Bipolar Depression

Hi I just joined this website. I've been looking around for support groups or forums to help me. I am 19 years old and have been diagnosed with bi polar for 7-8 years. I was about 11 or 12 when I was diagnosed. Throughout the years of middle school and high school I have had many ups and downs when it came to my moods. It took me years to finally find the right combination of medication that helps me. However, the medication can only do so much. I feel kind of alone at home with my parents and none of the friends that I have can really relate to how I am. I'm now in a community college and I have trouble concentrating in class a lot of the time due to mood swings, I'll either be too depressed to listen and just basically stuck inside of my own head. Other times I won't be able to sit still, I feel like I have a lot of energy and no where to put it. Even getting by day to day in my life seems to be a challenge. Is there anyone with any advice that they can give?

No advice but, 3 questions?

1) Have you told this exact same thing about folks seeming not to relate, "I'm now in a community college and I have trouble concentrating in class a lot of the time due to mood swings, I'll either be too depressed to listen and just basically stuck inside of my own head. Other times I won't be able to sit still, I feel like I have a lot of energy and no where to put it. Even getting by day to day in my life seems to be a challenge." to your psychiatrist, to your therapist?

2) A 2-parter: Do you have a psychiatrist? Do you have a therapist in which you see regularly while going to school.

3) Do you have a disability or assistance plan at the College to help you?

1) Yes I have. I do take Concerta for my ADD I also take Lamictal and Prozac for my bi polar and depression. The combination of meds that I am currently on is the best that I've ever had in terms of effectiveness. I'm not really sure if there's anything else that medicine can do. I need to figure out some ways to get myself to focus and snap out of it when I start to daze off I guess.

2) I have a psychiatrist that I have been seeing for about 8 years. I am currently picking out another therapist with my dad that is on our insurance. I used to be in family therapy but quit when I turned 18 because nothing ever got resolved. When I tried to see my therapist again, I was told that I could not see him as an individual client because I had seen him in family therapy to begin with.

3) On the first day of my fall semester I am going to be looking into the DESP department (that's where you go to discuss disabilities and what can be done to help in class etc.)

Also, thank you so much for replying to my post. I was about to give up on anyone actually replying >_< I really appreciate you taking the time for this

No, not much happens in here I am finding (the message boards that is)
So, I just kinda peep in every once in a while. I'm kinda new to it as well.
I asked the questions because I think that if you spoke with your psychiatrist and told him or her exactly what you said here, it might help. Don't know but it certainly couldn't hurt, I wouldn't think.
I also understand about needing a new therapist if the one you had been seeing had seen you as a "youngster" in family therapy. You are now a young "adult" and well one of the perks is that you kinda have to find your own therapist. A bummer cause you'll have to catch the new one up to speed but sometimes having a new set of eyes and ears isn't all bad. It just gets tiring the older you get and the more you have to switch, having to catch each one up and repeating the same thing.
Hopefully, you won't have to switch too many times and will find one that you can stick with while in CC and it would help you to have one to help you navigate through what will be a challenging and stressful adventure.
I'm also glad you are going to see your DESP (you called it). Schools have different names for that department but it's the one where those with disabilities can apply and a plan is worked out that will hopefully help ease some of the difficulties that comes with your relative chronic illness (cause ADD & Bipolar are chronic illnesses) so that you can achieve your goal and utilize your potential more fully.
It will perhaps help you come up with ways to study, take tests, and perform assigned work around your episodic symptoms and flare-ups.
Just don't push yourself too terribly hard and don't beat yourself up so badly if every now and then something doesn't seem to go just so.
Life's a journey and on the path there will be obstacles and bumps.
Sure ADD & Bipolar are 2 big obstacles and bumps but you already know about them and if you have your tools (meds) and you have your backup (doc, therapist, family, and learning plan), then maybe those obstacles and bumps will be a bit more easier to navigate around in order to continue onward to where you are heading.
As far as having energy but not knowing where to channel it... do you paint, write, draw, or engage in any sports? If not, then this is something maybe to think of and talk over with your therapist once you find one.
Just kinda rambling on here and I'm sorry. One of my symptoms so it seems, at times

No worries about the ramblings I know how that goes lol besides, I like reading longer posts :P Thank you very much for your help I really, really appreciate it. So we both know a fair amount about me, what about you?

What about me, eh? Fair enough I guess, to ask. However, I was replying to your message board post so, getting to know you was a given.
I do enjoy a "air of mystery" but, in fairness, I will tell you that I'm much older than you, have been to college but had to drop out due to what I now know to be Bipolar episodes, and was diagnosed as Bipolar I fairly recently after many many years of misdiagnosis.
I do know that had I have had a "plan" at college to assist me with my program of study, I do believe I'd done much better and likely would've stayed and finished but that was years ago and I didn't know the situation.
Like I said, many many years of misdiagnosis combined with wrong medications. So, getting to know young folks desiring college or even old folks desiring college and getting the chance to go, I'm all for them doing. Who knows, maybe one day I'll get a chance to try again before I head to the old folks home.

What is holding you up from going to college now? Nearly all colleges (community and University) have online classes. If you go to a community college first, the classes aren't very expensive. My classes only cost about $10 per unit and most classes are roughly 3 units so that's only $30 for a single class. Obviously there is the whole textbook thing, however there are sites that you can get those same textbooks for very cheap. At one point my older sister (She has a bachelors degree in Psychology and is currently going for her Masters) showed me a site where I could have actually gotten some of the textbooks that had cost me over $100 for like $30. May I ask what you were going to major in?