Bipolar 1 vs. Bipolar 2

Who out there suffers from Bipolar 1 or Bipolar 2? 

I have been diagnosed with bipolar 1 with full blown manic episodes. Occasionally the manic episodes are short but most can last several days. About 2 years ago I had a manic episode that lasted so long that I didn’t sleep at all for close to a week. Unfortunately this related to hallucinations and a psychotic break. I was checked into a psychiatric hospital for 3 days where I was given some medications and finally managed to sleep. My manic current episodes don’t last as long as that one but can last 2-3 days. I won’t sleep or eat during these episode. I still hallucinate and I’ve seen things such as shadow people, our cat throwing clothes everywhere, and a bug infestation. The bugs were the worse. They were coming out of the carpet, they were in my bed to the point where I wouldn’t lay down (my husband spent hours trying to tell me there were no bug in the bed), I saw fleas (that were not there) on our dogs, I heard a TV and radio playing in our upstairs loft that did not have a radio or TV and I was convinced that there was a sport in the house. 

My depressive episodes were worse than they non bipolar depression. I was crying all the time, I though everyone hated me, I considered suicide, I was a cutter.

But luckily upon telling my doctor about both my manic and depressive episodes, he tried me on Abilify, which did nothing for me. He then tried Zyprexa and it has helped immensely.  I still get breakthrough episodes of both bipolar mania and bipolar depression but with the help and love from my family an friends, they are much less common. 

I don’t know a single person who has bipolar 1 (or 2 for that matter) so I don’t have anyone besides my family to talk to. They try to help, but it’s just not as helpful as speaking to someone who actually suffers from this disease. 

I also suffer from terrible anxiety and panic attacks that don’t really have much to do with my bipolar  Agoraphobia is also something I deal with. When my first husband and I were deciding to get a divorce, I wouldn’t leave our house for close to 6 months  I had to quit my job and it was all the strength I could muster up to take our dog for a walk. My mom was positive that if I took a walk I would be cured. Boy was she wrong! My grandma (my mothers mom) suffered from extreme agoraphobia and had not left the house from the mid 80s until she passed away in 2000. She wouldn’t even go out to check her mail. Everyone in my family is dealing with some type of mental/emotional illness but I am literally the only one who has admitted it and sought help from psychologists, psychiatrist, mental councilors, and natural remedies such as meditation, crystal therapy, essential oils, my family doctor, and mental health specialists.

What type of bipolar do you have? How extreme are your manic and depressive episodes? What medication or therapies have you tried and what works best? What therapies have you tried from natural remedies to mental health coinciding? 

Thank you!

SparkleMotion14 aka Elizabeth