Lived Experience Forum

[RosyColour]

I just wanted to say, I had a freaky trip a few weeks ago. This is the 4th time now that I've been hospitalised for psychotic mania, being 1st diagnosed 20 years ago.

Now I've had my 4th episode my doctor says its more likely this will happen again. It was surreal how everything was back to normal just 2 weeks later, as if it didn't even happen.

How can I best prepare for interludes of insanity? Will it always be "a mess" every time this happens? Can you ever be adequately prepared?

[Lunar]

Hello @RosyColour,

A big warm welcome from to the forums, I hope you find them helpful and we look forward to getting to know you a bit better 🙂

Would you like to tell us a bit more about how you are feeling, it sounds hard as you mentioned 'nothing', but we are here to talk if that would help right now?

Lunar

[RosyColour]

oh sorry, I did say something but couldn't work out how to delete it 😄

[Lunar]

That's okay @RosyColour, were you wanting to delete the thread you started or edit the post you made under it?

It can be a bit confusing !

Lunar

[RosyColour]

yea sorry couldn't work out how to delete, so I rewrote a summary of what I said originally

[Lunar]

It sounds like you've gone through a lot recently @RosyColour, it is really good that you are looking to get some more support and insight to your mental health so you are more prepared if you have an episode again.

Was there something that you think might have triggered the psychosis, such as stress, extreme changes in lifestyle, loss, a break up? Sometimes this can trigger things within us, otherwise it could have been an interaction with someone, an event, a smell, an experience, a nightmare?

It might be helpful to write down some of these things and how you got through that last episode, then you can reflect on that if you feel you have been triggered in some way? Keeping a journal can be really helpful for insight and certain patterns, as well as getting your thoughts off your mind.

Lunar

[RosyColour]

A few weeks before I got real sick, I had what I now know were early warning signs. I took some meds (not the right ones as it turns out) for a few days, slept for a few more days then seemed fine. The early warning signs were less need for sleep, talking more quickly, motivated to work more, and unusual mannerisms noted by my husband. But there were no delusions as such, and no psychosis and I seemed to be well again very quickly.

A couple of weeks later I was reading the news and came upon an article about the Mandela Effect, then I started spinning out after that. I was very worried about the American election and the environmental health of the planet. A few days after that I was in an ambulance on my way to hospital, I only remember strange snippets for the next 3 days when I was in the ER and then the HDU of the local public ward.

It seems like it spiralled out of control pretty quickly. Now my doctor, while he usually preferred me to be on meds 24/7, now he's saying that only one med really works for me for sure, so we have to watch for early warning signs and catch it early.

This craziness makes me worry for my future, and the future of my little family. I just don't see how I can better prepare for insanity.

[Lunar]

It seems like you were experiencing at first some symptoms like talking more quickly, motivated to work and that these were unusual mannerisms for you, and could be worth noticing as warning signs?

If you keep track of these symptoms when they come up and contact your doctor when you are feeling this way, you can possibly prevent another psychosis episode?

Do you think you could work with your doctor to develop a strategy around this to reduce your worry? You sound very caring of your family and how they will cope if this happens again.

Lunar