join me in a collective strip-tease…

I have decided that the best method for brutal honesty about my experience with bipolar disease is to post my mood charts. I have not yet decided how I will do that, but will work it out tonight or tomorrow. And link it to this post.

Now, all of my bipolar blogging buddies (you know who you are) how about doing this with me? I know it is personal, but we should be keeping them anyway. Send me an email to let me know if you are in.

07.19.07

O.K. guys I am putting mine up. I know that some of us use different ones, so I am going to tell you a bit about mine first. The number values of the spreadsheets are as follows:

Depressive Symptoms…

0 = No problems, or — more likely — the usual degree of struggle that life poses.
-1 = Clearly not at my best , but most people might not notice.
-2 = Noticeably struggling to get basic things done, such as preparing meals or getting to work.
-3 = Unable to function: even just getting cleaned up and dressed is difficult or not happening.

Manic Symptoms (“Wired”)…

0 = My usual ability to perform tasks.
1 = Clearly more active, but most people would not notice it. My pets and close family might notice.
2 = People are commenting on this level of energy, perhaps getting a little irritated with me.
3 = Overactive, plunging into one activity then another without finishing anything, can’t sit still, perhaps doing very risky things (sex, money, drugs, driving fast)

Medication…

I list four medications on my chart:

Lamictal – I usually take 200mg a day (4 pills 50mg each). The number of the chart is the number of pills I took that day.

Adderalll – I usually take 60mg a day (3 pills 20mg each). The number of the chart is the number of pills I took that day.

Omega 3 – I usually take 1 pill a day. The number of the chart is the number of pills I took that day.

Vitamin – I usually take 1 pill a day. The number of the chart is the number of pills I took that day.

On/Off Variable…

This variable is set to 1 when I am menstruating.

I am going to post my spreadsheet data and the resulting graphs. If you have any questions, post them here.

May

June

July

I did not keep a chart in July. This month just flew by. Things were more up and down than last month. Sleep patterns were beyond crazy. Sorry guys, I will do better next month.