just doesn't. This isn't the movies, it's real life.

The raw honesty of these posts is comforting. I am 54; was diagnosed BP1 at 40, after 20 years of treatment with antidepressants after being misdiagnosed all those years with major depression.
At age 47 I had to give up on my profession, which I loved very much. I am too unstable now to be employed. I am interested in finding out whether or not this is a pattern that others see with bipolar disorder - that it worsens over time. I went from being a mother who owned a thriving professional business full time to unemployed due to increasingly erratic mood cycling and cognitive deficits. I need stronger meds now. I am dealing with lots of grief over losing my career. Can anyone else relate?

I am now 50, going through perimenopause. I have had this illness since I'm 19. Having had BPII my worst ongoing symptom was agoraphobia. I overcame that abd tried for a pretty stressful job in the public eye, so to speak. Jobs in the field were scarce, and could not handle working in more difficult circumstances. I have two master's degrees, and a demeaning shit job. I have family with no education who are confident enough to chase money at the same age I am. My point is that I feel defeated. I worked like a dog for my degrees through depression and severe panic disorder and agoraphobia. Family members worry about money. Other people have a much easier time, and I am resentful. I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I do. After overcoming years of agoraphobia and degrees, I still have no job in my chosen field

Natasha, thank you for your blogs and articles, etc. Thank you so much for your comments about the truth and the words on the subject., those who deal with bipolar illness and comment. I am so relieved that I found these websites. I have looked for years, now, for people to relate to, finding them via the Internet, and I now feel I have friends in this thing that sucks. I also want to give hugs to those out there, especially us females in our thirties now, who are told, "..but you are young and you can still have kids!" No, I cannot, OMG!! I am tired of people telling me this and me explaining nicely. I have to stop revealing personal facts and just be brutal if these common-but- absolutely- invasive comments of our society are posed to me again. I now am NO MISS NICE GUY about it!!! Bipolar sucks and this is honesty; this is fact. Having this illness has gotten me into many risky, frightening situations, and I am very lucky to be alive and healthy. It is absolutely unfair to be bipolar, no exceptions. I want so badly to start my own meeting group in my city for people struggling with Bipolar I. Thank you, again, bloggers and readers!!!

Psh, I was "destroyed" at age 11. I'm 14 now and have years and years and years and years to go with bipolar disorder.

i am feeling the same. Thanks for writing, I just found someone feeling the same and Iam not alone. Bipolar disorder is really unfair. I was dignosised bipolar disorder and my life distroed. I agree that other disesses are also not fair but in other diseases patient have at list hope to recover or wish to continue life.but for me sometimes it is not possible to wish to live life. Bipolar disorder change who i was as an person. I lost closeness to family member now they are scared how i will respond to them. my friends were stollen by bipolar.My dreams to travel the world break with bipolar dignosis.My career have ended for which i invest 18 years of life.I am 24 year girl who knows I will never have a normal life. I wish every thing should be normal. I should have friends around me,love, family.Should have good career.As like any 24 years girl i should have good looks , hair . But reality is there is nothing I am a ugly,no hairs,dark cicles around eyes and i looks older than my age. No one wish to talk to me. No one will ever intrested in me. My life is alone still end it is the reality. I can not earn money is the reality. I have to take my medicines for lifetime alhough it is sure ut will change my coundition. some one advise me that look at the person suffering from cancer.I want to realy tell them he at list no who he is. He at list wish to be recover and have normal life. Here for me i do not know who i am? Sometimes I do not wish to live.I knw it do not have any end. I never choose this life. Ialways work hard to get my dreams come true but life played a game with me and gave me bipolar disorder. It is really unfair

Natasha,
Thank you for this. I am not bipolar but was diagnosed with major depressive disorder almost 20 years ago and everything you wrote is exactly how I feel right now. I am 34 and feel like this disease has stolen EVERYTHING from me....love, marriage, career, children. I will not have children because I could not bear to pass on my mental illness and my alcoholism. The fact that I will never get to be a mother, experience that kind of love, experience pregnancy, experience holding my baby for the first time.....is particularly devastating to me. My entire life is based on my depression. I have tried everything, including ECT. And it is not fair. My own mother often gives me the "we all get dealt a bad hand" lecture. It is plain unfair that almost every moment of my life is consumed with pain, exhaustion, and survival. Thank you for making me feel less alone.

One problem, my body looks like crap from meds. Angry forever over that. Then thyroid disease to add to it. Ruined my chances to find a suitable life partner.