.

[argh]

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Edited September 16, 2020 by argh

[Gearhead]

It’s possible. I’ve had years at a time that had only the occasional “blip”: A quick flare-up, not more than a week or two, and then back to feeling fine. Honestly fine. Perfectly sane, just with a really dark sense of humor and some vicious memories. 

[Unstrung Harp]

I had a few solid years where I managed a masters degree, having kids, and doing PhD coursework, with some blips but limited full-tilt crazy. Functional mostly, though probably randomly weepy cause that's how I roll. It's possible I think.

[argh]

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Edited October 27, 2020 by argh

[Wonderful.Cheese]

@argh
I have SZA BP so I hope it’s ok to post.

I generally do not have super long remissions. I’ll get a good maybe 1-3 months free from the mood junk (guessing here). If I’m super lucky I think I remember a time where it’s been a little longer free from mood junk longer than 3 months. But then things go up or down it seems.

But I always have some mild-moderate and sometimes worse psychosis even when in remission from the mood stuff. It’s always some “delusional thinking and paranoia” as my treatment team puts it. Always simmering in my mind. But I have “treatment resistant psychosis” as my pdoc says. So, there’s that.

[saoirse]

Yes. I have been doing well for about six months now, perfectly well. It's been great.

[aura]

I've been generally euthymic apart from a few blips since I started clozapine a year ago. It's possible!

[argh]

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Edited September 20, 2020 by argh

[saintalto]

I was symptomatic from 19 years old until I was 34. Functional at times, but always symptomatic. Mostly psychosis stuff. Then I found latuda and I haven’t had any symptoms for 2 years. I don’t know if cognitively I am affected because I haven’t been without meds for so long I can’t remember what it was like being on no meds. But I think I am better cognitively on latuda than I was on other meds. 

Note, I have Schizoaffective but was initially diagnosed bipolar 1. 

Edited November 18, 2019 by saintalto

[xheimlich]

Yes. 

Whether it's likely for you depends on a thousand factors -- genetics, life history, treatment, lifestyle yadda yadda yadda. It's significantly more difficult if you're homeless, for example. (My heart bleeds out for homeless folk who are obviously crazy). And this you've heard a thousand times.

You have to bear in mind that forums like this, support groups, etc. dis-proportionally draw in people who are experience difficulties, whether bad treatment options and shitty pdocs, breakout episodes, adverse life situations... There's significantly less reason for people who are doing fine in life to invest time and emotional energy in support groups. More likely than not they even prefer to forget about this whole madness thing and just take their meds and live as best as they can.

 

(This is not to diminish people who do experience difficulties. It's a curtain-covered doorframe, not a steel door, between doing great in life and getting in trouble because of MI/craziness/madness/demonic possession. But the upshot it's that it's much harder to see the folks doing ok if you're not, and vice-versa.)