The given picture represents the different phases of how a plant grows and one day, how it becomes a tree & benefits the environment. In the same way, the human body goes through different phases of life. Be it body or mind, both experience different things. As we grow, it helps us to understand how life changes and how we need to manage everything. In this blog, I am going to discuss the warning signs about my mental health which I noticed with each phase of life.

Warning signs of bipolar disorder

Initially, I felt that everything around me was getting blurry and something kept pushing me down over and over again. Gradually, my focus was limited which made it difficult for me to do many things. I used to read something but I was not able to understand what it meant. At that moment, I just felt helpless!

I live with bipolar disorder and throughout the years, I have experienced different layers and the way it works. With time, I became aware of the warning sign and what risk is involved with the manic episode. I am sharing all these things and my journey so that someone out there reading this can get motivated and do not lose hope. It’s just we need to understand that mental health needs assistance and timely treatment can manage the condition.

Warning signs during childhood

Since childhood, I have had warning signs related to my mental health. Although, it was only diagnosed in my adolescence. I am hopeful that these experiences I am sharing will help others.

Early treatment of a psychotic episode

EARLY TREATMENT!

It is of utmost importance that the first psychotic episode is treated without any delay. This way it will reduce the chances of relapse or severity of the episodes. When I was 10 to 11 years old, I did not sleep much. I used to just lie down on my bed and gazed outside the window or one corner of the wall. Sometimes, doing all these things has helped me to fall asleep.

Hallucination getting worse

Sometimes I used to see handprints on the windows, despite the fact they were not there. I started hallucinating about different things and used to hear whispers. I have even been in a situation where I woke up in the middle of the floor and I was covered with bruises. But, no one knew how it happened?

Moreover, in school, my behavior was considered as the attribute of tantrums or misbehavior. All my academic achievements went in vain. It is of utmost importance that students with mental health should be taken seriously, and there is no need to judge them.

Adolescence stage

During high school, I concentrated on academic achievement and I used to sleep only for 5 hours a night. Although I did all this to focus on my studies, it turned out to be an insomnia situation. When I woke up, I felt irritable behavior and extreme tightness in my chest. With time, I lost connection with everything that was around me. My parents told me that I used to walk outside in extreme rain with bare feet and sometimes inappropriate clothing.

When things went out of control my parents took me to the psychiatric hospital to understand accordingly begin with the treatment

Young adulthood

After completing my graduation, I planned to teach middle school science. No doubt, it was not as easy as I would have thought. My student life started coming in front of me and made me overwhelmed with the entire situation. Everything seems to be pressurizing me.

Later, I experienced another manic episode and then depression. There was a time that I used to clean my room till 10 p.m and sometimes even later. I used to think that when I sleep less and eat less, I am more productive. All these things made everything even worse and eventually, I needed to take a leave to get back to my normal state.

Middle adulthood

By this time, I knew how I needed to manage my emotions and psychological state. All thanks to my mental health expert who helped me through this tough time and how my family managed the situation.

Mental Health is no Joke!

If you ever feel too good but impatient, want to indulge in unsafe behavior, feel too low with self-doubt and hopelessness then these might be the signs you need help. Mania or hypomania may be near. If you ever feel that you are losing self-control and do not know about what should be done then make sure to take the right measures on time. Even if you see someone having trouble this way, then it is important to help them and take them to the psychiatrist.

It is important to make yourself aware of mental health and there is no need to live in the dark. If you want help or need someone to talk to, We are here to help you!