Irritation

[HealingRecovery]

Hello, BreanneP. I'm sorry for the late reply. I just saw your post.

I think she is trying to be motivating and empowering. But what I feel is that she is too harsh. Maybe she pushes me a bit too much.

How do you deal with procrastination in terms of bipolar disorder?

[Gentle D]

How do you guys deal with irritation? I feel that I'm unable to lower it. And it leads to hypomania. I'm diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder II.

I am seeing a psychologist and a psychiatrist. But it is not helping me much. My psychiatrist says that I'm a procrastinator. She thinks I'm using Bipolar Disorder as an excuse.

Please help.

Sometimes, to deal with irritation, you need to stay away from the trigger. Many people may not appreciate what you are feeling, but your feelings are well appreciated. Secondly, I also work on my perceptions.

[HealingRecovery]

Hello, Gentle D. I appreciate your insights.

My psychiatrist is quite firm. I cannot challenge her viewpoints because she is a professional. She thinks my valid points are excuses and not a part of the disorder.

[BreanneP]

Hi HealingRecovery!

No need to apologize! I agree with you that your psychiatrist may not be intentionally trying to bring you down, however the way that they are communicating with you about this definitely seems overly harsh. From what I can tell, you are not just making up excuses for things like procrastination, and it seems like your psychiatrist is putting a lot of this blame on you when none of this is your fault at all. I know they are a professional, however I hope other people in your support system (other health professionals, family members, friends, and even folks in this forum) can help you feel as though you are not lazy, nor making up excuses for these behaviours.

Regarding procrastination and bipolar, I have personally found that my procrastination becomes worse when I am in a mood episode (manic, because I put some things off to hyperfocus on others, and depressed, because I become too upset to do anything that I need to do). When this happens, having loved ones remind me of things is pretty helpful (for example, my partner would often text me to remind me to take my meds throughout the day, or do things like cleaning dishes and showering). Being held accountable by another person personally helps me combat procrastination. Maybe this is something you could try too, if you are comfortable relying on someone in your support system to send you reminders and keep you accountable to things you tend to procrastinate!

I hope you find this helpful!

[HealingRecovery]

Hello, BreaneP. That is helpful.

I feel you are right. Maybe people need more awareness of Bipolar Disorder. Do you have any tips as to how I can express myself better? And my condition?